(13th article in the Discipleship Series)
Instructional:
This is the 3rd session of our 6 part Advanced Discipleship Training Regimen. Through these sessions we are establishing a ROUTINE for remaining (mentally) in the Kingdom of God each day. This is also called “Walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
This is the 3rd session of our 6 part Advanced Discipleship Training Regimen. Through these sessions we are establishing a ROUTINE for remaining (mentally) in the Kingdom of God each day. This is also called “Walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
The daily routine is to:
1. Pray (in the morning).
2. Study (in the morning).
3. Meditate on scripture (throughout your day).
4. Read Bible (15 minutes in the evening).
These sessions will MIMIC this routine.
1. We will pray a portion of the the Lord’s Prayer.
2. We will Study that portion of the prayer.
3. I will provide scripture references you can meditate on throughout the week.
4. I will ask you to read the Bible in the evening for 15 minutes.
The portion of the Lord’s prayer we are praying in this session is:
 |
| Click on graphic to enlarge image |
Let’s get started.
PRAYER: Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).
STUDY: The focus of our study will be on how God meets our NEEDS.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us:
1. Not to worry about our needs.
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.Matthew 6:25
2. Jesus promises that God will meet our needs.
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?Matthew 6:26
3. Jesus promises that God will meet your needs WHEN we seek His kingdom first.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Matthew 6:33
What does it mean to seek the Kingdom of God first? It means to seek His righteousness.
What is the righteousness of God? It’s the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23)
So in Matthew 6:33, Jesus is saying that if you make putting on the internal qualities of His Spirit your TOP PRIORITY, God will meet all your NEEDS.
But that ISN’T what most of us do!
Most of us get up every morning and go to work for the purpose of securing our own needs.
Putting on the internal qualities of God’s Spirit takes second priority— you know, if we have time. As a result we create worry. We worry about making enough money to meet our needs.
If only we would take seriously Jesus’ words, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”, we wouldn’t have to worry at all!
These two opposing methods for meeting our needs are referred to as: NEEDS MOTIVATION or PURPOSE MOTIVATION.
What is your motivation in life?
Is it to secure enough money to meet your needs (needs motivation)? Or is it to pursue the righteousness of God and allow Him to meet your needs (purpose motivation)?
The Lord’s Prayer
This session’s prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread”, simply reaffirms our commitment to letting God fulfill our needs as we focus on the priority of putting on His righteousness. Through this prayer we are saying, “God, YOU give us our daily bread because we are busy about YOUR business.”
A lot of trust is required to live a life motivated by God’s purpose. What do we have to do to build that trust?
Note: The way we actually put on the righteousness of God was discussed in a previous study, Advanced Discipleship Training: Letting God Do the Work. In this study we discussed the Substitutionary Life of Christ.
How to Build Trust in God
Trust can only be developed when we learn to REST in God.
Resting means that we give our fears and worries to God. We trust Him to do what needs to be done in order to “fix” it. Sometimes that fixing is in US, sometimes it’s in the CIRCUMSTANCES that surround us. Either way God says, “Trust me. Let me do the work!” This concept is reflected in the following scripture:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you REST. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."Matthew 11:28-30
Did you see the promise? Jesus (Christ) said that He will “give you rest”. The only way anyone can give you rest is if they are willing to do the work FOR you. And that’s what Jesus is saying. He’s saying, “Just give it to me (your worries and fears) and I will take care of it.” He’s saying TRUST me.
We trust God when we learn to rest in Him. But how is rest developed?
Rest is developed when we MEDITATE on the promises of God in the Bible. Meditation is not memorizing scripture. Meditation is ruminating scripture, like a cow chewing it’s cud. It’s rolling scripture over and over again in your mind. Gradually your mind begins to believe what it hears. That’s because God gets involved and speaks to your mind reassuring you that He will take care of it.
MEDITATE: Here are a few scriptures that will help you rest in God.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.Psalm 23:1-3
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."Psalm 91:1-2
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.Psalm 147:10-11
You will keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you.Isaiah 26:3
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.Psalm 55:22
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.Psalm 18:2
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.John 15:5
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.Nahum 1:7
Choose 2 verses to put on card stock. Refer to them throughout your day.
Make and carry the Fruit of the Spirit Cards (link). Refer to them throughout your day.
Continue to build your trust in God by resting in the Psalms. Here are a few of my favorites:
Make and carry the Fruit of the Spirit Cards (link). Refer to them throughout your day.
 |
| See link above |
Resting: When you are fearful
Meditate on Psalm 27
Resting: When you have sinned
Meditate on Psalm 51
Resting: When you feel betrayed
Meditate on Psalm 55
Resting: When you need confidence
Meditate Psalm 91
For more on meditation see my article, The Purpose of Meditation.
READ BIBLE: At the end of each day, read for 15 minutes in the Chronological Bible. The reading schedule is provided here (link). You can start any where, any time.
Conclusion
God meets our needs when we put His kingdom first. Jesus told us that the Kingdom of God is inside us (Luke 17:20-22). Putting God’s Kingdom first means that He wants us to express His righteousness through the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
When we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, we are reaffirming that if we focus on bringing heaven to earth in us (Matthew 6:10), God will make sure that all of our needs are met.
When we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, we are reaffirming that if we focus on bringing heaven to earth in us (Matthew 6:10), God will make sure that all of our needs are met.
Next session I’ll discuss the 4th portion of the Lord’s Prayer— And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.