The Sword of the LORD

The disciples approached Jesus one day with an important request. They said to the Lord, “Teach us to pray.” Jesus gave to them what has become known as the Lord's prayer. Churches and Christian believers the world over recite this prayer, both privately and congregationally. Jesus did not mean for this prayer to be something they memorized and repeated every time that they spoke to God, though. He meant for it to be a model, a pattern, from which they could shape their own prayers, expanding on it, and making it personal and an expression of themselves. Studying the various elements of the Lord's prayer, and understanding the intent behind them, can breathe new life into our own prayers and make them much more focused in the will of God. Our Father. . . Of all the ways that we can address Almighty God, "Father" is the one that I believe pleases Him the most. We might address Him as "Creator of the universe," "Judge of all the earth," or just

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." (Psalm 133) As we read in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, we find that an important feature of the early church was their love and unity. The Greek word “homothumadon,” which occurs 10 of its 12 times in Acts and is translated “accord,” means “of one mind, or, of one passion,” and is used to describe the bond that existed between the believers. This unity in the Spirit that the early church enjoyed was like the blend of instruments in a great orchestra: each sounding their various parts, but all blending harmoniously into a mighty symphony, each note complementing every other. When strife and divisio

"And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. "And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. "And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. "And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee." (Luke 5:17-20) As I read the story told in Luke 5 of the man sick with the palsy whom Jesus healed, I am drawn, not just by the miracle itself, but by what happened before the miracle. This man was paralyzed. We don’t know to what extent, but can assume that since he was confined to his bed, his legs at leas

"Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." (John 8:28) There is an old hymn that we sing that says: Must Jesus bear the cross alone And all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone, And there's a cross for me. Unfortunately, these words are lost on many Christians today. It's easy to understand and believe that Jesus carried a cross to Calvary, and there died for our sins; but it is more difficult to grasp the idea of bearing crosses in our lives. The whole idea of resurrection power working in us to make us more Christ-like is based on the concept of life from death. Jesus' illustration of the kernel of wheat being buried in the ground and dying before it can sprout and grow is the perfect picture of what our spiritual life must be. It is a continual process of dying to self so that the life of Christ ca