“Our Father in heaven . . .”

GOD’S FATHERLY LOVE

God is a loving and compassionate Father who gives life and provides for and protects those who trust Him. Like a caring human father, God wants a close relationship with His children. Addressing God as “Our Father” plunges the person praying into a relationship. A child approaching a loving father knows that the father will give careful attention to the child’s requests and will be lovingly inclined towards the child’s best interests. The child knows the father will answer. This is how Jesus tells us to approach God — as trusting children of a patient, tender father.

“But to all who believed in him [Jesus] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn — not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:12, 13)

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.”             (1 John 3:1)

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”   (Hebrews 4:16)

During Jesus’ time, people understood God to be awesome, majestic, and far away in the unreachable heavens. Though the Old Testament uses the metaphor of fatherhood when talking of God, no one would have dreamed of addressing God as “Father” in prayer. Jesus’ use of the name “Abba” (like our “Daddy”) must have stunned His disciples. In fact, Jesus’ use of the family name was so shocking to the religious leaders of His day that eventually He was accused of blasphemy and crucified for identifying Himself as God’s Son.

Jesus taught His followers that they should address God as “Father,” and that their loving Father would care for all the needs of those who trust in Him (see Matthew 7:7-11). Then, not only did Jesus encourage that relationship of trust, but He willingly died a horrible death to purchase the right of believers in Christ to be called children of God! It’s hard to comprehend that the God who has all the power in the universe will listen to our prayers because of the actions of His Son, Jesus!

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Jesus’ disciples had seen Him pray many times. Sometimes He prayed all night and sometimes His prayers were just one sentence. But Jesus’ followers made the connection between Jesus’ intense prayer life and the power He showed in every aspect of life. They must have realized that prayer was the link. Finally, one disciple asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus gave them a deceptively simple, childlike prayer which has become known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” The prayer is recorded in Luke 11:2-4 and Matthew 6:9-13. Matthew’s version highlights 7 key parts:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
(Matthew 6:9-13) NIV

In this pattern, Jesus provided His followers with guidelines for prayer based on the attributes or characteristics of God.
The two main sections of the prayer divide with the words “your” and “our.”

1.)     The first part centers on God, putting God in His rightful place in our priorities. Only by focusing on the patient and loving Father can we find the attitude that puts our own needs in perspective.

2.)     The second part focuses on our needs — body, soul, and spirit — and the needs of others. In just 3 brief requests, Jesus targets all of human behavior and character and reminds us that we always need Him. It’s been said that if these 3 requests are prayed properly, nothing more need be said. Only in moment-by-moment dependence on God will we experience the good things God wants to provide for us.

“The Lord’s Prayer” is a dangerous, life-changing prayer. Jesus’ enemies eventually killed Him for asserting His close tie to God through addressing God as “Father.” Until Jesus gave His followers the right to be called children of God, this would have been blasphemy.

21st-century Christians may take the privilege for granted, but the prayer is still a dangerous one. We do, in one sense, “take our lives in our hands” and offer them up again and again as sacrifice to the One who gave us all in the first place, receiving all of Life in return.

So, rather than giving us a formula to repeat over and over, Jesus gave us a model prayer illustrating first of all what our relationship with God should be like (the total dependence of children on a loving Father), and also the 3 main purposes of prayer:

To declare God’s holiness.
To usher in God’s Kingdom.
To do God’s will.

7 distinct parts emphasize 7 of God’s attributes that help to place all of our needs and desires in proper perspective.

PETITION            GOD’S ATTRIBUTE        FOCUS

Our Father in heaven              God’s Love        God is a loving Father.

Hallowed be your name             God’s Holiness        God’s name is holy.

Your kingdom come          God’s Sovereignty       There is no one
above God.

Your will be done on earth      God’s Authority        God has the supreme
As it is in heaven                            Authority.

Give us today our             God’s Providence        God is the source of
daily bread                             everything we need.

