RSample.com

For many Christians, the Lord’s Prayer is almost a standard part of weekly worship.  Many of us never really had to memorize it – it just became part of our memory from sheer repetition.  However, as I strive to increase my own prayer life -  by adding these words to my personal prayer time I have found a renewed sense of order and spirituality.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen

I have been blessed by including this prayer in a variety of ways.

1. Because I include it at the beginning of my prayer time, the Lord’s prayer takes me from the happenings of the world around me, the drive into work (I do my devotions in my office), and the messages that await me and focuses me on the task of prayer.  Divers know that rapidly surfacing from deep depths causes damage.  In much the same way I cannot concentrate on my prayers if I dive in too quickly.
2. This prayer reminds me first and last that my conversations with God are about praise.  I am reminded – and convicted – that no matter what my circumstances  – I must approach the throne of God in praise, in blessings, and humility.  My prayer life is not – and cannot – be about me.
3. The Lord’s Prayer puts my laundry list in order.  “Give me this day my daily bread.”  Whatever I need, whatever my family needs, whatever is on my heart about my circle of friends or colleagues – I must trust that God will provide according to His sovereignty and grace.  “Thy will be done” – in all things.
4. Finally, this prayer reminds me that I am able to lay hold of the promises of the Gospel only because of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  “Forgive me my debts” – and there are many so many that daily choke up my soul.  Along with this forgiveness, though, comes a call to also be forgiving.  I am reminded that my experience of grace is highly dependent upon the amount of grace that I show others.

If you are wrestling with your prayer life – and finding that things just get muddled as you sit down to prayer – I would encourage you to add this routine to your devotions.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever.  Amen!

Jimmy Davis has a wonderful article on prayer:

Prayer (or any other spiritual discipline such as Bible reading, fasting, silence, or solitude) is not something we do to make God happy with us. No, the spiritual disciplines are meant to make space for us to hear how happy God is with us because of Jesus. When I pray to get God to love me I am a legalist who works for God to earn the favor of God. Gospel-praying means listening to God say that I already have His favor through Christ and that I can now work with God in the resurrection power His Spirit supplies.

Read the rest of the article here: The Cruciform Life

Speak to the sons of Israel, saying “If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them…
-Leviticus 4:2

The entire fourth chapter of Leviticus deals with the consequences of unintentional sin. Unintentional sin – an offense unknowingly committed, a line crossed unawares. Intentional sin is dealt with severely, but in the Law of God there is exceptional grace for the unplanned transgression. God has been sinned against, but in His mercy He provides for avenues of atonement that both testify to the nature of human sinfulness and the lengths to which God will go to demonstrate His love for us.

Of interest in this chapter is the graduated scale of sacrifice needed to atone for these sins, a range which is based upon the standing of a member in a community. Going in reverse order, a “common person” is to offer a female goat or lamb without defect. (Lev. 4:27 – 35) A leader of the people would sacrifice a male goat, again without defect. (Lev. 4:22 – 26) If the community as a whole has unintentionally sinned against God, they are to offer a bull of the herd. (Lev. 4:13 – 21) A priest who is found guilty is to offer a bull without defect. (Lev. 4:2 – 20) This graduated scale is based upon the impact of unintentional sin on the community, based on one’s standing in that community. A common person is to offer up a lamb – which will hurt, but not have far reaching consequences. A leader, by offering up a male goat without blemish, is also sacrificing some longer term benefits for his herd. The community as a whole is to offer up a bull, a symbol of strength and power, which will also have long term effects on that herd. A priest who brings guilt upon the people by his transgression is to offer a bull without defect – a sacrifice that will take a long time to overcome. Actions have consequences, and the greater one’s standing in the community, the greater and more far reaching those consequences become.

By the grace of Christ, we no longer have to offer up sacrifices. We still unintentionally, or often intentionally, sin against God’s Law. Here is what we must learn from this passage:

1. We must constantly be guarding our own hearts and ways. Are we daily seeking guidance from the Word of God, participating in His will through our prayers, and walking in His Law in our daily actions? In this lifetime we will never be free from sin, but are we trying our hardest to walk as people of grace? Do we actively go to God in a spirit of repentance, knowing that He will both discipline us in the long or short term, but also knowing that He does so out of love and forgiveness?

2. We must realize the enormous responsibility our political and religious leaders have. Are we praying for them – even if they did not receive our vote? Are we holding them accountable for their transgressions against God? If they repent of their sins, are we extending to them the same kind of grace that God has shown us?

3. As a community, do we understand that by straying from God’s law we have caused Him to withdraw many of His blessings from our nation? Are we willing to sacrifice our pride which demands that we go our own way, instead recognizing that Christ is the King of all nations? Will we work for revival in our churches and communities – praying that God will light an unquenchable fire in the hearts of all people – leaders and followers alike?

Where do we stand with the Law of God? Will we first seek the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness? Or will we continue to sin against the God of all love – whether knowingly or not – and thus bearing the consequences of His wrath.

My father-in-law and collegue T. M. Moore has posted a good article at his website.

I wonder if the country has ever been as politically divided as it is today. There have always been deep political divisions in America. One thinks of Jefferson and Adams, Lincoln and Douglas, and even Nixon and virtually any Democrat. But the attitudes of spite and malice that characterize the worst political machinations have generally been confined to handfuls of people. Today the rancor, name-calling, and rage are spreading throughout the electorate and the nation as a whole. Witness the outrage over the interrogation memos and the heated confrontations over gay marriage. The idea of America as one nation under God is officially obsolete; it no longer exists. “My America” is now the nation of choice, while “your America” is an enemy to be vilified and crushed. What passes for public debate – radio talk shows and cable TV news – only enhances the rage and deepens the rifts. There is nothing on the horizon to offer any hope for uniting the nation around the idea of the nation and all its glorious vision, purpose, and heritage. This is the result of the politicization of American life, the view that everything of interest or importance can be reduced to politics and resolved through party action. Party lines have been drawn clearly and definitively, and each side is simply waiting and hoping that the other will screw up so royally that a window of opportunity will appear through which they can grab power and further the cause of their America while they may. Saddest of all this is the impotence of the Church to bring reason, reconciliation, or peace to the nation. We’re too compromised, too alienated, and too ill-informed to offer anything but more fuel to the fire. But we must not give up and we must not despair. Ours is the responsibility of seeking to promote the welfare of the nation for all its citizens, and prayer is the place to begin. Let the end of politics not be irreparable division, but incessant prayer for revival and renewal throughout the land.

Read More at MyParuchia.com