February 9, 2012

"Give us this day our daily bread......." Matthew 6:11

You are created for God’s pleasure! He made you to be the object of His love and grace! God desires to be known by you and to know you. One way that happens is through prayer.

Therefore, prayer is not a ritual or a religious exercise but a relationship with the Heavenly Father! Like all good Fathers, God delights in providing for His children.

I was blessed by the thought that God desires to relate to us in the “NOW”. Relationships happen in the moment and you must capture those moments to know and be known by God or by your loved ones.

Last night I saw this truth demonstrated in a powerful way in the recent movie “Courageous”. I recommend this movie for everyone but particularly for dads.

The men in this movie, like many of you, were busy making a living and providing for their families and in that process became easily distracted from the very family members they wanted to protect and provide for. So, like you, when they actually came home to be with their families they were physically present but emotionally absent. Like many of you they struggled with switching that mental switch that takes you from “THEN” to “NOW”. A God-given desire to provide and protect your wife and your children and the drive it takes to do that can be the very thing that prevents you from providing them with the emotional connection they desperately crave. Not many things are lonelier than living around the people you love but not giving or receiving that love.

Often it takes something dramatic happening to shock you into the importance of being “THERE’ when you are there. You and I need to be emotionally engaged in the “NOW” with wives and children. Otherwise, you wake up one day to discover you are living with strangers.

What does this have to do with the Lord’s Prayer?

Jesus teaches His disciples – and you – that you should pray for God to help you know Him and trust Him on a daily basis. He is helping them understand the importance of relating to God in the “NOW”. Relationships happen moment by moment. If you miss those moments you miss out on relationship. All relationships.

As in the movie and in your world, what keeps you from enjoying the “NOW” are the pains of the past, the pressures of the day as well as your plans for the future. When you are distracted by your past regrets or future concerns or the demands of the present, it keeps you from enjoying the “NOW”. Life happens in the “NOW”. Love happens in the “NOW”. All of us have missed moments we would love to have back!

One of the truths the Master wants you to get from this teaching on prayer is how to live in the “NOW” by trusting Him for the day and the days to come. One of the messages of “Courageous” is how to seize the moments with your family that shape lives and build love.

Pray the prayer. See the movie. Learn to live in the “NOW”. Start now.

February 8, 2012

"Give us this day our daily bread......." Matthew 6:11

I focused yesterday on how God has the power and the desire to provide your needs. He fed millions of Hebrews in the desert for forty years with manna from heaven.

In the next few days I will have more to say about God, the Provider. But as I was meditating on this verse today, I was impressed with another aspect of this prayer. Jesus taught us to pray for His provision on a daily basis.

When God miraculously provided the manna in the wilderness He did it on a daily basis. Moses gave the people enough manna for that day and if they tried to gather too much it spoiled and became filled with maggots. Only on the day before the Sabbath were they allowed to collect more than one day's worth of the "heavenly bread".

On those occasions when Jesus fed the multitudes from only a few loaves of bread, even though it was a miracle of multiplication He only gave them what they needed for THAT day!

Later in this same Teaching, Jesus again mentions the important of living daily and trusting God to provide what you need. And think about it, if you can trust Him to give you daily bread today, why shouldn't be able to trust Him again tomorrow? Here is His statement:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^?  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34

"Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:13-14

When Jesus sent His disciples out two by two in His name to do ministry, He didn't give them any food at all! And they didn't ask! He knew they would be taken care of and they didn't seem worried about it either! They did go and they didn't starve and many signs and wonders were performed.

So, what is Jesus wanting you to understand by stressing the daily aspect of your relationship with God?

God wants you to enjoy knowing Him and loving Him in the NOW - THIS MOMENT - a day at a time! He wants to provide for you so you can focus on Him, so you can fellowship with Him, and so you can feel His presence!

That is how it was in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve enjoyed being with God in the eternal moment - until they sinned. And that's how it is in Heaven! Time is not a factor, God is worshipped in the forever NOW! He is the adored central focus of Heaven and all of the Heavenly beings rejoice over being in His presence in the eternal NOW!

