A Dialouge with Our Father

'Our Father who art in heaven ...'

Yes?

Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.

But you called me.

Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. "Our Father who art in heaven..."

There you did it again.

Did what?

Called me. You said, "Our Father who art in heaven. " Here I am... What's on your mind?

But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like getting a duty done.

All right. Go on.

"Hallowed be thy name..."

Hold it. What do you mean by that?

By what?

By "hallowed be thy name"?

It means... it means... Good grief, I don't know what it means.How should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?

It means honored, holy, wonderful.

Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what "hallowed" meant before. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Do you really mean that?

Sure, why not?

What are you doing about it?

Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there.

Have I got control of you?

Well, I go to church.

That isn't what I asked you. What about your bad temper? You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you spend your money--all on yourself. And what about the kind of books you read?

Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at the church.

Excuse me. I thought you were praying for my will to be done. If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it. Like you, for example.

Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others.

So could I.

I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free.

Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together, you and I. Some victories can truly be won. I'm proud of you.

Look, Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. "Give us this day, our daily bread."

You need to cut out the bread. You're overweight as it is.

Hey, wait a minute! What is this, "Criticize me day"? Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.

Praying is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you know. That's what I'm trying to get across to you. You called me, and here I am. It's too late to stop now. Keep praying, I'm interested in the next part of your prayer...(pause). Well, go on.

I'm scared to.

Scared? Of what?

I know what you'll say.

Try me and see.

"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."

What about Ann?

See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why, Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories about my family. She never paid back the debt she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!

But your prayer? What about your prayer?

I didn't mean it.

Well, at least you're admitting it. But it's not much fun carrying that load of bitterness around inside, is it?

No. But I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I got some plans for that neighbor. She'll wish she had never moved into this neighborhood.

You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. Think of how unhappy you already are. But I can change all that.

You can? How?

Forgive Ann. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and sin will be Ann's problem and not yours. You will have settled your heart.

Oh, you're right. You always are. And more than I want to get revenge on Ann, I want to be right with you....(pause)...(sigh). All right. All right. I forgive her. Help her to find the right road in life, Lord. She's bound to be awfully miserable now that I think about it. Anybody who goes around doing the things she does to others has to be out of it. Some way, some how, show her the right way.

God: There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?

Hmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight tonight for the first time since I can remember. Maybe I won't be so tired from now on because I'm not getting enough rest.

You're not through with your prayer. Go on.

Oh, all right. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where you can be tempted.

What do you mean by that?

Don't turn on the TV when you know the laundry needs to be done and the house needs to be picked up. Also, about the time you spend coffeeing with your friends, if you can't influence the conversation to positive things, perhaps you should rethink the value of those friendships. Another thing, your neighbors and friends shouldn't be your standard for "keeping up". And please don't use me for an escape hatch.

I don't understand the last part.

Sure you do. You've done it a lot of times. You get caught in a bad situation. You get into trouble and then you come running to me, "Lord, help me out of this mess and I promise you I'll never do it again." You remember some of those bargains you tried to make with me?

Yes, and I'm ashamed, Lord. I really am.

Which bargain are you remembering?

Well, there was the night that Bill was gone and the children and I were home alone. The wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof would go any minute and tornado warnings were out. I remember praying, "Oh, God, if you spare us, I'll never skip my devotions again."

Did you?

I'm sorry, Lord, I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked. I didn't expect anything to happen like it did.

Go ahead and finish your prayer.

"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever." Amen.

Do you know what would bring me glory? What would really make me happy?

No, but I'd like to know. I want now to please you. I can see what a mess I've made of my life. And I can see how great it would be to really be one of your followers.

You just answered the question.

I did?

Yes. The thing that would bring me glory is to have people like you truly love me. And I see that happening between us. Now that some of these old sins are exposed and out of the way, well, there is no telling what we can do together.

By Ruth Carter-Bourdon (from http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net )

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With luv and prayers,
Jeffie John Parackal.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Phil 4:13

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Your Quiet Time With God

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You. Psalm 63:1

When you come to meet with God, you should have an attitude of:

1
Expectancy
Expect to 'give and get' from your time together. And make it a time of intimacy. It's impossible to have a love affair in a crowd or a public place; intimacy calls for being alone with the one you love. The Bible speaks about Christ as the Groom and us as His bride. Think of the anticipation and excitement shared in such moments.

2
Reverence
Don't rush into God's presence. Prepare your heart by being still before Him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Remind yourself Who it is you're meeting with - God! "You are worthy. to receive glory and honour" (Revelation 4:11).

3
Alertness
Get to bed early so you'll be in good shape to meet God in the morning. He deserves your full attention. Give God the best part of your day - when you are the freshest. Follow the example of Christ: "Very early in the morning, Jesus went off to a solitary place, where He prayed" (Mark 1:35). Hudson Taylor said, "You don't tune up the instruments after the concert is over; you tune them up before you start."

4
Willingness
This attitude is crucial: you don't come to your quiet time to choose what you will or won't do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything God wants you to do. Jesus said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God" (John 7:17). So come to meet with the Lord, having already chosen to do His will no matter what!

 

Stephen Olford said, "I want to hear God's voice before anyone else's in the morning. And His is the last voice I want to hear at night." David and Daniel met with the Lord three times daily (See Ps. 55:17; Dan. 6:10). Whatever time you set, be consistent. Put it on your calendar; make an appointment with God as you would with anyone else. And keep it. Don't stand Him up! The question is often asked, "How much time should I spend?"

 

Here are some guidelines:

1. Don't start with a two-hour quiet time. You may get discouraged. You'll create memories of failure rather than memories of success. You must grow in this relationship as you do in any other. So begin with a few minutes and let it grow.
2. Don't clock-watch. That'll ruin your quiet time faster than anything else. Decide what you can do in God's Word and prayer during the time you've selected; then do it! Sometimes it'll take more time than you have set aside, sometimes less. But don't keep looking at your watch.
3. Emphasise quality, not quantity. It's what you do during your quiet time – whether 15 minutes or two hours - that's important.
4. Choose a special place. "Next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord" (Genesis 19:27). Your special place ought to be a place where: (a) you can pray aloud without embarrassment; (b) you're comfortable. (Don't have your quiet time in bed - that's too comfortable!) As the days go by your special place will come to mean everything to you because of the wonderful times you have there with the Lord.

Bob Gass

With luv and prayers,
Jeffie John Parackal.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Phil 4:13

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The Marks of a Christian

Galatians 2:1-10

Four marks of a Christian are set forth in the Book of Galatians.

First, a Christian is one who has the living Christ living in him. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

Second, a Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit within him, for in Galatians 4:6 we see, "And because ye are sons [if we are born again into His family], God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts." He is the One who really begets us, or creates us anew, and makes us believers. He also creates in us the new character from which Christian conduct comes. Christian conduct does not make a Christian, but a true Christian, one who is born of the Holy Spirit, will have Christian conduct as well.

In the third place, a Christian is one who has shared the cross experience with Christ as the basic solution of his personal problems. We all have come under this experience of the cross although we may not all have understood it. The key text on this subject is "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me" (2:20). When Christ died, I died with Him, and when He arose, I arose with Him.

In the fourth place, the Christian is one who is possessed of a life that is so divine, so ideal, that it cannot be pushed into a mold of external regulations. We have a new life, a life from God, which is Christ Himself.

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5).

With luv and prayers,
Jeffie John Parackal.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Phil 4:13

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