The Lamb of God

 

I dreamed that we were living in a dystopic society nearing the apocalypse. The governing powers announced one morning that all those in Christian leadership would be rounded up and put to death that evening for “treasonous beliefs,” unless they renounced their faith in Jesus Christ. In a vain attempt to make these actions appear humane, the rulers decreed that all these Christians would be taken to a camp in the woods for a last meal and fellowship with one another.

Two pastors, my husband and I were to be taken together, and we made last-minute preparations. I put on red slacks, sandals, a brown shirt, purple jacket, and a white cap.

“I trust God even if I do die tonight,” said the older pastor. “God has blessed me with a good life; I’d probably die in a few years anyway from natural causes; and I know where I’m going.”

“God has a plan,” the other pastor said.

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud mechanical roar outside and pounding on the door. Armed guards burst inside and escorted us out to a cattle car being pulled by a tractor. We sat quietly with the other prisoners, not putting up any resistance.

Our heads and bones rattled as the tractor pulled us along a rocky, unpaved road up a steep mountain to an abandoned camping lodge in the middle of nowhere. A forest fire appeared to have leveled the trees, and only a few charred stumps poked forth from the scorched earth like stubble on a three-day-old beard. The guards locked the four of us in a dilapidated room containing only four bare cots, one weakly flickering lantern, and a built-in cupboard. The only window had been filled in with concrete.

My husband opened the cupboard, which was empty except for a few roaches that scurried out. “So much for them feeding us, not to mention letting all of us get together for our last prayer meeting,” he sighed.

“I have part of a leftover sandwich,” I said, digging the sorry remains out of my pocket and offering it to him. He gestured to the others and placed it on the ledge beneath the cemented window, beside a chipped old plastic toy bird that some child must have left there.

Suddenly the sandwich transformed into a bountiful, fragrant loaf of fresh baked bread; the bird sprang to life as a white dove; and the obstructed window became transparent crystal befitting a modern cathedral. A brilliant white light shone through the window as the panes opened and the dove flew upward and away. Before us stood the Lamb of God, perfect in His humanity, yet resembling a Lamb with hair as white as wool, indescribably beautiful, radiant, powerful, tender, and compassionate.

As I reached toward His face, I realized we were being transported upward into His light, and I was overwhelmed by utter peace and joy!

Upon awakening and thinking about the symbolism of the dream, I realized that Jesus warned that Christian persecution would increase in the End Times (Matthew 24:6-10), and that Peter reminded us not to be surprised if we are facing fiery trials for our faith (1 Peter 4:12-19). We can only be prepared for these trials if we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17), symbolized in the dream by my strange outfit.

Our loins are to be girded with the truth that we are bought (1 Corinthians 6:20) with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-20), red like the slacks. Our feet are to be shod with the Gospel of the preparation of peace, denoted by the sandals. The brown shirt may represent the breastplate of righteousness, as brown is the color of humility. We need to be humble and recognize that we have no righteousness on our own merit (Romans 3:10), but that we need instead to be clothed in the imputed righteousness of Christ (Isaiah 61:10).

Purple is a royal hue and therefore the color of faith in the King of Kings (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). The purple jacket reminds me of the shield of faith, which we are to use above all to quench all the fiery darts of Satan. We are to protect our mind with the helmet of salvation, symbolized by the white cap. Only when we realize that He saved us by His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) can our sins be washed as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).

All the prisoners in the dream had refused to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, even though the penalty was death, much like Daniel facing the lions' den (Daniel 6:10-23). The two pastors expressed their trust in God to either deliver them from the earthly danger or to remove them directly to His presence, much like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo as they were thrown into the fiery furnace for their faith (Daniel 3:14-28).

Although the tractor was pulling us up the mountain, that destination and view had nothing to be desired, for it was but a charred wasteland. The best that man can offer by his own efforts are nothing but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) or dung (Philippians 3:8) compared with God’s abundant provision (Philippians 4:19). He alone can give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, to His glory! (Isaiah 61:3).

