Scripture Memory Club

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10.

This is our third day of memorizing Matthew 5:10. Congratulations! You have memorized the Beatitudes! Praise the Lord! This is a real time of celebration for you have hidden God's word in your heart, you have planted His seed into your thoughts. The sword of His word is within you and is there to protect you and defend you. His truth and His God breathed Spirit is in your worship and celebration of Him.

In a way we have come full circle in the Beatitudes. Thinking about persecution or the possibility of persecution can be quite difficult to think about. We don't like to think about pain and suffering, particularly of our own and those we love. When we see other people suffering, it hurts us as well. Such is the presence of love in our hearts and lives that we want to do something when we see people hurting; even when we see those who have mistreated us or abused us going through difficult times we want to reach out to them and support them.

With the beatitudes our Lord has taught us a wonderful truth. For in living the Beatitudes He has provided a way to lessen the suffering, anger and hate in the world, particularly in the circle of relationships in which we live.
How do we live with persecution, how do we respond to it?

Jesus said "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

First, we cry out to our God and Saviour to help us to in our time of need. We know of our selves that we cannot make a lasting change without Him. We know that only He can work in the hearts of men to find and keep the elements of mercy, life, and love upheld in their hearts and minds. We pray. We know we need the Spirit and power of God to live in such a way to not only please Him, but to plant the seeds of love, mercy, and life in the hearts of those who would hurt us.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

When we suffer from pain, loss, and grief, our hearts are broken. Again we come before God and plead before Him for His help and mercy, for His hope and lovingkindness. And He will answer our call. Being hated, mistreated, abused and neglected can hurt us so deeply, and yet as we know Christ suffered all these things on the way to the cross, even from the garden of Gethsemene, we also know that He can truly comfort us in our hurts through His love and compassion toward us. Because of this we can bring this same love and comfort to those who hurt us when they are facing hard and difficult times in their lives.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
We can bring this comfort and compassion because we have sown in our hearts humility, gentleness, forbearance and compassion. We are not so proud as to withdraw our blessings from those who have tried to hurt us, to put us in our place, or to not recognize that God is at work in their lives as well, even though they do not know Him. That through us He is calling them to find their peace with and blessing from Him in Christ Jesus, according to the reflection of His mercy within our own lives.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

This righteousness, that we would love God with all our hearts and all our minds, that we would love all those around us He loves us, and that we would believe in Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord, would fill our hearts in such a way that those who would hate us would see that same love directed toward them. That this love would soften their hearts toward us, that they may see the presence of God in our lives, and that His goodness would lead them to repentance and to seek His mercy.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

As we recognize how we have been in our past, before the Lord dwelt within, how our hearts had been darkened by foolishness, how we had rebelled against the Lord at one time, and yet we have found His mercy, love, and grace poured into our lives. How because of God's great love toward, that He gave His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us so that we are reconciled with God, that His mercy and forgiveness could be freely given to us. And that He did this so that we can live in eternal communion and fellowship with Him. Because of His life dwelling within us we can bring this same mercy in our lives to those who have not found mercy, who are unaware of forgiveness, and who are only expecting hatred rather than love to be returned to them. When they see mercy they see the love and compassion of God.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

For as God is working to refine us to pure gold and pure silver, they see how He is working within us. They see that God's refining fire is changing us to become more like His Son, enabling us to live in our hearts more closely and more intimately with Him. As we grow closer to Him, as we are filled with His Holy Spirit, as we become more loving, more joy and peaceful, patient and forbearing, and kind and humbly good, faithful, gentle, and able to control our own tempers, tongues, hearts, and deeds; they are able to see the true work of our Saviour in our lives. They see what God is able to give them in their own lives, they see His goodness and mercy, they see His light and His grace, and His love.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God."

And in seeing the mercy and forgiveness of God at work in our lives, they know that our God, our Saviour, can be truly trusted to do the same work within them. That they too can find mercy, and love, and peace with God through our Saviour Jesus Christ. That they too can have Jesus dwelling within them, giving them power to live through their lives in the power and Spirit of our Holy God. For our greatest work of peace is to bring people to a place where they find peace with our loving Saviour through faith in Him, faith in His sacrifice, and faith in His blessing for eternity.

And Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

So it is in this way that God works through us and in us, that when we suffer from those who would hurt us because of the darkness in their lives, He is shining the brightest toward them, calling them to love, repentance, and life in His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that their hearts may be turned from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, that they may receive the word of God and that it may have its perfect work within their hearts as well.

At the very least in practicing the Beatitudes and living in their truths, our way in Christ is made more joyful because of the wonderful blessings of God's work in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and mostly in the hearts of those that God brings before us to testify of His love.

For we shall be blessed! We shall be given the kingdom of heaven, we shall know the loving comfort of His Holy Spirit, we shall find a place to call home on this earth, we shall be filled with His righteousness, we shall obtain mercy and find forgiveness, we shall even see God and become His sons, and it is for Christ's righteousness sake that we shall receive the kingdom of heaven.

For if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things shall be given unto us!

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:10.

For the next couple of weeks I thought we would memorize the Disciples' prayer, commonly known as the 'Lord's Prayer.' Don't worry, we will come back to memorize the rest of Matthew 5 as well as the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount. I'm just thinking that many of us already kind of know the prayer and are familiar with it, and I want our memorizing in itself to be super encouraging, as well as being a little easier in getting our brains to think in terms of memorizing Scripture.

