Monthly Archives: January 2011

In my church, FBC San Antonio, we are reading John 9 this week.  What did Jesus mean when He said that He was “the light of the world”?  Did He have Psalm 119:105 in mind?  Thy word is a lamp/light for my feet/path?  Was He thinking of the “cloud by day and the fire by [...]

One of the most difficult things about prayer is to honestly answer the question: “Am I willing to do His will?”.  Until I can answer yes, real prayer is impossible.  God’s requirements on my life are frequently things I do not want.  Sometimes I say “I can’t” (forgive, wait, apologize, face criticism, etc.); often the [...]

To pray for God’s name to be hallowed is to pray for all people to perceive God with accuracy and reverence.  One of the ways this happens is for them to see God in us.  In Romans 2:24, Paul says, “the name of the Lord is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you“.  If our [...]

When we pray, “Thy Kingdom come”, we are praying about the future as we hope and expect it to be. (If it is to come, it isn’t here yet).  From partial to full, gradually over time,  we ask God to bring His Kingdom into full and glorious expression.  But do we really expect it?  These can [...]

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. (1 Peter 5:8) When Jesus prayed, “Deliver us from evil”, He used an adjective rather than a noun.  He was thinking of an evil person rather than evil itself.  In every situation, there are 2 voices present and persuading.  The evil [...]

When Jesus said that I should repent (Mark 1:15),  He used a word that means “to think again”, “to change the way I think and what I think about”.  The most powerful tool for this deep transformation is prayer.   When I say “Father”, I take a new focus into my mind and receive a new sense of belonging.   [...]

At the end of His prayer, Jesus taught us to say (and think), “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory”.  None of us have any real power.  In a universe as vast as ours, we are small!!  We can’t claim (or shouldn’t) any glory or credit or significance (other than the fact that we have [...]

I went for a walk last night.  Cold.  Clear.  Bright stars.  Didn’t say much to the Lord.  Mostly looked up.  Up past the stars.  Thought about God.  Wondered how I can go days, sometimes, and not really look up,  why I get so  locked up in my duties and deadlines that I forget Him.  The Bible says that “two [...]

“But I have prayed for you. . .and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”  (Luke 22:32)  When Jesus teaches us to forgive , it includes prayer for recovery.  Knowing that Peter would fall away was motivation for Jesus.  Despite His disappointment, He desired God’s best for His friend, and expressed it in prayer.  Full forgiveness (what I [...]

“Does it bother you that the Lord doesn’t say please or thank you in His prayer?”  The question came last week from a friend.  Honestly, I had never thought about it.  The answer is that the Lord’s Prayer is not all that the Lord believed about prayer.  In John 6 Jesus says thank you.  Before feeding [...]