Our seemingly hopeless situation in the barracks reversed completely to a glorious new beginning after we offered what little we had for the good of our companions. Jesus transformed a little boy’s lunch into a banquet for thousands (John 6:5-14), and He honored the widow’s pitiful offering above all the riches poured into the treasury (Mark 12:41-44). The size or the value of our gift means far less to Him than the degree of sacrifice with which we offer it. But no matter how much we give, we can’t outgive God! (Luke 6:38).

In the dream, He transformed the stale crumbs from my pocket to a magnificent loaf that could nourish all, representing Himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48, 51), and the forsaken toy into the Heavenly Dove of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; John 1:32).

God is light (1 John 1:5), and if we seek Him we can walk in His light (Ephesians 5:8-11; John 8:12) and ourselves be light in this dark and wicked world (Luke 1:79; Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6). He will take us from darkness into His marvelous light (Matthew 4:16; 1 Peter 2:9) and elevate us to heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6).

Words escape me when I try to describe what I saw and felt in the dream state of encountering Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world! (John 1:29, 36). In His perfect love we have nothing to fear (1 John 4:18), for our sins are forgiven (Mark 2:10; Acts 13:38). He paid the price; and if we belong to Him, we do not need to fear anyone or anything else (Romans 8:31). The “light affliction” of this world, as the apostle Paul put it, will fade the instant we see Him in glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

One day, I believe and pray one day soon, the Lamb of God will call all His children upward to meet with Him in the air, take part in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), and forever serve Him (Revelation 22:3) and bathe in His light! (Revelation 21:23; 5:6; 7:17)). Until the Rapture occurs (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), may we stand fast in our faith (1 Corinthians 15:58), encourage one another, put on the whole armor of God, and share what we have with others in need, all to His glory!  

© 2018 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

 

Once Written, Always Written

 

On a trip to Washington, DC, many years ago, I stood in awe in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, admiring the architectural design and vast spaces that sweep the eye heavenward, the unblemished white marble columns and facades suggesting uprightness and security, the intricately patterned ceilings and floors reflecting great attention to detail, and the ornate sculptures and murals depicting all the fields of knowledge stored in the Library’s volumes. When it first opened in 1897, it was described as the "largest, costliest, and safest" library in the world.

Not to mention the books! The original collection of President Jefferson was somewhat controversial because of the wide range of its content, including foreign language works, religion, philosophy, science, literature and other fields not usually contained in a law library. But Jefferson’s contention was that every topic imaginable could be of potential use to a Congressman at some point in his service. His view was upheld to this day, ever since the copyright law of 1870 mandated that all copyright applicants send two copies of their work to be included in the Library. There are now several specialty galleries, each a definitive library in its own field, including one containing only the Gutenberg Bible and other Bibles of historical importance.

The experience got me thinking about God’s library of books in which he records all the details of our physical and spiritual lives. It reminded me of an episode of "Twilight Zone" in which a young woman takes a job in a vast library where she appears to be the only person present. Her only duty, for which she is rewarded with a generous paycheck, is to reshelve stacks of books she finds placed on carts at the beginning of each workday. 

But her only caveat is that she must never open any of the books! Oddly, each of the volumes has a single name inscribed on the spine, and no other title or hint to the contents. One day, as she is reading titles on the books she needs to shelve, she is shocked to see her own name on one of these. Despite the stern admonition she was given, she can't resist the temptation to open it. She is surprised that about two thirds of the pages are empty, and awestruck as she watches an invisible hand inscribe the words on the last page with writing on it, "She opened the book even though she had been warned not to do so or she would face dire consequences..."

God lays out for us in no uncertain terms what we are to do and not to do. Yet ever since Adam and Eve, man has disobeyed even the simplest of God's commands, resulting in the curse of sin and the need for a Savior to free us from it (Genesis 3).