So if it is okay, our next verse will be,

"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name." Matthew 6:9.

My apologies for missing yesterday, I had to take some personal time to work through some things. We will simply start on the Lord's Prayer today starting with Matthew 6:9.

Remember to write the verse out (we will be treating the whole verse in our study), in your notebook including "In this manner, therefore, pray." Sometimes its good to have the context of a verse, particularly when it is included in the verse, because scripture is contextual. In other words it has a context in which it is written, and it is good to know the context when we study and learn verses, because it can clarify a lot of questions we might have about a verse or a particular truth.

Matthew 6:9.
"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name."

Welcome to our first day in memorizing the Lord's Prayer.

We call it the Lord's prayer because it is the prayer that Jesus used to instruct us as to how to pray. This is Jesus' expression of prayer that as believers we are to follow when we pray. Now of course, many people consider this prayer to be a sample, or example of how we are to pray. It is a framework as to how we are to utter our prayers, rather than being a necessity of word for word ritual. Yet many times when we are at a loss for words, and don't exactly know what to say when we are talking with God, this prayer can help us to find the words to say, and help us to search within our hearts as to what we need to say and how to say it. In other words "In this manner, therefore, pray:".

The important thing to remember with prayer is that it is a way in which we connect with God. It is important to talk with God, a lot more for our sakes than for God's. Yet while we know of God's infinite attributes we also know that God has placed within us the need and ability to communicate what is on our hearts, what we need, and how we need it. God's purpose is fellowship with us, and our purpose is to fellowship with Him. Talking with God is one of the ways in which we express and find fellowship, companionship, and communion with Him.

Our focus today is on "In this manner, therefore, pray:"

This amazing thing is that we can pray. We can come to God, we can come to adore Him, to confess our sins and transgressions, we can thank Him for all His blessings and the actions of His providence, and we can make our requests known to God, we can ask Him to help us, strengthen us, help and bless those we love, intercede for those who particularly need His comfort, His strength, and the gifts of His grace.

There are formal times when we pray as well as informal. Normally when we think of formal times we think in terms of prayers at church, or in different church sponsored meetings, and Bible Studies, as well as formal family prayer time, or saying grace at meals. Then there are informal times, when we think of God and His blessings and we thank Him, or praise Him, or ask for His Divine assistance throughout the day.

Scripture has a lot to say about when we are to pray.

Psalm 5:1-3 says
"Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You will I pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up."

Psalm 88:1,2 says,
"O LORD., God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry."

And in verse 9,
"LORD, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You;"

and verse 13,
"But to You I have cried out, O LORD,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You."

Psalm 55:16,17 says,
"As for me, I will call upon God,
And the LORD shall save me.
Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice."

And of course, we are to pray at all times, unceasingly. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

So we see there are formal times of prayer and and then there are informal times throughout the day when we celebrate God's presence in our lives and bring supplications to Him along with praise and thanksgiving.

Daniel would pray formally three times a day. "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed (a thirty day law proscribing that all prayers were to be directed toward Darius), he went home. And in his upper room with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before His God, as was his custom since early days." Daniel 6:10,11. And Jesus would pray all night, "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." He would draw apart to pray, Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:5, and Luke 9:18, even as He instructed us to pray in secret (Matthew 6:6, "But you, when you pray go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.")

There are a million and a half things that could be said about prayer, as well as how and when we are to pray. It is important to learn to incorporate prayer at all times, for scripture gives many examples of all the different times when people prayed and for all sorts of reasons. It all adds up to being constant and instant in our prayers. Even when we have doubts, and find non-belief in our hearts we are to pray. Even though we don't think God hears us we are to pray. Even when the trials of life make it difficult to come to the Lord in prayer, yet we are to pray. We are to pray at all times, in all seasons, in all circumstances, whatever the frame of our hearts.

Even when we have no words we can pray, for prayer is being in God's presence, prayer is knowing that God is with us, prayer is communion and fellowship with God, that in all things, at all times God is dwelling in us, and we can constantly fellowship with Him in the presence of His Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus.

Prayer is the breath of faith, the breath of life, and as God is our life, His presence is our breath, and His being with us is our life, and in Him we live in prayer, in communion and fellowship with Him in Christ.

A call to worship, a call to prayer:

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

.... Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods,
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place."
1 Chronicles 16:8-12; 23-27.


"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name." Matthew 6:9.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name."
Matthew 6:9.

Just a short thought today as we consider the prayer which Jesus taught us, and commit it to memory.

The fact that we can pray to God is amazing. That He who is the LORD of Glory, the LORD of majesty, the God of all that is holy, righteous, and just, the God who created the universe, would look upon us lowly creatures who are but clay, dust and water would condescend in such a way as to hear our prayers is in itself unthinkable according to the rational thoughts of man. "Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, been understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." Romans 1:19-21.

Left to our own devices we would have nothing of that which is truth and spirit, we would neither worship God in truth or worship God in spirit.

And yet we can come before the Lord of Glory, the Lord of Hosts, and bring our petitions before Him. Think of it! "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of Him, And the son of man that You visit him?" (Psalm 8:3,4). Why would such a great and awesome Creator even consider such a lowly creation when He, our God, our Lord, has set His glory above the heavens?

For the Heavens declare the Glory of God (Psalm 19:1), along with His righteousness (Psalm 50:6) and by them "All the peoples see His glory" (Psalm 97:6).

