Week 25 Day 5
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Matt. 6:9-13 This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Reflect:
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ ” (Matt. 28:18-20). Authority is power, dominion, and jurisdiction. It is a word used to describe a king and his kingdom. Kings have some power; they have limited jurisdiction over specific geographical regions. But Jesus has all power and unlimited jurisdiction over all of heaven and earth. His kingdom comes now as he reigns in the hearts of men and women. “Therefore,” Jesus said, “Go and make citizens of my kingdom.” He tells us, “Immerse them in the name of the Triune God and teach them the opportunity and necessity of obedience to me as their king.” Then he finished this royal commission of sending us, his people, as emissaries of his kingdom with a powerful and encouraging reminder: “I am always with you, even until I return again.” Pray for his kingdom to come, his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. His kingdom comes as people submit to Jesus as king. His will is done as his people go into the world and make him known. He has not given some edict from a throne and then sent us off to succeed or fail. He is a king who has sent us and has also promised to go with us. He has sent us as his ambassadors, not as someone who will go and “sell” what we have to others who do not have. He has sent us to go and “tell” what a great king he is. We are to tell of the opportunity of the good news. “Selling” is often about pressure. “Telling” is about confidence; it is simply letting people know what you know to be true. Pray for his kingdom to come. As you go into the world today see to it that his will is done in your life. As you have opportunity, tell of the king and his kingdom.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.