A dear sister in Christ once asked me to teach a Bible lesson on the Book of Life. Specifically, her question was if names of believers are written there permanently, as most verses indicate, or if names can be blotted out, as suggested by other verses.

Under the Law, and subsequently in Old Testament times, God kept books of the living, and to blot someone’s name out of the book represented their physical death (Exodus 32:31-35; Psalm 69:20-29). Both the Old and New Testament refer to other books recording each person’s works, with these deeds forming a basis for rewards or punishments (Malachi 3:16; Isaiah 65:6-7; Daniel 7:9-10; Revelation 20:11-15).

This is similar to, but far more extensive than, kings of old keeping records of their subjects’ services to be rewarded and bad deeds to be judged and punished (Esther 6:1,2; 2:23; Ezra 4:15). God’s books are so complete that He even records our every wandering and our every tear (Psalm 56:8), as well as a complete blueprint of our physical appearance long before we are even born (Psalm 139:16).

In the Old Testament, one’s sinful or disobedient acts could merit physical punishment or even death, but faith in God and obedience to His commandments was counted as righteousness and rewarded with being in Paradise. Salvation was based on faith, on the belief that God is Who He says He is and is worthy of trust and obedience (Hebrews 11: 23-29), even though no one except Jesus was capable of keeping the law perfectly. Jesus Christ, Son of God, had not yet walked the earth in the flesh and had not yet died for our sins, so trusting Him as Savior was not how Old Testament saints were saved.

But after Jesus’ earthly ministry, death, burial and resurrection, the New Testament refers to the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3) containing the names of all those who are saved and who will have eternal life with Christ in Heaven. It is more completely named the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 13:8; 21:27) because it was the blood of the Lamb, Who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), that redeemed those who are saved. Those names were foreordained and foreknown by God since before the beginning of the world (Romans 8:29-30).

The clear promise of Jesus is to not, for any reason, blot out the names of believers from the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 3:5), but to read their names to God the Father and to the angels. Once a person is born again and places their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-4), it is not possible for that person to lose their salvation or to have their name removed from the Lamb’s Book of Life (Romans 8:37-39; John 10:28-29).

Conversely, because of God’s foreknowledge of who would reject His freely given offer of salvation (John 3:18-19) to “whosoever” would believe in His Son (John 3:16) as the only way to Heaven (John 14:6), those names were “not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) Those unbelievers still living at the Rapture will be left behind, and at the Great White Throne Judgment, those who worshipped the Antichrist (Revelation 13:8; 17:8) will be cast into the lake of fire because their name was not found in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15).

As extensive and well-preserved as the Library of Congress is, it will one day be burned to a crisp with the rest of the earth (2 Peter 3:10). But there is nothing we can do that would escape God’s attention or His perfect record-keeping system, and those records will last forever. 

No one may notice what we do on earth, but when believers face Christ in glory, we will experience the joy of hearing Him say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21,23) for every good deed done with the right motive to glorify Him. Or, we may undergo painful loss as we see some of our works that were praised during our lifetime burn up like hay in the flames, because He saw our wrong motive of pride or self-righteousness (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

But in His amazing promise we can rest secure – once we place our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven (John 14:6), nothing can blot our name out of the Lamb’s Book of Life, because He wrote it there in the indelible ink of His blood since before the foundation of the world! Trust Him as your Lord and Savior today!

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives, edited and expanded

Freedom or Captivity

 

As we in the United States prepare to celebrate Independence Day,  honoring our freedom from English rule and the birth of our new nation, may we never forget to thank God for that freedom. May we humbly pray for His continued protection from all enemies and evil, guidance, mercy, love and grace.

May we especially remember our Lord Jesus Christ Who freed us from the captivity of sin (Romans 7:23) and death to the ultimate liberty of eternal life!

