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Jesus' model prayer - pART 5

8/16/2018

Jesus’ Model Prayer - Part 5
  ●Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trespass against us). ●And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. ●For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:11-15)

JESUS SAID IN MATTHEW 6:9-15, THAT AFTER WE HAVE PUT GOD FIRST, it is appropriate for us to pray for bread. BREAD is the centerpiece of human need the world over. The Apostle Paul said: And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (1Timothy 6:6-8) Paul has stretched “need” beyond bread and has included clothing. Not a lot of clothing. The word: “raiment” appears to be singular; not a collection of outfits. Jesus focused on bread, satisfying the stomach. “Daily” means what it says. Many people don’t have bread two days in a row. And thousands have not had a piece of bread in several days.

I’VE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THIS. I would not wish the Great Depression on anyone, but I must tell you that it was a great teacher. A generous amount of learning enveloped those of us who went through that period. A sack of corn meal can be almost everything in your life if that is all that stands between you and hunger. My mother could make many things out of corn meal.

THE PICTURE ABOVE IS OF BARLEY LOAVES, much like those mentioned in the Bible. I have bought barley flour to experiment with it as a bread. It is edible but tough. Barley is ok for human food but mostly the poor are content to eat it. It is more suited for animals that can chew it well... not to be compared with wheat and other more delicate grains.

WHEN RUTH AND NAOMI CAME BACK TO ISRAEL OUT OF MOAB, it was during barley harvest. Naomi was excited that Ruth gleaned in the field of Boaz and came home with an apron full of barley grain. Bread! Food! For several years, I experimented with making bread from various kinds of grain; cooked and raw. You might say, “Oh! I wouldn’t do that!” You might. You might be tickled pink to get it. A little learning ahead of time would not be all bad. Do you know what you can do with pinto beans, cornbread, onions and turnip greens? Survive.

THE IDEA OF EXPERIMENTING WITH BREAD CAME FROM WATCHING MY MOTHER make recipes from corn meal and the occasional bag of wheat flour. When Jesus told His disciples to pray for “daily bread,” it resonated with everybody that heard it. It’s still good for today. We may see the day when praying for bread may have great meaning. Do you know what kind of food will sustain you in hard times? Do you realize that you will do better in your praying if you are practiced up ahead of time?

DON'T WRITE THIS OFF AS SOMETHING THAT OCCURRED WAY BACK YONDER in history somewhere and now we don’t need to think about it. I’m wondering if anyone is listening. I sure hope so. If you don’t need to pray for bread, then thank God for the bread you had today and what you expect tomorrow. Get practiced up at thanking God for your bread (food) and what you might need to do after you pray for bread in a tight place.

I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE. SOMETIMES I WATCH THE YOUNGER GENERATION eat and I say to myself: “They don’t know. They don’t have a clue. They don’t know the depths to which bread ought to cause instant praise and thanksgiving to God!

MY GERMAN TEACHER CAME TO AMERICA TO ATTEND A BAPTIST CONFERENCE. He told us about it. War broke out and he couldn’t get back home. He was trapped here, and his wife and children were trapped in Berlin. Allied bombers were destroying thousands of buildings. Night after night. When the war was over, he met his family in New York and they went to a restaurant. When they finished their meal, the children all picked up their plates and licked their plates clean in the public restaurant. Dr. Cierpke told how he was crushed when he realized that his family had gone without food in Berlin and that their lives had to be saved every day from certain death. ●Give us this day our daily bread. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 17, 2018 – FRIDAY
A.M. Psalms 107-108   P.M. Romans 15:21-33
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
Just Keep on Praying (2:15) (Lester Roloff & Mrs. Gene Price)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDTVXTscehc
                       You may need to adjust your volume.

Health Hint:
(Holding this over one more day so you can be sure and look at it.) Specialists from Duke University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Mayo Clinic explain why it is so important to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in our gut. Follow the link below to access the streaming videos to your computer. (They may have withdrawn the offer of the printed book. They have had over a hundred thousand requests for it and are running behind.)

See if you can stream it on your smart phone. http://www.cbn.com/special/buildabettergut/
Follow this link to Lorrie Johnson’s site within CBN: https://www1.cbn.com/node/256801 ... at least a dozen good videos on health. One of the best medical reporters in America today. Search her web site to learn a lot of good things.

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JESUS' MODEL PRAYER-PART 4

8/16/2018

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Jesus’ Model Prayer - Part 4
●Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trespass against us). ●And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

●For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:11-15)

THE ALPINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STILL GRIPS ME TODAY. This is the Alpine Public School where I learned John 3:16 and the “Lord’s” Prayer. In our learning this prayer, instead of saying “forgive us our debts,” we said: “forgive us our trespasses.” Instead of saying “as we forgive our debtors, we said: “as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

I STILL SAY "TRESPASS." But notice: after “Amen,” the translators use “trespasses” three times. So, whoever “doctored up” the verse to let us little kids say “trespass” and “trespasses” all the way through the seven verses, did no harm to the text (in my opinion).

I MUST DIGRESS ONE MORE TIME TO ALPINE SCHOOL. Leaning against the wall under the two windows (5th & 6th grade room) during lunch hour, (during my 2nd grade) I learned how to chew tobacco and how to break the habit of chewing tobacco in one, 30-minute lunch period, ‘nuff said. To the right of the porch, there is another, identical structure like the one you see. (Each had two rooms and two grades in each room. (Grades 1-8) The workmanship in that building is outstanding! It is now 80 years old. When I took this picture, a couple had bought the building and was renovating it as their dwelling.

THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WAS A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY from a large limestone high school building (steam heat). When the high school was vacated after the war, the roof was neglected and fell in. The floor of the nice, big auditorium then rotted out. It became a ghost building until it was all torn down and sowed in grass. The high school was built first. During the Depression, few people ever made it to high school, much less through high school. (My mother had to live with her uncle at Livingston to finish the 8th grade.)

THE HIGH SCHOOL WAS ELABORATE WITH A SHOP, A WPA GYMNASIUM, a home for boarding students, and a dairy farm built in to supply milk for the boarding dormitory. The school complex was preceded by a Bible camp on Alpine Mountain, above the school. The Bible camp drew people in during the summer for special revival meetings. The camp was responsible for beginning the whole thing. Google has some pictures of the mountain and the Alpine community.

A PRESBYTERIAN GROUP IN NEW YORK FINANCED THE BUILDING of the high school building, which also housed the elementary school until the building above was built. Alpine was considered an area of dire poverty and attracted the attention of the church group in New York. A beautiful Presbyterian Church building was built between the high school and the elementary school. Before the church building was ever used, some oily rags caught fire and burned the new building. The stone walls remained, and it was rebuilt. A residential house was built near the elementary school to house the church pastor. Basically, it was a Presbyterian project, but the elementary school building was a WPA project. My brother graduated from the high school in 1942.

ALPINE WAS THE PLACE TO BE IN THOSE DAYS IF YOU WANTED YOUR CHILDREN to get a good education. I didn’t know about any of this background when I started to school there. I started writing all of this to simply say: I learned John 3:16 and the Lord’s Prayer there. I also had some of the best opportunity to learn reading and writing and the fundamentals of education from two good teachers, and a good start in music. It is a wonderful place to remember! Outdoor toilet. Sack/bucket lunch from home. We finally got a soup-lunch program going.

THE BOYS IN ANY GRADE COULD GO DOWN TO THE OUTSIDE TOILET AND SMOKE during lunch if they had written permission from their parents. Well, the written permission thing was a good idea, but no one paid any attention to it. I think that takes care of Alpine for now. I love to go back and visit the campus, although there is no school there now. The church still has services.

THE "LORD'S PRAYER" (Some Bible Students Prefer to call it: The Disciples’ Prayer or the “Model Prayer.”) was occasioned by a request of one of His disciples. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1) It’s obvious that the disciple was asking Jesus to teach them “how to pray,” and not necessarily how to get in the habit of praying or how to discipline them selves to pray or if they should always kneel when they prayed. It was: “how to pray,” it seems.

IN MATTHEW'S 7 VERSES OF THE "LORD'S PRAYER," there was a priority: The Person of God, His name, His kingdom and His will on earth. Then, He gets to the first concern of the one doing the praying: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Laborer’s were paid daily so they could take their meager earning for the day and buy food for himself or for the family. That was the first “human thing” to pray for: bread, food. In that day, there were no entitlement programs, no food stamps. Bread! “Give us this day our daily bread.”

THE NEXT THING AFTER BREAD WAS TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE KINKS IN human relationships. The next thing in praying was forgiving everything that needed forgiving. They were taught not to let the sun go down on their wrath. Get the anger, the disputes settled before sunset. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: (Ephesians 4:26) In learning to pray, right after bread comes being at peace with one another.

Read Through the Bible in a YEAR
AUGUST 16, 2018 – THURSDAY
A.M. Psalms 105-106   P.M. Romans 15:1-20
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
Keep on the Firing Line (2:42) (Singing Men of Calvary Mem.Church.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2wSORRwBzA
You may need to adjust your volume.

Health Hint:
(Holding this over one day so you can be sure and look it over.) The new kid on the health block is the role our gut plays in our health. The anti-biotics are playing havoc with our overall health. Specialists from Duke University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Mayo Clinic explain why it is so important to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in our gut.

Today, I reviewed the 6-7 videos put together by Health Reporter: Lorie Johnson. Follow this link to download the streaming videos to your computer. (They may have withdrawn the offer of the printed book. They have had over a hundred thousand requests for it and are running behind.) You MAY be able to stream it on your smart phone. Follow http://www.cbn.com/special/buildabettergut/ to access the streaming videos to your computer.

I urge you to download and view the streaming videos. Doctors from Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, and others. Put together by health journalist: Lorie Johnson. Follow this link to her site within CBN: https://www1.cbn.com/node/256801 There are at least a dozen top-notch videos on health. I regard her as one of the best medical reporters in America today. Search her web site to learn a lot of good things.

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Jesus' model prayer - part 3

8/14/2018

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Jesus’ Model Prayer - Part 3
●After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

●Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trepass against us). ●And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. ●For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:9-15)

I MEMORIZED THE ABOVE SEVEN VERSES during the two years I attended Alpine Elementary School in the above building. Miss Hattie Brown, in the first grade (1940-41) and Miss Vaughn, in the second grade (1941-42) led us in reciting “The Lord’s Prayer” every school morning. Our school year was eight months, ending the middle of May. School was out in time for the students to help plant gardens and field crops. So, in two years, I figure we recited the prayer about 300 times. Nobody complained and none of the parents showed up to threaten the teachers.

(THIS HAS A POINT TO IT,) and I also like to go back there and re-live those special days with those special teachers. I didn’t know it at the time, but our school building was a new “Cadillac building” (stone, not wood) built during the Depression. Each of the four rooms had central heating: (the stoves were in the center of the rooms.) We had a cloak room, and everyone had an assigned hook for hanging our jackets and a private cubicle for stashing our ham-biscuit lunches.

THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUILDING WAS BUILT BY THE WPA (Works Progress Administration) in 1938 during the depression. In 1939 WPA was renamed: Work Projects Administration. The Federal Government borrowed money and put people to work building roads, bridges, schools, etc. People were paid for working at many projects and each type of work had an alphabet name. It was advertised as a “hand-up” for working a day’s work and NOT a “hand-out” for doing nothing.

