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Tag Archives: the Lord's Prayer

Conditions to God’s Covenant

Posted on March 16, 2023 by expressyourself4him

The concept of faith isn’t a feeling that comes from a conversation between God and Abram. God doesn’t want how you feel when you wake up each morning to dictate whether or not you’re going to spend time with God. Moses came to the same conclusion when he addresses Israel prior to entering the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 28: The only condition that God places on His covenant with Abraham is the expectation that Abe will habitually walk with God as stated in Psalm 1:1-3.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the Almighty God; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete), Genesis 17:1.

Jesus brings up one condition in His Sermon on the Mount. While addressing proper and improper motives, Jesus turns to the Golden Rule, “loving your neighbor as yourself.” At the conclusion of a prayer called the Our Father by Catholics or simply the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus places a condition on God’s forgiveness. If you want God to forgive you, you must first be willing to show others the same grace by overlooking the those who have trespassed against you.

And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 For if you forgive people their trespasses [their [g]reckless and willful sins, [h]leaving them, letting them go, and [i]giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their [j]reckless and willful sins, [k]leaving them, letting them go, and [l]giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses, Matthew 6:13-15.

When you consider each condition, one found in the Old Testament and another in the New Testament, what does this all mean? Well, God’s conversation with Abraham is similar to the apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:5-8. God’s expectation for Christian is to habitually walk with God by keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile, Jesus’ condition on forgiveness ties into Paul’s analogy of becoming a new creation in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. According to one of Jesus’ disciples, to love is to walk with Jesus, 1 John 1:7. While conditions to God’s covenant do exist, obedience to God and faith align with God’s call to die to self and clothe yourself with Christ, Colossians 3:1-9.

by Jay Mankus

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Making God Your Top Priority in 2023

Posted on January 18, 2023 by expressyourself4him

A top priority refers to something of greatest importance. While attending Seminary, one of my professors introduced me to the Triangle Theory. Based upon time management, a triangle diagram is used as an aide to analyze how you spend your time outside of sleeping. When you do an honest assessment of your day-to-day activities, the average hours you invest in this or that will highlight what your top priority is at this moment in time.

And in the morning, long before daylight, He got up and went out to a [u]deserted place, and there He prayed. 36 And Simon [Peter] and those who were with him followed Him [[v]pursuing Him eagerly and hunting Him out], 37 And they found Him and said to Him, Everybody is looking for You. 38 And He said to them, Let us be going on into the neighboring country towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out, Mark 1:35-38.

One of Paul’s missionary helpers, John Mark, recalls a story told to him by one of Jesus’ disciples. While the disciples slept in, Jesus got up early in the morning to go walking in the wilderness. After finding a quiet place, Jesus prays to his heavenly Father. Based upon the words above, Jesus top priority to begin each day was seeking guidance from God to determine where He wanted Jesus to go and what God wanted Him to do.

But seek ([z]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([aa]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [ab]taken together will be given you besides. 34 So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble, Matthew 6:33-34.

Perhaps, the Sermon on the Mount provides an introduction to Jesus’ prayer life. This insight begins with the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:1-15. After fasting is touched upon, Jesus concludes this section of his message on what Christians should strive for: hunger and thirst for righteousness. When God becomes your top priority, your mindset changes from earth toward heaven. The apostle Paul lays this out in Colossians 3:1-17. May these passages of the Bible inspire you to make Jesus Lord of all in 2023.

by Jay Mankus

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The Reason to Forgive

Posted on March 13, 2022 by expressyourself4him

Everyone has been burned, disappointed with or hurt by a close friend. Whether this was due to betrayal, growing apart or temptation bought on by human nature, there is no one righteous, not even one, Romans 3:9-12. When the shoe is on the other foot and you are the guilty one, remember the principle you reap what you sow. When you add this to Jesus’ teaching in the passage below, this is the reason to forgive.

And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 For if you forgive people their trespasses [their [g]reckless and willful sins, [h]leaving them, letting them go, and [i]giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their [j]reckless and willful sins, [k]leaving them, letting them go, and [l]giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses, Matthew 6:13-15.

As a child, forgiveness is a daily ordeal. Someone hurts your feelings, said something mean to you or as you get older, breaks your heart. If the words of Jeremiah 17:9 are any indication, life is filled with anguish, frustration, and pain. This is where children learn the hard way that it’s better to forgive rather than holding a grudge. The sooner you mend fences with friends, the better you’ll feel. Unfortunately, stubbornness often blocks the path toward peace.

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and [e]disregards the offenses of others], 1 Peter 4:8.

The words of the passage above might have been conceived in John 21:15-17. Peter is confronted by Jesus following his public denial. This conversation serves as a form of reconciliation as Jesus forgives Peter for his past sin. While the Lord’s Prayer is a basic prayer children learned in Sunday School classes, this is a great aid for forgiveness. As you reflect upon the past day, week, month or year, forgive those who have trespassed against you. If you want God to forgive you, this is the reason to forgive others.

by Jay Mankus

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