Through His death and atoning sacrifice on the cross (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2), the perfect, sinless Lamb of God (John 1:36) paid the price in full for our crushing sin debt that enslaved us to the tyranny of sin, and its terminal consequences of physical and spiritual death (Romans 6:23) and everlasting punishment in hell (Matthew 10:28). Then he arose from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit, liberating those who trust Him as Lord and Savior to eternal life (John 3:16) that begins at the moment of salvation!

The prophet Isaiah (61:1) foretold that Christ could claim: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

Now we who are His church (Colossians 1:24) are freed from the penalty of sin, or everlasting death. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), we are freed from the power of sin, as He guides and strengthens us to live as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15), and not as slaves of our carnal desires and sin nature (Romans 7; 8:6).

One day we shall be freed from even the presence of sin, as Holy God cannot allow the corruption of sin to enter the perfect holiness of His Heaven. Praise God that He allows us, sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 3:8-9), to enter Heaven because of the imputed righteousness of His Son! (Romans 4:6, 11,22)

Once we were as depraved as the young Hebrew man who wasted his inheritance on sinful living until his hunger and poverty drove him into the captivity of defiling himself in a pigpen. But now, like the Prodigal Son, our realization of the depths of our sin freed us from that prison and allowed us to return to the loving embrace of Our Father (Luke 15:11-32).

No longer slaves to the devil, we are now God’s children and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-17), Who clothes us in the pure white robe of His righteousness (Job 29:14; Isaiah 61:10) and places the ring, bearing His seal, on our finger!

While we are in this earthly life, we experience the bondage of aging and of death. Friends and loved ones leave us, but if they too are saved, we have the living and sure hope (1 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 6:19) that we will be reunited one day. We may be losing our physical and mental abilities and hardly recognize the wrinkled face in the mirror, but we know that one day, we will live forever in a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:42-54) like that of Christ Himself! Then we will never grow old; experience pain, sickness or sorrow; sin; or die.

Meanwhile, while our physical body is aging, we can experience the freedom of knowing that our inward man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16), if we do not quench or grieve the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30), and if we die daily to our sin nature (1 Corinthians 15:31).

May we do that by bringing every thought in captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5) to His guidance and perfect standard, knowing that Christ led captivity captive (Psalm 68:18; Ephesians 4:8) and proclaimed liberty to all who follow Him!

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Only through trusting Jesus Christ can we have eternal life, liberty from sin and death, and joy in His perfect and complete salvation – please let Him free you from captivity today!

© 2022 Laurie Collett

Must We Be Baptized?

 

Photo by JGHowes 2007

An interesting question that came up in the Bible study of the Book of John that I am currently teaching: Why was Christ baptized if baptism is not a necessary step in the path to eternal life?  Jesus said He was fulfilling all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), and that He was perfect, and yet seemingly in need of baptism. Does this contradict our salvation by grace through faith alone? (Ephesians 2:8-9), as we are sinful and imperfect? Is it prideful to think that we do not also need baptism and works to be saved?.

Baptism doesn't make you saved any more than wearing a wedding band makes you married. Both are symbols of a deeper union. In the case of baptism, it is usually one of the first acts of obedience a Christian does once they are born again (John 3:3-8), as a symbol of their spiritual rebirth and belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).

Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death and burial of Jesus as the believer is plunged under the water, and it also symbolizes the believer dying to his sin nature (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:2-7). When the believer is raised up out of the water, it symbolizes Christ's resurrection and also the believer becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Baptism shows those present that we are not ashamed to be followers of Christ, and that we are obedient to His Great Commission, which includes baptism (Matthew 28:19-20).

But baptism, or any works in general, are not necessary for salvation. To be saved, all we need is the freely given gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Ephesians 2: 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We cannot accomplish our own salvation, for we can add nothing to Christ’s completed work on the cross. However, once we are saved, obedience and good works, such as baptism, flow naturally out of our love for and gratitude to Him. Baptism and other good works are the fruit and evidence of our living faith (James 2:17-26).

