Thought for August 9

 History:

  • 1173: Construction begins on Tower of Pisa
  • 1378: French bishops declare Pope Urban's election invalid due to pressure from Italian mobs. Results in Schism where 2 and then three claimed to be pope.
  • 1483: Opening of the Sistine Chapel
  • 1854: Thoreau published "Walden"
  • 1898: Rudolph Diesel receives patent for his engine
  • 1930: 113 degrees at Perryville TN
  • 1945: Nagasaki bombed
  • 1971: Satchel Paige inducted into baseball HOF
  • 1974: Nixon resigns
  • 1975: First NFL game in the Superdome
  • 2016: Michael Phelps wins his 20th Olympic Gold
  • Born: Harry Mills [Mills Brothers], Ernest Angley, Bob Cousy, Rod Laver, Chris Haney [invented Trivial Pursuit], Doug Williams [NFL], Melanie Griffith, Michael Kors, Whitney Houston, Hoda Kotb, Deion Sanders, Chris Cuomo, Chamique Holdsclaw, Anna Kendrick,  
  • Died: Trajan, Hugo Boss, Abigail Folger [Folgers Coffee, killed by the Mansons], Sharon Tate, Jerry Garcia, Gregory Hines, Bernie Mac, Michael Brown [killed by policeman in Ferguson MO], Frank Gifford, 
Thought:
Yesterday we considered the first three petitions in the Model Prayer. Today, let's look at the final four petitions. Each of these are please that are personal for each of us.
  • Give us our daily bread. Notice, this means I need to pray daily for all I ask is bread for today. Tomorrow I am again a beggar asking for bread for today. Makes us think of the manna in the wilderness and reminds us of our total dependence on the Lord. Calls to mind the story of the wealthy farmer who planned to build more barns to hold all his stuff--but today his soul is required of him. This also means I recognize that what I have is a gift from God, not something I earned or deserve. I have nothing to repay His goodness, grace and mercy, His provision and protection. And the prayer is to give "us" our daily bread--I pray not just for my provision but for God's blessings and provisions for others. And what I beg for is the bread of Heaven--Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life--that which sustains and nourishes. So I seek first the bread of heaven and then God adds all the other things I need.
  • Forgive us our past. Forgive my sins for they have created a debt--a payment must be made for my sin, missing the mark. My goal was to be just like Jesus, but I failed again. Forgive me missing the standard. Forgive my trespasses--stepping out of bounds, going over the line, In sports, when you step out of bounds there is a violation with consequences--the play is over, or the ball goes to the other team, or the tennis shot loses the point. And then the problem--forgive me as I have forgiven [past tense] others. Luke says we pray to be forgiven as we have forgiven everyone who has sinned against us. So we forgive everyone. And we forgive in the same manner that Christ forgives us--completely and forgotten--as far as east is from west and remembered no more. Reminds us of the man who the king forgave for an unpayable debt--he leaves the king and immediately jails a man who owes him much less. Recall that the king heard about this and called the man back and placed him in jail until he paid every cent. 
  • Lead us to our future. Lord, help me avoid temptation, correct me, discipline me. Help me affirm James 1:2--trials that test my faith are all joy because they refine me. Thank You Lord for always providing a way of escape from every temptation [1 Corinthians 10:13]. Forgive me when I do not take the way of escape You provide. 
  • Deliver us from evil. Today in the spirit we have power over sin, one day we will be removed from the presence of sin. Here I pray like Psalm 23--Lord I am comforted by Your presence and power even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Today, let's make these our petitions to the God who loves us and gave His Son for us. 
Blessings
Larry

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