Praying for Daily Bread

A Word of Truth #190  

Have you ever seen rain fall only on homes where Christians live while the rest of the neighborhood goes dry? The answer is, of course, “no.” God makes “his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

If God gives us needful things without our asking, why then even bother praying, “Give us this day our daily bread.”? Jesus instructs us to pray in this way so that we remember from whom we receive everything that satisfies our daily needs, and to regularly give thanks to God for His blessings. Jesus wants us to pray for our daily bread so that we trust God day by day without worrying about tomorrow or the next day, or the next…

At times we deprive ourselves of blessings because we have not asked for them. James cautions, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2), and Jesus promises, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7)

The Importance of Forgiveness

A Word of Truth #191  

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” When Jesus taught His disciples to pray that petition in the Lord’s Prayer, He was emphasizing the importance of forgiveness, both in our relationship with our God and in our relationships with each other. We need God’s forgiveness, for without such forgiveness we cannot go to heaven. Therefore, we ask God graciously to forgive us all our sins for Jesus’ sake, and this He does. At the same time, it is imperative that we recognize the importance of forgiving one another. The apostle Paul urges us to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Notice that our motivation to forgive does not lie in the person we are forgiving, but rather in the loving nature of God who has forgiven us.