Forgive us our debts, as           God’s Mercy        Forgiveness is our
We also have forgiven                              Greatest need.
Our debtors

And lead us not into          God’s Protection        Trials prove our faith &
Temptation, but deliver us                    develop our characters.
From the evil one

Starting tomorrow, we will study all 7 of those parts, one each day. And I hope you will learn to be able to pray this prayer as part of your life and understand just what it means. See ya’ tomorrow! God bless!

The Love That Never Fails

Lionel Richie and Diana Ross sang of what every young couple uniting in marriage hopes for: “Endless Love.” That just isn’t possible apart from the love Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13. All these thoughts were reinforced in verse 8 when he drew his argument to a close: “Love never fails.” Because it finds its source and life in God, real love can endure anything.
Paul made it clear that other things are temporary, incomplete, and unreliable. But not love. By the strength and grace of God, it can survive anything. Real love can survive betrayal and distrust. Real love can survive disappointment and moral failure. Real love can rise above the insults and envy of people who consider us their enemy. Real love can survive criminal trial and imprisonment.
Even when the nature of our relationships change due to unfortunate human choices, the love of God can cause us to pray and, where possible, to act in behalf of another person.
It is the love that reflects the heart of Christ and reveals the wonderful change that only He can make in a life — Real Love.

Where Can I Find Love?

If the question of your heart is, “Where can I find this real love?” Let me share with you some good news. You already are loved. In the most familiar verse in the Bible we are told: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
To those who believe, Jesus described the scope of God’s love. To His disciples Jesus said, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33).
It is only when we believe we are loved in this way that we have the security we need to take the risk of loving others.
Have you taken the first step of finding love in the Person and actions of Christ? Have you trusted Him? Have you believed the Bible when it says Christ died for your sins? That is the starting point.
Acknowledge your sin and your need of Christ, who came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). It is in Christ that we find the love of God, and it is in Him that we see what it means to live in the kind of love Paul described.
He is the One who calls us not just to a higher standard, but to let Him live His life through us.

Real Love “Hopes All Things.”

This flows out of the previous statement. If we are living with a confident trust in the words and sovereign plan of God, we will also have reason to “hope all things.” Our faith in God’s grace means we can believe that human failures aren’t final. Real love can hope because of what God can do in a person’s life.
It wouldn’t make sense to think that Paul was asking us to hope indiscriminately, any more than he could be asking us to believe without discernment. But of all people, only those who trust in the God of the Bible have a sound basis to be loving and hopeful in this present world.
The psalmist said of God, “My hope is in You” (Psalm 39:7). Paul wrote, “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5). And Peter added, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who. . . Has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
This is the power of love. It is fueled and sustained not by an ever-changing emotional or physical state, but by deep beliefs and hopes given by God to those who trust Him. Real love has a capacity to view life — and live it — with a refreshing optimism because of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Real Love “Endures All Things.”

Paul concluded his description of love where it began in verse 4: “Love suffers long.” The difference between that first usage and this one is found in the words Paul chose to describe this wonderful element of real love. With the insight that the secret of real love lies in right believes and hopes, Paul has given us a basis for saying love “endures all things.”
In verse 4, the Greek word focused on “suffering long” in the face of mistreatment at the hands of other people without becoming resentful. Here, the emphasis is on how we respond to life in general. Love doesn’t give up. It doesn’t quit. It doesn’t walk away. It perseveres in the face of pain, knowing that the goal is worth it.

We’ll conclude this look at “Real Love” tomorrow.

Real Love “Bears All Things.”
The word bears comes form a Greek word that means “roof.” The picture is great in its simplicity. Love covers and protects like a roof covers a house and protects it from storms. Love continues to work for the good of others regardless of the circumstances. Love bears the storms of disappointment, the rains of failure, and the winds of time and circumstance. Love shields from the extremes of cold winters and hot summers. Love provides a place of shelter that can withstand the worst situations imaginable.
Love does not insulate others from the harsh realities of living in a broken world. Neither can it protect others from the consequences of their own choices. But love does give broken, hurting people a place to find someone who cares for their well-being. Love gives even unrepentant people an advocate and an intercession who prays fore their ultimate well-being. Love offers the worst sinners a place to bring their repentant hearts.
“Bearing all things” does not mean that love passively accepts sin in the way that a doormat takes the feet of its users. It means that love never stops caring and never stops offering a place of forgiveness. Love doesn’t get to the point where it begins hating, despising, or condemning another. Love cares enough to keep praying, to patiently endure the sins of others, to confront when necessary, and to forgive.
This is where the image of a roof is limited. Such unconditional love is not a passive protector, but a dynamic love that responds in ways appropriate to the choices of the other person. While love’s character never changes, its strategies and tactics constantly adapt to seek the well-being of the other person “in all things.”

