Matthew 6:9-13 ~ Pray then like this:

Matthew 6:9-13

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.

For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory forever and ever. In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.


On the vine, being fruitful for Him, we pray constantly. Why not a summer cleaning, here we go, please pray along and add your prayers for your home. Thanks!

Father God, We seek Your blessings upon this family and fill all areas with Your light, mercy, grace, truth and goodness. Not only provide the blessings we ask but seal us forever as Your own as only Your name can do this. Pardon our trepidation, our flaws, weaknesses, and sin. Cleanse us from the nooks, crannies and variations hidden and semi-hidden in our personalities. We pray to do Your Good Works and be worthy each day to have you move, live and dwell within us. In Your Glory, plant the seed that soars to a huge tree, that others may nest and find encouragement, truth, integrity and honor giving them the vision You have for their lives. This we pray, declaring ourselves to be the children of the Most High God in Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.


For the home of Edward, Anne Laurel, Cal, Alexander and their pets. 

Yard and House

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose

Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

1 Chronicles 17:27
Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, LORD, have blessed it and it will be blessed forever.”


For an open door to the people of God and the gathering of hearth and home

Front Door

Joshua 24:15
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Psalm 4:8
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace



That gracious Words of God and Love are found in encouragement in the Living Room.

Philippians 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1 Samuel 16:7
Truly, God does not see what man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Kitchen

John 6:27
Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal

Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

In our Dining Room where we gather with family and friends:

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

In the Den, where the television brings in the world, friends gather, rest is taken:

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Hebrews 10:25
Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Philippians 2:15
that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world

Study

Ephesians 1:11-13
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

For the Bedrooms and Blessing upon the Family ~ 

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.


Psalm 4:8
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.


Cal

Psalm 81:10
I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Deuteronomy 28:1-68
And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock

Hosea 6:3
Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.

Alexander

James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:19-27
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only

Matthew 6:30-33
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

For Extended Family

Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

For Return Home and Safe Travel  ~ Xander just returned home from Israel and Germany.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

For our work and all areas of our lives we can entrust to a Faithful Father God.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.


Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men


Job 8
20 “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,
nor take the hand of evildoers.
21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with shouting.


In the Highest Name, You Bestow Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. May the peace of God rest upon this family, extended family and friends and be sealed as Jesus Christ's own people forever.  Amen. 

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John 1:29-34 ~ I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

National Geographic 2012 Photo Contest Winner taken in Lake Mary, FL

John 1:29-34

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Combined with this Scripture passage:


Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings^{[than God and the angels]}
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

This is the Son of God. Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to be upon the people who would ask in His name, with belief. So many, many times we are left with a photo image of a dove descending upon Him at His baptism. The important message - the Spirit remains.

Psalm 8 continues the message saying His name, Jesus, is majesty, glory and establishes strength. Many times in life we feel diminished, and this passage reassures us we are so important to HIM, the Spirit remains. The work of our hands, our life, will be established in Him. The journey, the path - His - He established for us.

Deuteronomy 2:7
For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’

Psalm 34:10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Romans 11:29
For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Asking us -

1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

John 15:17
These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Walking with faith. We all have questions, not necessarily lack of faith, but questions. Jesus gives us an abiding Holy Spirit. John the Baptist knew he was serving God, he'd heard about his family, John had to have known about the Christmas story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. John went along his faith journey and God showed him the path forward.

John 20:29
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”


 

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Psalm 20 ~ Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving might of His right hand.

Psalm 20

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

4 May he grant you your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.

9 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.


The last verse for us would inspire us to call upon Jesus and know for a certainty that the Almighty of Creation, our Father ....hears us.

David and Isaiah would have taken a different approach. When they prayed as believers, if they weren't malcontents, they were praying for their country. Peace instead of experiencing invasion of enemy empires, vigilantes and the raiders David was, as well as, being raided against.

 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.

We could equate this to a very practical version - "Pray, but pay the electric bill !!!" Even believers will say pay the light bill first and then pray. Yet this really depends on your outlook. That's easy enough to say pray first, but if you have experienced war, need, trauma - you know with certainty, God always says," Pray First." "Pray constantly." "Give thanks!"

Thank You, Father GOD, for light in the darkness. The welcome of home, when we pull in and the light gleam for us invitingly. For cool air conditioner when the climate is hot. For the joys we have learned in this generation, for the darkness to be lightened in this generation. In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Examining the Scripture is living and active. And so apparent. No, actually Scripture is not. This Psalm will move in our understanding as life unfolds, Scripture is fluid. Deepening and enriching us. Giving us reproach when we need correction, only bad parents don't correct their children.

