Matthew 6: Prayer

I remeber being really blessed by studying the Lords prayer during one of the prayer weeks that I did with the youth. I'd like to share it with you

Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name

Look at the verses in the bible where we see the role of a father in Jewish custom. Most verses of fatherhood speak of a man who comes and kisses his children. (Many of these in genesis)

Conversely, look up verses that have to do with God's presence in the old testement. You will find that people were frightened and that in a few cases several people died because God's presence was too strong.

So this introduction to prayer reveals what God has changed in the new testement. Not only can we come to God's presence but we can be intimate with him as a father. All that power and glory that caused people to die and all the rituals of purification in the old testement, we can now say -- Our father in Heaven.

Your kingdom come

The next thing we are praying for is that God takes back the earth and transform it as is written for the end of time.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

God gave us free choice. In heaven, the angels hear the word of the Lord and respond. Here, the earth, Satan has dominion and humans have free will to choose their lives. We pray that our choices follow God's will. We pray again that God brings his heavenly kingdom to earth.

Give us this day our daily bread

In pursuit of God's plan and will on earth, we are asking him to provide for us. We want to focus on him so we are asking him to make sure that we can survive so that our focus doesn't leave him. The focus of this prayer is to be a part of God's plan to restore his kingdom on earth.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

Notice we are not asking carte blache here. We are asking to be judged the way we judge. We are asking to be forgiven the way we forgive. It is therefore necessary that we live forgiving lives and not hold grudges, debts, grievances or sore spots against other people.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Jesus just finished speaking to how hard it is to follow the law. We can't get angry and yell at people. We can have lust. We can't hold grudges. He says, be perfect as your father is perfect. Here we are asking that God protect us from things we can't handle.


This prayer I think is asking for the strength to live as God calls us to live. It says

You are a perfect and powerful God. Yet you have given me the freedom to call you father. I want to be tapped into your power. I want to live according to your purpose and I want to respond to you the way that the angels respond to you. Take care of me so that I can focus on you. Hold me accountable to the measure of grace and love that I extend to the people that cross my path. Keep my eyes fixed on you so that I do not lose sight of the important things.

If you read old testement verses about God, the kingdom of heaven, forgiveness, daily bread .. you will really feel life in this prayer. Chain reference bibles are useful for this.

Love you all

Sara

And it's llloooonnngg gggoonneee!!!

 

After reading the blogs for this chapter I felt like Harry Carry.  Cause man! some of these comments are balls hit out of the park!!

 

I have to weight in on the Beautitudes.  Sorry I'm late.

 

First let me comment on Kelsey's blog. 

You go girl!!!! I praise God for your indepth commentary.

Your greenness to scripture is not showing!!  Your genuine realness is showing and it is refreshing.  Thank you to you and all the gang at GVSU.

 

As far as where is God when the pain and suffering is present.  He is right there showing us, caring for us, lifting us, and interceding for us.  I saw God so much through the tragic loss of Tim.  I praised him that the family didn't have to take him off life support.  I praise the rally of family around baby Jake.   The ultimate gift of course is knowing that Tim is with our Lord.  This world is not heaven.  So Jesus came to show us HOW TO LIVE ON THIS EARTH.  Jesus prepared by praying to his father.  He was tested in the desert by satin.  He learned his  cousin was beheaded.  He did not fall apart in any of those situations, no  "he began his ministry" .  The disciples were clueless yet watched in amazement the healing touch of Jesus.  Then Jesus left the crowd and when up into the mountains and sat down.  I think the beatitudes could of started with NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!!...blessed are those who are pour in spirit.......hello!!He  understands our suffering better then we understanding ourselves.

So ya I want to help Tim's widow Ginger, and Tim's beautiful baby Jake.  But I take comfort in knowing God knows their needs far better than I could ever understand.  We are not helpless to help those in pain.  Lifting them up in prayer that God intercede is the very best way to help them. 

When you start looking for God in challenging situations

and accepting his will (not your own agenda) it is amazing the walk he will take you on.  So there will be pain and suffering that is a given here on earth.   One of my husband's best friends said the most comforting words,  He said very confidently, remember GOD is still on the throne.  We can handle everything with God on the throne, because we really don't have to handle anything God takes are burdens all we have to do is walk with him.

 

 

Response to GV group

YOU DO NOT SUCK AT LIFE.

I had to laugh when I read that. I think so often the same thing. I think, if I could only be better at being and doing the right things, and having a good plan and not ever worrying I wouldn't suck so much at life. The whole grace of this verse is that God accepts us as we are and only wants us to let go of all that worry in order to both enjoy life and let him teach us and provide for us.

