Wednesday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Luke 11:1-4
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
11:3 Daily bread includes all of the believer’s physical needs, which the Lord supplies not once for all but day by day.
11:4 Forgive us our sins refers not to initial salvation but to the continual confession of sins (cf. 1 John 1:9) needed to maintain one’s relationship with God. for we ourselves. Asking God’s forgiveness requires forgiving others. “Sins” and indebted to us are synonyms (cf. Luke 7:41–43, 47–49). lead us not into temptation. The use of the second person plural (“us”) throughout emphasizes that the petitions of “The Disciples’ Prayer” are not primarily for the individual but for the entire community of believers.
11:4 Forgive us our sins refers not to initial salvation but to the continual confession of sins (cf. 1 John 1:9) needed to maintain one’s relationship with God. for we ourselves. Asking God’s forgiveness requires forgiving others. “Sins” and indebted to us are synonyms (cf. Luke 7:41–43, 47–49). lead us not into temptation. The use of the second person plural (“us”) throughout emphasizes that the petitions of “The Disciples’ Prayer” are not primarily for the individual but for the entire community of believers.
Study Questions:
- Once we've acknowledged his power and holiness and asked for HIS will, not ours, we then pray for God’s PROVISION, FORGIVENESS, and PROTECTION. We ask Him to give us the things we need, we pray that He would forgive us and we would forgive others, and that He would protect us. Notice that we are to ask for things only AFTER we've praised Him for His holiness and asked for HIS will. When you pray, do you tend to jump right into your laundry list of needs? Looking from God's point of view, what might it feel like to have your kids only coming to you when they need something? Parents know this is the reality of parenting little ones, but how amazing does it feel when your kids want to just BE with you? Shouldn't we take that same approach when we come to God in prayer?
- Forgiveness should be a HUGE priority for the Jesus-follower. The implication of Jesus' prayer is clear. He didn't say "if" we forgive others. He says "as" we forgive others. It kind of sounds like we don't have a choice if we want to do things God's way. Asking God's forgiveness requires that we forgive others. Is there someone in your life that you have held a grudge against? Is there anyone you have withheld forgiveness from? Is God stirring your heart towards forgiving someone in particular?
***Guided Prayer Time***
Pray:
- Father, I pray that I would look to YOU today for all I need. Everything I have comes from you. Help me to keep my eyes on you today and off of my circumstances. Through your Holy Spirit, strengthen me so that I might steer clear of anything that could tempt me. Give me a passion for simply being with you, spending more time in your presence.
- Soften my heart towards everyone in my life, including those that have wounded or offended me. Fill me with supernatural grace that can only come from you. Let your Holy Spirit convict me if I've withheld grace and forgiveness from anyone. Pull up bitterness in my heart by the roots. As I pray for forgiveness, let that serve as a reminder to forgive others.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
No Comments