OUR DRINKING WATER CAME FROM A WELL BEHIND THE BUILDING. A big hand-operated pump was hooked to a galvanized pipe that was embedded in a stone trough. The pipe had 7 or 8 quarter-inch holes drilled in the top of it, about two feet apart. The biggest boy in class was the pumper because it took muscle to push that much water through the holes and high enough for everyone to get a drink. After several licks with the pump, water would shoot up out of the holes in the pipe and we could drink all we wanted.

ONE FROSTY MORNING WE WERE MILLING AROUND THE PUMP waiting for the bell to ring. Someone double-dog-dared me to stick my tongue to the pipe in the trough. Sure! Why not? Sticking was easy. Pulling the tongue away was another matter. My tongue instantly froze to the pipe! I pulled and tugged and finally gave it all I had and jerked my tongue loose. Blood! Pain! But, I don’t remember any more about it. It must have healed, because it’s ok today. I was a fast learner, and nobody else wanted to try it. I was the lone sucker.

BACK TO THE SEVEN VERSES. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. This is strong! This is the program! God is not content to leave the earth in a cluttered moral mess with little men and women trying to run little kingdoms for their own dreams. God is going to wrap it up one of these days and Jesus is going to rule the earth and reign from the throne of His Father, David in Jerusalem.

THE BOOKS OF DANIEL, REVELATION AND ISAIAH are concentrated in this verse. He urges us to participate in it by praying for it. This is a good thing to pray in the morning before we begin our intercessory prayers for family and friends who are sick or have other special needs.

JESUS INSTRUCTS US TO PRAY FOR THE KINGDOM TO COME and for God’s will to be done in earth as it is in heaven…before…we pray for daily bread. God’s coming kingdom and God’s will being done on earth should be on our minds every day. Isaiah wrote: Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:7) God is going to do it, but He wants us to pray for it and have a part in it.

BECAUSE I WAS TAUGHT "THE LORD'S PRAYER" and recited it over 300 times in the 1st and 2nd grades, it is still with me today. It is natural and very satisfying for me to pray that prayer in morning prayers before I pray for personal needs, family needs, needs of friends. Praying this first, helps me to keep God’s interests and my personal interests in balance.

IN THE SECOND GRADE, MISS VAUGHN WROTE JOHN 3:16 ON THE CHALK BOARD and we recited it daily for four months: 80 times. The 2nd four months we recited John 3:17 80 times. Then came the biggest war in the history of the world to this day and we moved 300 miles away. New school; new friends.

I WANTED TO BE ACCEPTED BY NEW FRIENDS IN THE "CITY SCHOOL" so I practiced cussin’ so I would be accepted by the trashy boys in my new class. You see: I had not mixed the Lord’s Prayer nor John 3:16 with faith. I was still not saved. That would take place after a while. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Hebrews 4:2)

BUT, THERE ARE SOME OTHER BIBLE VERSES I HAD NEVER HEARD OF: For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11) And…I had not counted on a strong preacher or my mother’s prayers. She was a praying woman.

IN OCTOBER 1943, IN THE BEAN MARKET, GOD STRUCK A MATCH UNDER THE WORD OF GOD. John 3:16 caught fire and the God of the Lord’s Prayer was obviously in charge of the meeting. It’s as real as if it happened last week. America is progressively choosing to live in a garbage can. Mamas and daddies need to work hard at engraving the Word of God in the minds of their children. See to it that your children hear the Word of God from your lips in your home and see you on your knees talking to God. If your children climb over you to live in a garbage can, make sure they have a lot to climb over and then pray for them ‘till you draw your last breath. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 15, 2018 – WEDNESDAY
A.M. Psalms 103-104 P.M. Romans 14
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:

Keep on the Firing Line (2:42) (Singing Men of Calvary Mem.Church.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2wSORRwBzA
You may need to adjust your volume.

Health Hint:
The new kid on the health block is the role our gut plays in our health. The anti-biotics are playing havoc with our overall health. Specialists from Duke University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Mayo Clinic explain why it is so important to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in our gut. Today, I reviewed the 6-7 videos put together by Health Reporter: Lorie Johnson. Follow this link to get a free booklet mailed to you and to download the streaming videos to your computer. You MAY be able to get it on your smart phone. Follow http://www.cbn.com/special/buildabettergut/ to receive your free booklet by mail and to access the streaming videos to your computer.

I urge you to get the free booklet and to download and view the streaming videos. Doctors from Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, and others. Put together by health journalist: Lorie Johnson. Follow this link to her site within CBN: https://www1.cbn.com/node/256801 There are at least a dozen top-notch videos on health. I regard her as one of the best medical reporters in America today. Search her web site to learn a lot of good things.

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Jesus' model prayer--pART 2

8/12/2018

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Jesus’ Model Prayer--Part 2
●After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

●Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trepass against us).

●And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

●For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:9-15)

WHY SHOULD WE INCLUDED BIBLE WORDS IN OUR PRAYERS? Why not just pray whatever comes to mind? Well, we can pray whatever comes to mind. But it may weak coffee. If we want the best coffee, we need to add something to the water. We get a strong push from Jesus to include words from the Bible when we pray. He said: “After this manner therefore pray ye:” That is, use these words as a pattern for forming many prayers in days and years to come.

BUT NOTE, TOO, THAT HE DOES NOT FORBID THESE WORDS to be used to form a suitable prayer from our lips to the ear and heart of the Father. We should not use these words or any other words as a set of memorized words that can be spewed from our mouths without thinking. But the words Jesus gave us for forming many prayers are suitable to pray as they are, straight out of the “package.” His words are “prayer concentrate.”