Real Love “Believes All Things.”
At first glance, this next characteristic of love might leave the impression that those who care about others must become gullible or naive. That was not Paul’s point. Neither was he saying that love always gives others the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes a loving friend must be disbelieving in order to get to the heart of the matter.
Here Paul celebrates the foundational relationship between faith and love. 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that real love is fueled by our faith in God. Real love grows and is sustained by faith as we believe “all things” God tells us about Himself, about ourselves, and about one another. If we doubt what God says about His love for us, we will lose a strong motivation for loving one another. If we doubt God’s assurance that He is patient and kind to us, we will not show patience and kindness with each other. If we doubt that God is able to provide for our needs, we will not be inclined toward generosity.
The truth that “love believes all things” is central to our understanding of Christ-like love. Real love is rooted and grounded in faith. Faith, in turn, is rooted and grounded in what God has said in His Word. Unless we continue to “believe all things” God has said, our love will not survive the disappointments, rejections, and insults of life. Unless we b yield our love firmly on the Word of god, love will throw in the towel. Only by faith in God can love remain strong.
We will look at the last 2 descriptions of real love tomorrow.

Real Love “Does Not Rejoice in Iniquity.”
Paul says in summary, “Love does not find delight in anything God says is wrong.” Neither does love take secret satisfaction in the moral failures of others. Love does not pass along a “juicy morsel” of someone else’s failure simply because it tastes good. Love doesn’t gossip to appear knowledgeable, or to feel better about itself by publishing news of someone else’s shame.
Real love does care about the long-term damages of sin, however. When love compels us to expose sin, it must only be for the good of others, any other reason cannot claim motivation by love.
Real love knows that the evil planted in thoughtless moments of pleasure will harvest a profound consciousness of regret. Love knows that sins planted as seeds of foolishness will one day produce the bitter fruit of separation, isolation, and loneliness. Real love cannot rejoice in sin because it cares not only about today but also about tomorrow. Love can’t treat evil as an option without consequences.

Real Love “Rejoices in the Truth.”
Paul has just said that love does not rejoice in iniquity. Now we read what love does rejoice with — the truth. Why did he say “truth”? Why didn’t he say, “Love rejoices with righteousness”?
One reason for Paul’s choice of words is probably the inherent relationship between righteousness and truth. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul spoke of those who will be judged because they “did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:12).
Paul’s words to the Thessalonians give us a clue why he said “love rejoices with the truth.” He wants us to think about the profound relationship between what we believe and what we do. On one hand, what we believe determines what we do. On the other hand, what we want to do determines what we are willing to believe. This is why the Bible puts such an emphasis on right beliefs. Good doctrine is right thinking about God, ourselves, and others. Right thinking, in turn, allows us to truly and deeply love one another.
Unrighteousness denies the truth. Wrong behavior is rooted in miss belief about reality. Immorality is rooted in a process of self-deception that says, “I know better than God how to further my own interests and the interests of others.”
Paul had good reason for saying that love “does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.” The opposite of iniquity is not only righteousness, it is truth. It is believing the truth about God and others and ourselves that can enable us to enjoy life the way it is meant to be. We learn to love each other in grace and truth rather than loving the discovery of their faults. Putting away our self-destructive misbeliefs can enable us to rejoice when we find moral courage, integrity, patience, and faithfulness wherever we find it. That is real love.
On this foundation of righteousness and truth, Paul prepares to put the finishing touches on his portrait of love. We’ll continue tomorrow.