One might dare to think that we would be blessed in such a way as to only be the lowest in His service, one who would care for the worst of tasks for which He asks, and thus hope in some way to be within His household as less than a slave. But no, this same great and holy Creator has made us "a little lower than the angels," And He has crowned us "with glory and honor!"

And Jesus tells us that we can pray to Him, not only as our great and awesome Creator, but as our Father! Such is the relationship which we have with Christ that He brings us before the throne of Grace and mercy, and allows us to petition He who is so far beyond our reach, not only as our King, and our Judge, but also as our Father!

For yes, we would expect judgment and anger against us, as Isaiah says, "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities." That is what we expect. But Isaiah was not finished, for even in our great loss of fellowship with God, Isaiah says, "BUT NOW, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand." We, even we, are the work of that same hand that created the Heavens, the stars, planets, and the rest of the universe.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10). Yet why would God do such a thing?

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith , and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2: 4-9.


It is according to His mercy that He saved us, that He made us acceptable in God's sight, so we might come before Him not as slaves but as Sons! For as many as received Christ Jesus, "to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12,13.)

For through Christ we "have access by one Spirit to the Father." So we "are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

We are God's workmanship, not only His creation, but His household and His dwelling place, and He is our Father.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name."
Matthew 6:9.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name."
Matthew 6:9.

This is our third day memorizing and reflecting on Matthew 6:9:
"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name."

We will be directing our thoughts upon the last clause of this verse, "Hallowed be Your name."

The word "Hallowed" is a verbal form of "Holy". It reflects the action of 'making Holy,' "considering as Holy," and "being Holy". It reflects the idea of our worship toward the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of Glory. Even as we address God as our Father, as He who brought us life, and life in Christ Jesus, He who would look upon us as His children, and love us as our Father; and as we would see His greatness as being seated on His holy throne of glory in Heaven, even so we recognize and proclaim the nature of His Holiness as He has revealed Himself to us in His holy name.
Our Lord, our Father is the Holy One of Israel, He is the great 'I am.' Before all else He is preeminent, He is the King of glory. It is He who we address as "Our Father."

Scripture proclaims,

"Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in .
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory." (Psalm 24:7-10.)

This psalm pictures God's Holy Temple, as He dwells high and lifted up in His glory, as well as His temple on this earth, and His presence in dwelling with His people. It also pictures our glorious Lord as dwelling within His people who are the temple and dwelling place of God. For as He has made the earth as His special creation, and as He is both its Lord and King He proclaims His right and glory over it, and prepares our hearts to receive He who is King of kings and Lord of lords,

"'The earth is the LORD's,
and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters." (Psalm 24:1,2)

So in verses 7-10 the psalmist calls us to direct our hearts toward the glory of our God, for He is the King of glory, and then to His strength and might in defeating His foes and in establishing both His reign and His empowerment of His people, in order to live in the peace and righteousness of His kingdom. For those who would come into His presence would be cleansed in deed and heart, who see the Lord as their only God, and who uphold truth as the standard in which they live. Those who worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth will "receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of (our) salvation". Those who seek God and who seek His face will surely find Him, (Psalm 24:3-6).

The "Lifting up of our heads", within the Psalms is an expression of setting our hearts upon the Holy One of Israel, upon our God and our Saviour in prayer and worship, "To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul," (Psalm 25:1). In other words I change my heart's direction upward toward God. We sanctify the LORD as being treasured above all else, and His Name, being the true expression of who HE is, is set apart as being treasured, for the LORD is the LORD. Above Him there is no other.

Hallowing God's name is sanctifying God Himself in our hearts. For anything that God sanctifies as being holy is holy. Setting God's name apart from all others is the expression of our reverence toward Him. When we call upon the name of the LORD we are calling upon the LORD.

In our weakness we tend to separate a person's name from the person who is identified by that name, and in so doing we create in our hearts a dichotomy in our thoughts. For in our thoughts we create the idea that it is possible to worship a name rather than the person of that name, it is possible to worship the name "God" without actually worshiping the "God" of that name. And indeed when we call upon God we truly think of Him on whom we call much more than the name by which we call Him. Yet God has told us to sanctify His name as holy, for He has identified Himself with His name. When we hallow God's name we sanctify His name as being Holy because it is God's name and because He is holy. When we call upon God using His name we are calling upon God.

So as we lift our hearts to God, as we Hallow Him and His name in our hearts, as we sanctify Him beyond all else, both separated in the glory of His holiness and yet ever present within us as His Holy temple let us come before Him in prayer and worship,

"To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed:
Let not my enemies triumph over me.
Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.
Show me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies
and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
For Your name's sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great." Psalm 25:1-11.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name."
Matthew 6:9.

I hope you are continuing to write our memory verses into your notebook, and that you are reviewing them daily. It is important to review the Beatitudes as well as the verses we are working on now and that you notice in our study how they connect with other passages of Scripture, and how they are reflected in the prayers of the Psalms and even the Lord's prayer as we learn it. For it is in the tremendous privilege of prayer that we see God working within our hearts as we meet in fellowship with Him and seek His guidance from His holy word.

Tomorrow we will begin memorizing Matthew 6:10,
"Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."

"Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done
on Earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10.

