This was one of my favorite verses when I went to school. It was even listed in the yearbook one year. - Matthew 10:34 - “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
I encourage you to read Matthew 10:34-42. It is a very interesting passage of scripture. In this text we find Jesus saying that I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. Jesus came and was born to change things. What does a sword do? When it pierces, it cuts and it separate. I believe that what Jesus came to do, he came to change things, to separate us from our sins, from the world. He had a mission; he came to fulfill the will of the father. His mission didn’t mean everything was going to be fine. You find that he had to endure some things. Face some situations, dealing with all kind of people. He didn’t come to please people. He came to change things. Jesus had to go through some things while on his mission to changing things. Sometimes when God give you an assignment to do, it may not be all that great. It may not be something you want to do. Some of you would say God can I do something else. Some of us know our calling and purpose but we don’t want to do it because it w! ill offend people, you will be laugh at or criticize or humiliated for what you are going to do. Jesus had a mission. He was born to change things. He receive instruction and direction from the father what he was going to do and what he was to complete. The bible even says that in Matthew 10:35 that he have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. We find that Jesus mission was to change things. You are born to change things. The things that you will change will be difficult. You will go through persecution. People will question what you are doing. People will look at you funny. People will talk behind your back. Put you down. Let this be a sign that you are following in the footsteps of Jesus. Know your calling and purpose here. Find out what your mission is. You are born to change things.
This, then, is how you should pray: ” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13
I don’t know how many times I have heard and recited the Lord’s Prayer. It seems to be a staple in church, and sometimes it can become commonplace to us. In Sunday School this week, my teacher went through it step by step and by refreshing it, I had a deeper and more connected understand of the precious prayer that I would like to share with you.
First of all, we open the prayer with “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.” This shows how God is so awesome and his name is to be reverenced. God is so amazing, and as we pray, we should start by recognizing this. We then move to “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This means God is establishing a kingdom here on earth with his will at the foremost part. This might seem odd at first, but God wants us to follow after Him and love him and this showcases this fact. “Give us this day our daily bread” comes next. This shows how God sustains us from day to day and that we are not promised tomorrow, so what He offers is enough to fill us for the day. We need a new refreshing of His spirit everyday. After this comes “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This not only shows how we need forgiveness, but how we must also extend forgiveness to others. “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever! ; amen” ends the prayer. This line indicates that God is the king of all and all power belongs to him and it will forever.
Going step by step through this prayer can show us several key aspects that we should keep in mind as we pray. My hope is that the prayer can become alive in your life as you think of what it means, as it has come alive in my own life. As you pray this, keep the meaning in the front of you mind and remember what all God has done for you.
A verse that I rather enjoy is found in Joshua 1:9 - “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Sometimes we have to reflect and think on the goodness of God in our lives. I believe we should just take a moment to just think back on what God has brought us out of and where he has brought us from. If you look back over your life, there were some things you couldn’t get out of. There were some things you thought you wouldn’t have survived but God came through. You never would have made it without God. Sometimes we tend to forget the faithfulness of God in our lives. We should thank him daily for his grace and mercy that brought us through. Some of us had some near death experience. Some of us had some problems and situations that were bigger than us and we had nobody else to turn to. God steps in and he show up and show out. Don’t get so busy and successful that you forget God and his goodness. You wouldn’t be alive today with God. You never would have made it without God.
Marvin Sapp sings a song I Never Would Have Made It with You. He goes on to sing I am stronger; I am wiser, better so much better. Can you testify of that? You are a stronger person. You are a wiser person. You are a better person because of God. I challenge you to daily just think and thank the lord for everything he has done for you.
I know there are times in my life where I couldn’t have gotten through without God in control. I certainly am not in control, and I thank Him that He is with me - always - wherever I go. I hope this will encourage you today.
