Matthew 6:9–15 (ESV) —
9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
NOTE: This model of prayer is not to be repeated in a rote fashion. Jesus spoke against those types of prayer (vs 5). Religion includes prayer as a "work," but for God, works cannot save a person. God is looking for the person who worships in spirit and truth. Also, if done in rote, this would be "empty phrases (vs 7)." Having grown up Catholic, and repeated this prayer many times after "confessional," I know how empty it is. I did not know the savior back then and my religious works did nothing for me. When I truly put my faith in Jesus and asked him into my life, everything changed from the inside out. I was, as 1 Cor 5:17 reads, a new creature, the old was gone and the new had come. I felt it, I knew it, and I saw it. I still see it today as God speaks through his Holy Spirit (who resides within me) and the scripture. The Holy Spirit brings understanding as I read the scripture, and He applies it to my life.
PONDER:
- Do you know the savior or do you follow religion?
- Are you changed, born again, or just someone who does good works in a futile attempt to please God?
PRAYER: Father, thank you the salvation is a gift. It can never be earned. There is no good work that can take away our sin. Jesus, perfect and infinite, paid our penalty for sin on the cross. He alone can take away sin and give life, including a resurrected life in the future.
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