Tuesday, November 10, 2020

PT-1 "God's Program" (Matt. 6:10a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/10/2020 10:09 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                           Focus:  PT-1 “God’s Program”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 6:10a

 

            Message of the verse:  “Thy kingdom come.”

 

            We want to begin this section by looking at a hymn that was written by Frances Havergal entitled “His Coming in Glory.”  This hymn is found in MacArthur’s commentary.

 

“Oh, the joy to see Thee reigning

Thee, my own beloved Lord.

Every tongue Thy name confessing,

Worship, honor, glory, blessing,

Brought to Thee with glad accord.

Thee, my Master and my Friend,

Vindicated and enthroned,

Unto earth’s remotest end,

Glorified, adored, and owned.”

 

            So it is my desire to put some flesh on this statement “Thy kingdom come,’ as it is a part of what we as believers should be praying for, praying that our Lord and Savior will come to sit upon His throne and rule over all the earth.  When we pray “Thy kingdom come” it is to pray for the program of the eternal deity to be fulfilled, and for Christ to come and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.  This is something that we should be praying for each day as we look forward to that day.

 

            The problem is that our prayers are mostly self-centered, as they focus on our needs, our plans, our aspirations, and our understandings.  MacArthur writes “We are often like tiny infants, who know no world but the world of their own feelings and wants.  One of the greatest struggles of the Christian life is to fight the old sinful habits, with their constant and unrelenting focus on self.”  I have to say that I totally agree with what was quoted here.

 

            He goes on “Even problems and issues outside of ourselves can cloud our supreme concern for God’s kingdom.  It is our responsibility to pray for our families, pastors, missionaries, national and other leaders, and for many other people and things.  But our prayers in every case should be that God’s will be done in and through those people, that they would think, speak, and act in accordance with God’s will.  The best we can pray for any person or for any cause is that God’s kingdom be advanced in that person or that cause.”

 

            I won’t go back to the whole story that I have written about in past SD’s but want to talk about what I think could have happened in eternity past when the triune God made plans to create the earth, along with angels and humans.  God the Father planned to send His Son to earth and because of this His Son will be glorified by the Father, and a part of that was the payment of our sins, through His death, burial, and resurrection, as God was satisfied with what Christ accomplished.  So the purpose of the divine Father is to exalt Christ in the consummation of history when Jesus Christ, God’s Son will rule and reign in His kingdom, so this is what we are to pray for, and try to think about this each day.  John MacArthur quotes from The Talmud “It is right in saying that if a prayer does not name the kingdom of God, it is not a prayer (Berakoth 21a). 

 

            What do you think is the greatest opposition to Christ’s kingdom, and the greatest opposition to our Christian living?  Living in the kingdom of this present world, which Satan rules, that along with the essence of Satan’s kingdom is opposition to God’s kingdom and God’s people.  Living in the year 2020 in the this world we can see this to be true, perhaps more true than in years past.  You see Satan thinks that he is going to win, but the Word of God tells us that will never happen, but that does not stop him from doing evil every single day.  We are living in a world where Romans 1:32 is being lived out:  and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Praying for the kingdom to come and for Christ to rule and reign is something that I certainly need to be much more active in.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to take care of the evil that has gone on in our Presidential election.

 

11/10/2020 10:47 AM

              

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