Author: Don Guthrie

Today’s inspiring thought is from Charles Spurgeon.  There are no degrees of sonship.  Either we are a children or we are not.  No one is “almost” or “partly” a member of God’s family.  The elder brother was not more related to the father than the prodigal.  “You have children yourselves. One is grown up and out in business, another is still a child in arms with daily needs.  Which is most your child?  ‘Both’ you say.  So the little Christian is as much a child of God as the great one.”  If we are born again, neither David, nor Paul, nor any of the giants of the faith are more welcome or loved than we are!  We have a full and permanent place in the family of God.  The privilege of prayer is ours.  Let this give us courage when we draw near to God and say, “Our Father which art in Heaven.”

If our sonship (through adoption) assures us of God’s love, it also requires love from us.  It is natural and right for a child to love his/her Father.  What do we think of a child who repays a parent’s love with selfishness and ingratitude?  Doesn’t the universe, in similar fashion,  judge us who receive from God without loving Him in return.  Friend, do you love your Father in Heaven?  The language of love is obedience.  When He says, “do this”, we do it.  When He forbids a path, we avoid it because we love Him.  Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments” (John 14:15)  How strange it must appear in Heaven for people to call God “Father” and still live in rebellion and resistance.  As you pray today, will you draw near to God like a child?  Will you receive His love?  Will you give yours in return?

Yesterday (at FBCSA) we spoke of parents.  We considered the courageous promises that we must make so as to fulfill our duties to God and our children.  Did the Spirit of God speak to you, calling new commitments from your heart?   Today we reverse the image and think of ourselves as a children.   Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father”.  It is only true for those who have been born again.  The Bible gives testimony to the “spirit of adoption” (Romans 8 ) by which a person becomes a child of God.  “No man has a right to claim God as his Father unless he believes, solemnly, that he has been adopted. . .He has been taken out of the old family, into which he was born, washed, cleansed, given a new name and a new  spirit.”  (Charles Spurgeon)  All prayer rises or falls on this truth.  If we have been adopted, the Father will turn His great heart toward us as we pray.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  Other than the encouragement of the Lord, why do Christians pray these words?  Because we are afraid that we will not stand in temptation.  Because we know ourselves to be weak and therefore need His intervention and daily guidance.  It is a logical development of our previous prayers.  What folly it is to pray for forgiveness of sin if we do not sincerely desire to avoid it in the future.  What dishonesty it is to ask for His cleansing and, at the same time,  entertain thoughts of doing it again. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” said Jesus to his friend Peter.  Part of our daily conversation with the Father should be a frank conversation about the “unconverted parts” of our fickle hearts.  He does not reject us for this admission.  He wants us to talk honestly with Him.  He wants us to have a healthy fear of sin.

Interesting words today from John Broadus. (19th century Baptist preacher) “In the strict and proper sense, it is not our duty to forgive a man unless he repents. . .’If he (your brother) turns and says, I repent, you shall forgive him.’ (Luke 17:4)  It is not right that you should restore a man to the confidence he forfeited unless he proves himself worthy of it. . .We are, however, to love him. (Matthew 5:44)  We need not, and really should not forgive him in the full sense while he remains impenitent. . .but we must bear him no malice, we must do him no harm, in fact, do him good in anything that will not promote his evil designs against us.  In this way, we become the sons of our Father in Heaven.”  Is it possible to LOVE a person you have not FULLY FORGIVEN?  Is the prodigal son our example?

Food is only part of what we need.  (See yesterday’s blog)   “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  A full stomach with an empty heart is not the LIFE that God intends. We need God’s voice!  So Jesus tells us to ask for forgiveness–to deal honestly with our sins so that we can recover our “ears” for His truth.   Some Christians believe this prayer for forgiveness is unneccessary.  The cross has taken our sin away.  I believe that real righteousness deals daily and honestly with the sins that divide us from our fellowship with God.  If “His mercies are new every morning”, doesn’t it make sense that we would experience them daily?  Of course, a request for forgiveness obligates us to give the same grace to others.  With forgiveness we also find freedom from resentment and pride.  It is something we need every day.

If the Lord’s prayer begins with petitions for God’s GLORY, it moves eventually toward petitions for our GOOD.  Observing this order (God first), will give us  confidence when we ask for “daily bread” and all the other things we need for life.  Asking for bread may seem strange to those of us who have food in our cupboards and money to buy more.   This overlooks the role that God is playing in our blessings.  He sends rain.  He makes crops grow.  He lavishly fills the earth with food and fish and fruit.  He also provides jobs and strength.  “The Lord your God . . .is giving you the power to make wealth.”  (Deuteronomy 8:18)  All these come from Him in answer to prayer.   Without His steady management of the world, a trip to HEB would be useless.  So, as an act of dependence and gratitude, we ask!  Not just for ourselves.  It is OUR bread that concerns us–bread for all of His children.

The third petition of the Lord’s prayer is the concluding request of the first three.  “Thy will be done” is a logical consequence of the second, just as the second is of the first.   Taken together these three give us the place to start our love conversation with the Father.  Our innermost desire must be for His glory and honor.  This passion must be greater in us than the desire for our own needs.  It must concern us that so many in the world do not know the Lord nor worship Him nor trust Him.  “O righteous Father, the world has not known Thee, but I have known Thee” said Jesus on the last night of His life.  He was astounded (we should be) that people think incorrectly about God, or never at all!  To begin prayer with this concern, a christian must be willing to “unself”.  We must be willing to use prayer for God’s name, kingdom and will–not our own needs.

The second petition of the Lord’s prayer is “Thy Kingdom come”.  It is a logical extention of the first.  When we “hallow” God’s name (an inward attitude of fear, respect and love) we also obey Him.  The prayerful Christian desires this right relationship with God for every person on the planet.  So, daily we ask God to establish His rule and sweet order over all situations and people.  “If I with the finger of God, cast out demons, no doubt the kingdom of God is upon you.” (Luke 11:20)  We  also ask God to establish His rule over the attitudes and actions in our own lives.  “For the kingdom of God is . . .righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)  The kingdom is as deep as it is wide.  It involves the continued transformation of those who are saved as well as the new birth of those not yet saved.  Friend, today will you pray for both?

The first petition of the Lord’s prayer is “Hallowed be thy name”.  It is a request that the people of the world (all of us) recognize and respect God.  Listen to people speak about the Father and you will realize the need.  Notice how glibly they speak of Him.  Notice the absence of fear or reverence, if they acknowledge Him at all!  Not so with Jesus.  Having seen the glory of God, His one desire was for others to see it too.  “I have glorified thee on earth. . .I have manifested thy name.”  (John 17:4,6)   Is this our burning ambition?  Do we desire that the whole world bow before God in adoration, reverence, worship and praise?  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  To hallow the Lord’s name brings blessing and prosperity.  Jesus teaches us to pray ourselves, our families, our friends, and our world into a right relationship with God.  We will?