In Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray. Jesus’ reply is what we now call the Lord’s Prayer. It is recorded in both Luke 11 and Matthew 6.

In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus says, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us what we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

We can never go wrong praying the Lord’s prayer. We obviously can pray in other ways, as well.

I learned a memory device that I sometimes use to help me structure my prayers. It is the acronym ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication-“humble request’) which we can use like this;

Dear Lord, we are in awe of your power to create all that we know, and the love you have for us. We are sorry that we cannot meet the standard of perfection that you created for us and we routinely do wrong to ourselves and each other. Thank you for your forgiveness and the peace of knowing that Jesus’ sacrifice has made us perfect. Give us the things we need to live the abundant lives you promise for us and bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

20 years ago today, September 11 2001, the USA was attacked by by people influenced by evil.

On many occasions in the Old Testament, the people of Israel were attacked by surrounding enemies, and some of those occasions were predicted by prophets God sent to try to steer the people back to Him.

We don’t know why God allowed the events of September 11 to occur, but we do know how he would have us respond.

Psalm 50:15 says, “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

Dear Lord, Help us come to you for help when these tragedies and evil occur. You are have power over all things. Be with those who mourn the loss of loved ones during this event and the subsequent conflicts, and help us take these things as lessons to put our hope, trust, and reverence on You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I am a pilot, and one of the things pilots learn in training, and practice routinely, is handling emergencies. For instance, what do you do if the engine fails, what if there is a fire, what if the landing gear do not extend or retract, and so on. In training, we all learn that the first thing to do in an emergency is, “Fly the Airplane.” You might think, that no pilot has to be taught this because it is so obvious. What happens, however, is pilots can get so wrapped up in solving the problem that they forget the most important thing, flying the airplane. When they put too much attention on problem solving, and not enough on flying the plane they can create an even bigger problem while trying to solve what might be a simple problem.

Our Christian life can be somewhat similar. How so? The first thing we must remember is to love God above all else. When we love God, we strive to do his will, which results in us making good decisions in our lives, and prevents us from making a small issue a much bigger problem.

When asked “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus says in Matthew 22:37, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

Dear Lord, you are the solution we need in our day to day activities, or in our emergencies. Help us remember the first and most important thing to love you. When we do you will help us through all our challenges. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Is there someone and someplace that just makes you happy even thinking about. For example, walking on the beach with your spouse, playing games around the table with your children, playing with your grandchildren, spending time with your friends, or even playing with your dog or cat. Just being around them brings you a feeling of joy.

In a similar way, Psalm 16:11 says about God, “… in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” When we can truly experience God’s presence in our lives, we can feel the peace and joy that He promises. In order to get closer to God’s presence, we do like James writes in 4:8 “Draw closer to God and he will draw closer to you.”

Dear Lord help us do those things that draw us closer to you, reading your word and putting it into practice, that we may experience the fullness of joy you promise. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Ephesians 4:24, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy”

What comes to mind when you think about what it is to be “like God?” Is it the perfectly behaving, boring, judgmental, Christian character from some TV situation comedy?

Actually the stories of Jesus, who is our model of God as human, show that he was nothing like that stereotype. He was humble, controversial, and intelligent but primarily the distinguishing characteristic is his love; Love for all types of people, including the outcasts, lepers, and immoral in society of his time.

In contrast to the stereotype, the actual picture we should have in our minds of being “like God” is that of one who humbly loves all, especially those who seem most “un-lovable.” One who searches out those who need God’s love most.

1 John 4:16 says, “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

Dear Lord, Help us remember that he objective is not to make ourselves perfect for our own benefit, it is to be like you and share your love with those we can. When we do, we are becoming part of your love in the world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.