Real Love “Is Not Provoked.”
The next word Paul uses in his definition of real love describes a heart not easily driven to irritation. In other words, real love does not have a short fuse. It is not touchy or irritable. This is the flip side of the first characteristic of love — a negative way of saying that love suffers for a long time.
How easily we forget this vital quality of real love. After years of mutual disappointment, husbands and wives become easily provoked with each other. Exasperated parents shout unkind words at their children. Workers show a quick temper when an employer or fellow worker fails to give basic consideration.
Why doe we get provoked? Sometimes we simmer and boil inside because we want what we want, when we want it — and nothing can convince us that we shouldn’t have it. Sometimes our temper provides evidence of our own selfishness.
There is, however, another side to the picture. While love is not easily provoked for selfish reasons, there is a time to be emotionally upset and agitated. In Acts 17:16 we read: “While Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.” In this instance, Paul’s provocation was warranted but it was loving. As he waited, he did a slow burn. The more he saw and thought about the idolatry of the city, the more concerned and upset he became in behalf of those who were being hurt and misled by false religion.
Jesus also was deeply provoked when he turned over the tables of the temple money-changers. He loved enough to be angered by the commercialism disrupting the Court of the Gentiles in His Father’s House of Prayer. He cared for those who had lost a quiet place to pray (Matthew 21: 12-13).
Jesus was not expressing the kind of sensitivity and irritability that signals a lack of love. When circumstances provoked Him, He thoughtfully and lovingly took action against the practices hurting the people He loved.
Paul’s experience in Athens and Jesus’ actions in the temple remind us that there is a time to be angry. But this anger must be expressed in love and without sin (Ephesians 4:26).

Real Love “Thinks No Evil.”

Paul is not writing in the spirit of the 3 monkeys who “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.” The Greek word translated “thinks no evil” is an accounting term. It means “to count up, to take account of as in a ledger or notebook.” The “evils” referred to are the wrongs or hurts received at the hands of others. A love that “thinks no evil” won’t keep records of unkindness with the intent of getting even. Real love will not hold bitter grudges or allow longstanding resentments against others.
When we keep track of wrongs with the intent of making others pay, we ourselves may end up paying more than we can afford. “Keeping score” with an opponent is great for sports, but it doesn’t belong in the work of love. Real love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, because it finds its security in the presence and provision of God. We don’t need to keep a record of wrongs when we know that God Himself is in control of the outcome. He is looking after our needs.
The next 2 descriptions of Real Love comes tomorrow.

Real Love “Does Not Behave Rudely.”

The only other New Testament occurrence of this expression is found in 1 Corinthians 7:36, which describes the relationship between an unmarried couple. Various translations render it as “not behaving unseemly, unbecomingly, rudely, unmannerly, or indecently.” While emphasizing the highest priority of devotion to God, Paul went on to say that if a man and a woman found themselves faced with sexual temptation, they should marry rather than “behave improperly.”
How does “behaving improperly” relate to the principle of real love referred to in 1 Corinthians 13? It reminds us that the honorable nature of real love will never make inappropriate demands of others. Real love will never prompt an unmarried person to say, “If you love me, you’ll prove it by giving yourself to me.” Those who love will never ask others to prove their loyalty by lying, cheating, or stealing for them.
Real love does not use a friendship to pressure anyone to do something contrary to the principles of their conscience or faith, or the moral principles of God. The worst acts of sexual indulgence, the most hideous acts of cover-up, the most depraved secrets of family, gang, group, or friendship have been held under the misused name of love. Real love is never a tool of coercion.

Real Love “Does Not Seek It’s Own.”

This is a favorite expression of Paul to describe selflessness. It speaks of the person whose focus is outward. In Philippians 2, Paul expressed the principle of real love this way: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in low-liness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (vs. 3-4).
Paul’s great passion for those who have taken the name of Christ is that they be unified, of one mind. Yet this oneness will never be  a reality in a church, a marriage, or any other relationship until we look out for the interests of others with as much care and effort as we look out for our own. Paul even said that real love puts the needs of others ahead of our own.
This self-sacrifice flies in the face of our human nature, yet it expresses the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). He humbled Himself to leave His Heavenly Father, to live in the limitations of a physical body, to walk  the earth in poverty, to be a servant to people who would reject Him, to wash the feet of disciples who would betray & abandon Him, to die on the cross for the sins of people who did not deserve Him. Jesus’ entire life was an example of putting others ahead of self.

