Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory

A fitting end to the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 is much like its beginning. As we began in prayer honouring the Name that is above all names, so we end in awe of His majesty, realizing that the Kingdom, the power and the glory are all His. We don't determine it, He does.
Yet we pray. Even as Christ encourages, we pray. In Revelation 5:8, we get a glimpse of the heart of God concerning the prayers of the saints, "...the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."
Integral, absolutely essential, to the prayer life of a believer is learning to be released in praise and worship to our King. David demonstrated a freedom to worship within the context of a prophetic promise glimmering over the horizon, how much more we, who have received the promise of the new covenant, have every reason to dance before our King.

Happy 25th!

Odd thing, silver wedding anniversaries. They usually happen to older people, not young couples like us. Well with that said, I thought I'd throw my own "list" together. They seem to be all the rage on blogs, facebook and the like. So, looking back over the last 25 years, here are some highlights....
Biggest Surprise: Our move to Terrace
Greatest relief for Joleen: God didn't ask us to take over the farm.
Hardest Moment to explain: I had taken a puck in the eye (shiner), Joleen had taken a falling casserole dish to the nose (more shiners) and we happened to be taking Kevin in to the doctor for (yah, you guessed it). They let us go without incident. Our reputation had preceded us.
Funnest family time: trip to Disneyland (I think I would have agreement from the rest of the family on that one.)
Average baby birth weight: 10 lbs
Didn't see that coming....
Steph: The girl that always said she would like to live up in the mountains with her dogs - now living in Canada's largest city with 5.5 million of her closest friends.
Ryan: He has turned into a fine carpenter at a young age and I'm still try to master a hammer.
Kevin: He convinced us to buy him a drum set (like we thought almost every teenage boy does) and he's never looked back since. Me? I'm still trying not to clap on the off beat.
Our God has blessed us richly over the years and has now added Leah to our clan. We have much to be thankful for!

Lead us Not into Temptation

First of all, let's get one thing straight; "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone..." So, according to this truth expressed clearly in the book of James, when we pray that we would not be led into temptation, there isn't an inherent risk that God might tempt us. There is plenty of scriptural evidence though, that He is able to deliver us from temptation. Ps. 119: 35 says, " Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. " Direction, preservation and even our own desire to follow His commands all fall within the scope of things we can ask God for. We may think that that is not a prayer that God will answer but several places in Ps. 119 and elsewhere give us several precedents to express this prayerfully to God.
It seems obvious that the best way to be delivered from evil is not to spend any time on the road to temptation.
Another implication we can take from the fact that this specific prayer exists is that we are not to trust our own ability to fend off sin and the tempter. This is something we must go to God for; no if's, ands or buts. If we try to fend of temptations to our flesh, in the flesh, it will not work.
Neil T. Anderson said, "The essence of temptation is the invitation to live independently of God. " If ever there was an indictment against our flesh, there it is.

Forgive us Our Debts

A number of years ago when one of my children was battling through a tough stint in school, I was at a loss as to how I could affect their marks in a certain subject. I thought that perhaps it was just a bit of laziness. Knowing that I would be within earshot, I spoke a few harsh conclusions to Joleen about what I thought might be the problem. I realized almost immediately after I said them that they were potentially very hurtful words but I could not retrieve them. The damage was done. This became more apparent as time went on. Even though I asked forgiveness for the things I said (several years.. yes years later), I often ponder with regret those brief moments when I could have chosen my words more carefully.
Praise God for His daily invitation for forgiveness. He does not harbour judgment against us. He is always willing to extend forgiveness to us. We must ask, though. This can be humbling, but necessary because it can be pride that prevents us from asking and receiving forgiveness. Pride can convince us of our own righteousness... That's not something that I want to be convinced of.
The final detail to this transaction between repentance and forgiveness is our own culture of forgiveness towards others. Our inspiration is clearly stated in the verses following the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6: 14-15). If we forgive others, then our Heavenly Father will forgive us. And because I know the extent of what I need forgiveness for, that should be a no-brainer!

Happy Valentine's Day

It has been so very, very good! "The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord." Prov. 18:22

Give us, this day, our daily bread...

I like food. I think I'm in good company when I say this. As I grew up out of my childhood I figured the Lord's Prayer was God's prompting to acknowledge Him in my daily needs. I still believe that. Except for famine, illness or fasting, we have been created with this daily need that does not often go interrupted for too long. It's a cycle that includes hunger (hopefully), followed by the satisfying feeling of food. So we try not to take our daily bread for granted. We ask Him for it, then we thank Him for it and bless it.
Now, for another important truth that is perhaps best described by King David in Ps. 63: 1-5. He begins by describing his need for God like a hungry teenager raiding the fridge... "my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." He finishes by describing how he is satisfied by God, "my soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods."
Only God can satisfy. Only He can fill the emptiness. There is no other; even as the world offers all its substitutes. Nothing will ever compare!

Happy Birthday Steph!

I simply want to wish my daughter a very happy birthday. Did we bribe you to take this picture?