Give Us This Day

When I can, I like to listen to the radio program by Nancy Leigh DeMoss of Revive Our Hearts Ministries. She and I disagree fundamentally on the issue of homosexuality being acceptable to God as part of a life devoted to Him. Other than that, however, I almost always get a lot out of her teachings. Sometimes I take notes.

Lately she's been doing a series on the Lord's prayer; going into each phrase in depth. Today she was talking about "give us this day our daily bread."

I took a few notes from what she said today and I wanted to share them. Hopefully someone will get as much out of this as I did. So, all of the following is attributed to the teaching of Nancy Leigh DeMoss... not all direct quotes, but I tried to capture the meaning. I pray it feeds your soul!

We might demand things out of a spirit of expectation – but should not demand that God meet our gluttonous requests.

To ask God for our daily bread is to acknowledge that He is our provider and our source. We are unable to sustain ourselves apart from Him. I cannot survive a second apart from the Creator. Pray for daily bread.

When we say “I need” we’re using that word loosely. It’s hard to have that sense of deep dependence on God to meet our daily needs. God is our provider and we would not be able to survive apart from Him.

He needs no one and nothing. He is indebted to no one.

The vast majority of us have so much. We must recognize that we still need Him for everything including those necessities that may be plenteous in our lives. We need to realize we need to be thankful for what God is providing.

A child of God that doesn’t ask God to meet His daily needs is unlikely to be grateful.

Know the importance of having a grateful and humble heart. Be content.

God tests you to know what is in your heart. Like the Israelites in the desert, depending on Him for manna for food... God sometimes lets us hunger and be without what we consider basic necessities to test us; to see what's in our hearts.

Depend on God consciously for daily provision.

Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It’s because we are hungry, literally or figuratively, that we cry out and say, “God, we need you.” He’s the source.

Keep God’s commandments. Don’t forget the Lord. The Lord fed Israel in the wilderness. You shall remember the Lord your God; it is He who gives you power to get wealth.

Have an attitude of gratitude. Bless the Lord whether we have little or plenty. People who are starving have an easier time remembering God than those of us who have plenty.

Know the importance of humility, gratitude and remembering God. We ask God for daily bread. For the basic necessities of life.

Remember today to ask Him, “Lord, give us this day our daily bread.” Don’t pray with vain repetitions; offer heartfelt gratitude.

You Are Invited

21 They will have their own ruler again,
and he will come from their own people.
I will invite him to approach me,” says the Lord,
“for who would dare to come unless invited?

This is from Jeremiah 30. God has been talking about his children Israel and Judah. He has gone on about how they have rebelled and sinned against Him. He has detailed how they will be punished for this desertion. Yet, every time he expresses anger and a desire to punish, those words are followed up by words expressing a deep love and a desire for relationship restoration between His people and Himself.

Now, that was the Old Testament. Since Jesus came and served as a living sacrifice to pay for our sins, we can seek free forgiveness instead of having to go through God's wrath and punishment here on earth. Thank goodness for that! Before Jesus, it was a lot harder to gain or "earn" forgiveness. Nowadays, it's free. All we have to do is ask sincerely. That is amazing and wonderful.

What stood out to me in the above scripture was the Lord's saying that He will INVITE this new leader of His people... to approach Him. God stated that He was willing to invite this leader to come and sit with Him; to chat, to worship, to learn. "For who would dare to come unless invited?"

You don't show up at someone's party if you were not invited. That's just rude. You are setting yourself up for embarrassment, also, because you might be publicly told to leave. In the case of God, it's a matter of honor and of the FEAR of God. Not fear as in cowering from a threat or from evil... but fear as in... solemn respect. Fearing God is trusting that His way is best. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom! (Psalm 111:10) Fearing God can be... fearing to be WITHOUT God. Meditate on that. Ask God to show you what the fear of God means to you, in your own understanding.

But, back to the subject of invitation. Today? Today, we are ALL invited to approach God! In fact, the Holy Spirit lives here on earth in the middle of us all, all the time. Responding to God's invitation to approach Him requires only... speaking to Him... worshipping Him... thinking of Him. It's that simple.

Jesus broke the divide between us and the Father God. There is no more thick curtain of separation. God WANTS us to seek Him and to approach Him, all the time.

We are invited. YOU are invited. Whoever you are, just as you are, you are invited to approach God. In God's presence is the fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)

Jesus is your invitation to approach God and receive all the goodness He has to offer. Will you accept?

Trusting God's Promises

Jeremiah 17:

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit."

How dreamlike and amazing is that concept... not to be bothered by the heat or drought, ie: pressures of this world. Never worrying about whether we will have enough, where we will get what we need, stresses about what might or might not happen...

But then, that's pretty much a theme throughout all of God's word. Why can't I "GET" that?? Plug into God, no worries. Plug into God, He is my source and my protector and I truly have no worries.

I guess it's the continual pressures; the collection agencies on my tail, whom I would GLADLY pay IF I HAD THE MONEY... the student loans I absolutely cannot afford to pay... those are pressures that eat my brain day after day.

So perhaps... those things are the "heat" and the "drought" mentioned in those verses. I mean in all reality, I have a home, I have a job, I have a vehicle, I have food, I have pets and am able to care for them...

Lord, please help me to truly trust You... not just in my words but in my heart and in my head. You are GOD. If I can't trust You, who can I trust? Help me to live according to Your Word... not only in obedience, but also in terms of believing your promises and believing Your love. Thank you!