20151007 GREAT HARVEST

GREAT HARVEST

Matthew 9:36-38 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  (37)  He said to His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. (38) So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields."

The compassion of Christ is evident in that He pays attention to those around Him. In the verse immediately preceding this it is told that He traveled all over that area preaching the kingdom and healing all manner of illness. In His traveling He sees the crowds of people wandering aimlessly with no one to lead them. They are like sheep without a shepherd. This makes them easy targets for wolves, lions, false prophets and charlatans.

Jesus is in human form. In His earthly ministry He is imprisoned by time and space like us. There is a limit to how much He can do at any given time. Keep in mind, in this form He is teaching us how to live. We humans wear ourselves out trying to fit 25 hours of work into a 24 hour day. Jesus could have said, “Look at all the work out there. You guys are going to have to work a lot faster and a lot harder.” But He didn’t say that. He told them to pray for more laborers.

In Short:

1.  There is a lot of work out there.

2.  You can’t do it all so pray for more laborers.

3.  There is someone in charge of the harvest and that someone is not you.

In the next chapter Jesus sends the apostles out to do some work. So He is not saying, “Just sit back and pray for others to do all the work.” I think at the heart of this is, Pray, Do your best, Trust God for the rest.

Father in heaven, thank You that Jesus saw the sheep and their needs. Thank You that You see… You see us… You see all those around who are in need. Please raise up and send out more workers to lead the sheep. And give us clear instruction as to what work we are to do and where we are to apply ourselves. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

20150810 KEEPING HIS NAME HOLY

KEEPING HIS NAME HOLY

Matthew 6:9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy.

As I said in our last writing, God wants us to pray according to His will. Jesus gave us the Model Prayer, or what some call The Lord’s Prayer. Many people can quote this portion of scripture and do so often without giving much thought to what is being said. When we do that we babble as mentioned in verse 7. So, it is worth our time to take this passage verse by verse.

The prayer begins by naming who we are praying to, “Our Father in heaven,” our Creator who reigns and rules from the highest heavens.

The first thing Jesus told us to pray is for our Father’s name to be kept holy. Most of us would not consider using any of God’s names in vain, or in a swearing manner. We may even speak up if we hear someone else use His name like this. But, do we keep His name holy (to separate from profane things -THAYER)? This, like the other teachings here begin in our hearts and therefore, I quote again Psalms 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Is there, toward God, any awe in you when you pray? When you worship? When you wake up each day? Are you driven to moments of gratefulness and praise because you recognize God’s handiwork? Psalms 8:3-4  When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers—the moon and the stars You set in place— (4)  what are mere mortals that You should think about them, human beings that You should care for them?

Do you remember throughout your day that the Holy Spirit is with you and in you at all times? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, (20) for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” That means what you say, what you do, what you think should all honor God by keeping His name holy.

So when we pray, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy,” we are asking for us, all of us to do just that, keep His name holy.

A thought to ponder… If it were against the law to be a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you? Is His name holy in your thoughts, words, deeds?

Father in heaven, make this true in our lives, our thoughts, words and actions. Be glorified in us and through us. In Jesus name, AMEN!!!

20150807 WHEN YOU PRAY

WHEN YOU PRAY

Matthew 6:7-8 "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  (8)  Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!

When you give, when you pray- It is assumed that the followers of Jesus Christ will indeed give and pray.

Prayer should be as natural to us as breathing. It is conversation with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. I appreciate how The Message paraphrases these verses. Matthew 6:7-8 "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  (8)  Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.

Although there are biblical ways to pray, just saying the same thing over and over does not guarantee the answer you are seeking. That is not to say we should not continue asking for something. We will talk more about this later in this chapter.

Have you ever heard a child ask for something repeatedly without taking a breath? For instance, “Daddy, can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink?” (No, that was not another computer glitch.) And, while the child is doing this daddy is engrossed in a conversation on the phone. That child will eventually get a drink, but it will probably follow a lecture on interrupting and maybe a time out.

When we repeatedly pray selfish prayers we are just like that child who is clueless about respect and about how much his daddy loves him. That dad wants to bless his child and meet his needs. It is not necessary for the child to ask rudely nor with such urgency. As the child grows up he learns that he can have a conversation with his dad and share thoughts and ideas.

It’s the same for us. Our heavenly Father loves us. He knows what we need long before we ask. He wants us to pray according to His will. To do this we need to know His desires and pray accordingly. Lord willing, we will begin looking at “The Model Prayer” next.

Father in heaven, grant us a desire to pray, to talk to You and to listen to You. And as the disciples asked Jesus, teach us to talk to You with clear understanding of Your love for us, and with faith in Your provision. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!