Will you enjoy being in God's presence today? Will you ask Him to provide what you need so that He  and you can enjoy being with Him today in each moment of today? Will you get up in the morning and do it again? Will you get yourself acclimated for your life to come in the forever NOW?

February 7, 2012

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11

Bread was associated with some significant events in Jesus’ earthly life and ministry.

When He was tempted in the wilderness following a 40 day fast, He was challenged to turn stones into bread. That indicates two things about Jesus: (1) He COULD have done it; and (2) there was a hungry human part of Him that wanted to do it! But He preferred being the Bread of life to having a bite of bread and He responded, “Man should not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God.”

Of course, there were the two miraculous feedings – the 4,000 and the 5,000 – using just a couple loaves of bread each time.

There was the intimate final meal He had with His disciples on the evening before His arrest and subsequent crucifixion. Near the end of that meeting He took bread and broke it and passed it out to His disciples to eat it in commemoration of  His sacrificial death  – something He was preparing to do for them.

What does this mean for you? It means that because of Jesus, God understands your hunger. Having been hungry His self and having enjoyed feasts with His friends, Jesus understood and appreciated the importance of tasty satisfying bread! And, by feeding several thousands of people through supernatural means, He proved His ability to feed anyone who is hungry.

I saw Him provide for my family on three seperate occasions we sat down to eat with barely enough to go around. We had a partial loaf of bread and a mostly filled gallon of milk. Counting kids at the table against the number of slices of bread on the table we knew it would be close. Each time we said grace and thanked God for His goodness to us.

On one of those occasions, we were still praying grace when a knock came at the door. Going to the door my mother saw my Little League baseball coach standing with a stringer of freshly caught fish that he gave to us. We were amazed at the goodness of God to provide for us that way.

One other time we were about to sit down for a less than complete meal and again someone knocked on the door. When we went to the door we saw a woman from our church standing there with a box of groceries to give us. Again, my brothers and sisters and I had a visual example of how God could provide!

The third time, was even more incredible because the person who appeared at the door at precisely the right time as an eccentric neighbor who hardly ever ventured out of his house, but there he stood with bags of groceries for our family!

God, on those three dramatic demonstrations, proved to us that He would “give us each day our daily bread”! We learned to trust Him more!

You can trust God to give you your “daily bread” and take good care of you! He is “Jehovah Jireh” your provider!

As your Father, He cares that you have what you need. And as your God He has the power to make it happen!

February 6, 2012

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ." Philippians 2:5
In real estate they say it is "location, location, location". For believers it is "attitude, attitude, attitude." And, I guess you could say that your attitude has a lot to do with your spiritual location!

This verse is the hinge point of this portion of Scripture. After exhorting us about our attitudes, Paul points to the example of Jesus and says in essence, "Here's your attitude!"

That begs the question, "What IS the attitude of Christ?"

Obviously, there was obedience and there was humility but the BIG attitude here is GRACE.

It was grace that THOUGHT the plan of salvation. When Adam selfishly chose to rebel against God and wreck paradise, God could have been justified in vaporing them and starting over. But His response was not vindictive or vengeful - it was gracious. He launched a plan to send a Second Adam to redeem the damage of the first Adam.

It was grace that WROUGHT it. God began to unfold His marvelous plan as history became the record of HIS story! Through Abraham, God raised up a nation through whom a Savior would arise. His grace orchestrated all the people and all the events that set the stage for a teen-age Jewish girl to give birth to Jesus in a manger in the stable of Bethlehem.

It was grace that BOUGHT it. Grace is free but it wasn't cheap! It cost God all that He had. Jesus demonstrated the divine attitudes of surrender, sacrifice, selflessness and servanthood. The Sinless One resisted all the temptations of the human experience, especially that which brought down the first Adam - selfish desire. Ultimately, the reward for His perfection was death on a cruel cross. In His sinlessness He was able to assume our sin, our shame, our guilt and our sickness and defeat them on the cross. As the words of the song express, "We'll never know how much it cost to see our sins upon His cross".

