Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Revelations 7:11-12 They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"

Devotional

God wants things on earth to be as they are in heaven. In heaven, worship is always surrounding the throne of God. True worship will require a commitment of time. Time spent with just you seeking after God. Could you spend an entire day or night diligently seeking God? Worship is more than just singing a song it becomes a life style. All that you do and all that you say is to glorify God. Get before God and declare that he is the Lord of your life, and that you are nothing without him. When you find yourself face to face with God, in this place of glory, you will realize that to be in the presence of God is a wonderful place to be. All of the cares of this life become unimportant and disappear in the beauty of our Lord. The only thing that matters is expressing love to the Lord. Commit to find this place of deep intimacy with God, hunger and thirst for it. Tell Him that you want to find this place of true worship. Remember this deep intimacy with the Lord will require a sacrifice of time and total surrender to Him.

Sin & Death: Sin for God's Glory?

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2)

We join this letter immediately after the writer — Paul — has made an earth-shattering statement: "Where sin increased, grace increased all the more." Astounding! God's grace is so enormous, so elastic, that it wraps all the way around our sin like an unbreakable balloon. The more we sin, the bigger God's grace gets to cover our sin (through faith in Jesus' death in our place on the cross).

You can never, ever sin so much God's grace isn't big enough to cover your sin. What a great God! The more we sin, the more impressive His forgiveness looks. So let's make Him look really impressive by collecting sins like they were Facebook friends, right?

Paul answers that. Depending on your translation, he says: "No!" "By no means!" "God forbid." "May it never be!" "Certainly not!" Why? Because God's impressive grace doesn't stop at covering your giant pile of sin; it also flipped off the shock collar that kept you from breaking free of sin in the first place. (More on that idea tomorrow.)

Think: Is it a weird idea that God's grace is limitless -- that we can never out-sin His ability to forgive? Or is it so normal an idea that we take it for granted?

Pray: Thank God for His impossibly impressive grace and forgiveness for your sin (if you've trusted in Jesus' death in your place on the cross).

Do: To get a clearer picture, read Romans 5.

Kilts are not native to Scotland. They originated in France.

Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

~ Charles Dickens

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

~ Albert Einstein

Money Matters: Enough Trouble

1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

Jesus' final word in this passage on the issue of money and worry and worrying about money is refreshingly realistic. He has been telling us, "Don't worry; your Father cares for you." But He has NOT been saying, "Since your Father cares about you, you'll never have a day of trouble in your life."

In today's verse, He practically promises that you and I will have trouble "tomorrow." Trouble comes built in to every day on this side of heaven. It's a fact of life in a fallen world. People who make a goal of not having any trouble will spend their lives feeling sad, angry, frustrated — and worried.

Instead, Jesus says, "Trust your Father to take care of you today and leave tomorrow to itself." Does that mean we don't make plans or preparations for tomorrow or next month or next year? Of course we do. But Jesus tells us not to invest the emotional energy in worrying about how those plans and preparations will turn out. Always worrying about the next day leads to a life of endless worry. Focusing on today — and how God provides in it — leads to a life of endless gratitude.

Think: Are you surprised Jesus would admit that trouble comes built into this life? Do you expect there to be trouble or are you surprised when things don't go according to your plans?

Pray: Ask God for the courage and self-control not to worry about tomorrow. Thank Him for how He has provided for you today.

Do: Make a quick list of ways that God has provided for you today.

POTENT QUOTABLE S

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

~ Robert Frost

It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself.

~ Thomas Paine

Rejectin God: Not Hiding

1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." (Romans 1:18-19)

In Romans 1:18-32, Paul describes why God gets so angry with human society. The idea of suffering "the wrath of God" should terrify us. Better to be ignored by God than to become the focal point of His perfectly reasonable anger. Paul shows how human culture falls, step by step, into chaos and destruction.

It all starts with the one powerful lie: There is no God. Or better: The God of the Bible is not really God. If there is a God, He is different -- less powerful, less good, less holy, less interested in us, not so serious about sin. We eliminate God by changing what we mean by the name "God."

To believe that lie is a choice -- and a stupid one. Why? Because God is not hiding, Paul writes. He made Himself plain to everyone. He's available for examination. To disbelieve Him requires a strategy to hide from Truth.

Think: Do you think God's anger against sinful humans is justified? How has He made Himself plain to us?

Pray: Ask God to give you wisdom and insight into Romans 1 as we study it this week.