Welcome to our first day of memorizing Matthew 6:10.
We have seen as Jesus taught us to pray, that God is our Father, that He dwells in heaven, and that His name is to be treasured in our hearts and thoughts. We see here His first petition, and thus our first desire in the coming of His kingdom within and upon us.

Psalm 145 gives us a sure picture of what God's kingdom is like, even as we saw in Psalm 24 the strength and power of God's kingship over the earth, heavens, and all that dwell therein, here we see the quality and nature of His kingdom.

In this Psalm we see several main themes, a) The LORD, who He is, and what is ascribed to Him, we see b) How the LORD acts and what He does, and has established concerning His kingdom, and c) Our response in how we praise and extol Him in our hearts, and through our speech.

'a) The LORD, who He is, and what is ascribed to Him,

The LORD is our God, and our King, v. '1.
The LORD is great and greatly to be praised v.'3
The LORD's greatness is unsearchable v.'3.
The LORD's majesty is described as "glorious splendor" v.'5.
The LORD's works are wondrous, v. '5.
The LORD's actions are mighty and awesome, v. '6.
The LORD is good and righteous. v.'7.
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, v.'8.
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in mercy, v. '8.
The LORD is good to all. v. '9.
The LORD extends His mercy over all His works. v.'9.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways, v. '17.
The LORD is gracious in all His works, v. '17
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him. v. 18.
The LORD preserves all who love Him. v.'20.

'b) How the LORD acts and has established concerning His kingdom.

The LORD upholds all who fall, v.'14.
The LORD raises up all who are bowed down. v. '14.
The LORD provides sustainance in due season. v. '15
The LORD opens His hand to satisfy the desire of every living thing. v. '16
The LORD is righteous and glorious in all His ways and works, v. '17.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, v. '18
The LORD fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, v. '19.
The LORD hears their cry and saves them, v.'19.
The LORD preserves all who love Him, v. '20.
The LORD's blessing is forever. v. '21.
God's Kingdom is full of glory and God's power, v. '11.
God's Kingdom is full of His glorious majesty, v.'12.
God's Kingdom is everlasting, v. '13.
God's Kingdom endures throughout all generations
God's Kingdom is forever and ever.

'c) Our response of praise to our Mighty King, the LORD our God.

"I will extol You, my God, O king;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever,
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised" ('1-3a)
"One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts".
"I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works."
"Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
I will declare Your greatness
They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.
All Your works shall praise You,
And Your saints will bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
The LORD... raises up all who are bowed down,
The eyes of all look expectedly to You,
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him,
He will also hear their cry and save them.
The LORD preserves all who love Him.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His Holy name."

This is of course only one example of what God's kingdom is like and also gives us an inclination of the quality of what it means to live within His kingdom. Surely our hearts and thoughts will be focused upon the Lord and His glory, and all we can do is thank and praise Him for the provision that He has made for us, as well as to bless Him, knowing that He is near us even now. For the Kingdom of God is at hand in the person of our Saviour and Lord Jesus, and it is in His strength and presence that we have a fore-taste of what it will be like once He returns and brings us fully into our inheritance in Him.


"Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10.

"Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10.

This is our second day memorizing this verse. Yesterday we caught a glimpse (if only a pale reflection) of the nature and quality of God's kingdom in Psalm 145. And our hope in Christ is the opportunity and privilege in seeing God's kingdom within our own experience, that we may draw close to our God and our Saviour in praise and adoration of Him within our hearts and minds, being filled with all joy, mercy, compassion, and love. Today we will be thinking about God's will being prevalent within His kingdom with particular emphasis on its establishment in heaven. For the prayer is that God's will will be done according to what and how it is done in Heaven. God's will in heaven is the benchmark for God's will being done on earth.

First, what is God's will, what is it that we are asking God to do? When we speak of God having a will, what do we mean? and how does God express His will to us, what does He tell us of His will, and how are we to respond to His will?

First, when we think of a will, we tend to think in two different ways, first there is a "will", a testament of a person that dictates how his possessions are to be distributed upon his or her death. Interestingly enough by law these dictates have to be followed, even though some may contest the appropriation of a person's estate in terms of paying off debts and other considerations before the possessions are distributed. In Western law, the last will and testament is a legal covenant which guarantees the intentions and purposes of a person upon their death.'

The second thought concerning a will, is the intentions and purposes of a person's actions, thoughts, and intentions which establish the reasons by which a person expresses his desires and intents. It is the part of us that determines what we think,do, or say according to the fulfilment of our hopes, dreams, and desires. Of course there is a lot more that could be said of this kind of person's will, but that would take an encyclopedia.

Interestingly enough, when we talk of God's will, we consider it in both forms. A "legally binding" covenant or testament that those who are intended to receive it will fulfill His obligations according to His directions. And Secondly, God has a will in that He has intentions, purposes, reasons, decrees by which He determines His actions of blessing or justice.

Normally, when we consider our walk with Christ and our desire because of Him to please God, we think of God's will as what He desires and hopes for us within the expression of our daily lives. We ask "what is God's will for me today?", or, "What does God want me to do in this particular situation?', or, "Which person should I consider marrying?", "What kind of career will best glorify God?", or, "Which school should I attend, or should I attend school at all?", "Which town should I choose to live in?" These are the kinds of questions that we ask when we think of God's will. And for anyone who seeks to please God and live according to His will, these kinds of questions are okay, for they stem out of a desire to please God, to live according to His will. Yet you will also notice that these desires are generally temporal, which is not bad either because these kinds of issues may determine who we minister to within our lives as believers, and how we will serve God now and in the future here on earth.