Tomorrow we will have the next 2 descriptions of real love.

Real Love “Does Not Parade Itself.”

Self-improvement books tell us that to get ahead we need to assume the look of success, blowout own horn, and play up our own talents. But real love does not brag about its accomplishments. It is not given to self-display. This concept finds ancient roots in the Bible. Pride was the first of all sins committed by Satan himself when he said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). King Solomon said it well when he wrote, “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth” (Proverbs 27:2). Simply put, real love does not push itself into the spotlight.
This fourth description of love is the other side of the coin from a love that is not envious or jealous. Jealousy wants what someone else has; bragging tries to make others jealous of what we have. Jealousy puts others down; bragging builds ourselves up. Real love, however, not only applauds the successes of another, but it knows how to handle its own wins with grace and humility.

Real Love “Is Not Puffed Up.”

The Greek word Paul uses here means “to puff oneself out like a bellows.” In describing what real love is not, he chose a term he used earlier when he encouraged the loveless Christians in Corinth not to “be puffed up on behalf of one another against the other” (1 Corinthians 4:6).
In that earlier passage, Paul described the Corinthians as being so full of themselves that they had no room to feel the pain of others. Now, here in chapter 13, he used the same word picture to show that the arrogance that makes us unwilling to receive the help of others also makes us insensitive to those who need us.
Puffed-up people, full of themselves with an exaggerated sense of their own importance, assume that their happiness, opinions, and feelings are the only ones that matter. Puffed-up people find it easy to dismiss the needs and feelings of others.
One place we might look to see if we have a puffed-up sense of our own importance is in our prayers. Do we pray only for ourselves and our own interests, or do we also pray for the concerns of others?
The New Testament’s view of real love does not teach us to neglect our own needs. It simply instructs us to remember that our interests are not more important than the interests of others.
The next 2 descriptions of love will come tomorrow.

Real Love “Is Kind.”

According to Greek scholar A.T. Robertson, the Greek word translated “kind” can also mean “useful or gracious.” If we keep in mind that the purpose of real love is to seek the welfare of the one loved, then we see why real love must not only be patient but also gracious.
Kindness, not harshness, is more apt to encourage good in another person. Just as Proverbs says that “a soft answer turns away wrath” (15:1), so love that is practical and useful brings out the best in the one loved.
Being gentle and “full of grace” is a Christlike quality (John 1:14). Look at the way Jesus described Himself to those in need of help: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).
That is a description of the strongest and most loving Person the world has ever known — strong enough to create the universe and wise enough to stand against the hypocrisy and self-centeredness of the most powerful people of His day. Yet, He did so while being full of both truth and grace.
Jesus reminds us that while love calls for truth, truth expressed without kindness is not loving. He reminds us that while love calls for patience, patience without kindness is not loving either.

Real Love “Does Not Envy.”

Continuing his description of love, Paul said that real love does not resent the blessings, successes, or well-being of another. Love does not say, “If I can’t have what I want, I don’t want you to have it either.” Instead, real love says, I can be happy for you, even if I never achieve the accomplishments, recognition, or comforts you are enjoying. While I might wish myself more, I could not wish you less.”
This “no envy” nature of real love is perhaps its most frequently encountered aspect. How many times have we seen other people prosper while we struggle to get by? Even Jesus’ own disciples argued among themselves over who should have the most significant places of honor.
The Scriptures don’t say that we should be able to lose a job without disappointment or a relationship without pain. Paul doesn’t say that if we have love we won’t have feelings of personal loss or sadness. But he does say that if we have real love we will not envy. Our own pain will not be an excuse to feel ill will for those who appear to be getting a better break than we are.
How can we love with such grace? Only with the enablement of the Spirit of Christ. The secret of goodwill in disappointment is a deep confidence in a provider God who is also our Shepherd and Father. Disappointments will come. Unfair circumstances will test our faith as well as our love. Yet, we can be disappointed for ourselves and still show love to others — if we have learned to trust in God.