“Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

There’s not a single record of the disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to grow the church, to do amazing miracles, to heal people, to evangelize.

What the disciples do ask Jesus is to teach them to pray.

There was a way in which Jesus communicated with God that compelled the disciples to ask Jesus to help them communicate with God in the same way.

The first thing about prayer is that prayer recognizes that God is God, and that the world as it is, is not what God intends. Prayer recognizes two things. First, that God is the only one with power to change the world. We cannot do it in our own power. Secondly, prayer recognizes that the world is not yet what God desires for it to be.

When Christians pray, it is not because we believe in the power of prayer. We believe in the power of God to make this world as it is in heaven. It is because we believe in God that we pray.

Finally, when Christians pray, the act of prayer confesses that God is at work to transform the world, and prayer and the one who is praying confesses the desire to be a part of God’s solution to the problems of our world. You cannot pray that God bless, love, forgive, and change the world without also praying your willingness to be a part of God’s answer to that prayer.

How is your prayer life coming along? Are you intentional about praying? Are you regularly investing your time in praying for God’s transforming work in our world through our church?

God is at work. Join God in his work. Be intentional about praying.

Love what John Bunyan said about prayer: “You can do more than pray after you have prayed. But you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

It is said that people have three lives: a public life, a private life, and a secret life.

People of character are the same person in the three areas of their lives.

How can we live in such a way that we grow in character?

The verse of the day tells us in the three ways Jesus grew in character:

• in wisdom
• stature
• in favor with God and man

Today’s text refers to Jesus as he grew up as a child into the man and the Savior he became.

First, we are told that Jesus grew in wisdom. The more Jesus learned about the nature and the character of God, the more his life resembled the truth of scripture. That’s what wisdom means. That’s what separates wisdom from knowledge. Wisdom is putting into practice what we know to be true and right. Jesus lived out the truth and what he knew to be right.

Secondly, we are told that Jesus grew in stature. The Greek word for stature refers to age and maturity more than physical growth. What this means is that as Jesus grew older, he acted his age, he grew out of his childishness. Jesus lived a life that demonstrated a wisdom beyond his years.

Finally, we are told that Jesus grew in favor with God and man. As Jesus put into practice the truths of God, grew in maturity and wisdom, he grew in favor with God and man. People couldn’t help but notice the life Jesus lived. Jesus was consistent in how he conducted himself in the public life, private life, and his secret life.

Jesus was the same in public as he was in private. The people around him attest to that.

Jesus was the same in secret as he was in public. God attested to that.

How are you doing? Are you the same person in how you speak and act in private and in secret as you are in public?

Grow in wisdom – put into practice what you know to be true and right.
Grow in stature – act your age. Grow in maturity.
Grow in favor with God and man – consistency in the three areas of your life.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up the cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

There are three demands of being a disciple of Jesus:

1. Deny yourself
2. Take up the cross
3. Follow me

Deny yourself – it’s not about you. It’s not about what you want. It’s not about what makes you happy.

Wow. That’s kind of a downer.

But here’s the truth. You can make it all about you, all about what makes you happy. Many try. And, you know what the result is? They’re not happy. They have a good marriage, a good paying job, a nice house, nice vacations…and yet they’re still not happy.

You know why? Happiness is found in living out your purpose. Happiness is discovered in making a difference. It’s when we live for something bigger than us that we live a meaningful and purposeful life. It is then we are happy.

It’s not about you. Seriously. It’s not.

Take up the cross – take up suffering, take up giving your life so others may live. The pathway for our salvation was paved through the cross. Why do we think that the pathway for spiritual and kingdom success is paved through happiness and bliss?

If you want to know why this is the case, look at “Deny yourself.”

Follow me – follow the way Jesus has chosen. Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. The core of the temptation was for Jesus to choose the Messianic plan minus the suffering and the cross. What Jesus realized at Gethsemane was that there is no Kingdom plan minus suffering and the cross.

Follow the one who went to the cross so that we might live through him.

The Kingdom way may have times of hardship, heartbreak, betrayal, suffering, and even death. But don’t lose heart. None of these can defeat you. Every one of these things will be an opportunity to reflect the one who marched to the cross.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up the cross and follow me.”