But let us first look at what it means for God's will to be done as it is in heaven.

Let us think first about Creation, the beginnings of the universe and life on earth.

In Genesis 1 we see a very simple formula. For each day God said "Let there be ..." and it was done. God spoke and it happened. The universe obeyed God, no questions asked. God's will was done. It was something like driving a new car, you press the accelerator and it goes, you press the brakes and it stops, you steer in one direction it goes in that direction, you put it in reverse, it goes backwards. God told the universe exactly what to do and it did it. In Latin this was called a "divine fiat" (I know, its a long way to stretch for a joke, but it will help you remember the term). (In case that doesn't make sense, a 'fiat' is a type of European car.)

The point is, God spoke and it happened. Kind of like the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. The centurion recognized that Jesus did not have to travel to heal him, Jesus only had to speak and it would happen. The centurion's explanation of his faith was that when he would order someone to do something it would be done, he didn't have to check up on his soldiers, because he knew his soldiers would obey him without question, he only had to speak the word.

In the Old Testament God continually speaks of His desire, purpose, and intent: "And I will be their God, and they will be My people." And yet constantly the people of Israel and Judah would turn from Him, and in time faced a terrible judgement for their actions and perversions against God's righteous judgments. Yet even in this God's desire and purpose for His people was for them to fellowship and commune with Him, and to let them walk in the fullness of His blessing. Even after the people were all carried away under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon except for a very small remnant, even in this judgment against them God promised,

"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.'" Jeremiah 24: 5-7.

We also see a hint of heaven in Isaiah 60:19-21.

"The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory;
Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the LORD will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
Also your people shall all be righteous;
They shall inherit the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified."

And what "planting" is this?

Isaiah 61: 1a, 2b-3."
The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me.....
...To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

How then shall we respond in heaven?

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth
before all the nations." Isaiah 61:10,11.

And compare:

Revelation 21:2-4;
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,
coming down out the heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
And He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people,
God Himself will be with them and be their God.
And God Will wipe away ever tear from their eyes;
there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain,
For the former things have passed away."

Revelation 22:1-5.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river,
was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits,
each tree yielding its fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it,
And His servants shall serve Him.
They shall see His face,
And His name shall be on their foreheads.
There shall be no night there:
They shall need no lamp nor light of the sun,
for the Lord God gives them light.
And they shall reign forever and ever.

So what is God's will in heaven and how is it best represented?
The simplest way to express it is:

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
And He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people,
God Himself will be with them and be their God." Revelation 21:3.

"Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10.

"Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."
Matthew 6:10.




This is our third day of memorizing Matthew 6:10.


One thing that we have to remember in this study is that this is our prayer. We may say it in many different ways, but most importantly it is our conversation with God. As you know one sided conversations tend to leave the other person out in the conversation. By learning this prayer we are learning the basic building blocks in learning to converse with God. Primarily God speaks through His written revelation, but He also speaks with us and teaches us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He who will guide us into all truth. It is because of both the inspiration of God through the Holy Spirit that we have the scripture as God's written Revelation, and it is because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit that we can understand Scripture and see it as God's living conversation with us who are in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit also works within our hearts in such a way as we can communicate with God about our own thoughts, desires, hopes, and dreams. Our relationship with God is a living relationship which is founded on God's grace working in us through faith in Christ Jesus. He is our God and we are His people, He is our Father and we His children, He is our Hope and we His heirs of promise, He is our life and we are His living temple.


When we ask God to bring His kingdom upon and within us, when we desire that God would bring about the workings of His will on earth as it is in heaven, first we are asking God to come upon the earth, to work His will according to His desires and purposes, that here on earth we would see His divine guidance, His righteousness, His holiness, His goodness, His mercy, His grace, His hope, His faith, and His love poured upon us and upon this earth according to His riches of grace and mercy. Secondly we are asking God to display His power and righteousness upon our lives and those around us according to His work through our Lord Jesus, that we would know that we are forgiven, that our hearts would be moved to seek God and His righteousness, that we would walk according to His goodness, mercy, and compassion. That His Holy Spirit would fill us in our worship and praise of Him, that we would come humbly before Him seeking His glory and knowing His comfort, joy and peace.


Yesterday we looked at several passages of scripture that indicate how heaven is and will be upon the return of Christ Jesus coming in His glory. And from these we can find a glimpse of what we are indeed praying for when we ask that God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.


First, God gives us a heart to know Him so we will turn to Him with our whole hearts so that He will be our God and we will be His people. Jeremiah 24:6,7. That God's tabernacle will be with men, He will dwell with us, and we shall be His people, and He will be our God (Revelation 21:1-5)


The LORD will be our everlasting light and glory, mourning will end, and all people will be righteous and will inherit His land, His kingdom, forever being the branch of His planting, the work of His hands. That we would be trees of righteousness. Isaiah 60:19-21; 61:3. We will dwell with the pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God, sustained by the tree of life, whose leaves will heal the nations. (Rev 22:1-5) That we shall see God's face and in the brightness of His glory there shall be no need for lamp or light from the sun.