As you elequently stated - there is a fine line between stewardship and slavery to money. My interpretation of do not worry about your life is --- God takes care of us. We have to trust that. We don't have any control over life. We don't have control over time and we don't have real control over resources. At any point something can happen to change the course of life perminantely, so we shouldn't spend lots of time worring if we have a perfect plan for how life will go. Even if we did, it won't go that way, so don't worry about it too much.

We also shouldn't worry too much about what other people think of us. If we have the nicest house, the best job, the nicest clothing. God says, if you put other people's opinions in front of his, you lose sight of what is important.

God is our father, and he will provide for us. Not that, if we sit around on our lazy butts and do nothing will he give us all new cars. What he's saying is that he made the earth with resources and we are to use the gifts that he gave us to do the work that he gave us. If we do that, then he will take care of us. "Things will work out."

Worry is different from plan. You can plan something without worrying about it. You can work for something without worrying. Its the moment when your life becomes concentrated around things that you either have no control of or other people's opinions that you should realize that you are stepping out of God's plan for you.

Nature is there as an analogy for us. We can never make or be more beautiful, simple, perfect or balanced than nature. Why? Nature stays the way God created it. It doesn't force its own will on God, but acts in line with its creation. God created us a certain way and our response should be to follow nature and live in accordance with the design that God set out for out lives. Not trying to force our own agenda. I have noticed in my travels and life that the most beautiful people I have ever met are those who dress simply and you can tell live naturally. The most balanced people I have met, live in the present dealing with life as it comes. They have some sketch of a plan, but they adapt to life and don't get too freaked out when it changes on them.

I know -- easier said than done.

Take a deep breath, know that you don't suck at life and that being you, right now, is what God intended for you. You don't have to have it all figured out. That is the freedom that these verses give us.

Response to GV group

YOU DO NOT SUCK AT LIFE.

I had to laugh when I read that. I think so often the same thing. I think, if I could only be better at being and doing the right things, and having a good plan and not ever worrying I wouldn't suck so much at life. The whole grace of this verse is that God accepts us as we are and only wants us to let go of all that worry in order to both enjoy life and let him teach us and provide for us.

As you elequently stated - there is a fine line between stewardship and slavery to money. My interpretation of do not worry about your life is --- God takes care of us. We have to trust that. We don't have any control over life. We don't have control over time and we don't have real control over resources. At any point something can happen to change the course of life perminantely, so we shouldn't spend lots of time worring if we have a perfect plan for how life will go. Even if we did, it won't go that way, so don't worry about it too much.

We also shouldn't worry too much about what other people think of us. If we have the nicest house, the best job, the nicest clothing. God says, if you put other people's opinions in front of his, you lose sight of what is important.

God is our father, and he will provide for us. Not that, if we sit around on our lazy butts and do nothing will he give us all new cars. What he's saying is that he made the earth with resources and we are to use the gifts that he gave us to do the work that he gave us. If we do that, then he will take care of us. "Things will work out."

Worry is different from plan. You can plan something without worrying about it. You can work for something without worrying. Its the moment when your life becomes concentrated around things that you either have no control of or other people's opinions that you should realize that you are stepping out of God's plan for you.

Nature is there as an analogy for us. We can never make or be more beautiful, simple, perfect or balanced than nature. Why? Nature stays the way God created it. It doesn't force its own will on God, but acts in line with its creation. God created us a certain way and our response should be to follow nature and live in accordance with the design that God set out for out lives. Not trying to force our own agenda. I have noticed in my travels and life that the most beautiful people I have ever met are those who dress simply and you can tell live naturally. The most balanced people I have met, live in the present dealing with life as it comes. They have some sketch of a plan, but they adapt to life and don't get too freaked out when it changes on them.

I know -- easier said than done.

Take a deep breath, know that you don't suck at life and that being you, right now, is what God intended for you. You don't have to have it all figured out. That is the freedom that these verses give us.

Matthew 6 -- from GV

There's a lot covered in Matthew 6, but the lesson that sticks out the most to us is right at the end -- "do not worry." We are all aware of how we should be, that our obedience to God will always in the end provide for us -- but sometimes it's just so hard. We know that Jesus wanted us to not be slaves to money, power or greed; but in today's world it's so difficult because it costs so much just to get the simple things. It's hard sometime to know the difference between being a good steward of money and being a slave to it, we walk a fine line. As college students we are more than well aware of the price we pay for necessities; to live, to sleep, to eat, to gain knowledge -- it all comes with a price. With all of these responsibilities in life, when are you worrying too much and when are you worrying too little? Jesus gives us his answer, "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added onto you." If we have the answer, why is it so hard to get by?

