A reading from the first chapter of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress followed by Jonathan Sole giving some Biblical lessons based on the reading.
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
New Testament
As one reads today’s scripture and enters the scene between Jesus and His disciples, it isn’t difficult to determine why the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” It isn’t that they had never prayed. But look when their request occurred. It was right after they heard Jesus pray. It makes perfect sense to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” after hearing Him pray.
The Christian life is filled with many spiritual dangers. Not a day goes by we are not confronted with spiritual foes seeking our destruction. It is an unwise and ill-prepared Christian who simply rushes into each day oblivious to this reality. And the evil tactics of our foes are many, subtle, well-crafted, and easily trip us up.
Today’s nugget isn’t for everyone. If you are a person who has it all together, experience no spiritual struggles, are quite content on where you are spiritually, are oblivious to spiritual warfare, go through your life relatively problem-free and don’t have any concerns over sin, don’t grieve over spiritual inconsistencies in your life and are satisfied with your time in the Word, prayer, and the other things of God, then this nugget isn’t for you.
Hebrews 12:1-2 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,…
Friends, we are as close to the Lord in knowing and loving Him as we want to be. He is eager and ready to be had and known, but not without effort, disciplined effort, by us. In fact, if we don’t give it our best disciplined effort, then we won’t get close to Him. He said, “You will find me when you seek me with your whole heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).