When Jesus taught the Twelve disciples (and us) to pray daily for daily bread (Lk. 11:3), He is instructing us to pray for our daily need for food and our daily need for all the basics of life — the “staples” of life. He is teaching us to express our dependence on and trust in […]
Read More Praying Daily for Your Daily Bread“Give Us Our Daily Bread”Luke 11:3August 23, 2026 One blistering hot day when they had guests for dinner, a mother asked her four-year old to give thanks for the meal. “But Mom, I don’t know what to say,” he protested. “Oh, just say what you’ve heard me say,” she told him. Obediently, he bowed his […]
Read More “Give Us Our Daily Bread”“Your Kingdom Come”Luke 11:2bAugust 16, 2026 The coming of the King and the Kingdom of God are persistent themes in Scripture. Both the OT and NT are filled with verses that anticipate a coming King: And there are hundreds more references to the King and His Kingdom. And it is for that kingdom that Jesus […]
Read More “Your Kingdom Come”“Hallowed Be Your Name”Luke 11:2August 9, 2026 G.K. Chesterton said about the spiritual life, “The spiritual life has not been tried and found difficult; it has been found difficult and left untried.” In that statement he is inferring something important about the spiritual life — it is simple, but hard. The spiritual life is not […]
Read More “Hallowed Be Your Name”It is a typical event on a playground (at least it was in my day). Two boys are squared off against one another. First words are exchanged. Then they are exchanged more vigorously and loudly. And then a physical tussle ensues. And one gets the better of the other. As the vanquished boy limps off, […]
Read More “Just You Wait”In teaching the disciples to pray, the first thing He taught was that if they belonged to Christ, then God is their Father. They could speak to Him as a “daddy” (Lk. 11:2; Mt. 6:9). What is the benefit of that relationship? Thomas Watson identifies at least 20 blessings for the one who has God […]
Read More If God is Your Father…“Father…”Luke 11:1-2July 26, 2026 Some questions as we begin this morning: This morning we come to one of the most well-known passages of Scripture: the Lord’s Prayer. These words have been sung to multiple tunes, been recited in church many times, and even used at secular events as a source of comfort and encouragement. These […]
Read More “Father…”“Love, Service, and Priorities”Luke 10:38-42July 12, 2026 “Management theorist Russell Ackoff used to say that many of our problems are the result of being efficient at the wrong things. In one interview, he said, ‘The curious thing is the righter you do the wrong thing the wronger you become. If you’re doing the wrong thing […]
Read More Love, Service, and PrioritiesDo you pray? Do you have intentional time in conversation with God each day? If you don’t pray, or if your prayer life is less than you desire, is it because you don’t plan to pray? When Jesus instructs His disciples about prayer in Matthew 6, He tells them to “go into your inner room, […]
Read More Plan to Pray“Love Your Neighbor”Luke 10:29-37June 28, 2026 Rosaria Butterfield asks the question, “Christians have a powerful history of building schools and hospitals, of showing up during natural disasters to offer water and food and shelter and medicine. We have that history. But do we have the daily witness of Christian neighboring?” [my emphasis] It’s tempting to […]
Read More Love Your Neighbor“Two Imperatives for Effective Fathering”Luke 10:25-29June 21, 2026 John G. Paton was a missionary to the New Hebrides in the mid-1800s. One of the greatest influences in his life was his father who after almost every meal would go to a “closet” where he would pray — “Though everything else in religion were by some […]
Read More Two Imperatives for Effective Fathering“Joy in Serving Christ”Luke 10:17-24May 24, 2026 What gives you joy? What stimulates you to be happy? When the children and grandchildren come over for the weekend. Enough rain and not too much sun (heat) in August to keep your yard alive. All green lights on 377 on your morning commute. One more diet coke […]
Read More Joy in Serving Christ“Sent with the Gospel”Luke 10:1-16May 17, 2026 In 1786 a man named William was ordained for the pastorate and sent to a small church in the town of Moulton, England. Both he and the church were very poor, and it took three jobs for William to support his family: pastor, cobbler, and village teacher. In […]
Read More Sent with the GospelThe fear of the Lord has two main emphases — a dread and terror of the judgment of God and an awe and reverential delight in God for His greatness. The former is the experience of the unbeliever and the latter is the experience of the believer. The former compels people to attempt to run […]
Read More The Blessings of Fearing God
Words of Grace 