That the Spirit of the LORD, through Christ Jesus would comfort all who mourn, would give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, being the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:2,3.) That God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, that there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying or pain. All the former things will have passed away.(Rev 21:1-5). There will be no more curse, we shall dwell with the tree of life and with the throne of God and the Lamb (Rev. 22:1-5)


That we are the garden that is sown that will spring forth in righteousness and praise before all nations. We will greatly rejoice and be joyful in the LORD, clothed withed the garments of salvation and the robes of righteousness, adorned as a bride and groom with ornaments of jewels. (Isaiah 61:10,11). The New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev 21:1-5.) That we who are His church, His servants, shall serve Him seeing His face as Christ's bride and God's children, living and reigning forever. (Revelation 22:1-5)


This is what we are asking for God to do on earth, when we ask that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And though we know that in the fullness of time He will work in such a way as to create the new heaven and earth, yet we see evidence of this in our lives today through the earnest and work of the Holy Spirit. An earnest is a deposit and guarantee for future investment. And the Holy Spirit within us is the deposit and guarantee of His future work. Yet now the Holy Spirit brings us love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. According to His goodness and blessing He enriches the poor in spirit, He comforts those who mourn, he lifts up the humble to inherit the land, He fills those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forver, the branch of My planting), He pours His mercy upon the merciful, He fills the pure in heart with His abundant light and glory, He makes those who seek and work His peace His sons, and blesses those who are persecuted for His sake with the kingdom of His making.


We are asking that God would indeed be every person's God, and that every person would be one of His people. We are asking God to display His glory upon the earth, that all would be healed, that there would be no more death or mourning, that His righteousness and mercy would overflow the entirety of His creation, that every curse would be removed, and that His people would shine and live in the light of His glory.


God's will in this life has provided for all these eventualities, though we know that many refuse Christ, yet we still pray for their salvation, we know that not everyone is one of God's people, yet we pray that they will find peace with Him, we know that God is everywhere, immortal and invisible and we pray that we would see Him. We pray all suffering would end, that death, sadness, grief, and mourning would disappear, that disease and injury would be healed, though we see it every day. We pray that God's righteousness and glory would shine over the entirety of His creation, and yet sin has corrupted every soul on earth. We pray that every curse would be removed, yet anger, hatred, and evil still exist. We pray that all of God's people will shine and live in the light of God's glory and yet we wait, for we know it will not be until the coming of the New heaven and New earth.


We are asking God to work on earth as He does in heaven,
We are asking, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."


Tomorrow we will be starting to memorize 2 verses!
Matthew 6:11,12.


"Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors."

Matthew 6:11.
"Give us this day our daily bread."

We could easily spend three days meditating on this verse, but since our goal is memorization, and hopefully learning the art of meditation, when we think about our memory verses, and when we compare them to the rest of Scripture, and the truth involved in the entire counsel of Scripture in relation to these verses.

When we consider the two verses that we are memorizing for the next three days, there is an interesting parallel in the Old Testament which highlights this verse (verse 5) with the next, "And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors." Matthew 6:12. It is a connection that we will investigate tomorrow and the next day concerning the "economy" of Old Testament Israel, a connection that if followed would provide for all the people of Israel whether they were rich or poor.

Today however, we will focus on God's provision for His servants, as well as our reliance on Him for the provision of our earthly needs.

"Give us this day our daily bread."

First of all let's look at the connection of this verse with the previous verses. We are praying to our Father in Heaven, whom we hold in special and treasured reverence. We are asking that His kingdom would come to us, that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are asking Him to provide for us according to His provision in heaven, that we would be provided for within the counsel of His blessing.

When we look at the feeding of the 3,000 and the feeding of the 5,000, we see this not only as a miracle wrought by Christ, but also His ability to provide for His people when there is a real need for His provision. Being poor is not a crime, needing food is not less spiritual than needing the bread of life, in fact, God knows that we need these things to survive. The difference is that rather than simply relying on ourselves to fulfill our needs we are look to God to help fill these needs. We rely on God for so many things in this life (whether we are aware of this or not), and we also rely on Him for all the day to day necessities.

Even by simply relying on Him for such things as our meals, we are learning a greater lesson in relying on Him for all our needs. Now we need to be careful in recognizing that God's provision is not always an indisputable miracle, we don't simply expect to sit down to a table with an empty plate without any food, and expect a roast chicken to appear out of nowhere. (Though when we consider creation we recognize that God can quite readily perform such an act). In fact when God created the earth and all that is in it, He created food for us, both in the Garden of Eden as well as other parts on the earth. Man's responsibility in Eden was to tend and keep the garden, relying on its fruits for sustenance, and even after man was thrown out of Eden, God had said, "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread." (It is important to remember that God lifted the curse of the ground after the flood, but the general curse of the fall was not removed from man). In other words we still need to gather our food from natural sources (though today a lot of our food is quite unnatural but that's a totally different topic).

Another important thing to recognize (that we tend to forget in Western world), is that in early civilization, life was extremely tenuous. In the middle east, except in places near rivers, the production of food was very hit or miss. Famine was a constant concern. Trade was very limited. There were no easy ways in which to transport food from an area of bounty to an area of famine. Even when Joseph's brothers came to him in Egypt to get grain, the amount that they could transport did not last very long. (Genesis 43:1-2).

