Prayer 10/8/09

Our Father in heaven, show me your glory and show me my sin.  Use your word to pierce my heart and expose every desire and intention.  I know that I have traded your commands for the doctrines of man. Show me where my disobedience is and how it is to be removed.  Show me where my worship is false. Break my heart that I might truly worship. I know my problem is my pride yet I do not see it. Remind me that like the Canaanite woman if I deserve anything it is only the crumbs that fall off the table.  Give me faith and perseverance like her’s.

Father, thank you for the reminder this morning that Jesus is sufficient. His power is sufficient for my needs. His wisdom is sufficient for my needs and his provision is sufficient for my needs. May I rest in His strength today. He has promised to build his church. Help me understand how to follow him as he builds.  I know I must die to myself. That command has been preached to me many times yet I am still very slow to preach it to myself. I am even slower to obey it. Forgive me Father because I love my kingdom and will sacrifice greatly for it but I am weak in my love for your kingdom and slow to die for it.  Show me your glory.

Show me that Jesus is worthy not just of my obedience but more than worthy of my death.  I am aware that a strong marriage, faithful family, and love-filled church will cost me but I can’t fathom how much.  Prepare me to give everything when you command.  Give me wisdom, patience, and love.  I do not want to deny anything you give to me or want for me. I do not want to exalt my thoughts or man’s teaching. Show me the power of Christ. Amen.

Matthew 15-17: Commands 34-41

Command #34

¹²Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” ¹³He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. ¹⁴Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matt 15:12-14)

Command #35

⁶Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt 16:6)

Command #36

Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ (Matt 16:20)

Command #37

²²And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Command #38

²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matt 16:24&25).

Command #39

behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear” (Matt 17:5&6).

Command #40

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them,  “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead” (Matt17:9).

Command #41

Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself” (Matt 17:25-27).

October 7, 2009

Pray

Father, I feel like the disciples. I feel like you have given me a command that I am insufficient to fulfill. I do not have enough. I cannot give the people what they need.  I cannot do what you want. Thank you for your reminder today that you are sufficient. You will provide in me what you command of me. I have you and that is enough. I have you and that is what the people need. By faith and by your provision I can do what you want.  Father, here I am send me.

Matthew 11&12- Commands 32&33

Command #32

²⁸Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11)

Command #33

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ³⁶I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, ³⁷for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matt 12:33-37)

Pray

Father, I pray today that you will cause me to bear the fruit of rest. May I rest and others glorify you because of the rest I find in Jesus Christ.  I want to learn from him. I want to take his yoke upon my back.  Give me quietness so I can see what is robbing me of rest in Christ.  Give me boldness so that I will break those yokes that harness me as I serve my self and the world.  Search me. Heavenly Father, do you see the fruit of faith in my life? Make grace-filled words come out of my mouth. May I be aware of what is coming out of my mouth and trust all things to my Christ. Teach me today to obey all that Jesus commanded.  Send saints my way today who will teach me to obey all that Jesus commanded.  For the glory of His name, Amen.

Matthew 10- Commands 29 through 31

Command #29

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. ⁹Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, ¹⁰no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, forthe laborer deserves his food. ¹¹And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. ¹²As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Command #30

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, ¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹When they deliver you over do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

Command #31

²⁶“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

Matthew 9- Commands 27 & 28

Command #27

¹³Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Command #28

³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.“

Matthew 8- Command 26

Command #26

²¹Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²²And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 7- Commands 20 through 25

Command #20

¹Judge not, that you be not judged.

Command #21

⁶“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Command #22

⁷“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Command #23

¹²“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Command #24

¹³“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Command #25

¹⁵“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Matthew 6- Commands 12 through 19

Command #12

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 6:1).

Command #13

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:2-4).

Command #14

⁵“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Command #15

 ⁷“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹Pray then like this:

   “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done,
   on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,¹²and forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.¹³And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.”

Command #16

¹⁶“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Command #17

¹⁹“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Command #18

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Command #19

 ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 5- Commands 3 through 10

Command #3

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:12).

Command #4

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Command #5

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets” (Matthew 5:17).

Command #6

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison (Matthew 5:23-25).

Command #7

²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right handcauses you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Command #8

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ ³⁴But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all” (Matthew 5:33).

Command #9

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Command #10

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,