Daily Worship (July 12)

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Devotional Thought
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come,” he was teaching them to care about what he cared about most. After his resurrection, Jesus explained exactly how his kingdom would spread. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Then he sent his followers to make disciples of all nations.

The kingdom of God does not grow by force or politics. It grows as people hear the good news of Jesus, repent of their sins, and trust him as Savior and King. Every time someone believes the gospel, the kingdom of God advances.

This is why our prayers should be bigger than our own needs. It is good to pray for daily bread, healing, and help. Jesus teaches us to do that. But before we ask for those things, he teaches us to pray for God’s kingdom. We ask God to save our neighbors, strengthen missionaries, plant faithful churches, and raise up disciples who follow Jesus.

This prayer also reminds us that we are part of God’s mission. We do not simply pray for someone else to reach the world. We ask God to use us. Maybe he will give us the courage to share the gospel with a friend. Maybe he will help us encourage another believer or serve someone in need. God often answers kingdom prayers by changing the hearts of those who pray them.

Jesus promised that he would always be with his people as they carry out his mission. That means we never pray or serve alone. Our King has all authority, and he goes with us. When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” we are asking God to do what only he can do while making ourselves available to join his work.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Jesus’ resurrection and claim to have all authority help us understand why he commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations?
• Observation: What actions does Jesus command his followers to do in this passage?
• Meaning: What does it mean that Jesus has “all authority in heaven and on earth”?
• Main Idea: What does this passage teach us about how God’s kingdom grows?
• Application: Who is one person you can begin praying for and looking for an opportunity to share the gospel with this week?

Prayer
Father, thank you for sending your Son to be our King. Help me care about your kingdom more than my own plans. Give me courage to pray for others, share the gospel, and gladly join your mission. Amen.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Devotional Thought
Many Christians spend a great deal of time wondering what God’s will is for their lives. Should I take this job? Where should I live? What school should I attend? Those are important questions, but Deuteronomy 29:29 reminds us that there are some things God has chosen not to reveal.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God.” God knows the future, but we do not. We cannot discover every detail of his hidden plan. Instead of inviting us to guess what he has not revealed, God calls us to obey what he has clearly made known.

The second half of the verse says that God’s revealed Word belongs to us so that we may obey it. Jesus teaches the same idea when he tells us to pray, “Your will be done.” He is not encouraging us to spend our lives trying to unlock God’s secret plan. He is teaching us to ask God to help us obey what he has already said.

God has clearly revealed his will in Scripture. He calls us to love him, love our neighbors, forgive others, pursue holiness, tell others about Jesus, and walk by the Spirit. Those things are never uncertain. When we pray for God’s will to be done, we are asking him to shape our hearts so that we gladly obey his Word.

This changes the way we pray. Instead of only asking God to show us the future, we ask him to change us today. We pray for stronger faith, deeper love, greater patience, and increasing holiness. Those are prayers that always fit God’s revealed will.

The good news is that Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father’s will for us. Even in Gethsemane he prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Because of his perfect obedience and saving work, God now gives us his Spirit to help us delight in obeying him.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Moses’ final message to Israel help explain why this verse emphasizes obedience to God’s revealed Word?
• Observation: What two kinds of things are contrasted in this verse?
• Meaning: What is the difference between God’s secret will and his revealed will?
• Main Idea: What does this passage teach us about where we should focus our attention as followers of God?
• Application: Which command from Scripture do you need God’s help to obey more faithfully this week?

Prayer
Father, thank you for giving us your Word. Help me stop worrying about the things you have not revealed and faithfully obey the things you have. Shape my heart to love your will. Amen.

Galatians 5:22–25 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Devotional Thought
When Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your will be done,” he is asking us to desire lives that reflect God’s character. One of the clearest pictures of that kind of life is found in Galatians 5, where Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is not something we produce by trying harder. Fruit grows because it is connected to a healthy tree. In the same way, believers grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control because the Holy Spirit is at work within them.

This connects directly to Jesus’ prayer. God’s will is not only that people hear the gospel. He also desires that his people become more like Christ. A growing Christian is someone whose life increasingly reflects the character of Jesus.

That is why our prayers should include more than requests for easier circumstances. We should pray for transformed hearts. Ask God to make you more patient with your family. Pray for greater kindness toward difficult people. Ask for faithfulness when no one is watching. Pray that love would replace selfishness.

As God answers these prayers, he is making earth look a little more like heaven. In heaven, God’s will is obeyed perfectly. Here on earth, the Spirit is already beginning that work in the lives of God’s people.

Jesus makes all of this possible. Through his death and resurrection he forgives our sins and gives us his Spirit. We are not left to change ourselves. God himself is at work in us, producing fruit that brings glory to him and points others to Christ. Every act of love, every moment of patience, and every step of obedience is another sign that God’s kingdom is breaking into our lives.

COMMA Questions

• Context: How does Paul’s contrast between the flesh and the Spirit help us understand the fruit of the Spirit?
• Observation: Which qualities are listed as the fruit of the Spirit?
• Meaning: Why does Paul describe these qualities as “fruit” instead of simply good behavior?
• Main Idea: What does this passage teach us about the kind of people God is making us to be?
• Application: Which fruit of the Spirit do you most need God to grow in your life this week, and how will you pray for it?

Prayer
Father, thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit. Grow your fruit in my life so that I will love you, love others, and reflect the character of Jesus each day. Amen.