Easy to understand? Yes and no. The people reading Isaiah expected an earthly King. Knowing Jesus, we would be devastated to see Jesus claim Israel as world supreme power. Jesus didn't do that. He was not Moses lifting up His Hands to fight for land for His chosen people. And yet... and yet. We are the chosen and privileged people to know GOD has rebuilt, reclaimed and still fights for a struggling Israel. Still precious, chosen, special and flawed to Him today.

Why did people so expect Jesus to slay Romans? He didn't. Because He is.
The Word of God. Going to a Samaritan woman, revealing HIMSELF as MESSIAH. Jesus upheld Romans, and does today, to the Centurion who believed. Look at this paragraph again, there are levels. Jesus said HE upholds  (as the WORD of God made flesh) every i is dotted, every t crossed.

Matthew 5:17-18
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."

The people did see a Very GREAT Light. The Light that lights all mankind, God Himself.

Isaiah's generation saw clearly, God rewards the faithful. Earthly favor.

Psalm 139:12
Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Jesus' generation clearly lived, God rewards the faithful and His promises are sure. Israel remained intact during Jesus' lifetime. Earthly favor. The promises poured forth. Across the generations. Vast generations. Across boundaries. Into places we would not want to go, where HE is needed more than righteousness previously existed. Seen in the Words of Jesus, He works and His Father does as well. Today.

John 8:12
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.

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Psalm 54 ~ Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.

Psalm 54

O God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah

4 Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.

6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.


I inherited a lot from my family. I have my grandmother's sloping shoulder, and recently I discovered, I have Samuel Langhorne Clemens' hair. God, help me not to have his eyebrows.

He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.


Winston Churchill said

Mark Twain said

Mark Twain – An enemy can partly ruin a man
but it takes a good-natured injudicious friend to complete the thing and make it perfect.

If you combine the statements, we are our own worst enemy.

I've been volunteering at our local pregnancy assistance center for over a year now. Trichomonas used to be a parasite found in dirt, now it is an STD. We saw two cases last week. Chlamydia is silent, until a young mom is crying at our clinic after hearing her eight-week old baby died from Chlamydia and the sonogram nurse has to tell her. The young woman getting ready to volunteer at her Church, for the youth group, is having an affair with her co-worker, under the nose of his gf, who also works there. The man who was tested for STDs is a devoted follower of Jesus, and loves HIM fiercely. This man can't tell his close-knit Church family he is horribly addicted to porn, lost his job, his marriage, his ex-wife blackmailed him to get him out of their lives - after taking the house he provided and half of his savings.

What is the enemy of these people? Obviously poor choices. The last two agree, not knowing each other, what the problem is - they are bored. TV is horrible, both agree, they feel their work a day lives are boring. Stuck in a rut.

Both of the last two clients go to Church. But they agree they are not living lives faced with deliberation.

Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.

We have regrets in life. One would be not to have something to teach our grandchildren. Very few of us realize we are building our lives every day. We need each day to give justice with mercy, walk humbly with the LORD. Bible Studies, learning a way to diligently improve our existence, each day.

Behold, God is my helper.

Not a single person in the Scripture got everything right. These two clients are Christians afraid to disclose their real lives. Fearing they are too messed up to go on. The man agreed with me, Moses might have led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, but Joshua saw the Exodus, the most momentous work of GOD, go awry. Kaput. And Joshua DID NOT give up, give in, quit trying, Joshua said," As for me and my, We Shall Serve the LORD. "

Paul said, he would see how it was going with him. Living an adventure. 

John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit

2 John 1:8,9
Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

It took time, yet. Put out our hands, say. I'm making a list -

Behold, GOD IS my helper. 

Go and find the adventure, the gift, the willingness to do something new.  Making choices HE does not have to sweep up after. Learning skills of building up your soul. Making a home, making a path, making a heart ready for HIM to dwell in.


James 2:13
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

1 Timothy 4:14
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

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Matthew 13:36-43 ~ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Matthew 13:36-43

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Psalm 50:2
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.


Rarely do the disciples seem at ease - Jesus asks them

Matthew 13
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

It is rare to rest in one place. If we could all be in His perfection, we would stay there. And drink deeply - the elixir of salvation and redemption. If only this brew were readily available for our asking. Except He tells us in His Word, He is this available.

Even St. Paul and Peter wrote of feeling unworthy of God. David asked God to be forgiven his hidden sins as well as the apparent ones. Paul wrote he knew he sinned, even without the conscious knowledge he did, with those cracks and crevices in our personalities we are not always readily aware of.

As the good seed, we try as our seasons change. And take time to adjust to the seasons of life changing. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Well done good and faithful servant. Looking forward in trust, to Him. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

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