And, perhaps most amzing is His grace that SOUGHT us! He pursues you and me with His Spirit. He proclaims His love and grace through His Word. He presents His grace through people who have been touched and transformed by His grace. And that IS the challenge that comes to you and me. Will we surrender to His grace? Will we be saved and sanctified by His grace? Will we become living examples of His grace through our attitudes and actions? Can He use us to seek others? Will others be amazed by the grace they see in us?

If your attitude is like that of Jesus you will grace your world. If not you will dis-grace it.

February 5, 2012

"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

John Cassis is one of our nation’s finest motivational speakers. He told a story recently about a time when he was serving as one of the chaplain’s for the Chicago Bears during their glory years of the 80′s.

As John tells it, Mike Ditka was about to deliver a locker room pep talk one day. He looked up and saw defensive tackle William “Refrigerator” Perry. How could he not see him? At 338 pounds the Fridge stood out even in a crowd of pro football players. Ditka gestured to the Fridge. “When I get finished,” he said, “I’d like you to close with the Lord’s Prayer.” Then the coach began his talk.

Meanwhile, Jim McMahon, the brash and outspoken quarterback, punched John Cassis. “Look at Perry,” McMahon whispered, “he doesn’t know the Lord’s Prayer.”

Sure enough, Perry sat with a look of panic on his face, his head in his hands. He was sweating profusely. “Everybody knows the Lord’s Prayer,” said Cassis to McMahon in disbelief. After a few minutes of watching the Refrigerator leaking several gallons of sweat, McMahon nudged Cassis again. “I’ll bet you 50 bucks Fridge doesn’t know the Lord’s Prayer.”

When Coach Ditka finished his pep talk, he asked all the men to remove their caps. Then he nodded at Perry and bowed his head. It was quiet for a few moments before the Fridge spoke in a shaky voice, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord, my soul to keep…”

Cassis felt the tap on his shoulder. It was Jim McMahon. “Here’s the 50 dollars,” he whispered. “I had no idea Perry knew the Lord’s Prayer.”

Like the Fridge and Jim McMahon, you may not know much about the Lord's Prayer. Or, you may not know as much as you think you do.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they had no idea how much He actually would teach them! He taught them not just about prayer, but about how they should think about God and about how they should relate to God and a lot about themselves.

The Lord's Prayer is about worship because it connects you with the Person of God and brings you into His presence and can actually shape your life into a living praise for Him!

Not only in this prayer about worship but it is about His will. When you pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done you are asking for Him to reign and rule in your life.

For this prayer to be answered you must accept His will.

The will of God is for you to acknowledge Him as King of your life. You must surrender to Him before you can accept His will. You must acknowledge that He is King and you are not!

Accepting His will and His kingship over your life requires that every decision you make choose His will and desires above your own. Kings aren't negotiated with or nagged or told "no". Kings are obeyed and honored and served.

Have you accepted God as your King? Have you sincerely prayed - "Your kingdom come"?

Second, you must align with His will.

Prayer is not for the purpose of trying to persuade God to get in line with your will. Prayer is to ask Him to help you align with His will.

Ancient mariners were able to navigate vast oceans and large seas after they discovered the North Star. It is a fixed point in the sky that they can use as a point of reference in determining their direction. When they face toward the North Star they immediately know that west is to their left and east is to their right and south is at their back. Aligning with the North Star gave them their bearings and lead them to their destination.

The will of God is to be your North Star and you are to line you life to that in every decision and with every step you take.

When you pray - "your will be done" - you are asking God to help you come into line with His will. His expressed will is to "Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself". That is where it begins.

Third, you must act on His will.

God's will exists for the purpose of shaping your life in a way that pleases and honors Him! When you live out His will in your daily decisions and deeds you allow His kingdom to come and His will to be done through you right where you are!

Jesus accomplished the will of God because He accepted God's will, He aligned with God's will and He lived it out until the day He died - and in the way He died!

God's great gift you is a free will. But a free will in the hands of a willful sinner brings judgment upon Him. If you use your free will to live according to your own lusts and desires you will reap the consquences of sin.