Do: Make a list: Write down ways in which God makes Himself plain to people. Ask for help if you have trouble getting started.

2. FORGETTABLE FACT
99% of people cannot lick their elbow.

3. POTENT QUOTABLES
Often it is the most deserving people who cannot help loving those who destroy them.
~ Hermanne Hesse

The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference.
~ Elie Wiesel

4. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?

What bird can lift the most?

A crane.

1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

"A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly." (Proverbs 12:23)

I'll admit; I've done it. Maybe you have, too. Propelled by insecurity -- afraid the smart people around me wouldn't know I was smart, too -- I've brought up topics in conversation just so I could show off how much I knew about them.

I've even spewed every last fact in my head about things I didn't really know that much about -- sometimes making up details and delivering them with fake confidence. I was foolish.

Sometimes fools, looking to feel significant or just unable to stop the words from spilling out, even reveal information that could expose them or others to genuine danger. (Think passwords, troop movements, a good friend's secrets.)

A wise person asks: "Who am I helping besides myself by what I'm about to say?" If the answer is, "Nobody," the wise person leaves that bit of knowledge left unsaid. If I only speak to serve myself, I'll just make it obvious more quickly what a fool I really am.

Do: Be honest with yourself: How often do you blurt knowledge just to build yourself up in the eyes of others? What do you think when you realize other people are doing that with you?

Pray: Ask God to help you to be prudent and not share knowledge foolishly.

Do: Listen this week for foolish talkers blurting out follly and try to catch some wise friends not sharing all they know.

FORGETTABLE FACT
Until the year 1920, Canada was planning on invading the United States.

POTENT QUOTABLES

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.
~ G.K. Chesterton

For the rain it raineth every day.
~ William Shakespeare

What do you get if you cross a chicken with a cement mixer?
A brick layer!

1. Something For Your Heart

"They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.' " (Acts 1:10-11)

You almost feel bad for the disciples. They're always playing catch-up to whatever Jesus is talking about or doing, right up to the very end. He tells them not to leave Jerusalem. He says the Holy Spirit will come on them and give them power. He says they will be His witnesses everywhere.

Then He flies up into a cloud! Then some angels show up and say, "Why are you looking at that cloud?" Because Jesus just disappeared into it, that's why!

But Jesus knew they needed more answers: So He sent these two angels to fill in the gaps. To let them know He was gone to heaven. And to let them know He's coming back in the same way someday. To let them know the story isn't over, yet.

What now? Use the power of the Holy Spirit to be Jesus' witness in this world. And keep watching the sky, getting prepared, waiting for Him to come back and make everything right once and for all.

Think: Do you have an expectation that Jesus could come back "in the same way" at any moment? If you did, how would that change the way you live today?

Pray: Thank God that Jesus is coming back someday. Ask Him to help you to live like it could be today.

Do: Read on in Acts for the wild, amazing story of the early days of the Christian church.

2. Forgettable Fact

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

3. Potent Quotables

All kings is mostly rapscallions.
~ Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Talking nonsense is the sole privilege mankind possesses over the other organisms. It's by talking nonsense that one gets to the truth! I talk nonsense, therefore I'm human.
~ Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

4. Uh, That's Funny?

What do you call a song sung in an automobile?
A cartoon.

1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART

Self-Control Week: Letting It Go

"He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." (Proverbs 17:9)

How powerful is the period on the end of this sentence? "I forgive you." Your answer to that question will have buckets-full to do with the quality of your relationships for the rest of your life.

Someone did wrong to you and it lead to a fight. You both agree they were wrong. They say "sorry." You say, "It's okay; I forgive you." And it's done forever, right? Well, not always. It takes a lot of self-control to let it stay finished, especially when the next fight comes around.

Today's passage says love grows out of our ability to "cover over" an offense by letting it stay finished, by practicing powerful forgiveness, by keeping the vault closed.

Friendships can break when the period at the end of "I forgive you." doesn't do its job.

Think: Why do you think even good friends sometimes have trouble not bringing up past hurts and sins again and again? Have you ever lost a friend because one or the other of you couldn't let something go?

Pray: Ask God to help you to promote love in your friendships by covering over offenses with forgiveness and mercy when it is wise to do so.

2. Forgettable Fact

85% of us will eat spam this year.

3. Potent Quotables

Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.- Thomas Jefferson

I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.- Abraham Lincoln

4. Uh, That's Funny

Q: What kind of flower do you have between your nose and your chin?
A: Tulips