Another issue that we have in the western world is an attitude of "smugness" when it comes to our daily needs. In our attitudes we get this strange idea that food will always be available, and for those who work there's no reason to fear that we won't have enough. However, the reality for the majority of families is that they are two paychecks away from being homeless. People are suffering from both economic oppression and constant anxiety in providing for their families. By economic oppression I mean people have become slaves to debt, and for some of us even (though I hate to admit it) we understand God's provision as being approved for another credit card.

This part of our prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread", is as appropriate in our lives now as it was back then. In fact the practice of praying before meals and thanking God for the blessing He has provided is a response to a blessing that is a lot more miraculous than we usually recognize. While a non-believer may point to the ingenuity of mankind in getting food from the field to the plate, the fact that people can afford to pay to get food from the field to the plate is itself a work of blessing from God.

In Deuteronomy 28 we find the blessings for following God, and the curses for not following Him. When we read the chapter we find out that food and provision happened to be the main focus of God's blessings.

Verse 4: Blessed shall be the fruit of you body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of you cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
Verse 5: Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
Verse 8: The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Verse 11: And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
Verse 12: The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

The second thought on this verse, "Give us this day our daily bread", is our recognition that God provides for us, He is aware of our needs, even as He knows when a sparrow falls, and He provides for them their food. Even when Israel wandered the desert for forty years He provided bread, meat, and water for them. Even when Elijah fled from Jezebel's threats, the ravens brought him food. Even when there were a total of 8,000 people Jesus fed them, with only a little bread and a few fish.

Even when Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, Jesus pointed to God's provision, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Notice the passage from which Jesus quoted, Deuteronomy 8:1-5.

"Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in an possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you."


Yes the people went hungry at certain times, but God provided for them. Yes people became thirsty but God provided for them. The wilderness was not the happiest of experiences, though God was there in their midst, in the tabernacle, meeting face to face with Moses. The people needed to learn that man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD, and that God is faithful to His word and He will provide for us.


And He will bring us into that land of promise, in His presence, and when we hunger and thirst for righteousness that He will provide for that hunger and fill us with His holiness and His righteousness in Christ Jesus, even as He provided for His people Israel.


Deuteronomy 8:7-10.
"For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you."


"Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6:11.


Tomorrow we will be considering verse 12,


"And Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

Matthew 6:11,12.

"Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors."

Today we are continuing to memorize these two verses. Yesterday we talked about God's provision of our earthly needs, those basic things that as people we need in order to live, including things like food, clothing, shelter, and God's Word. We talked about how God provided for His people in difficult times, and how He was and is with His people during those times. We noticed that God also provides through earthly means as well as in times of His particular blessing.

Though the main theme of verse 12 is forgiveness and in verses 14 and 15 Jesus expands this theme to include trespasses, in this verse He is teaching us concerning debts, those things that are owed to others and owed to God, particularly those things that we cannot pay, those things that we are deliquent over and thereby those things which cause offense and trespass.

I mentioned yesterday that there is an interesting connection between "Give us this day our daily bread," and "And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors" in the economy of Ancient Israel in the Old Testament. There are two particular aspects in the Old Testament that relate to both of these verses.

First there was provision for those who were poor, who were unable to find employment and unable to provide for themselves and their families. First, every seventh year the crops of the fields were not to be harvested by the farmers, instead all these crops were to be left for and gathered by the poor so that they would be able to eat. (Exodus 23:11). And secondly, in Leviticus 19: 9,10, we read:

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger".

The Book of Ruth gives us an example of this in the 2nd chapter, when Ruth was in the fields, following the harvesters, picking what was left over from the crops that the harvesters had missed.

Also concerning the daily nature of need for food, those who worked for others were to receive their wages at the end of each day so that they would be able to purchase food for their families each day. Leviticus 19:13.

Interestingly when it came to debts owed by the poor, if the only collateral a person had were the clothes on his back Exodus 22: 25-27 tells us,

"If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. If you ever take your neighbor's garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious."

The second aspect in the Old Testament was what was known as the Year of Jubilee. This was the year after the seventh period of seven sabbath years, in other words every fiftieth year, liberty was to be proclaimed and all the Israelites had their ancestral lands returned to them and those who had made themselves slaves due to poverty were to be released. (Leviticus 25). Also all debts were to be released every seven years (Deuteronomy 15.), of which special consideration is given for those with no capacity whatsoever to pay off their debt within those seven years (Deuteronomy 15:7-11). Also those who had sold themselves as bondservants were to be released on the seventh year with a liberal supply from the flock, threshing floor and winepress (Deuteronomy 15:12-14).

So we see two things from the Old Testament. First, provision was given for the daily life of those who were unable to feed themselves due to poverty by gleaning crops, and secondly every seven years all debts incurred were to be forgiven. Therefore in summary,

'a) daily bread was provided for, and
'b) all debts were to be forgiven every seventh year, and
'c) people who had sold themselves as slaves were to be released every seventh year.

Which brings us to our verse "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

For the people of Israel this was to be a given action, it was what was expected of them, it was a vital part of their culture and economy. In fact this was a living expression of Israel's redemption from Egypt. Deuteronomy 15:14b,15, speaking of the released bondservant we read "From what the LORD your God has blessed you with , you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today."

One last point on "debts" in reference to things that are owed on a earthly level is Jesus' parable of the unmerciful or unforgiving servant. Though this may be uncomfortable to read, it needs to be mentioned.