The purpose of the Lord's Prayer is to give your free will back to God and let Him have control of it so what you desire will align with what He desires for you!

Will you pray - "your kingdom come, your will be done IN ME  as it is in heaven"?

Will you crown Him King in your life and spend your days serving, honoring and obeying Him?

February 4, 2012

"Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven".  Matthew 6:10

One of the things that makes our dog, Tyrod, so much fun is that he has such a strong personality. Either he is sleeping or he is charging full speed ahead. When he wants something he is relentless! It is safe to say that he is strong willed. And that very thing that makes him fun also makes him very frustrating to train. Thankfully, he only weighs 10 pounds and I weigh 200 or it he would completely have his way. Training Tyrod is an ongoing project.

What makes it further frustrating is the fact that we only want what is best for him and what is best for him is what is best for us! He has yet to figure that out. He knows he needs us because he is less than a foot tall and has no thumbs, so he is severely limited in what he can do for himself. I think he has figured out how dependent he is on us he just hasn't figured out if he likes it or not.

Life would be much better for the entire Snyder household if Tyrod would just look up at us with his goofy little underbite and his one trick eye and say, "Your kingdom come, your will be done."

Perhaps today will be that day! It hasn't happened yet, though.

In teaching the disciples how to pray, Jesus first addressed the issue of worship. Prayer is essential to worship because it connects you to the Person of God, brings you into His presence and empowers you to live your life as a praise offering to Him.

That makes complete sense, but the second thing He addresses is your will. God gave you a free will. It is one of the greatest gifts He has given you. He knows that how you exercise your free will make you or break you. Guess what? The enemy knows that, too! And therein, is the problem - he has contaminated your will with a self-centered bent so that your will and God's will are in conflict.

Praying, "Your kingdom come your will be done" is vitally important because it is telling God, "I give my will back to you and I surrender to yours!" THAT IS HUGE! And, by the way, you will have to pray that prayer many times during the day.

Tyrod reminds me of a painful truth, I am hard to train. I have a hard time bowing to the will of God in my life. I forget that what He wants for me is what is best for me. I slip into the illusion that I know what is best for me! And what is true for me is also true of you.

I will keep working on Tyrod to subdue his will. And I will allow God to keep training me and shaping me after His will. I will pray today, "Your kingdom come and your will be done" IN ME!

What will you do with your will today?

February 3, 2012

"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

I was walking Tyrod early this morning and I watched as the light from the rising sun slowly overcame the darkness leftover from the night. The walk that began in darkness was completed in dawn. And, this evening as Barbara and I are heading out for our date we will observe the process in reverse as the setting sun gives way to darkness.

God gives us dramatic daily reminders that the battle between darkness and light is relentless. So it is in the spiritual realm, darkness never rests in its assaults on the light. I have shared a couple of contemporary examples of how the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light is raging around us.

What can you do? How can you push back the darkness and see the light prevail?

This moral and spiritual battle between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness is waged in your heart and mind every day – sometimes hourly and often moment-by-moment. It must be won there!

Could this be why when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He instructed them to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done”?

That prayer is a declaration of war against the darkness that relentlessly attacks you daily. It is a declaration of surrender to the presence and power of God. It is an acknowledgement that He is King and you are not! It is a recognition that you are unable to defeat your inner darkness without His might and His light.

Praying “Your Kingdom come” is not a rote or ritualistic petition, it is a continual cry of the heart in the midst of your daily routines. Moral and spiritual darkness is relentless in its attacks against you and you must go on the offense against it! Fight in the light!

In this very same Sermon on the Mount, Christ has already challenged His hearers to be the “light of the world” and “let your light so shine that men will see your goodness and glorify your Father in heaven”. You are to be a lighthouse in a dark world.

God’s plan to overcome the darkness in this world is to snuff out the evil and darkness within you and me. The Son must rise in us! His kingdom must be received in us and His will must be accomplished by us!

If you don’t exercise your will toward God, the prince of darkness will use it against you! A kingdom will rise within you today, you decide which one.