TODAY IN THE WORD

[nChrist]

Pastor Roger Said:

TODAY IN THE WORD
When Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey arrived in Great Britain in the summer of 1873, no one knew God would use the pair to shake the British Isles. Over the next two years, Moody and Sankey preached and sang their way up and down the Isles, returning home as world-famous figures. Besides sparking revival, their trip also sparked envy among some members of the clergy. Newspaper articles and pamphlets appeared, attacking Moody’s style and impugning his motives for ministry. But Moody refused to return the venom, largely ignoring his critics.

Hello Pastor Roger,

I just realized that the origin of these devotions is the Moody Bible Institute. My grandfather was a preacher for his entire life, and he mentored many young men who also entered the ministry. One of those young men married his daughter and was my dad. Two other young men he mentored married his other two daughters. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this, so I'll solve the mystery. My grandfather graduated from the Moody Bible Institute (1920s ?), and I grew up seeing many materials from the Moody Bible Institute.

I give thanks that the Moody Bible Institute is still a wonderful ministry for the LORD. Dwight Lyman Moody had a huge heart for the LORD, and he shared it with many. It's wonderful to see and know how GOD prepares HIS servants and multiplies the harvest.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 3:14-19 NASB  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen brother. I grew up listening to and reading much from Moody Bible Insistute. The majority of the material that I have on my computer is from them. As a child growing up it had always been my intent to eventually go to the MBI. That dream never materialized for me and my path went down a different way.

That has never prevented me though from studying and reading many of their materials and having great joy in doing so.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 1:5-25
See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. - Malachi 3:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
For Zechariah, this was literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The week-long duties of his priestly division occurred twice each year, but the personal selection to enter the Holy Place of the temple for the burning of incense was allowed only once for a priest. He knew he would be seeing something new—but he didn't expect to see the angel Gabriel.

After receiving a considerable scare, Zechariah became the recipient of two incredible blessings. First, he was given the promise of a son that would erase the shame that childlessness brought in that day. Second, and more important, Gabriel revealed to Zechariah that his son would be the one to prepare the way for the Lord.

The promise of the coming of that messenger was one of the last official words from God in the Old Testament through the prophet Malachi. It had been over four centuries since Israel had received such a direct message from God, and Zechariah wasn't ready for the so-called silence to be broken. In an ironic twist, Zechariah was silenced, rendering him unable to announce the good news.

In contrast to her husband's initial doubt, Elizabeth didn't need an angel to tell her that her pregnancy was from God (v. 25). But Elizabeth also kept the news to herself. It's not clear why she chose to seclude herself, but it is interesting that a pronouncement of such importance and a pregnancy so miraculous were kept secret.

Thanks to Luke's investigation, the secret has been passed on for all to hear, giving evidence that John the Baptist was no ordinary man. His coming was divinely planned and foretold, and the Holy Spirit was with him before he even saw the light of day (v. 15).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you expecting to hear from God today? You may have little reason to expect an angel like Gabriel to appear to you with a prophetic message, but we do not live in an age of silence from God. We have His Living Word, which He has preserved for our benefit. As believers, we also have His Spirit. If we aren't listening for His still, small voice, we're neglecting the most important messenger we'll ever encounter.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 1:26-56
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
Joan of Arc became a military leader at age sixteen. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at nineteen. Nadia Comaneci was fourteen when she became the first Olympic gymnast to score a perfect ten. As remarkable as they were, their accomplishments could never compare to the faith we read about in today's passage.

The Bible doesn't tell us how old Mary was when she conceived, but she was probably in her teens at this point if her engagement to Joseph was at all typical for that day. Once Gabriel came to visit, however, Mary's life would never again be described as typical.

Like Zechariah, Mary was initially afraid when Gabriel appeared to her, and she also questioned Gabriel's prediction. But unlike Zechariah's doubt, Mary's question was one of confusion, and it was a perfectly justifiable inquiry. When the angel explained God's plan, Mary showed complete faith in what he said (vv. 38, 45).

Mary's visit to Elizabeth is one of many events in Luke reminding us that the Holy Spirit actively participated in the events of the New Testament long before the days of Pentecost. Not only did He conceive the Son of God within Mary (v. 35), He also revealed the identity of the coming Messiah to Elizabeth (v. 43).