“THE WORD OF GOD" IS BEST PREACHED AND TAUGHT IN “the words of God.” In the same manner, we can say that prayers to God can best be prayed in the words of God, if they can be found. And, if we are acquainted with the Book of God, we can usually find fitting words by which to address the God of the Book. That is not to say we should not pray words that steam upward as a vapor from our hearts. The yearnings of our heart can be some of the most eloquent prayers when they are directed toward Heaven.

THE BOOK OF PSALMS WAS GIVEN TO PROVIDE IDEAS AND WORDS by which we may think about God and by which we may fashion our words to Him. Jesus does the same thing here in the Book of Matthew. “After this manner pray ye.” We cannot read Jesus’ instructions on prayer and then go our own way and construct our prayers independent of the Word of God, lest we risk becoming spiritual paupers.

GOD IS IDENTIFIED HERE AS THE GOD WHO IS IN HEAVEN. He does not dwell in the figure of an owl, sitting upon a shelf or engraved on a stone. The supreme issue God had with Israel, was their bowing down to idols of wood and stone. (Francis Schaeffer declared that the effective idols of our present age are: “peace and affluence.”)

McGEE COMMENTS: "WHICH ART IN HEAVEN." "God is not a prisoner in this universe—He is beyond and above it. He is in the air spaces, in the stellar spaces, but He is far removed from His universe today. He is more than creation! He is the One sitting upon the throne of the universe, and He has it under His control!” So, it is this God and no other god that we are praying to.

MORE THAN ANY OTHER ISSUE, THIS WAS THE ISSUE BY WHICH GOD WAS MOTIVATED to bring judgment upon the nation of Israel. The 10 northern tribes of Israel and later the southern tribes of Judah were uprooted from their land and transported to other nations for their pursuit of the idol-gods of their neighbors. Jesus makes sure we understand which God is being prayed to.

THEN JESUS ADDRESSES OUR PROPER ATTITUDE AND CARE about the name of God: “hallowed be Thy name.” National TV comics and drama are forever taking the name of God in vain as an expression of awe and surprise. It’s as though there is no other way they could be out of the ordinary without going all the way to the name of God and dragging it down to their level or to trample under their feet.

THE PRACTICE IS LIKE A VIRUS THAT CATCHES HOLD OF THE POPULATION and the nicest ladies will repeat the trashing of God’s name and not think a thing about it. We need to think of God’s name in the way He told us to think of His name. It’s not a by-word for padding our vocabulary or rounding out a deficient sentence. It’s not a cheap comic-gimmick.

IT'S ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)

DO YOU LOVE THE NAME OF GOD? THE NAME OF JESUS? Every soul that has been born since Adam will one day honor God’s name. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11)

“THINGS UNDER THE EARTH," may mean the place of departed spirits of the dead, but that are still alive. This would mean that every soul all the way back to Adam is going to confess that Jesus is Lord and bring glory to God the Father. “To bow before Him now means salvation; to bow before Him at the judgment means condemnation.” (Wiersbe)
As we pray, Jesus tells us to pray: “Hallowed by Thy name.” Let’s not forget this. O.K.?

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 13, 2018 – MONDAY
A.M. Psalms 96-98   P.M. Romans 13
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
There’s Something About That Name (3:04) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qlifcBp2Co
You may need to adjust your volume.

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jesus' model prayer...

8/9/2018

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Jesus’ Model Prayer

●After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
●Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trepass against us).
●And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ●For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:9-15)

THIS IS OUR NEXT PRAYER PASSAGE, PART OF THE VERSES WE NEED for morning praying. It is not possible for me to make appropriate comment on this. So, I present the text of Jesus’ presentation of a model prayer from which we can make up our own prayers. I’m including a few comments to illustrate how the words can be studied and prayed to our Father. I must confess that I use this prayer often, just as it is written. Pray it slowly. We do not water ski through the words of the prayer, but slowly, deliberately, with thorough meditation.

CONSIDER THE WORDS: "OUR FATHER." Pause here and think about whom you are addressing. Not the creator of the universe, but “Our Father.” What a leap from the Creator to our Father. When we recited this prayer every morning in the 1st and 2nd grades in the public school at Alpine, TN, we went through it quickly and routinely. But that defective way of reciting the prayer did its work in us. We memorized it thoroughly….for life! And now, my 1st and 2nd grade experience enables me to slow it down and take it apart, phrase by phrase and word for word, and to pray with greater meaning.

“Our” is the first word of the prayer, indicating that it is a term of community. It’s not: “my Father.” It’s “our Father. It is relationship with all the other people who call Him “Our Father.” If we call Him, “Our Father,” we are at once embracing all the others who call Him: “Our Father.” This is assuming that they are calling Him “Our Father” in truth. We have no choice in the matter. Paul reminds us: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1Corinthians 12:13)

The Psalmist writes: I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. (Psalm 119:63)

THE QUESTION IS OFTEN VOICED ABOUT WHOM WE SHOULD ADDRESS when we pray: Father, Son, or Holy Spirit? Well, we can pray to either of them. There is no jealousy among the Godhead Trinity. But, Jesus instructs us here to pray: “Our Father.”

I MUST PAUSE HERE AND CONTINUE WITH THIS ON MONDAY, LORD WILLING. You can see how we are going to work our way through the Model Prayer Jesus gave us to help us in our praying.

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 10, 2018 – FRIDAY
A.M. Psalms 88-89   P.M. Romans 10
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35)
(Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
Let the Rocks Cry Out (2:48) (Adult Choir: Calv.Mem.Church)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RB339rbvNU
You may need to adjust your volume.

