“Forgive our sins as we forgive others” The glory of the Gospel is that Jesus died to set us free from the guilt and penalty of sin.  So God has graciously forgiven those who confess their sins through the finished work of Christ upon the Cross. But an unforgiving heart cannot accept the forgiveness graciously given by God. Because we have been forgiven, a forgiven man or woman must be a forgiver.

“Give us each day our daily bread” God created us to depend on Him daily!  Since we are in constant need and each day requires fresh provision, Jesus instructs us to bring our everyday needs to our Father.  We glorify our Father when we come with so-called "little things.” Jesus’ prayer is the only place in Greek literature where the word "daily" appears.  It is best translated, ”Our bread of tomorrow, give us today.”  Tomorrow reminds us of our eternal future with God. ...

“May Your kingdom come & Your will be done” In yesterday's blog, we saw that Jesus calls us to pray to “Our dearest Father” for His name to be respected as holy. The second petition flows from the first.  When God’s name is honored, His kingdom comes.  When someone recognizes the awesome holiness of God, he falls on his face before God as a subject kneels before his king. A prayer for God’s kingdom to come & His will to be done anticipates a future time when Jesus will return, ...

“May Your name be respected as holy” Names mean something.  So it’s easy to be offended when someone mocks, misspells, mispronounces or forgets our name because dishonoring a person’s name dishonors that person.  That was even more true in the Hebrew culture where a person’s family, character and position were often reflected in their name. For that reason, “Hallowed be Your Name” isn’t simply an extension of “Father” or an assertion that His Name is holy.  Rather, it’s a petition...

“When you pray, say: “Father” These words provide an amazing beginning to our week of prayer!  Rightly understood, this is the most unexpected part of the Disciples Prayer.  Jesus invites those who have turned from their sins and trusted the Savior to address the creator and ruler of the universe as “Father.” To make it even better, the Aramaic word Jesus uses is “Abba,” the familiar word used by Jewish children to affectionately call their daddy.  We might say, "Dearest Father.”&...