Upon hearing Elizabeth's Spirit-filled greeting, Mary delivered what has come to be known as “the Magnificat,” so named for the Latin translation of this passage. Mary's understanding of the situation and her mature perspective are encouraging and impressive. She quotes extensively and thoughtfully from the Old Testament in this brief song of praise, revealing a deep knowledge of the Word and a heart for God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The significant role that women play in Luke's Gospel seems impossible to ignore—but many people do just that. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth and Mary proved themselves more than just suitable mothers; they were gifted stewards of the Word of God. Men and women must recognize the valuable contributions that faithful women have made and continue to make to our spiritual growth. In your prayers today, thank the Lord for godly women.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Exodus 20:1-6
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Most of us have heard the old adage that ""close doesn't count."" But when it comes to a matter as important as national defense, ""close doesn't count"" takes on new meaning. According to officials at the Pentagon, plans for a national missile defense system are years--and billions of dollars--behind schedule. And the system now being tested has yet to prove reliable. Speaking after a major failure of the system last January, a Pentagon spokesperson stated the obvious: absolute accuracy is the only acceptable standard in a missile defense system.

The same is true in our worship. There is only one acceptable standard: our great God commands us to worship Him and Him alone. He is infinitely worthy of our exclusive worship--nothing else even comes close. The first two of the Ten Commandments serve as a guidance system that compels us to focus our hearts and minds on the true God and His expectations of us in worship (vv. 3-6).

This month we have an immense topic to consider. Worship is one of the greatest privileges God gives us. But it's even more than a privilege. It is our joyful duty.

God commands His people to worship Him exclusively. No other gods can do what He can do, nor can they even compare with His majesty. We will explore many aspects of worship over the next thirty days as we pursue becoming the worshipers God wants us to be.

God's original command to Israel was tied to His greatest demonstration of power and glory: the deliverance of His chosen people from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) God referred Israel back to that deliverance as a reminder that He deserved their complete loyalty and worship. Worshiping any other entity was a sin of the worst kind.

Given all of this, it seems unthinkable that the Israelites would build a golden calf and worship it even while Moses was receiving God's Commandments on Mount Sinai. But that happened, and the people declared: ""These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt"" (Exod. 32:4).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Worship is one of those subjects everybody has an opinion about.

But our purpose is not to try to decide which particular worship style is ""right."" Instead, we hope to give you a renewed appreciation for the importance, the cost, the focus, and the necessity of worship. We also want to help you remove hindrances to worship and prepare your heart for worship both as acts of devotion and as a way of life.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 29:1-11
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TODAY IN THE WORD
When famed naturalist John Muir visited California's Yosemite Valley in the 1860s, his reports of the valley's beauty aroused great interest. Congress established the Yosemite National Park in 1890, but that wasn't the end of Muir's efforts to conserve nature's beauty. In 1903 Muir took Theodore Roosevelt camping in Yosemite, giving the president a firsthand look at the park's beauty. Roosevelt became a passionate advocate for nature conservation.

The psalmist David has done much the same thing for God's people using some of the most powerful word pictures in all of the Psalter. Psalm 29 takes the reader on a firsthand ""tour"" of God's majesty, couched in the imagery of a great storm.

This psalm is important to the topic of worship because we must grasp the reality of God's greatness and majesty before we can see ourselves as we really are and worship God as He really is.

There's another reason we are studying Psalm 29 today. The opening two verses give us something very close to a definition of biblical worship. In essence, worship is giving to the Lord what is already His by virtue of His Person: glory and honor. Biblical worship focuses on God's infinite holiness.

Verse 1 reminds us that the worship of God is not limited to earth, a truth we will study more in depth later. God's ""mighty ones"" (v. 1) are most likely His angels, who are constantly engaged in worshiping Him. The glimpses the Bible gives us into heaven also reveal something of the splendor in which our holy God reigns.

Verses 3-9 of this psalm are a tribute to God's greatness, expressed seven times in His ""voice"" that speaks through a great storm. The storm begins over the ""mighty waters,"" the Mediterranean Sea, and sweeps across the land from Lebanon in the north to the desert of Kadesh in the south.


TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The Lord's Day is preeminently a day of rest and worship, a time set aside to leave behind earthly cares and focus our attention on God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 4:1-11
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Somewhere in the history of organized sports, a coaching staff tried out a new theory. These coaches reasoned that taking their teams away the night before a big game and putting the athletes up in a hotel gave them a competitive advantage. They felt that this cloistering would remove the athletes from the distractions of everyday life and allow the team to focus more thoroughly on the game ahead. For decades, this has been a common practice among both college and professional teams.

Jesus knew the value of concentrating on the task at hand, and He prepared for His contest with Satan as no person has ever prepared before or since. Forty days alone in the desert not only removed Jesus from every human contact that would demand His attention; by fasting, Jesus even said ""no"" to normal human needs in order to prepare Himself for the devil's looming temptations.

The temptation of our Lord allows us a glimpse at a level of spiritual warfare we would otherwise know nothing about. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in the same ways we are tempted (Heb. 4:15), but we will never experience the intensity of the trial Jesus faced.

For example, we are often tempted to sell out in our worship, but Satan has never offered us all the kingdoms of the world in return for our homage (Matt. 4:8-9). Jesus' final temptation was another attempt by Satan to gain what he has always wanted: to be worshiped as God (Isa. 14:12-15).

Today's text reveals a fact you have probably experienced if you have been a believer for very long. When you decided to worship God, you became embroiled in the struggle of the ages: the cosmic contest between God and Satan for the hearts and minds of mankind.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you being tempted to worship power, position, pleasure, possessions, or anything at all other than God?

Congratulations, you are normal! In fact, if you never feel tempted, you may want to check your spiritual pulse. The isse for believers is not whether we will be tempted, but how we will handle the temptations that are sure to come. Before dealing with the devil, Jesus spent forty days and nights worshiping the Father through fasting, prayer, and solitude.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 139:7-12, 23-24
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TODAY IN THE WORD
For those of us who do not keep up on all the developments in computer technology, the concept is still a bit mind-boggling. For example, cars are now available that have onboard computers to utilize satellites for directions. These computers can not only pinpoint the vehicle's current location, but can also give directions to any destination.

For computer professionals, this is probably old stuff. But it's still amazing to think that a satellite system can verify our location with such accuracy. Imagine how infinitely the God of the universe knows us! We must take this truth into account as we prepare to worship Him.

David was enthralled by the greatness of the thought that God knew and cared for him intimately. The psalmist was ""fearfully and wonderfully made"" by God (Ps. 139:14), with painstaking attention to detail.

Psalm 139 begins with the affirmation that God already knows us to an infinite degree. In comparison to our majestic God, we are merely specks in the universe. The fact that He would take thought of us is truly staggering (see Ps. 8:4).

That God is all-seeing and all-knowing concerning us has tremendous implications for our worship. We cannot escape His presence, whether we go to the depths of the sea or hide beneath the deepest darkness. Therefore, rather than trying to run from God and conceal our thoughts from Him, we need to believe and embrace the wonder of His ever-present care for us (Ps. 139:17-18).

Worship that does not include wonder--the awe inspired by God's majesty and holiness--is less than biblical worship. As we come into God's presence to worship Him, we need to cultivate the sense of the godly awe that inspired and humbled David.

But there is more to this matter of preparing to ""worship God acceptably with reverence and awe"" (Heb. 12:28). David's closing prayer in today's passage is an invitation for God to search and test his heart, revealing his deepest thoughts and motives (Ps. 139:23-24).

This searching was not for God's benefit, of course. It was so that David could come clean before God and get rid of any ""offensive way"" that might stifle God's work in his life.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When we open our lives to the God who knows us perfectly, we are bound to learn valuable insights about Him--and about ourselves.

Have you ever had an insight from Scripture or a prompting from the Holy Spirit that you didn't write down and then eventually forgot? Then you'll appreciate the value of keeping your pen and paper close by as you study with Today in the Word.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Mark 9:1-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
With all of the attention generated this year by the appearance of Comet Hale-Bopp, it is not surprising that the comet was still big news long after it appeared. This summer several people accused NASA of either failing to use its Hubble space telescope to photograph the comet or of refusing to publish their photos of it for fear of what the photos revealed. The space agency denied both charges, saying that the Hubble had been used since 1995 to observe Hale-Bopp and that the images had been made widely available.