For me (adam) the first part is extremely difficult to do. I worry about the money and the food and tons of other stuff. It's so clear what god wants. If each of our actions and thoughts brings glory to him then this verse and my faith tells me that the imprisonment of the world will be lifted of our backs. If this is true, which i completely believe that it is, why do I suck so bad at life?

Matthew 5: Hitting heavy

There's a lot in chapter five. So, taking it slow. Kelsey's reflection on the beatitudes was a good reminder for me. I have very little to add. All I can say is that they show what God looks for. God looks for the quiet things. He doesn't care about the things that we care about. He doesn't care about time management or good grades or what job we take. He looks to the quiet, small things. He looks to the things we don't talk about. He looks for that five minutes we take to help some. He looks for that desire in us to do the right thing. He looks for the patience to step back and see a way through our conflict. He looks for us to experience our humanity and to be touched by it. He looks for us love each other and to love him.

"Where is God?"

It is often in the times that we need God the most that we forget his true nature. When I look at the world around me and I see the hunger and the pain and the persecution which spreads across the globe I often find myself wondering, where is God? Being that I personally am just now beginning to open myself up to Christianity I find that the beginning of this chapter hits home -- it addresses the very questions that I have posed for many years in questioning God and Christianity. It's difficult to keep our minds in the heavens when the horrors of life on earth stare us in the eye through our television sets. In the first few verses of Matthew 5 Jesus reminds us of where our true goals should be. In a world full of hate and run by power and greed it is easy to ask "where is God?", but Jesus reminds us that he is here, by our sides, waiting for us to come to him; that in the end we will be greatly rewarded regardless of our trials and suffering. I found these first few verses to be refreshing and genuine -- I only wish that a fraction of what we are to receive in heaven could be shared here on earth.
~Kelsey

Why did the disciples drop everything and follow Jesus?

Utmost reading for March 15th gives some points to ponder in regard to this question.  http://www.rbc.org/utmost/ (use arrow buttons at the bottom of the website to get to March 15th)

 

The end of chapter 4, Jesus heals the sick and the buzz is starting about "who is this guy".  The crowds begin to form.  I think he has the disciples attention.  All of this

was to prepare them so they would have ears to hear

chapter 5.

 

God Bless You!! Joan

The following post is by Joan Naab

 

Who has control?

The Lord teaches us, I like the term used in Utmost,

He romances us into learning how to live in a world where satin acts like he has control.  Satin uses fear and intimidation to manipulate us.  Christ takes the opportunity to let satin show himself for who he is.  The devil "took" Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  Mind you the devil temps Jesus after 40 days of fasting.  In Jesus was human weakness(lack of eating - nourishment). I visualize Jesus allowing satin to have control as one would empower a small child. Satin has no real power but relies on his ability to twist the scriptures to fit his agenda.  All through human history you can see this handy work of the devil. The crusades and present day corruption.  The devil is all about trickery.  He pays close attention.  The more we serve God the more satin tries to get control of us.  Satin wants control, God has control.

The sad state of affairs is that we want control.  So satin comes along and empowers us to believing that control is ours by manipulating what God says to us.

God stops satin in his tracks, "do not put the Lord your God to FOOLISH test"   Satin continues like a telemarketer with his agenda.  He takes Jesus to a high mountain and shows him all the kingdom of the world.

"All this I will give you if you bow down and worship me."

Simply the Lord says, "away from me satin.  Worship the Lord your God only"  Satin is defeated by God's simple word  LEAVE.  Thus he has no real power.  The power he has is in causing us to act in fear.   "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.  For God is with me.  His rod and staff they comfort me"

If we hold to God's word and remember we do not have control.  God does.  Then satin has no hold on us.  As he had no hold on Jesus.  Jesus came to teach how to live on the earth.  The scripture was fulfilled as HIS angel came and attended to him.  The world is covered in satins holds on our human weaknesses.   Sometimes the best intentions get twisted and manipulated by the intimidator!

God gives us these very visual stories to live by. 

Blessed is the WORD of the LORD!!

 

Matthew 4 : 40 Days in the desert

Matthew was writing to a jewish crowd and he wanted to show them that Jesus was the messiah. I believe that's what he's trying to say through the baptism and temptation verses. I did some research about baptism and washing in jewish tradition along with the symbolism of 40 days. To me, they both seem to say to Jewish people that at that time Jesus was being "born" into his ministry. He was accepting his annointing and his call, knowing that it meant that he would die.

Here's what one website has to say about the jewish symbol of 40:

Forty days after a child is conceived, the Talmud tells us, the soul
enters the body. Forty, therefore, is a symbol of birth, rebirth and
change. It is interesting to note that it was recently found that
neural activity does begin at 40 days after conception. This also
means that abortion is permitted in more instances within the first 40
days of pregnancy than during the rest of pregnancy.

