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“Yours
Is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory” By
Jeff Archer Jesus
ended His model prayer similar to the way He began it,
with praise. "For
thine is the kingdom, and the power and the
glory for ever." This was not a request. It was not thanksgiving.
It was not telling God something about our needs. It was not something
God didn't already know. Nor was it a statement showing that we give God these
things. It was an affirmation of the exalted position He occupies. It was a
confession of what God possesses. Thine
Is the Kingdom The
dominion and control of all things belong to God. God has the ability to cause
and bring about anything that is His will to
accomplish. There is no area where His will is not supreme. Other
wills are at work on the earth at this time but only because there will
be a day in which they will answer to God. Thine
Is the Power God
is the One Being that is all-powerful. His authority knows
no limits. This God spoke all things into creation with the sound of His voice.
He destroyed the world by flood. He brought punishment to nations with
wicked and just nations, and the list could and will go on. But the point is
that the same power that brought all these things about is still present with
God. Thine
Is the Glory The
glory seen in the beauty of nature, the strength of the beasts of the field, and
the serenity of all things working in their cycle
is God's. The glory seen in the church, the salvation of man's
soul, and the love expressed between brethren all belong to God.
Everything that is good and has any glory inherent within it
is God's for He has made all good things. As well, all of the glory,
praise, admiration and awe man could muster belongs to God. And any glory
that results from the requests of our prayers being granted is given to God. What
Can We Learn? First,
EXPRESSIONS OF THE GREATNESS OF GOD should be contained in our prayers. The lack
of this recognition is one of the reasons
the Gentiles sank into such a deplorable state. Paul tells
us, "because
that, knowing God, they glorified him not as
God, neither gave thanks;" (Romans 1:21).
These people became "fools"
and idolaters. How can a person bow to a lifeless,
dumb, powerless idol? He must first fail to recognize God for
what He is, that is, the supreme Being of the universe. Idolatry
is not just a sin of worshipping a false god. It is the sin of failing to
declare the sovereignty of Jehovah God. As we look at the
prayers and speech of the men of faith in the bible, we find this praise
a trademark. After God made the promise to David in 2
Samuel 7, David prayed to God and his prayer is full of praise for
God. One portion is, "Wherefore
thou art great, 0 Jehovah God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any
God besides thee, according to all that we
have heard with our ears " (vs.
22).
When John was able to view the throne scene in Heaven, he recorded what
thousands said with a great voice, "Worthy
is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and
riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing." And
the voice of "every
created thing" said, "Unto
him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the
honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for
ever and ever" (Revelation
5:11-13). Do you recognize God's
position? Tell Him! Second,
if we are going to pray to God we must believe that HE HAS THE POWER TO GRANT
OUR REQUESTS (Matthew 21:22;
1 John 5:14-15). This is
an appropriate ending because it shows our faith. Jesus teaches us that
after we have made our requests unto God we
should confess to God that we believe He can make a difference. We do not have
the kingdom, the power, or the glory to accomplish what we request of
God. On what basis do we ask Him to give
us our daily bread, lead us not into temptation, and forgive us our
debts? "FOR
THINE is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever." Prayer
to God in this petition changes things. In the midst of Paul's letter to the Ephesians
he said, "Now
unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto
him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever
and ever. Amen" (3:20-21). Do you believe? Express it! Third,
we have limited sight as we pray. We may ask for things that are not in our best
interest or in the best interest of God. Our requests to God are always to be
made with the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT GOD IS THE ONE THAT KNOWS BEST. We want Him
to work in our lives according to His perspective. It is God's will that we want
accomplished on the earth not ours. This
ending exalts God's purpose over our own. Do you see? Trust Him! & Proper
Influence By
Tim Haile Some
religious people have a monastic view of the Christian’s life. In an effort to
avoid its evil influences, they withdraw themselves from society. This may seem
honorable on the surface: After all, “evil
associations corrupt good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33).
However, this practice has a serious [though perhaps, unintended]
consequence. While the Bible does warn against having close associations with
evil people, it also tells us to provide positive influence for those around us
[“let your light so shine before men that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven,” Matthew
5:16]. Others are to be able to “see” our “light” (right conduct).
Christians should not isolate themselves in some commune, but should interact
with others so as to influence them for good. Everyone
sets an example, whether for good or for bad. The Bible student has at his
disposal the perfect blueprint for the proper influence of others – the Bible.
Furthermore, Jesus taught that the actions of one person can so affect another
that he too “glorifies God” [is converted]. It
is important to understand the extent of this duty. Many are familiar with the
“second great commandment,” or “royal law,” which is “to
love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39; James 2:8), but
perhaps we fail to consider just who our “neighbor” really is. Is it just
the family that lives beside us? No, it is all those whom we have the ability
and opportunity to help. This can be a [geographical] neighbor, but it can also
be a classmate, friend or co-worker. We may influence such people with a
friendly disposition (Prov. 18:24), proper speech (Eph. 4:29) good conduct (1
Pet. 3:16) and honesty (1
Thess. 4:12). & What
Would They Say? By
Greg Gwinn The
Bible tells us about the intense persecution
that was endured by early Christians. We know that many were imprisoned,
and a large number were put to death (Acts 26:9-11). Uninspired
historical accounts give us additional information
about the terrible trials and sufferings of those first disciples. We
are told that Christians in the city
of Did
you ever wonder how these early
saints would react if they were able to
comment about the practice of their modem
day brothers and sisters? Don't you imagine that they would be shocked to
learn about the things that keep some Christians from attending all the worship assemblies
and Bible studies? What
was it that kept you from the assemblies last week? Too tired? Too busy? A
school function? A vacation trip? Relatives from out of town visiting? A fishing
trip? A round of golf? A
minor sniffle or headache? Too sick to
worship (but not to sick to go to work)? Just didn't feel like coming? Stop
for a minute to think what those persecuted Christians of the first
century would say if they heard YOUR excuses. Why
did those people take such risks? Why did they suffer so much? The answer is
obvious: they loved the Lord and were
committed to His service. What about YOU? &
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