The Lord has been pointing out a theme to me lately.
Brotherhood, unity, body of Christ, community.
This theme jumped out at me this morning, once again while I was reading Matthew. The very well known "Lord's prayer"
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:10-13 (NIV)
Did you see it?
Check again, count how many times Jesus uses the words "me, my, I, myself"
That's right.
Zero.
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."
I find that interesting, and rather convicting.
Why do you suppose he worded it that way?
He tells us to go to Him with our personal needs, and I'm not saying we should not.
But when he specifically teaches on prayer, Jesus teaches us to think of ourselves as a group. As one.
The body of Christ.
Do we see ourselves that way? Do we think as a body, pray as one?
Perhaps that is why Jesus, when he prayed for us said, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23 (NIV)
Look again at the beginning of "The Lord's prayer"
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven."
When Jesus prayed for us, he prayed that we would be one, and the result would be the world would know Jesus.
When he teaches us to pray, he teaches to pray for the Glory of God and the coming of His Kingdom. And to pray that prayer, together, as one.
There is a direct connection between the world coming to know Christ and how we live as his body here on earth.
Is there any wonder he is calling out to bikers, known for their passion for brotherhood, in these last days?
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)
Gather, grow and go. We have work to do.
