What Is Your Will In Christ?

Have you ever tried to light a candle in a darkened room only to watch it sputter and struggle to stay lit? It's almost as if the impurities of the wick or maybe just the wax of the candle challenge the struggling flame for it's right to survive. Sometimes, without the patience to once again hold the igniting fire to the wick, we'll watch the sputtering flicker of flame die out and once again yield to the darkness. As Christians, we are spiritual candles of our Lord's creation. I can relate to that struggling candle in so many ways while looking back at my own life. It seems so clear to me looking back now, but in the beginning, there were so many things that I had to learn in order to be able to see and it's clear that I'm still learning now. As the illumination of that struggling flame in my life has grown stronger, it's given me the ability to see more things clearly that before were in the dark. There have been sudden drafts - events in life, conceived...

Of all of the things that we can pray for, if you were allowed to ask for only one thing in your lifetime with a guarantee that it would be granted, what would you ask for? What all inclusive and perfect request could you make that is guaranteed to satisfy every condition, every situation and every need perfectly? What could you ask for that would encompass all people and things and create an environment of peace, healing, joy, contentment etc.? Jesus knew, and He shared it with us in yet another profound example for us to follow in The Lord's Prayer; Matthew 6:10 (NLT) "May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven." In my lifetime I've had countless opportunities to pray on my own behalf and also on behalf of others. I have approached our God with so many situations and needs knowing that He alone has the ability and power to control the multitude of circumstances of any life. Every time, I've searched my heart and mind (my own wisdom) for ...

The next example of our Lord Jesus in "The Lord's Prayer" that we will discuss is in regard to forgiveness as a critical element of our communication and relationship with our God. It's a reference to a spiritual posture and mandatory core element of our lives before Him. Matthew 6:12 "and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us." The proof of the importance of this elemental necessity abounds in the Word of our Lord. The essence, or spirit of this statement to be included in prayer is something He later demonstrated in discussion with His disciples. In the following passage Jesus more fully demonstrated the reality of our situation in relationship to our Heavenly Father and the necessity of what our posture toward others should be: Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT), 21 Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" 22 "No!...