In effect, NASA was saying that the public did not need to look further for some kind of hidden information about the celebrated comet. People already had before them everything they needed to know about Hale-Bopp.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, God the Father made a similar declaration concerning His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. The wisest thing that Peter, James, and John could do was listen to Jesus, for He alone had the words of eternal life (John 6:68). That's the wisest thing we as believers can do, too.

Yesterday and today we have been talking about preparing ourselves for worship. A readiness to hear and heed the Word of Christ is basic to any biblical worship.

Peter and the other apostles heard Jesus speak in person, but we have a distinct advantage today. As Peter himself said, we have ""the word of the prophets made more certain"" (2 Pet. 1:19). Because the Bible is the completed revelation of God to His people, we can obey God's command in Mark 9:7 in a way that even Jesus' contemporaries could not.

To say that the Scriptures are a central element of worship is to state the obvious. We are not called to worship the Bible, but Christ Himself. However, it is the Word of God that reveals Jesus to us in all of His fullness.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Each day when you sit down to open God's Word, you are performing an act of worship.

Because the Word is living and active (Heb. 4:12), something should happen in our hearts each time we read and study the Scriptures. Some believers tend to neglect their Bibles and, as a result, experience a void in their lives. But we can also make the opposite mistake--reading the Word mechanically to satisfy a schedule or to get our ""verse a day to keep the devil away.""

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 42:1-11
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TODAY IN THE WORD
The longest trial in British history concluded earlier this year, with the food giant McDonald's winning its libel suit against two environmentalists. The pair had distributed a leaflet accusing the chain of selling unhealthy food and exploiting workers.

McDonald's denied the charges and sued for libel, triggering a seven-year case that produced a book, a TV drama, and more than 19ꯠ pages of testimony on the Internet. But perhaps the most amazing aspect of the episode was the intensity with which McDonald's pursued the case. The chain spent more than $16 million, and won a libel award of just $98ꯠ.

Most of us would agree that these numbers show Mc-Donald's intensity in proving its innocence. If only we as believers were as intense in pursuing our relationships with God!

The writer of Psalm 42 knew this kind of longing. His heart beat for nothing more than the pursuit of worshiping God and being in His presence. By using the analogy of intense thirst, the psalmist puts things in perspective right at the start (vv. 1-2).

We're not sure of the circumstances behind this psalm, which is a couplet with Psalm 43. Perhaps the writer was somehow exiled and cut off from the sanctuary in Jerusalem, as verse 6 may suggest. Whatever his situation, he was suffering under the taunts of his enemies and the sweet but painful memories of past days spent in the worship of God (vv. 3-4).

Even though the psalmist's soul was in anguish, he still found great comfort in the knowledge of God's love for him (v. . It was during his nighttime ""worship services"" that the writer was given a song for his heart and a prayer for his lips.

These experiences gave this Old Testament believer hope and peace, even though he still had some hard questions to ask of God (v. 9). The psalmist's assurance of God's love and presence through his worship led to a confident assertion, repeated in verses 5 and 11. He would yet see the day when God would deliver him from his distress, and he would have new reason to praise Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's illustration suggests a question that all believers need to answer.

The question is this: How intensely do you long to know and worship God? Does the way you spend your time, abilities, energy, and money reveal a longing for God that might not make much sense from a material point of view?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Chronicles 16:1-12, 23-29
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Qin Shi Huang was China's first emperor, the first leader to defeat China's warring states and unify the nation in 221 B.C. But Huang left behind more than a dynasty and a unified country. To signify his rule, He had artisans create an enormous army of life-sized warriors and horses in terra cotta, more than 8ꯠ of which have been unearthed in a series of extensive excavations since 1974.

It's mind-boggling to think of the effort human rulers will exert in an attempt to immortalize themselves. But the only immortal Ruler in the universe, ""the only God"" (1 Tim. 1:17), does not want His people to build clay soldiers, pyramids, or other monuments in honor of Him. Instead, He desires our worship.

