God's kingdom priority

Please pray that today, Tuesday July 22, that hundreds of students will register to be part of this year’s outreach. It is the last opportunity for anyone to register to be part of the back2school outreach. Pass the word, and please pray.

Just ten days away is August 2 when we hope to serve a couple thousand students. This really is one of my favorite times of the year.

Let us learn how to pray. One of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. And that is when what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer” became a reality, and this prayer is a guide that we can use and learn from.

Simple request from one disciple led to a profound answer from Jesus that takes us to new places with the Father.

Matthew 6:9-13 NASB

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Focus on verse 10. This reality is something we can live for every day. What does it mean to ask God for His kingdom to come? What does it mean to seek His kingdom?

Jesus talked a lot about the kingdom and how it changes our perspective. It actually changes what we live for as well as what we look for in life. Our goals and lives are transformed as the kingdom of God becomes our priority.

The Lord’s Prayer tells us to make the kingdom an exclusive priority in our lives. His will is important. Jesus proved that with His prayer in the garden before His arrest. Much what Jesus taught points to the need to do what the Father says to do or to follow His will for life.

Jesus teaches us to pray, and in this e-devotion there are two parts to continue to change our lives. Make His kingdom and His will your goal each and every day.

That makes our prayer lives even more powerful.

Luke 12:31 NLT

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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