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morning watch verses - 3

8/8/2018

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  Morning Watch Verses-3
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (James 4:8)

THE MAN WHO WROTE THE WORDS ABOVE was the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the Church in Jerusalem. When James was martyred (A.D.62 or 69) and prepared for burial, it was discovered that his knees were callused like the knees of a camel. Thereafter, he was nicknamed: “Camel Knee James.” I just now inserted “camel knees James” into Google and in .46 seconds (half a second) Google had 3,440,000 results. Why not let this man teach us something about prayer?

OUR TEXT FOR TODAY IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE VERSES of Scripture and I think on it often. Name any Roman emperor and this man is above them. This is one of my morning verses. Sometimes I off-handedly say: “I don’t want to see James when I get to Heaven because he might say: “show me your knees!” Of course, I’m just kidding, but I think I would be very self-conscious in the presence of such a praying man. Few men in the Bible have had the influence on my life as this James. He didn’t call down fire from heaven like Elijah, but he must have prayed as much as Elijah, and maybe more.

IF WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PRAYER, just read our text over and over. It’s all wrapped up in a few words. Evangelist Paul Ferguson (1916-1996) built his life and ministry on this verse. I interviewed him for six days and made tapes from which I wrote the highlights of his life. Dr. Lee Roberson read the manuscript and supplied the book title: “Paul Ferguson The Fighter.”

PAUL FERGUSON WAS A MAN OF PRAYER like I have never known or read about, covering the last two hundred years. Unusual things occurred in his meetings. He was the welter-weight boxing champion of the south-eastern United States for eleven years. He quit boxing while in his prime and prayed with the same discipline he used when boxing. He studied all the verses on prayer in the Bible and memorized most of them. I asked him why he prayed so much. He said it took him a long time to get himself out of the way, so God could do His will through him.

THREE DAYS AGO, AUGUST 6, was the anniversary date of my family moving to the Homesteads at Crossville, TN (1946). Their two sons owned the Dodge/Plymouth dealership in Crossville. I was twelve, almost. In two years or so, a retired farm couple moved in across the road from us: the Yorks. We bought milk from them when our cow went dry.

DURING HOSE DAILY MILK VISITS, I discovered that Mrs. York had her mind on the Lord and was a woman of prayer. She told me about her first baby and a great answer to prayer. She needed to go to a neighbor’s house across a field from their house to get something for a recipe. She left her baby asleep and hurried to the neighbor’s house.

ALL AT ONCE A CLOUDBURST CAME DOWN. She had just given birth and could not afford to get wet. She prayed: “Dear Lord, please keep me dry…I must get back to my baby.” She set out in a brisk walk across the field. When she arrived at her house, she looked at her dress and it was…dry! Not a wet thread in her dress. Do I believe that? Oh, yes, I believe that. I believed her then and I believe her now. Much more happened in her life but that will do for now. Don’t be surprised at things that happen to praying people. The Lord began putting me in touch with people who walked with Him…early in my life.

PRAYER IS NOT PERSUADING GOD TO DO SOMETHING He does not want to do. Prayer is taking hold of the things God is willing to do if we will ask Him. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13) James, the praying man, said: “…ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2)

HERE ARE THE MASTER VERSES ON PRAYER THAT COVER THE WHOLE BIBLE: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1John 5:14-15)

REPEATING YESTERDAY: you need 20+ verses to help you think when you’re trying to get started talking to the Lord. How did Moses do it? How did Abraham do it? How did Daniel do it? How did Jesus do it? How did James do it? How did Paul do it? Please hang in there and let’s get some verses installed into our praying that will make a difference in how we pray. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 9, 2018 – THURSDAY
A.M. Psalms 85-87   P.M. Romans 9
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
Just Keep on Praying (3:31) (Don & Kim Case)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9m975_J3Pg
You may need to adjust your volume.

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morning watch verses-2

8/8/2018

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   Morning Watch Verses-2
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)

WE MAY NEVER UNDERSTAND THE FULL RELATIONSHIP of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When Jesus took upon Himself a human body, it included taking on many limitations. He could get hungry and tired. He was the God-man: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) Jesus needed to pray to the Father, so He prayed. He set an example for us, who need to pray at least as much as He needed to
pray.

I INCLUDE MARK 1:35 IN THE VERSES I MAY QUOTE when I pray in the morning. I want to be reminded that Jesus prayed in the morning and I need to follow His example. I also like Luke 6:12 as a prayer verse and I use it sometimes in the morning. Before Jesus chose some of his disciples, he prayed all night. We might do well to remember that when we have a serious decision to make.

WE NOTICE THAT JESUS ROSE UP TO PRAY. It is possible to pray in bed, unless you find yourself half-praying and dozing in and out. If you/we go to sleep while trying to pray in bed, we need to either go to sleep or get out of bed. On any day, there must be at least a million people who are bedfast and if they pray, they will have to pray in bed. Some of the best praying is done in hospital beds when people do some serious thinking and it’s time to pray…in bed.

ONE OF THE THIEVES ON THE CROSS PRAYED… enough to get saved. Many prayers have been prayed in foxholes (and answered). If you get into a tight place on the highway, you won’t have time to get on your knees. When Peter was walking on the water and began to sink, he didn’t have time to get on his knees. We ought to do a lot of knee praying if we can. And if we cannot get on our knees, pray anyway. I cannot get on my knees all the time. But, if I can, that’s the best way to pray.

JESUS ROSE UP AND WENT OUTSIDE INTO A PRIVATE PLACE. It’s good to know what Jesus did and to follow His example as much as possible. That’s a good thing to do.

