Month: June 2026

On Earth As It Is In Heaven


Matthew 6:9-15 Phillips  Pray then like this—‘Our Heavenly Father, may Your name be honoured; May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day the bread we need, Forgive us what we owe to You, as we have also forgiven those who owe anything to us. Keep us clear of temptation, and save us from evil’.”  14-15 “For if you forgive other people their failures, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you will not forgive other people, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your failures.”

Colossians 3:12-14 Phillips  As, therefore, God’s picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God himself, be merciful in action, kindly in heart, humble in mind. Accept life, and be most patient and tolerant with one another, always ready to forgive if you have a difference with anyone. Forgive as freely as the Lord has forgiven you. And, above everything else, be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues.

Observation

I note that the importance, even necessity, of walking in forgiveness keeps coming up in the Gospels.  We pray the Lord’s prayer but neglect to include the next 2 verses.  In the Lord’s prayer, we ask to be forgiven as we have forgiven others.  Verses 14-15 give us the consequences for being unforgiving.  We will get what we give.  Our Father has been amazingly merciful, generous and charitable in forgiving us.  He asks only that we imitate Him with others who may or may not deserve the same grace and mercy.  This is the journey He has called us to undertake.

However, this is not always the easiest road to travel.  Unforgiveness is more than a rock in the road; it can be the unstable and crumbling cliffs alongside the road that will bury your soul in bitterness, anger, hatred, revenge.  Jesus told us that this world would have trouble.  He also told us that He has overcome the world – if we will abide in Him and walk with Him, obeying His word.  He did not guarantee that serving Heaven would be easy or that people would understand or accept what we do in His name for love.  He promised to go with us wherever the journey takes us and be with us whatever comes.

Impact on Me

“May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  There is no unforgiveness in Heaven, no grudges, no sickness, no sorrow, no pain.  In submitting to Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I became a citizen of Heaven assigned to the location in which I live and have influence.  I am called to represent Heaven and all it has to offer, to invite others to transfer their allegiance from the things of this world, and to commit to live by, support and defend Heaven’s values. 

“Forgive as freely as the Lord has forgiven you.”  This is about anyone (and everyone).  On the Cross, Jesus asked the Father to forgive “them” for they did not understand what they were doing.  For me, “them” encompasses the religious leaders who plotted His murder, the crowds that yelled “crucify”, and the Romans who mocked, whipped and nailed Him to the Cross.  Yet, Jesus came to die for them and all who would follow.  So, “them” for me must include those who mock, insult, disrespect and otherwise crucify me.  I am not there yet, but I truly want to get there, where love overflows and freely forgives the hurt, the pride, the “what about my rights!”, the need to even the score.  Satan can only hurt me where I give him a foothold.  Free and abundant forgiveness removes that one.

Devotion

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God of Mercy and Grace, Redeemer, Light to my path, I stand in awe of You.  What depth, width, height of love You expressed by the Cross which opened the gates of Heaven for us all.  I want to walk out my life in that kind of love, freely forgiving as I have been forgiven.  Stop me when my soulish pride wants to be unforgiving.  I want to be an instrument in Your Hand to bring redemption, not carving out a foothold in myself or another for the devil to take advantage.  May my life bring glory to You in all I do.  I ask it all in the name of Jesus.  Make it so.

On God’s Plan May Not Make Sense


Joshua 5:13-15 MSG And then this, while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, “Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies’?” 14 He said, “Neither. I’m commander of God’s army. I’ve just arrived.” Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, “What orders does my Master have for his servant?” 15 God’s army commander ordered Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet. The place you are standing is holy.”  Joshua did it.

Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG  Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.  Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.

Observation

I believe this commander was Jesus.  He allowed Joshua to fall down and worship Him, something an angel would not do, and Jesus is identified as the commander of God’s army in Revelation (Revelation 19:9-16 NIV).  Regardless, any meeting with any angel must have been a jarring, overwhelming experience since the glory of God accompanied them (Luke 2:8-10).  This man must have exuded the appearance, confidence and awesome presence of a truly mighty warrior for Joshua to accept his self-identification as the commander of God’s army. 

Joshua asks, “Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies’?”  When the man says, “Neither,” he is making Joshua aware that there is a third side to choose.  “What orders does my Master have for his servant?”  Joshua abandoned his battle plans, took the third side – God’s side – and did not hesitate to submit his authority to God’s commander.  He had seen enough of the ways of God in Egypt, in the wilderness and crossing over Jordan to adopt God’s plan without hesitation.  I am sure he did not understand how marching around the city would bring the walls down.  Nevertheless, the battle plan for Jericho was going to be fought with the weapons of obedience, faith, and submission to the same God who brought them out of Egypt and through the wilderness.

Impact on Me

How often do I only see or consider two sides – my side and the opposing one?  How often do I assume that God is on my side rather than ensuring that I am on His?  How often do I launch into battle without presenting my plans to God to see if they sync with His?  Jesus consistently shocked His disciples by challenging the religious and cultural status quo.  Do I need a big scary angel to stand in my way to stop me from going it on my own?  Am I willing to submit to a plan that doesn’t make sense to me?  Which of us would come up with a salvation battle plan that starred a meek and humble man untrained in war, a troublemaker rejected by the accepted religious authorities, a crucified Savior? 

 “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.”  In my experience, choosing God’s side is not always easy, comfortable, safe or logical.  I had to learn the hard way that I was not always going to understand or be my version of successful or even be liked in my faithfulness.  At the very least, my pride will have to die in submitting to Jesus as Lord.  I want to be like Joshua at this moment and like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when the time comes to choose sides.

Devotion

Almighty, All-Wise, Merciful God, Your battle plan for redeeming humankind may not make sense to me but I choose Your side, Your plan, Your weapons.  Train me to recognize how to use love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, humility, kindness and all Your other virtues as weapons to fight Your battles for the souls You desire to save.  Change my definition of success to align with Yours.  May I clearly hear and quickly obey Your commands on each and every battlefield where You send me.  I ask it all in the name of Jesus.  Make it so.