Daily Reflections from our Re:Verse Scripture
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:19-24 (day one)
Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Matthew 6:19-24 in our Winter Re:Verse Series: “The Sermon on the Mount – Living Kingdom Values.”
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day seven)
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
This week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. On Wednesday, I officiated the funeral of a 23 year old who passed away unexpectedly. On Saturday, I officiated the wedding of a former student to a former intern. In the words of the Preacher from Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, “There is an appointed time for everything […] a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” The difficulty in this correlation is that both of the aforementioned events were appointed. Both were a part of God’s will on earth. It’s easy to see how the joyous marriage of two young Christ followers fits into this plan, but how can we fit an unexpected death into this? Surely this isn’t what He meant by His “will be done” right? The prayer that Jesus asks us to pray is not for us to change the will of God. Rather, it is an invitation for us to participate with Him to see the goodness in His will. Whether it be dancing or mourning, God is good, all the time!
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day six)
But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay. Psalm 40:16-17
I love reading the Psalms for precisely the point Jesus makes in Matthew 6:1-15: spiritual authenticity. “Don’t pray like the hypocrites” who pursue personal glory and power, and “don’t pray like the Gentiles” who attempt to conjure their impersonal precocious gods with mantras and incantations, Jesus warns.
I am fairly certain that Jesus would say, “Pray like King David.” Cry out to him like a son for his father. Seek him with all your heart. And long for his Kingdom to come.
If you want a daily guide into prayer, read a Psalm; you can’t get more authentic than that.
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day five)
Minister of Missions and Evangelism
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day four)
It is stunning to see the God of the universe inviting us to participate in life with him. He invites us to join in the activities of heaven, to look past the curtain and participate in holy, wonderful things – most of all, prayer.
Sometimes we forget how incredible this invitation is because we have learned to talk to God like a friend – which we should – but may we never forget what an incredible privilege God is extending to us when he invites us to pray.
He invites us to join with the heavenly host proclaiming him as holy. He invites us to speak heavenly realities into earthly places. He invites us to come to him with our every need. He invites us to come to him seeking mercy. He invites us to find our refuge in him when evil surrounds us.
God is inviting you to participate in the things of heaven. Take him up on it.
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day three)
“Your kingdom come.”
What does it mean to long for God’s kingdom to come on earth? The next two phrases of the prayer lay it out: it means that earth, also, would be a place in perfect harmony with God’s will. Jesus’s words themselves are in perfect harmony with the Old Testament prophets who longed for the day when the knowledge of the glory of the Lord would fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. God pronounced his creation good. To pray this way is to yearn for the day that you will see that goodness in all its fullness.
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day two)
But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Vs. 15
Jesus spoke about his relationship with God the father quite often. Do you remember the language he used? He would often speak of a complete unity, a oneness. He also prayed that we would be one. His desire was that we would be marked by love; known by that gracious, kind, and forgiving nature. Our church-wide theme this year is ‘Love Your Neighbor,’ and in the coming months we will find different ways to demonstrate this command. You may be living your life in obedience to scripture, but holding a bitterness toward someone. As a result, you may feel an emptiness to your prayer life. You may feel there is a hollowness to your faith. Restoring relationships is a full-time calling, and you have received it. Don’t let a broken friendship, bitterness toward family, or past transgressions muddy your ultimate relationship with Jesus.
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day one)
Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Matthew 6:9-15 in our Winter Re:Verse Series: “The Sermon on the Mount – Living Kingdom Values.”
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18 (day seven)
But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father. Vs 6
Go pray. There is intentionality in the “Go.” Jesus both taught and demonstrated the importance going off to pray. By going and getting away, it removes the temptation of it becoming a showcase of our righteousness, but it also removes the distractions that might interrupt our connection with the Father.
When you were a teenager, do you remember taking a phone call from a friend and going as far away as possible so others couldn’t hear? In today’s age, that is a little easier with cellular phones, but some of y’all reading this had to get really creative with those calls. You didn’t want to showcase your call for the whole house to hear, nor did you want anyone interrupting that call. When was the last time you made that type of effort to connect with the Father in prayer? How often are there distractions around us that interrupt our time with Him? If Jesus, who is One with the Father, made intentional effort to connect with Him, how much more effort should we be putting forth?
Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:1–8, 16–18 (day six)
Notice what Jesus doesn’t say in his prescription for overcoming spiritual fraud. He doesn’t prescribe waiting until your heart is in the right place or ensuring the right feelings precede the right behaviors.
Can you imagine if we only did the right thing when we felt like it?
Jesus’ prescription for overcoming spiritual fraud is to go home, embrace spiritual integrity, be honest with God, and practice your spiritual disciplines in private whether you feel like it or not. It is there, in your private spiritual pursuits, that you may discover God reshaping a heart into one that is wholly his.