 

When Philip preached about Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch, he asked what would prevent him from being baptized, and Philip replied “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” After this confession of faith by the eunuch, Philip baptized him right away (Acts 8:26-38). This shows the proper order of being saved by believing and verbally confessing faith in Christ, Whom God raised from the dead (Romans 10:9) and then being baptized as an act of obedience.

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who immersed Him in the river Jordan ((Matthew 3:13-17). Yet John protested before baptizing Jesus, for he clearly recognized long before that Jesus was far more powerful and holier than himself (Luke 3:16-17). Only Jesus would be able to baptize with the Holy Ghost, and only Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29,36). None of these powers were contingent on Jesus being baptized. In fact, John, Mary, and Elizabeth all recognized Jesus as their Savior before He was even born! (Luke 1).

We cannot use Jesus’ example in being baptized to prove that we must be baptized in order to be saved, any more than we can use His example in being circumcised (Romans 2:25-28), or keeping the Jewish feasts, or other works of the law that He kept and fulfilled (Matthew 5:17), as works necessary for our own salvation. The law saves no one, for no one can keep it completely.

The law is only a mirror showing us the extent of our shortcomings and our need for a Savior. As sinners before a righteous and holy God, we deserve eternal punishment in hell, which would be our fate if Christ had not paid our sin debt in full to reconcile us to the Father (Romans 3:20-26).

If baptism or any other works were necessary for our salvation, then the thief who repented and recognized Jesus as Lord just before he died on the cross would not have been saved. He had no opportunity to be baptized or to do any good works, yet Jesus said to him, "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:40-43).

In a way, it is pride and unbelief that makes some think that God's grace is not enough to save their souls, and that they need to add their own good works to the amazing love and self-sacrifice Christ showed by dying for our sins. The Mormons like to say "We do our best, and Jesus does the rest." But Jesus freely gave Himself for us, and that is enough.

It is as if someone offered you a brand new Mercedes Benz as a gift, no strings attached, and you said -- "No, I want to help pay for it, so here is a penny." Thinking that our penny would make a difference would not only be prideful; it would also be insulting to the giver and would belittle the immense value of his gift. It is prideful to think that we could save ourselves by our good works, because the Bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Yes, we are all sinful and imperfect (Romans 3:10-23), before and after we are saved. We have no righteousness on our own, before or after baptism. But once we place our faith in Jesus, all His righteousness is imputed to our account, and all our sins are imputed to His account (Romans 4:6-8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). So, praise God, when the Father looks at a believer, He no longer sees our sins, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son!

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Edited and reposted from the archives

Our Father

 

As we in the United States celebrate Father’s Day, we honor our earthly fathers who love us, provide for us, train us, and were our first authority figures and role models (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:4). Sadly, not all fathers meet this ideal, and some children have never known their biological father or have even had a loving father figure involved in their upbringing.

Praise the Lord, the perfect Father is available to all who call on the Name of His Son (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). Once we are saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), He gives us eternal life (John 3:16). At the moment of salvation, we are transformed from children of the devil to children of God, and we become part of God’s family and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-17).

There is a popular misconception that all human beings are God’s children. Although all are God’s creation (Genesis 1:26-27), only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior can call God their Father. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, the religious leaders of that time, because their hearts were far from Him (Matthew 15:1-9). Therefore He said that they were children of their father the devil and would do his bidding (John 8:41-44).

But for His followers and disciples who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and God Himself, Jesus taught us a beautiful prayer when asked how we should pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4). That model prayer is often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, but that term is more appropriately applied to the prayer He prayed for all His followers in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion (John 17).