David--one of earth's greatest kings--understood this truth better than most people. And he certainly knew how to put together a worship service that brought to the Lord ""the glory due his name"" (1 Chron. 16:29).

This beautiful psalm of praise was the centerpiece of a wonderful service celebrating David's return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (see 15:1). The king put up a tent to house the ark, which was not a monument but a visible symbol of God's presence among His people.

As you read these verses you'll see that this worship service had it all. There were offerings, instrumental and choral music, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Although for our purposes we have omitted the verses that deal specifically with Israel's history, it's important to note how often this psalm calls on God's people to remember His ""wonderful acts"" (1 Chron. 16:9) and ""the wonders he has done"" (v. 12).

Add to this the poem's many ascriptions of glory, majesty, and honor to the Lord, and we come away with valuable lessons about the content of worship. Using phrases repeated from Psalm 29:1-2 (see Nov-ember 2), David captured the heart of worship in verses 28-29.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's text also notes that offerings were part of the worship that David and the Israelites gave to the Lord (vv. 1-2).

We don't bring animals to a tabernacle or temple, but we are still commanded to worship God with our gifts. Paul called the gifts of the Philippians a ""fragrant offering"" to God (Phil. 4:18). Our gifts of worship are not limited to financial gifts (see Heb. 13:15), but the tithes and offerings we give to God are a measure of our love and devotion to Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 15:1-9
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Inge Kraus doesn't know who she really is; she only knows that people call her by that name. She was just four years old in April, 1945, when Russian troops attacked Konigsberg, the capital of what was then East Prussia. Inge remembers a strong man lifting her onto a wagon filled with people as Soviet artillery rained down upon the city she knew as home. She survived but was separated from her family and placed in an orphanage in Germany. Inge recently attended a gathering of war exiles from her city, tearfully hoping that someone might recognize her--but to no avail.

Most of us would agree that losing touch with family and losing one's identity is tragic. But as the story of Inge Kraus illustrates, life does go on even after you have forgotten who you are and whose you are.

The same is true when it comes to worship. It's possible to carry on with all the ceremonies and symbols of worship, even after the true meaning of the outward rituals has been forgotten or ignored. The people in today's story are a picture of this lesson.

The Pharisees and legal experts who approached Jesus that day were definitely concerned about the outward trappings of worshiping God. They had burdened down the Law of Moses with so many manmade traditions that breaking one didn't cause a lot of concern.

Like tombs painted with a fresh coat of whitewash, Israel's religious leaders were for the most part men whose hearts were far from God. Even though they led the nation in worship, their efforts were in vain from God's standpoint--their words and acts of devotion were merely skin-deep.

It's not surprising, then, that these men asked the wrong question. Jesus answered with a classic example of the way these leaders betrayed the hypocrisy of their hearts (v. 3). A man could declare a sum of money as a gift to God, relieving him of his responsibility toward his parents in the eyes of the current tradition. His vow could then be nullified in a number of ways (vv. 5-6).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How can we help ensure that our worship does not deteriorate into an outward formality?

One way is to remember that we come to worship not just to keep an appointment, but to meet a Person. Keeping our eyes and hearts fixed on Jesus and making Him the focus of our worship will help keep us from being distracted by the people and things around us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 95:1-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
If you have ever been awed by the sight of a giant redwood tree, you may appreciate what it took for loggers to fell one of those trees in the days before power equipment. Lumbermen would build a working platform around the tree, about twenty feet off the ground. Then they spent up to a week sawing a massive undercut to direct the tree's fall. Transporting it to the sawmill was no small task, either. Even one half of an old-growth redwood was a trainload of wood.

As the poet Joyce Kilmer once said, only God could make a tree like the giant redwood. The Old Testament psalmists loved to point to the majesty and beauty of nature to extol the only God great enough to create such wonders. Psalm 95 is such a psalm.

The psalmist's call to worship is exuberant, and the reasons he gives justify such praise. Nature provides one of the great metaphors for God, who is the ""Rock of our salvation"" (v. 1). Just as a giant redwood suggests soaring majesty, a rock typifies the strength and stability of our great Savior.

