Topic > Christian Beliefs
God’s heart is to have one-on-one time with you
Wednesday, August 29, 2012, Part 2
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9)
IDEA: We become holy as we make God’s name holy.
PURPOSE: To help listeners live in the reality that God turns our attention from ourselves to Him for a devout life.
Until You Are Full
A friend who lives in Singapore told me about an old Chinese greeting. Instead of “How are you?” people would ask “Have you eaten until you are full?” The greeting likely originated during a time when food was scarce and many people did not know when they would have their next meal. When food was available, it was advisable to eat until they were full.
The significance of honoring God first and foremost
Monday, August 27, 2012, Part 3
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name’” (Matthew 6:9).
IDEA: “Hallowed be your name” is not a request that God be made holy, but that we will be able to reflect His holiness in the way we pray and the way we live.
PURPOSE: To help listeners pray this petition with meaning.
The New Normal
A pastor, who was trained in trauma and grief counseling, commented that the greatest challenge for people who are hurting is often not the immediate heartache of the loss. Instead, the biggest problem is adjusting to the different kind of life that follows. What once was normal may never be normal again. So the challenge for those offering help is to assist the sufferers as they establish the “new normal.” It may be a new normal that no longer includes robust health, a treasured relationship, or a satisfying job. Or it may be living without a loved one who has been taken in death. The gravity of such losses forces us to live a different kind of life—no matter how unwelcome it may be.
Off-Limits
As a 12-year-old, I was curious about the Bible my dad was given when he retired from the paper mill. It came in a special cedar box marked The Holy Bible, and I assumed that “holy” meant it was off-limits to me. But still I peered inside. In the center of the Bible was a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross, along with the words of John 3:16. There was also a see-through red film covering the page, which I assumed meant He bled and died.
What does it mean to “hallow” God’s name?
Thursday, August 23, 2012, Part 1
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name’” (Matthew 6:9).
IDEA: “Hallowed be your name” is not a request that God be made holy, but that we will be able to reflect His holiness in the way we pray and the way we live.
PURPOSE: To help listeners pray this petition with meaning.
Who God is, and how we can relate to Him
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name’” (Matthew 6:9).
IDEA: God, whom we address as Abba, is also our Father in heaven.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize who their heavenly Father really is.
Theory Of Everything
Scientists have been looking for the “Theory of Everything.” One person who thinks he found it is physicist Brian Greene, who wrote The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. Greene’s “string theory” is a complicated concept suggesting that at its tiniest level everything consists of combinations of vibrating strands, or strings. He has described his theory as “a framework with the capacity to explain every fundamental feature upon which the world is constructed.”
Let’s examine the characteristics of our heavenly Father, by looking at the Son, Jesus!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012, Part 4
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” (Matthew 6:9).
IDEA: Speaking to God as Father, as Jesus taught us, reveals a great deal about our relationship with God.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize what it signifies when we can speak to God as Father.
How God defines Himself as father, and how this influences our relationship with Him
Monday, August 20, 2012, Part 3
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” (Matthew 6:9).
IDEA: Speaking to God as Father, as Jesus taught us, reveals a great deal about our relationship with God.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize what it signifies when we can speak to God as Father.
Unrewarded
Most of us look to friends and colleagues for rewards: a slap on the back, a hero’s medal, applause, a sincere compliment. But according to Jesus, the more important rewards await us after death. It’s possible that the most significant human acts of all are carried out in secret, seen by no one but God. In a nutshell, the message of the kingdom is this: Live for God and not other people.
Let’s look at Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount
Friday, August 17, 2012, Part 2
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” (Matthew 6:9).
IDEA: Speaking to God as Father, as Jesus taught us, reveals a great deal about our relationship with God.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize what it signifies when we can speak to God as Father.
God’s immense love as our heavenly Father
Thursday, August 16, 2012, Part 1
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’” (Matthew 6:9).
IDEA: Speaking to God as Father, as Jesus taught us, reveals a great deal about our relationship with God.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize what it signifies when we can speak to God as Father.
Plugged In
My wife was working at home on her computer recently when she suddenly noticed her laptop battery power was low and the computer was about to shut down. The computer was plugged in, though, so it shouldn’t have been using the battery. Following the laptop cord to the extension cord, she finally noticed that the extension cord was actually plugged back into itself instead of the wall outlet! She looked at me, amused, and said, “There’s a devotional in there somewhere.”
What it means to embrace God as our Abba Father
Wednesday, August 15, 2012, Part 4
“In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matthew 6:9)
IDEA: When we address God as Father, we do so because Jesus who spoke to God that way invited us to do so.
PURPOSE: To help listeners to be motivated to pray because they are talking to God who is their “father.”