WHEN JESUS BROUGHT HIS DISCIPLES INTO THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE before He was to be crucified, His disciples where sleepy. He left them together while he went a little farther to get alone. When He came back, they were asleep. He was doing some heavy praying and needed them to stay awake. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? (Matthew 26:40)

(Peter had just told Jesus that he would give his life for him and he was sincere about it. He meant well. But, Peter, and the others, were dog-tired. They had probably walked a long way and had been awake a long time. But, tired or no tired, Jesus said: “Could ye not watch with Me one hour?”)

I LIKE TO THINK ABOUT THESE SLEEPY DISCIPLES, when I’m trying to pray some mornings and I’m tired and sleepy. I remember how it was in the boy’s dorm at Temple when we had several young men to gather in a room at night to pray. Some had worked a full shift and were staying up to study and then to pray. Half of them would go to sleep and when their turn came to pray, they had to be shaken or nudged to take their turn at praying. I learned that if you are going to get up early to pray, you are going to have to go to bed early. Long-term, our bodies need to sleep as well as we need to pray.

BEFORE I LEARNED THAT, I had decided I would get up at 5:00 in the morning and go over to the little room upstairs beside the pipe organ. I wish I had a dollar for every time I went to sleep trying to pray in that little room. I was a farm boy. I had milked cows and goats before daylight. But, somehow, this was much different. I finally saw the futility (and the hypocrisy) of crossing the street with my Bible in hand (looking so spiritual) before daylight.

I GAVE IT UP AND DECIDED I WOULD FIND ANOTHER TIME DURING THE DAY TO PRAY. I wasn’t getting enough sleep. I was staying up late at night studying and getting up early to pray and it didn’t mix. You can do it for a while, but it will catch up with you. The spiritual thing to do is to go to bed at a decent hour and then pray in the morning.

IN THINKING ABOUT EARLY MORNING PRAYING TODAY, I recognize the problem many Americans have in maintaining a morning prayer time. Suggestion: when you get out of bed (YOU DO HAVE TO GET OUT OF BED!). Roll over onto your knees on the floor and thank God for your sleep and for a new day and ask God to take you by the hand and lead you for the day. DO IT!! Tell God you love Him and that you want to stay in touch with Him all day. You can do that. And then, stretch that time a little as you can.

JESUS DIDN'T GO OUSIDE TO READ HIS BIBLE. He went outside to pray. When I pray in the morning I may or may not read. But, I always include Bible verses in my morning praying. They give substance and strength to the payer. I quote certain verses in my prayer. That’s why we’re calling these articles: MORNING WATCH VERSES. We need 15-20 prayer verses that fit well into morning praying.

MORNING PRAYING IS FIRST AND FOREMOST, ABOUT GREETING THE LORD and making sure there’s no unfinished business between us and Him. Then, if we have time, pray for others in intercession. We can pray for people all day long, but we need this special time, first thing in the morning to connect with the Lord and “boot up our computers.” I hope this helps.

CARRY A NEW TESTAMENT WITH PSALMS AND PROVERBS WITH YOU or put a Bible app on your smart phone. Work in some Bible reading on your morning break, lunch or whenever you can.

SOME PEOPLE READ MORNING MINUTE IN THE MORNING and some wait until they come home after work or school. My intention with Morning Minute has always been as a starter and not the engine of your talking with the Lord. Only the Lord knows how much we need to pray today. Let’s do everything in our power to become solid, praying Christians who walk with God as a living reality. It can be done. We must do it.

YOU'LL NEED THOSE 20 VERSES TO HELP YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS when you’re trying to get started talking to the Lord. How did Moses do it? How did Abraham do it? How did Daniel do it? How did Jesus do it? How did James do it? How did Paul do it? Please hang in there and let’s get some verses installed into our praying that will really make a difference in how we pray. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 8, 2018 – WEDNESDAY
A.M. Psalms 82-84   P.M. Romans 8:19-39
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
My Savior First of All (3:31) (The Hymn Club- Goshen College- Mennon.) (Words by Fanny Crosby)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMFM-lpzCC0&index=2&list=RDh_nIRLD_5gE
You may need to adjust your volume.

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morning watch verses

8/6/2018

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Morning Watch Verses…
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:10)

IF WE WOULD WALK WITH GOD, we must meet with God in the morning and “pray without ceasing” (1Thessalonians 5:17) throughout the day. Some people work at night and their “morning” begins in the afternoon. Whatever your morning is, that’s the time to meet with God for a few minutes. Do you feel you are too busy to meet with God? Busier than Daniel? If you are too busy to pray, the problem may be deeper than “too busy.”

MY GRANDMOTHER (my mother’s mother) named me after this Daniel, so my interest in him goes back to my childhood and the Bible story book she bought through the mail. As I recall, Daniel was on the cover of the book.

OUR TEXT VERSE TODAY TELLS US HOW DANIEL DID HIS PRAYING. (This is a good verse for us to memorize and quote before we get out of bed in the morning.) He broke the law of the land and prayed anyway. He went into his house to pray and his window toward Jerusalem was open. He kneeled upon his knees three times a day. He prayed. He gave thanks before His God (and part of his prayer was giving of thanks.) This was NOT a one-time or occasional thing with Daniel, but a regular practice.

WE FOCUS AGAIN ON "GAVE THANKS." An important part of our praying is for giving of thanks to God. He is worthy of our thanks and we desperately need to give thanks to One who is greater than us and who provides for us. One of the classic books on prayer is Dr. John Rice’s book: Prayer, Asking and Receiving. I have read it several times and marked important statements in the book. It is a very good book on prayer.

BUT, I MUST TAKE ISSUE ON HIS DEFINITION OF PRAYER: “asking and receiving.” Prayer is much more than that. The Bible includes thanksgiving as being a part of prayer. Be careful (anxious, worried) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)

I HAVE COPIED OUR TEXT ON A GREEN HALF-CARD for memory exercise all this month. I will also be writing the verse on a note pad several times a day and having Barbara to hold the card while I say the verse to her. I want to quote this verse before I get out of bed. And then quote it as part of my morning prayer. “Dear Lord, thank you for recording Daniel’s practice of prayer in Your Word."