In Matthew 18:21-35, in answer to Peter's question, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." Jesus then relates the story of a man owing a thousand talents, who after pleading mercy was forgiven. So this man, being forgiven went out and found a man who owed him a hundred denarii (a very small percentage of the amount he had been forgiven of himself), grabbed him by the throat and threw him into prison. Verses 31-35 tell the rest of the story:

"So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him." Then Jesus finished by saying "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

Our Father in heaven, give us the courage to consider in our hearts those we have been unable to forgive. We know you are asking of us something that of ourselves we would find impossible without You, Your grace, and Your mercy. We want to be able to forgive, please fill our hearts with your grace so that we will forgive those who have hurt us, who have abused us, who have hated us, who have mistreated us. Help us to give our hurts to You, help us to see those who we need to forgive in the light of Your love, Your mercy, and Your compassion. Let us see in the forgiveness that You have given us the reason to forgive others, knowing that this is something where we know that "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27) . In our Saviour, Jesus, we pray, Amen.

"Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors."
Matthew 6: 11,12.

"Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors."
Matthew 6:11,12.

This is our third day of memorizing these two verses. Yesterday we noticed how in the Old Testament the LORD set up a culture of forgiveness among the people of Israel through the forgiveness of debts every seven years. As one would forgive somebody of a debt owed to him another person would be forgiving him of the debts he owed to the other person. It was a kind of big circle of forgiveness.

And in a way this illustrates what Jesus is teaching us in our prayers in how to express love toward God and our neighbour. To be forgiven means to have all the causes of estrangement swept away, for reconciliation, harmony and peace to exist between all persons where enmity and anger once existed. In our prayer we are asking God to forgive us while or as we are forgiving others.

One way to describe this is "having a forgiving disposition," or "a forgiving spirit". As we are forgiven we forgive others, as we forgive others we are forgiven. When we think of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives we think particularly of love, peace, and longsuffering in relation to forgiveness. Of love in that we love because God first loved us, it was out of love that God sent His only begotten Son so that we could have eternal life with God. Of peace, it was Christ who died on the cross to remove the guilt and punishment of sin so that we could be reconciled to God, that God's righteousness would be reconciled so He could work His righteousness within us and forgive us of our sin. And of longsuffering because forgiveness and reconciliation are sought in all our relationships. In fact the idea of "longsuffering", usually understood as "patience" also carries the concept of continual forgiveness, and a merciful and forgiving heart that is able to endure long periods of suffering.

God's forgiveness is such that all our sins are forgiven, and such is the atoning work of Christ that all who believe in Him have been forgiven of all their sins. Those who have been forgiven much also love much. Recognizing God's righteousness and holiness we also recognize the need for our repentance from the sins, trespasses, transgressions, and debts that are offenses to His holy nature (of which non-forgiveness can be included).

In terms of debt Christ has redeemed us from the judgment of God against our slavery to sin. As God rescued Israel from their slavery in Egypt, Christ has rescued us by the purchase of His blood from the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, which was/is completely deserving of death (Romans 1:18-32). When Jesus died on the cross He redeemed us from this judgement, He has rescued us from the anger and wrath of God. He has redeemed us from our sin, and procured our forgiveness.

It must be remembered that in our prayer to God as our Father we are already in a son/daughter relationship with Him. God's forgiveness is a complete forgiveness, the question that we face as His children is, our we at a place within our hearts where we are able to extend His forgiveness toward us toward those around us. God has displayed such mercy toward us, are we at a place in our walk with Him to show similar mercy to those who by any other standards (e.g. legal, judicial, etc.) would have to pay for what they have done? When we feel like we have been wronged, or offended, or disrespected, are we able to do all that we can to reconcile and be at peace with that person, or be able to forgive him regardless of his response? Or if we have wronged somebody are we able to seek reconciliation with that person, and do what we can so they can forgive us?

One of the hardest parts of forgiveness for us tends to be the longsuffering part, but we also recognize within us (through God's work in us) the desire to be able to forgive those who have caused us lasting damage. And in a way the Seventy times Seven principle applies to these kinds of hurts, for as we find ourselves revisiting those hurts we ask God to help us to forgive that person over and over in our hearts. God's nature is such that He has spent all His anger against our sin upon Christ on the cross. However as fallen creatures we do not have the capability to remove the very memory of the offense, and remembering an offence can be just as painful as the offense itself. Yet God's Holy Spirit dwells within us, and growing in Christ Jesus can mean learning to forgive and reforgive offenses (Seventy times seven) over and over and over. We also know (in verses we have quoted before) that when Christ returns He will dry our eyes from the tears and hurts of this life. Yet, we also know that forgiving as we have been forgiven is the healthiest way in which to live our lives, for by forgiving we remove the power that the person who hurt us has over us. And gaining a forgiving spirit is the healthiest way in which we can live on earth when we face all its injustices. Having a forgiving heart also reflects the giving, loving, and merciful nature of God who dwells in us in Christ Jesus. Since we have been given freely even so can we freely give.

"Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors."
Matthew 6:11,12.

Tomorrow we will begin memorizing verse 13. For those who are using KJV and NKJV you will notice that this verse is longer than in the NIV, NASB,ESV, etc. Since I'm using the NKJV my comments on the verse will include that longer segment. Which ever version you prefer is okay, it's just I want the people who use the shorter version of the prayer to be aware that if somebody someday quotes the second part of the verse at you, you can forgive them for it.

"And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Amen."
Matthew 6:13.