Temptation and Evil

"Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil."

Years ago, when I was co-teaching a book study class at my church, there was a class member who resented this phrase of the Lord's Prayer. "Why would we ever need to ask God to not lead us into temptation - God would not lead us into temptation." She had a point - I don't believe God would lead us into temptation. God doesn't need to do that; temptation is all around us.

We say things like, "I couldn't help myself," when we give into temptation. While there are no absolutes, do you believe that most of the time that either isn't true or we fail to allow God to help us? How is it that we fall into temptation?

First, I think often we do it little by little. We commit some small, inconsequential sin. And then the next one is bigger, and the one after that is bigger, still. It's like the story of the frog placed in a pot of room temperature water as someone slowly heats it up - little by little the temperature rises, and the frog doesn't notice. 

Also, I think we are experts at rationalization. We take something because we think, "They owe me that." We say a harsh word to someone, and think, "She deserved that because of what she did to me." We try to turn our sin into something defensible.

So what is the truth? Jesus is the truth. He came to save us from ourselves. God offers grace to save us from our sin. We pray, "deliver us from evil," because the battle against temptation is continuous, and God has saved us - will save us - is saving us.

Forgive us our debts

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors"

In Ortberg's book, this chapter is based on the Matthew parable of the servant who owes a great deal of money to the king, who is forgiven, and who then will not forgive the man who owes him a pittance compared to what has been forgiven of him.

One talent (according to Bible Gateway) is equal to 15 years worth of a laborer's salary; therefore, 10,000 talents equals 150,000 years of work. A better way to look at it is "more money than the an average person could even dream of having." It could be equal to the king's country's entire net worth. A question arose last night: who in his right mind would LEND this much money to a servant?

It's a question I had never thought of before. What does it tell us about God? It brought to my mind the father in the Prodigal Son story. What kind of father would give his son 1/3 of his property only because he demanded it? And when he probably fully expected the son to waste it? What does that tell us about the nature of God?

God is generous beyond our imagining. 

And then - and THEN - the king forgives the debt. What kind of king forgives a debt equal to the value of his whole country? And then, the father welcomes the son back, without even a word of apology from him. What does this tell us about God? 

God offers grace beyond our imagining.

That, I think, it the story. Our generous God offers us tremendous and unimaginable grace. How do we respond? Do we do our best to offer forgiveness to someone else? Or do we say, "I can never forgive him."?

How do we respond to a God like ours?

Give us Today our Daily Bread

"Give us today our daily bread."

I love bread. I'm watching what I eat now, so I eat less of it, but I still eat bread.  I can't imagine what meals would be like without bread. Because I'm eating less of it, it tastes better. It means more. I enjoy it more.

I think when I pray "give us today our daily bread," I'm not talking about actual bread. I praying that God will provide what I need - what we need - for life. Just as bread seems to be part of the heart of my meals, the bread of life is what enriches and defines life itself.

What is our daily bread? God's presence, the love of friends and family, purpose, good health, strength, self-worth. These are what create life. Give us all today our daily bread.

And notice the word US. What can we do to provide others with their daily bread? Maybe it is actual bread. Maybe it is compassion or grace. Maybe it is respect. Maybe it is being the face of Jesus, just for today, for that person.

Give us all today our daily bread.

The Kingdom is near

Covered Bridge in Philippi, West Virginia

Our Sunday evening Bible Study is reading a book by John Ortberg with Kevin and Sherry Marney called Praying with Power. It's a chapter by chapter look at the prayer Jesus taught his disciples - the prayer we use as well and call The Lord's Prayer. I like the book because I think so often we rush through the prayer, not listening or thinking about the words we are saying.

"Thy Kingdom come; thy will be done."

One of my very favorite books about faith is Leslie Weatherhead's book, The Will of God.  You can read about it in this post.  In it, he says about that God's ultimate will is, God's final realization of his purposes" -- God will not be defeated, and his ultimate will for us -- redemption and reunification with God -- will happen. No circumstance can defeat his ultimate will."

I think that's what God's will is - and when we pray for God's will to be done, that's what we mean.

Ortberg says, "We can barely understand what this earth would look like if God's kingdom were to really break into human history.  It boggles the mind...Imagine everything God desires to happen actually happening - the time, place and reality when all he desires is what we experience.  That's God's kingdom"

I think we often feel pretty distant from that experience. We look around the world - we look at our lives - and we don't see God's kingdom.  But Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is near." Jesus' action 2000 years ago didn't just save me; his actions redeemed the entire world.  The kingdom of God is near.  Right here. Right now.

What can we do to see it? What can we do to help others to see it?