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Daniel 6:10)

“PLEASE HELP ME TO STRENGTHEN MY PRAYER LIFE to be like Daniel in the palace when his enemies were against him and against his praying to the God of Heaven.”

GIVING THANKS TO GOD IN PRAYER STRENGTHENS OUR FAITH. Our thanksgiving to God reminds us of what God has already done and encourages us to keep on trusting God to do even more. My friend, Pastor Bill Compton, loved to say: “He has given us His best, and surely He will give us the rest.” “GIVING THANKS TO GOD IN PRAYER STRENGTHENS OUR FAITH.”

IF I COULD GIVE ALL MY FRIENDS A MILLION DOLLARS APIECE, it would not be worth as much as their learning to walk with God and to meet with Him in the morning to begin the day. Pray in the Spirit. Pray in faith. Pray with thanksgiving. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 7, 2018 – TUESDAY
A.M. Psalms 79-81   P.M. Romans 8:1-18
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
Praise Him, Praise Him (3:13) (The Hymn Club- Goshen College- Mennon.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_nIRLD_5gE&list=RDh_nIRLD_5gE

Rock of Ages – (From Yesterday)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7gt_cSxjw
You may need to adjust your volume.

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the morning watch...

8/5/2018

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The Morning Watch …
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35)

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:3)

IT'S GOOD TO BE IN THE HOUSE OF HE LORD on Sunday. But, that’s only the beginning. The Bible talks about people praying every day. The Bible talks about people praying throughout the day as a way of life. The Bible talks about men walking with God (Enoch, Noah) and about men walking “before the Lord.”

DANIEL PRAYED THREE TIMES A DAY. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. (Daniel 6:10) We notice that Daniel did not pray to get out of Babylon. He “gave thanks.”

“DANIEL'S PRAYER WAS FIRST A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING (Daniel 6:10) as he acknowledged God’s goodnesses to him. His prayer was also a prayer for guidance and help (Daniel 6:11). Doubtless the responsibility of high office rested heavily on Daniel and he sought God’s wisdom in the decisions he had to make. Daniel was more than 80 years old at this time (539 b.c.); he was about 16 when he was taken captive 66 years earlier (605 b.c.).

“SO BECAUSE OF HIS YEARS HE MAY HAVE ALSO SOUGHT GOD for physical strength to carry on his heavy duties. Daniel made no attempt to hide his devotion to or his dependence on God, even though it now meant disobeying a governmental decree (cf. Acts 5:29).

DANIEL WOULD NOT AND COULD NOT LOOK TO DAIRUS for the guidance and strength he knew God alone could supply. Apparently his opponents knew where and when he prayed, so they went (lit., rushed) to his room at the time and, as expected, found him praying. (Bible Knowledge Commentary)

THE PSALMIST WROTE: Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17)

PAUL WROTE TO TIMOTHY: I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. (1Timothy 2:8) For centuries it has been the practice of Jews to pray with their hands lifted toward Heaven. The early Christians continued the practice, and many continue it today. It signifies dependence upon God and also the emptiness of the hands that approach God.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: Pray without ceasing. (1Th 5:17) The verb phrase “without ceasing,” is a Greek term that means “as a hacking cough.” Intermittenly. Now and then, throughout the day or night.”

WHAT I'M AIMING FOR HERE, IS TO ENCOURAGE YOU/ME TO BE FAITHFUL TO GOD in our prayer life, beginning in the morning. There is no substitute for beginning the day with the Lord. For several years, I have relied on a small group of verses that I go through in the morning. For example: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) Don’t rush through the verse. Dwell on each phrase of the verse and make sure your mind is sitting firmly on top of each verse, like sitting firmly in the saddle on a horse. “Lickety-split” is not allowed.

TOMORROW, I WANT TO SHARE SOME OF THOSE VERSES and to suggest ways to use them in prayer. Increasingly, through the years, I have come to see that thorough praying cannot be done apart from our connecting it to the Word of God. That being the case, it means we should memorize a growing number of verses that relate to prayer. Some of these verses can be used as part of the wording of our prayers. Some of the verses will help us think about the framework of prayer and how we can best think about prayer.

I’M COMPILING A FOLDER OF 100+ VERSES ON PRAYER and subjects that relate to prayer, such as faith, thanksgiving, attitude, sin, obedience, etc. These will be available to be downloaded onto 8 ½ x 11 sheets of paper; an average of 8-10 verses per page. By setting your printer on “draft” setting, you will not use much ink and it may not bleed through. This will enable you to print on both sides. An 8 ½ x 11 sheet folded in half, fits well in most Bibles. If you fold no more than 3-4 sheets, you can tuck 48-80 verses into your reading Bible and use them for memorizing and reviewing.

THIS IDEA HAS BEEN DRIVING ME FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, and I’m working on it. I must finish it as soon as possible. I’m not satisfied that we have a daily devotional that people read and go on their way. That’s worth the effort, but it’s not enough. We need to be hiding the Word of God in our hearts and using them in our prayer life. That’s the only reasonable goal.