The model prayer has become so familiar that there is a danger it will be repeated by rote, without meditation on the beauty and meaning of each word. Jesus warned against such “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7).  However, those who have memorized it or will memorize it can surely benefit from slowly savoring each word that Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, in His Name, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 6:9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

“Our” reminds us of the awesome privilege born-again believers (John 3:3-8) have of being able to call God “Our Father.” This is a relationship we share not only with fellow Christians but with Jesus Christ Himself, for He is the only begotten Son of the Father (John 3:16), while we have been adopted into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5).

“Father” is a term that connotes the love and affection that we have for our Abba Father (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6), like the name “Daddy” used by a small child for the one who showers blessings upon her. She can come running into his arms when afraid or climb into his lap when lonely without fear of rebuke or rejection. Abba Father loves us infinitely (1 John 4:7-19), yet God is also the perfect, holy Father (Psalm 68:5) Whom we should fear and respect (Psalm 111:10), for He has perfect righteousness (John 17:25) and infinite power and wisdom (2 Chronicles 20:6; Psalm 62:11; 103:13; Job 36:5).

“Which art in heaven,” tells us that God is on His heavenly throne (Psalm 45:6; 47:8), a vantage point from which He sees all, knows all, and sustains all (Psalm 139:80; Isaiah 40:28).

“Hallowed be thy name” refers to praising God (Psalm 146:1-2) for His holiness, which is an essential component of any prayer (Psalm 72:15-19). We recognize the Name of God and of Lord Jesus Christ as the Name above all Names, and the only Name by which we may be saved (Acts 2:21, 4:12; Romans 10:13). All will one day honor His Name by confessing that He is Lord (Romans 14:11) – how much better to do it now, in loving prayer, than to defy Him until we are forced to face Him in terror of His judgment!

“Thy will be done in earth” should also be included in every prayer, for the purpose of prayer is not to change God’s mind, but to bring our desires in alignment with His perfect will (Proverbs 3:5-6; Luke 22:42). Because He possesses all knowledge of all things past, present and future (Psalm 139:1-12), and because of His complete, self-sacrificing love for us (John 15:13; Jeremiah 31:3), His will for our lives is always perfect, even when we don’t like it or can’t understand it (Isaiah 55:9).

“As it is in heaven” sets the absolute standard by which to gauge circumstances. In Heaven there is no pain, suffering, sorrow, aging, sickness, death, or sin (Revelation 7:17; 21:4). Our prayer should acknowledge that God’s will for us on earth is perfect, just as Scripture tells us that His will being done in Heaven results in the perfection found there.

“Give us this day our daily bread” reflects the perfect gifts our Father freely gives us (Matthew 7:11). We do not pay for these gifts, work for them, or barter for them, any more than we can earn God’s freely given gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). He will provide for us if we ask Him daily for what we need each day. Like the manna with which God fed the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16), God’s blessings cannot be hoarded or stored, for His compassions are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” If we repent of our sins by asking God’s forgiveness, He is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9) and to separate us from our sins as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). But in light of His great mercy and forgiveness, which He extends to all of us even though it was our sins that crucified Him, He desires that we forgive others in return (Matthew 18:15-35). This is possible only through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), which is why we must pray for the power to forgive by yielding to Him (Ephesians 4:20-32).

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:” Scripture promises that God cannot tempt us with evil (James 1:13), and that whenever we are tempted, He will always provide a way for us to escape the temptation so that we do not sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). Resisting evil (James 4:7) and fleeing from temptation are not innate characteristics because of our sin nature (Romans 5:12), but are desired and can be accomplished only by yielding to the Holy Spirit. Praying to Our Father, in Jesus’ Name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gives us the victory in the spiritual battle we fight daily (Ephesians 6:10-18).

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” To God be the glory, for He reigns supreme, and will allow us to rule with Him in the Millennial Kingdom! (Revelation 20:4,6). He alone is the source of all power, so He alone deserves our praise and can answer our prayers.

Praise God that no matter what our earthly father is or was like, we are His child and He is our perfect Heavenly Father. May we honor Him daily with our praise and prayers!

© 2018 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives