~sermon devotion_27th oct~

27th oct 2008
the privilege of praying: “your kingdom come, your will be done.” Matthew 16:13-20, 2 CHRONICles 7:14-15
The kingdom of God cannot be shaken. It’s not what God has told you before that are important but it is about what God is telling you at the moment. Listen carefully to what God has to tell you. God is always saying something new, and we need to hear what God is telling us. This helps us to be always involved in the gospel of kingdom.
In this time of financial crisis, our best bet and investment is to first seek the kingdom of God, for he is never-changing, and the same yesterday, today and forever. We can find our trust and security in him. Matthew 6:33-34 “33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Whenever, problems and difficulties strike us, let’s turn to him in prayer and make known our requests to him. Prayer is important, and it is the solution to everything, it is the basic crucial thing that brings forth the kingdom. A prayer make known to God is powerful; because it means that you’ve got the keys of the kingdom of heaven. It is a promise that God has given us that we’ve rewarded with a privilege to asks/requests God of everything that we want. However, there is a condition that is stated in the bible. 2 chronicles 7:14 states that “ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Thus it means that if there is obedience and compliance to God, then God will grant us whatever we want and answer our prayers.
However, most of the time, most of us do not pray. Prayer is not high on priority, both corporately and personally. We often seek for other ways and try to solve our problems in our ways, before eventually resorting to prayer when nothing works out. Prayer becomes our last choice that we turn to when all fails.
So we ask ourselves these 2 questions
1) Why do we not pray?
2) How then should we pray?
1) Why do we not pray? Luke 15:11-24 (parable of the prodigal son) When we do not pray, we’re exactly like the prodigal son in the story. We are distracted by the worldly temptations, and this leads us away from God. We become distant from the father, and only after a period of suffering, that we realize that we need the lord, and thus decide to run back to God once again.