The Prayer Request that Goes to War
We ask God about the big things in life and the small things. We pray about big topics--like the eternal nature of God's coming kingdom--but also about the matters of life we often take for granted: where we live, what we drink, and what we eat. By modeling this attitude for us, Jesus teaches us that God is so intimately involved in our daily life that even something as seemingly insignificant as a loaf of bread is divinely provided for us by our loving God.
No Longer King of Your Own Castle
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He made sure to stress just how significant a commitment it is to say, "Your kingdom come." As always, Jesus wasn't just concerned with the words coming out of His follower's mouths, He got right to the heart of the matter. Praying The Lord's Prayer requires a type of surrender that acknowledges God's divine supremacy and our total dependency. When we pray this prayer, we hand over the key to the castle of our life.
When the Reputation of God is at Stake
The most important question the disciples ever asked Jesus was the question, Lord, will you teach us to pray? As Jesus set out to teach them how, He demonstrated that praying well starts with properly understanding God and our relationship to Him. The very first phrase of The Lord's Prayer is the key to unlocking a successful prayer life in ourselves as well.
Reaching Heaven in Two Minutes or Less
Many Christians are asked the question, What makes Christianity unique? What makes it different from any other religion? The answer can be found in the first two words of the prayer Jesus teaches His disciples to pray in Luke 11: Our Father. No other religion can claim such an intimate, personal communion between God and the worshiper. No other religion calls God their father. As Jesus teaches them--and us--to pray, there are some perspective-changing, life-orienting truths to learn from these two words: Our Father.
The Greatest Show on Earth
The religions of the world are preoccupied with performance. Prayer, rituals, works, and traditions give people a false sense of righteousness. And this is not a new phenomenon; in fact, Jesus confronted the same themes 2,000 years ago. The Pharisees were the masters of seeming righteous, they performed in all the right ways, but their hearts were far from God. As Jesus calls them out for their hypocrisy, we can glean a valuable reminder about what true worship--and what truly living for Christ--is all about.
The Learning Curve of Life, Part 2
After enduring bad advice and heartless accusations from his so-called friends for nearly 30 chapters, Job finally receives a real word of wisdom.
The Learning Curve of Life, Part 1
After enduring bad advice and heartless accusations from his so-called friends for nearly 30 chapters, Job finally receives a real word of wisdom.
The Last Stand of a Desperate Man, Part 2
His friends have condemned him, his wife has forsaken him, and he must now face the final barrage of enemy arrows in the solitude of his mind. Will this prove to be Job's last stand or the devil's?
The Last Stand of a Desperate Man, Part 1
His friends have condemned him, his wife has forsaken him, and he must now face the final barrage of enemy arrows in the solitude of his mind. Will this prove to be Job's last stand or the devil's?
Saints in the Hands of Angry Counselors, Part 2
There is a profound lesson to be learned from the first 22 chapters of Job's diary and it is simply this: when God is silent, don't speak for Him!