Parables of the Kingdom - Psalm 100

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.

Questions for Reflection:

Spend some time pondering the Friend / Father character of God.

When is that last time you “acknowledged” God for Who He is in His “almighty-ness” in holy reverence and due respect? When is the last time you laughed and danced in His presence? Is He far off and distant and you are an orphan?

Is He close by and you are a child? Is your relationship with God one where you are “at home” with Him?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise You Jesus, that You have made union with my Father in heaven possible for me through Your life death and resurrection. Thank You for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank You for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially my own default thinking) gets in the way of experiencing You in prayer. Father, I confess my natural bent toward “self” rule. I can function so easily more as an “orphan” making demands out of my heart-wounds and scarcity mentality rather than as a “child of my Father in heaven” who loves me very much. I now turn away from this “natural bent” in humble repentance. I ask You for forgiveness of all my sin and sinfulness. I ask as a child with no shame. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to fill me. I am Your child and most of all I need You – fill me afresh with You.

Jesus, because I have You then the riches of Your reign are available to me so I come ASKing for all these needs and situations knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me very much. Jesus, hear my prayer ..... (conclude prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now .... Prayers of praise or ASKing or thanksgiving or .... whatever. Just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through...)

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - James 5:13-18

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Questions for Reflection:

Which is more natural for you? Praying in times of distress or suffering or giving praise during times of joy? And then spend time asking Jesus to reveal why the other one is not as natural for you.

Is there something you doubt that God can help you with? How is God possibly moving you to bring this to other believers to cover in prayer?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise You Jesus, that You have made union with my Father in heaven possible for me through Your life death and resurrection. Thank You for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank You for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially my own default thinking) gets in the way of experiencing You in prayer. Father, I confess my natural bent toward “self” rule. I can function so easily more as an “orphan” making demands out of my heart-wounds and scarcity mentality rather than as a “child of my Father in heaven” who loves me very much. I now turn away from this “natural bent” in humble repentance. I ask You for forgiveness of all my sin and sinfulness. I ask as a child with no shame. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to fill me. I am Your child and most of all I need You – fill me afresh with You.

Jesus, because I have You then the riches of Your reign are available to me so I come ASKing for all these needs and situations knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me very much. Jesus, hear my prayer ..... (conclude prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now .... Prayers of praise or ASKing or thanksgiving or .... whatever. Just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through...)

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - Ephesians 3:14-19

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Questions for Reflection:

When you think about praying for someone's "union with Christ" like Paul is praying in this text, who comes to mind? Can you pray this text for them now?

How does it feel to know that Christ's vision is for you to "be filled to the measure of the fullness of God"? What would you hope that would look like in your life?

Check out the music video below as well!

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise You Jesus, that You have made union with my Father in heaven possible for me through Your life death and resurrection. Thank You for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank You for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially my own default thinking) gets in the way of experiencing You in prayer. Father, I confess my natural bent toward “self” rule. I can function so easily more as an “orphan” making demands out of my heart-wounds and scarcity mentality rather than as a “child of my Father in heaven” who loves me very much. I now turn away from this “natural bent” in humble repentance. I ask You for forgiveness of all my sin and sinfulness. I ask as a child with no shame. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to fill me. I am Your child and most of all I need You – fill me afresh with You.

Jesus, because I have You then the riches of Your reign are available to me so I come ASKing for all these needs and situations knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me very much. Jesus, hear my prayer ..... (conclude prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now .... Prayers of praise or ASKing or thanksgiving or .... whatever. Just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through...)

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - John 14:11-21

11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Questions for Reflection:

Asking for something requires that the person who asks to put a lot of trust on the relationship they have with the person they are asking to do something. What is does this tell us about our relationship with Jesus and the Father when Jesus says "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it?"

What is the difference between the mentality of an orphan versus a child?

How do those differences come out as we learn and grow in our prayer life?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise You Jesus, that You have made union with my Father in heaven possible for me through Your life death and resurrection. Thank You for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank You for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially my own default thinking) gets in the way of experiencing You in prayer. Father, I confess my natural bent toward “self” rule. I can function so easily more as an “orphan” making demands out of my heart-wounds and scarcity mentality rather than as a “child of my Father in heaven” who loves me very much. I now turn away from this “natural bent” in humble repentance. I ask You for forgiveness of all my sin and sinfulness. I ask as a child with no shame. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to fill me. I am Your child and most of all I need You – fill me afresh with You.

Jesus, because I have You then the riches of Your reign are available to me so I come ASKing for all these needs and situations knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me very much. Jesus, hear my prayer ..... (conclude prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now .... Prayers of praise or ASKing or thanksgiving or .... whatever. Just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through...)

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - Luke 11:9-13

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Questions for Reflection:

These are bold statements by Jesus "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." What comfort or challenge do you gain from these verses?

Is it a step of faith to trust these verses to be true? What is that step of faith for you?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise You Jesus, that You have made union with my Father in heaven possible for me through Your life death and resurrection. Thank You for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank You for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially my own default thinking) gets in the way of experiencing You in prayer. Father, I confess my natural bent toward “self” rule. I can function so easily more as an “orphan” making demands out of my heart-wounds and scarcity mentality rather than as a “child of my Father in heaven” who loves me very much. I now turn away from this “natural bent” in humble repentance. I ask You for forgiveness of all my sin and sinfulness. I ask as a child with no shame. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to fill me. I am Your child and most of all I need You – fill me afresh with You.

Jesus, because I have You then the riches of Your reign are available to me so I come ASKing for all these needs and situations knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me very much. Jesus, hear my prayer ..... (conclude prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now .... Prayers of praise or ASKing or thanksgiving or .... whatever. Just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through...)

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom Luke 11:1-8

Luke 11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

Questions for Reflection:

Jesus is makes possible for us a relationship with our Father in heaven that is like the relationship He has with His Father in heaven. How is that good news for you today?

Why do you suppose prayer is so vital for a relationship with God as our Father in heaven? What is it about prayer that makes it indispensable for this relationship?

To what extent is "shame" an issue in your relationship with God and your capacity to come to Him. In what way does praying with "shameless audacity" sound inviting?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise You Jesus, that You have made union with my Father in heaven possible for me through Your life death and resurrection. Thank You for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank You for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially my own default thinking) gets in the way of experiencing You in prayer. Father, I confess my natural bent toward “self” rule. I can function so easily more as an “orphan” making demands out of my heart-wounds and scarcity mentality rather than as a “child of my Father in heaven” who loves me very much. I now turn away from this “natural bent” in humble

repentance. I ask You for forgiveness of all my sin and sinfulness. I ask as a child with no shame. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to fill me. I am Your child and most of all I need You – fill me afresh with You.

Jesus, because I have You then the riches of Your reign are available to me so I come ASKing for all these needs and situations knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me very much. Jesus, hear my prayer ..... (conclude prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now .... Prayers of praise or ASKing or thanksgiving or .... whatever. Just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through...)

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom Psalm 62:5-8

5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. (impregnable castle.)

7 My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.(granite-strength, safe-harbor God.)

8 O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. (God is a safe place to be.)

Psalm 62:5-8

Questions for Reflection:

Do you have any images of God that need to be reframed?

Take some time to find a “portrait” of God that resonates with you and your personality. Is it Granite? A Castle? A fortress? A Safe-Harbor?

Let this "portrait" sink in and find a place to rest in your heart, mind, and soul.

As you pray in the future, allow that “portrait” to become a regular image of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, so that it becomes a very natural default in your own unique relationship with God. Can you imagine how this will be so good for you, when you are in a situation where you are in trouble, or doubting, or scared – that it is already there, ready to help you run to God?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise You Jesus, that You have made union with my Father in heaven possible through for me through Your life, death, and resurrection. Thank You for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank You for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Wow, to think that in this moment I am talking with my God on a deep and personal, sitting down over a cup of coffee, kind of way.

You are amazing. You are available. You are the creator of the universe, Savior of the world, the King above all kings and You have time for me and everything that is important to me right now. Oh, Jesus thank You for making sure I am never alone. Come Holy Spirit and empower me to pray well and enjoy You this day.

Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially me) gets in the way of using this gift. Help me to keep from seeing prayer as another thing on the “to do” list but rather help me see prayer as the way to experience Your radically gracious availability.

Father, I want to “always pray and never give up” but I confess that so often I don’t even think of coming to You first – for the big things and the little things. Holy Spirit, I sincerely ask You to teach, guide, counsel and help me to Pray First, Pray Now, Pray Bold and Pray Through.

Jesus, hear my prayer ..... (conclude this prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now .... Prayers of praise or petition or thanks giving or .... just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through...)

Amen

Parables of the Kingdom - Psalm 34:1-10

1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

2 I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Questions for Reflection:

Where have you seen God show up and do something really unexpected in your life?

What area of your life needs to be so heavily covered in prayer on an ongoing basis?

Prayer of the Week:

My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You to receive Your love and Your life and all the GRACE and MERCY I so desperately need this day.

I praise you Jesus, that you have made union with my Father in heaven possible for me through Your life death and resurrection. Thank you for reconciling me to my Father in heaven who loves me very much. Thank you for the gift of prayer so that I might experience this deep relationship in the moments of my day.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit I love You, I worship You, I adore You and I embrace You in this time of prayer. Wow, to think that in this moment I am talking with my God on a deep and personal, sitting down over a cup of coffee, kind of way. You are amazing. You are available. You are the creator of the universe, Savior of the world, the King above all kings and You have time for me and everything that is important to me right now. Oh, Jesus thank you for making sure I am never alone. Come Holy Spirit and empower me to pray well and enjoy You this day.

Jesus, refresh the mindset I have about prayer, expand my understanding, fine tune my framework so that nothing (especially me) gets in the way of using this gift. Help me to keep from seeing prayer as another thing on the “to do” list but rather help me see prayer as the way to experience Your radically gracious availability.

Father, I want to “always pray and never give up” but I confess that so often I don’t even think of coming to You first – for the big things and the little things. Holy Spirit, I sincerely ask You to teach, guide, counsel and help me to Pray First, Pray Now, Pray Bold and Pray Through.

Jesus, hear my prayer ….. (conclude this prayer by taking whatever time you need to personally pray what is on your heart right now …. Prayers of praise or petition or thanks giving or …. just enjoy praying first, praying now, praying bold, praying through…)

Amen