Verse 3 also emphasizes another familiar refrain of biblical worship: the reminder that God alone deserves the place of deity. One reason the nations around Israel fashioned false gods was in an attempt to control the forces of nature. But the plagues of Egypt demonstrated once for all the impotence of idols and the sovereign rule of Israel's God.

This psalm leaves no doubt about God's ownership of the earth. It is His because He created it, and it is His because He alone sustains it. The earth is in His hands, and the mountains and the sea belong to Him.

But the writer does not leave things on the cosmic level. Since God is the Creator of everything we see, it follows that He is our Maker as well (v. 6). Therefore, He has a dual claim on our lives, for He is our Creator and our Savior.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Reading Psalm 95 together as a family would be a great preparation for your worship today.

If you have not gone to church, you might plan to read these verses with your family before you go. Here's one idea worth trying: have a family member read the psalm aloud in the car on the way to church. Then take a few minutes to discuss the truths it teaches. You'll be amazed at the difference those few minutes will make in your attitude toward worship.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Job 1:20-22; 2:7-10
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TODAY IN THE WORD
According to a spokesperson for one veterans' service organization, observances such as tomorrow's Veterans Day evoke more than memories for military veterans. These holidays also spur many veterans to seek the medals due them for their service. This fact is prompting more veterans to file claims for their unclaimed awards.

It's understandable why a veteran who paid the price in war would want to receive a hard-earned award. War is costly; it demands everything a person has. But honor awaits those who are ready to pay the costs of such service.

True worship of God is costly too. It demands everything the worshiper has. Just ask the patriarch Job. He lost everything but his life, yet he refused to let go of his devotion to the Lord. And God honored Job in an even greater way than He humbled him (Job 42:12).

Let's admit it. For most of us, worshiping God has become a pretty comfortable experience. Our churches are well appointed, cool in summer and warm in winter. Everyone is dressed up and behaving, and the order of worship is laid out for us in the bulletin.

Does that make these things wrong? Of course not. But we need to remember that the real test of our worship is not how well we sing or how closely we listen on Sunday morning. The test is how we react when the world hits on Monday morning and begins to deprive our lives of the peace, security, and joy God gives to His own.

It's often when you decide to worship God and serve Him faithfully at all costs that Satan decides to put your commitment to the test. Some aspects of Job's experience we will never fully understand this side of heaven, but Scripture tells us that God initiated the conversation concerning Job (Job 1:.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One reason worship is so costly is that it is so valuable to God. He is seeking people who know how to worship (John 4:23).

Have you experienced the cost of worship? If you have, you know the sweetness of being able to say, ""May the name of the Lord be praised"" (Job 1:21)--even when circumstances don't seem to call for praise.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:5-13
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Generations of American schoolchildren have recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of their school day. Many have also memorized and delivered famous speeches such as Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

We don't really expect second- or third-graders to understand fully the importance of the words they are saying. But that's all right, because as they grow, the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance and the suffering that gave rise to the Gettysburg Address will become clearer to them. The same thing is often true of prayer. A brand new believer may only know how to recite a prayer he or she learned in childhood--for instance, ""Now I lay me down to sleep...."" That's fine, but as that believer grows in Christ his or her prayer life should grow from mere memorization to deep understanding.

Since prayer is one of the most basic elements in our worship, we cannot do better than to echo the request of the disciple who said to Jesus, ""Lord, teach us to pray"" (Luke 11:1).

Jesus' reply to that request is the Lord's Prayer, which should really be called the Disciples' Prayer. Jesus prefaced the prayer with two crucial warnings: 1) Do not pray with pretense, to be seen and admired by others; and 2) Do not reduce prayer to a flurry of meaningless words that come from the tongue but not the heart.

In other words, prayer is neither a public show nor a magic wand we wave to have our needs met. Instead, prayer should be the heartfelt communion between a loving Father and His grateful child. No matter how many times we read it, this classic prayer never loses its power. It begins where all worship must begin, with humble acknowledgment of God's majesty and adoration of His holy name. That's what it means to ""hallow"" God's name. We set apart God's name as holy because it represents all that He is (Matt. 6:9).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The true ""Lord's Prayer"" is in John 17, when Jesus poured out His heart to God just hours before going to the cross.