THAT WILL PLEASE GOD. Jesus did always those things that please the Father. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29) We too, should do always those things that please the Father, and that includes hiding God’s Word in our hearts.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEN JESUS PRAYED “a great while before day” that He spent no time reading the Bible. The part of the Word of God He used in prayer was what He had memorized. When the first Christians left Jerusalem to escape persecution, they went everywhere preaching the Word. There were no Bibles to carry around in that day. So, they preached what they had memorized. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. (Acts 8:4)

I CAN SUPPLY YOU WITH BRIGHT GREEN AND/OR BRIGHT PINK half-3/5 cards for writing verses. I buy 3x5 cards and cut them in half on a commercial paper cutter. Packs of 50 cards mail well…his and her cards. Easy to find if you lay them down somewhere. Use these cards for writing verses and carrying them with you to memorize. A verse a week will bless you for the rest of your life.

THINK ABOUT IT AND LET ME KNOW BY E-MAIL OR THROUGH FACEBOOK. The cards are not for sale. I’ll send them to you free. If you want to buy a set of cards for someone else, I will accept money on that basis.

Let’s be serious about the Word of God and prayer and getting out the Word of God to a lost and dying world. We don’t have long. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 6, 2018 – MONDAY
A.M. Psalms 70-72   P.M. Romans 4
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
Rock of Ages (3:32) (Samonte – Mennonite Choir)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7gt_cSxjw

You may need to adjust your volume.

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When the mule won't drink

8/3/2018

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When the Mule Won’t Drink

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. (Isaiah 1:3) And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. (Numbers 22:25)

GOD MADE MAN TO BE THE SMARTEST AND NOBLEST OF HIS CREATURES, but sometimes God chooses to use an animal more than the man. Isaiah tells us that the lowly ox knows its master and the donkey knows that he eats out of his master’s grain crib. But sometimes, the exalted human being is dumber than an ox; dumber than a donkey. The man is at his dumbest when he thinks he can outsmart God. It is a great mystery.

WHEN I WAS ABOUT FOURTEEN, I was sent to Grandpa’s barn to bridle a mule that had not had water all day and it was noon. I rode the mule bareback to the water barrel that was filled with a trickling stream from a mountain bluff. The mule obediently went to the barrel and stood with his mouth a foot above the fresh water. I expected him to immediately thrust his mouth into the water and begin pulling up the water in big gulps.

IT WASN'T HAPPENING. All morning without water and he just stood there. I waited a good while and spoke to him: “Drink!” “Drink, Boy…I’m going to take you back to the stable and I won’t be back till late this afternoon! You better drink, now!” Nothing. Being a resourceful teenager, I scooted over the hump of his shoulders and scooted onto his neck, so I could lean over the top of his head. He didn’t complain or react to my strange behavior.

I WAS SITTING ALMOST ON HIS HEAD. I leaned over and put both hands on top of his head and pushed his nose down into the water. I could look down the front of his head and see that his nose was in the water. Surely, he would begin to drink. (What is the old adage, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink?” I was seeing that there are, indeed, horses that do not want to drink after they have stood in the stable a half-day.” Why a horse would not want to drink after a half-day was beyond me.

WHILE I WAS THINKING THAT OVER, suddenly, without warning, that mule had run out of breath and he had a desperate need to breathe. He jerked his head up out of the water and the top of his head hit me in the mouth, HARD! Pain! I instinctively brought my free hand to my mouth and wiped my mouth with my hand. Blood! My hand was covered in blood! No mirror. I knew my lips were split, but I didn’t know how bad. My eyes teared up from the savage blow. Obviously, it didn’t hurt the mule.

A WAVE OF ANGER CAME OVER ME. If only I had had a big stick, I would have laid it on that mule! A heavy stick, that wouldn’t break. I’ll show this old mule a thing or two. And just as quickly, I realized that the mule hadn’t asked me to hold his nose under water ‘till he was desperate for air! I was ashamed of myself. Bloody mouth or no bloody mouth, this old mule didn’t deserve a beating. I cooled off, gently slid off the mule and took hold of his reins and led him back to the stable and checked his feed box to see if he had anything to eat.

IN A FEW DAYS MY MOUTH HAD HEALED, and the old mule was back to eating and drinking water. But, I had gained something that day that would last me a life time. Sometimes, mules are smarter than a hurried-up teenager. That was seventy years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. God taught me something that day.

BE PATIENT! DON'T BE IN SUCH AN ALL-FIRED RUSH that you forget to observe the nature of situation you may not understand. You are going to have hard-to-understand things, unexpected things to happen in your life. Be careful about rushing into a dumb reaction, trying to get on top of the situation.

SECONDLY: EVERY HARD THING YOU ENCOUNTER is going to teach you something you could not learn from easy things. A famous poem says it this way:

“I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow;
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.”
― Robert Browning Hamilton

LIFE IS SOMETIMES HARD. And, life is even harder when we ignore the claim God makes upon us as our Creator and His right to have first place in our lives. I must admit that the mule that would not drink, taught me something I could never have learned from a book or from a dedicated teacher. I believe God ordained that incident in my life to teach me something I could not have otherwise learned. God was merciful to me in giving me a few minutes alone with that simple mule. He was a great teacher!

THINGS ARE WHAT THEY ARE, AND THE SMART PEOPLE work hard at understanding the truth of that in every life situation.” If a mule will not drink, there’s a good reason why he will not drink, and my best decision is to back off and be patient with the mule. He will, at some point in time, drink again. Patience is the better part of wisdom in many situations. Patience is one of the important pillars God wants to be firmly in place in our personality.

WE LOOK FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST when struggling and suffering will cease. We are told: For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (Hebrews 10:36-37) Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 3, 2018 – FRIDAY
A.M. Psalms 70-72   P.M. Romans 4
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)

Song for Today:
I Believe in Miracles (3:32) (Melody Four Quartet)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOhlte5Bko
You may need to adjust your volume.

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JESUS' MODEL PRAYER-PART 4

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Jesus' model prayer--pART 2

jesus' model prayer...

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the morning watch...

When the mule won't drink

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