Give us this day our daily bread. ~ Luke 11:3
READING: Luke 11:1-13
After an intense and intentional focus on God’s name and God’s kingdom, is Jesus merely teaching his disciples to pray for food? A more literal translation would read: Give us today our coming day’s bread. The word that is translated coming day or daily is a word that is rich in connection to the end times or last days. The word is eschatological.
What Jesus is teaching are the particulars of how God’s kingdom is built on earth. It is an imperative for churches and Christians. Pray, Jesus is saying, to taste today of God’s coming kingdom.
The whole mission of a church plant is to give to people today a taste of the heaven that is to come. In heaven, God’s name is praised; in heaven, people listen and love; in heaven, justice reigns; in heaven, racism and classism is extinct; in heaven, children are safe; in heaven, sermons are really good; in heaven, music melts your heart again and again.
Church planters need personal reminders that God cares for them as people and not just as planters. Church planters need to taste of God’s coming kingdom on a regular basis or discouragement and fatigue can set in. Flesh acts and human ambition can sneak up on us.
And church plants need to taste of God’s coming kingdom on a regular basis. It reminds us that the things we are doing and standing for are eternal and true.
Father, Give us today a taste of our coming day’s bread. We are hungry and thirsty and weary. You who are meek and humble in heart, give rest to our souls. Amen.
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