For the same reason, ritual immersion is done in a minimum of 40 seah
(a unit of volume) of water. Note that the letter mem, whose name is
from mayim (meaning water or fluid in general), is 40 in gematria.
When God wanted to rebirth the world, it rained for 40 days causing a
flood. Similarly, the Jewish People were born during 40 years in the
desert.

Satan knew what was going on. He knew that this was the time that Jesus was accepting his human fate and his ministry. The nature of the temptation is interesting. The first two were to use his power and position for his personal gain. This pinned the divine self against the human self.

The last temptation, I once heard in a sermon that the devil offered Jesus the world. Jesus knew that the world was under the dominion of the devil and that he had to die to save it. Satan offered a way out. You can rule the world. You can end the suffering the world and not have to die. But Jesus knew that the world could only be whole when man and God were united as they were created to be. I'm not sure if this is the true meaning of the verse, but it strikes me.

Matthew 4 -- from the GV study group

The first section of chapter 4 regarding the temptation of Jesus is a bit confusing. "led by the Spirit" leads us to believe that God intended Jesus to go into the desert for the purpose of being tested, but why would he do this? If Jesus is the son of God, why would God have any expectation for Jesus to be tempted, why would there be room for error? Is Jesus more human than we think? In the NIV study bible there is a reference note comparing Jesus' test to that of Moses and the Israelites -- we see the number 40 in both of these events and Jesus even makes reference to Dt 8. It then goes on to explain that his test allowed him to better relate to his future disciples and followers. Is this what God wanted or was it to give him this human experience so that people would accept his teachings and give them a model of how to overcome temptation?

It's interesting that in the second section of chapter 4, Jesus begins his ministry with the same message as that of John the Baptist, "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." To quote Lynette, it seems as though John truly was the "forerunner to Jesus". Thoughts?

The third section, the calling of the first disciples, is particularly amazing. Can you imagine just working outside with your father on a boat and this guy comes up and pretty much just says "follow me" and you drop what you're doing, leave your father and do it?! Jesus certainly must've had some sort of obvious divine presence for someone to blindly follow him. Did they do this purely out of their own free will, or does God "mess" with free will for our own good sometimes?

This chapter certainly raises a lot of questions about God's intentions for Jesus and his ministry, were all of these things done for the benefit of Jesus so that he could better relate to us, or were they done for our benefit so that we could better relate to him and be more willing to follow his teachings?

To my sisters and brothers in Christ

This blog in designed to hear from everyone.  We want to hear your thoughts.  Please join us in learning from each other.  

God uses each of us as his body.  If you are part of this blog, please share your thoughts.

 

I pray for you all and ask God to pour is grace upon you today!!

Mattew 3: John the Baptist

This study is making me realize how incredibly deep the Gospels are. I have grown up with these stories my whole life and could tell you what they mean -- from a surface level -- very quickly. But, a second thought makes you really ponder. Just like I wondered what happened with the stars to make the Magi travel to meet Jesus, I find myself wondering why did Jesus get baptised?

I read background on Jewish washing rituals. There were a great number of ceremonies that involved washing and immersion. Matthew was trying to say something to the Jews. He was trying to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. So, why would he include this? Most articles that I have looked up say they don't know why.

The only thing that even comes close is that in Leviticus it says that priests shall be immersed before beginning their ministries. Perhaps the baptism was a way of Jesus submitting to his ministry -- because his ministry only starts after the baptism. Why did John have to do it? And what did John do? In the Jewish texts it says that baptisms were self immersion because people could not be touched by clothing or by other people during the baptism. So -- how did John baptise Jesus. Or why would his witness be important? What was John's roll? He was sent to prepare the way for the savior -- what does that entail??

Mattew 3: John the Baptist

This study is making me realize how incredibly deep the Gospels are. I have grown up with these stories my whole life and could tell you what they mean -- from a surface level -- very quickly. But, a second thought makes you really ponder. Just like I wondered what happened with the stars to make the Magi travel to meet Jesus, I find myself wondering why did Jesus get baptised?

I read background on Jewish washing rituals. There were a great number of ceremonies that involved washing and immersion. Matthew was trying to say something to the Jews. He was trying to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. So, why would he include this? Most articles that I have looked up say they don't know why.

