Time with Jesus - Sunday, 14 October 2012
Hi all,
Today’s meditation continues examining
the Lord’s Model Prayer with our focusing on “Give
us today our daily bread”. Matt 6:11 TNIV We
see that this is the first reference to ourselves in the prayer. We look at
some of the background and ask if this sequence is important.
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Sunday, 14 October 2012
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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OUR
DAILY BREAD
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Have you ever wondered why
things are recorded in the Scripture the way they are set out? In most cases,
it’s because it’s the actual sequence of events in life. At other times,
words are recorded in terms of their relative importance. The Lord’s model
prayer illustrates this very well.
Two accounts are given
associated with this prayer. There is Matt 6:9-13
and Luke 11:1-4. The Luke account explains
the background to the prayer. It was the one Jesus taught His disciples in
response to them asking Him to teach them to pray. 1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he
finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray,
as John taught his disciples." Luke
11:1 ESV. The model prayer was given in response to this request. It follows that
the sequence in the wording followed a pattern that He believed is important.
We see that prayer commences
with focussing on the Father rather than ourselves. This is very important.
It shows us that prayer begins with the acknowledgement of the greatness of
God. We need to be aware that the One to Whom we are praying is our Almighty
Father. This is not just protocol. We don’t interrupt our superiors without
being aware of who they are. We need to establish precisely Who we are
praying to. This is Almighty God, not just a junior clerk from the Council
offices. I’d be very surprised if the Lord insisted we go through this
preliminary. We do for our own sake! It would be much like our walking
unannounced into the office of the President and started making demands
without any introduction. This is most likely the reason why Jesus included a
deeply respectful preamble as an integral part of His model prayer. From this
it seems logical that all prayer should commence with an acknowledgement of Almighty
God.
Jesus then turns to the needs
of the individual. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And
forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors. Matt 6:11-12 Some
have suggested that the sequence was deliberate. In other words we should
pray for our needs before we ask for our forgiveness. I would go along with
this if the word “and” was not included in our translations. To me this suggests
that both are equally important. We will look at the forgiveness issue in
more detail in tomorrow’s meditation. Could it be that the provision of our
daily bread depends on our sins being forgiven? This is quite possible.
Perhaps God will only see to this provision if we are walking in forgiveness?
In brief, how can we expect God to provide anything for us if we are not
walking in forgiveness with our brothers and sisters and with Him? If we bear
in mind that without repentance there is no forgiveness; and without
forgiveness there is no salvation; it follows that without forgiveness there
would be no provision. Could it be that provision also depends on
forgiveness? What do you think?
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
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11 Give us this day our daily bread,
Matthew 6:11 ESV
25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never
seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.
Psalms 37:25 NLT
16
these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be
their fortress. Food will be supplied to them,
and they will have water in abundance.
Isaiah 33:16 NLT
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he
drank from the brook.
1 Kings 17:6 NLT
19 And
this same God who takes care of me will supply
all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in
Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 NLT
5 Keep
your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he
has said, "I will never leave you nor
forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5 ESV
3 He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna,
which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you
know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that
comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on
you and your foot did not swell these forty years.
Deuteronomy 8:3-4 ESV
32
Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I
say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my
Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world." 34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread
always." 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread
of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me
shall never thirst.
John 6:32-35 ESV
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You have imagination! It is God’s gift to you.
To think and to imagine, no other creatures do.
Of course I cannot prove this; perhaps I’ve got it wrong?
But I have never heard a camel sing a brand new song.
Because that doesn’t happen I feel I may assume,
That only homo-sapiens, can write a brand new tune.
We’re fashioned in the image of The God who reigns on high.
That’s why we have emotions; we can both laugh and cry.
This makes us kind of special. With the ability;
To exercise the special gifts He’s given you and me.
So based on this assumption, here’s a scenario: -
Think about it carefully, because I’d like to know,
How you’d design a person if God gave you that right?
Would it be much different from what is now in sight?
The creature must exist upon a world that’s ready-made.
Let your mind flow freely; your thoughts go on parade.
Would you give the creature two hands, two legs and knees?
Would you give it hearing and a pair of eye’s to see?
Would you give it fingernails and cover it with hair?
Would it be attractive; and would you make a pair?
Would it have a stomach and would you let it sleep?
What of waste disposal? Would that be on the cheap?
What about the fuel it would need from day to day?
Would it have a diet? Would it ever pray?
If you want to feed it, how would you want it done?
Work on solar power, provided by the sun?
Frankly it’s a nightmare. The one that He’s designed,
Fits our situation with a keen and active mind.
Daily you would feed it! Without food it will die!
You would have to listen and hear its every cry.
What about its nourishment; its food for every day,
If you failed to feed it, it would just fade away!
So you’d be responsible for all its food and drink.
You’d cater for its diet. Somehow, I rather think,
The ones the Lord created; the real life me and you;
Could never be an accident. Such thoughts would be untrue.
They’d have to go the distance and not run out of steam.
That’s why we are the outcome of our Creator’s dream.
Jim
Strickland – Written 14th October 2012
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