Saturday, April 30, 2005

Luke: The Lord's Prayer

Luke 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  

 A disciple learns from the master. They had followed John the Baptist first, and learned to pray from him. How should we pray as we follow Jesus? Remember, Jesus was not with his Father, he was in the form of a man. Some say that he taught us to pray to the Father, not to him. Now Jesus is with the Father, I believe that together they hear our prayers. Here is his prayer example; it is not meant to replace our prayers or to have special power, but it is a guide to prayer.

Luke 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.  

 Our Father, through receiving Jesus as Lord and savior, God becomes our Father. He is above, in the Holy place for he is hallowed, Holy, separated high above all in perfection of all good things. He is perfect in wisdom, power, love, justice, he is more than all we can say of Him.   Thy kingdom come; come now, the kingdom now is Spiritual, in His Spirit, increase your Spirit in our life Lord, increase your kingdom in and through me so that we may fellowship with you and do your works here on earth. As in heaven may you be manifested here, on earth through your disciples.

Luke 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread.  

 We trust you each day to meet our needs for food, shelter, health. Thank you for this day and may I use it for your purposes.

Luke 11:4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.  

We must forgive others to be forgiven. If we hold a grudge, a hurt, we are hindered in our Spiritual service. Cleanse our hearts Lord, remove what does not belong. We want to be vessels cleansed, fit for your use. We love you and we love all men, but we do hate evil and the evil spirits that war against you. Lead us not into temptations, testings to prove us. We wish to serve you willingly with a whole heart.

Amen

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