The only thing that even comes close is that in Leviticus it says that priests shall be immersed before beginning their ministries. Perhaps the baptism was a way of Jesus submitting to his ministry -- because his ministry only starts after the baptism. Why did John have to do it? And what did John do? In the Jewish texts it says that baptisms were self immersion because people could not be touched by clothing or by other people during the baptism. So -- how did John baptise Jesus. Or why would his witness be important? What was John's roll? He was sent to prepare the way for the savior -- what does that entail??

Hey baby

I was trying to get on this website in order to participate in the bible study but unfortunately it doesn't work..I click  on it many times but never opened...and I also tried to create my own account but whatever i typed they told me I am wrong...I mean the username I tried to get was wrong..I tried many....I would love to participate..please let me know if you can help me out.thanks in advance

je t'aime..tu me manques

The website to view the posts is: http://upmoststudy.blogger.com. I would recommend making it your home page or putting it on your links so that you see it often.  Also, if you have a blog or a website that you would like to share so that the other members of the bible study can get to know you better – you can send it to me and I will post it as a link.

 

---

MSN Messenger : appels gratuits de PC à PC partout dans le monde !

Result of research about the Christmas Star

So I have looked high and low to try to understand who were the Magi, what the star meant to them and why would Matthew write about it??

Thanks to the internet, I've learned a lot about it.

History can pretty well place the birth of Christ between 7 and 3 BC. Luke and Matthew give us two historical clues -- the death of herod and the census of cesear augustus.

During that period there were two major astrological events that most people believe explain the appearance of the star.

Before I continue, I would like to say that the hardcore Jewish scholars belive that the star was not an astrological event, but the shining glory of God -- just like the burning bush, the transfiguration, Paul's converstion and other "light" events that occur when individual's have come in contact with God. The other major theory, which involves the movement of a number of planets across a number of contellations, rests on herods death happening in 1 BC. Most historians and biblical historians belief that Herod died in 4 BC. But if you want to read here are some citations.

Christmas Star

My personal belief is that God uses the natural world to speak to us and he provides a trail even for strong unbelievers to find him. "The door will open to he who knocks" Now, there is a lot of contestation among scholars but after all my research. This is the story that seems to make the most sense.

The scriptural context comes from Daniel. Daniel was the head of the Magi, under Nebekenezer (not spelled correctly). He was also very devoted to God and received a number of visions showing him history in fast forward. (check out this site for more details) (If any one wants extra homework they could check out some of the claims of this website to see if it lines up with historical record.) As head of the Magi, Daniel taught the them the Jewish scriptures including Iseiah which details the life and death of Christ.

Now, while astrology was strictly forbidden among Jews, it was practiced widely during those days. Not all Magi were astronomers or astrologers but as the wise men of the day, they were in tune with what was going on in the sky. (After all it is the sky that provided calendar and compass to the ancient world).

Three times in the years 7BC and 6BC there was what astronomers call a conjunction of the planets, which means that while the planets were on their rotations around the sun they cross paths (like an eclipse) When this happens, they aprea as a single bright star. The interesting thing was the stars that coincided -- Jupiter was known widely as the sign of ruler of the universe, Saturn was known as the protector of Isreal. They happened to conjunt within the constellation Pisces, representing the land mass of Isreal. Thus, to the astologers of the day, this event could have signified the birth of the ruler of the universe who was the protector of Isreal to be born in Isreal.

Remembering the teachings handed down from Daniel about the prophesized birth and death of a savior, it is likely that they understood who Jesus was and came to see him.

We will never know for sure what happened as history is clouded with imperfections from man's inaccuracy. But I could only see this as an early invitation from God to Gentiles. He proclaimed to the shepards of Isreal, but he also proclaimed to the gentiles that the savior has come.

Matthew is interesting as the first book of the new testament because there are so many references to the old testament. The references back to the old testatment give so much more weight to those things fortold......

The magi

The debate about the star in the East has had Scholars in a quandary since the birth of Christ.

 

Where were the wise men from?  Did there really follow a star all the way to the birth of Christ?

 

Did they arrive to the stable moments after the birth or up to two years later?

 

Why did the wise men (if so wise and so passionate about the Christ child) happen by way of Herod to “rat” on Jesus so to speak?

 

Herod then ordering the death of all two years old males, talk about paranoid and not comfortable with his “ innerself”

 

All these historical facts take you on the journey of a wise men documentary.

 

But after it is all said and done what was their mission?

Why did they leave their home, their duties to travel to far?

What was in their  hearts that told them to look forward the stars for answers?

 

My husband Chris has felt the Lord’s leading after seeing a number of shooting stars?

God uses nature to nudge us to follow him.

I laugh that God would never use this to get my attention because I wouldn’t notice. 

 

What I understand from the story is that these guys made their contribution how they believe God instructed them.

“In their generation”

I must do the same.