{"id":86219,"date":"2024-02-26T08:17:18","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T00:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sbc.edu.sg\/?p=86219"},"modified":"2024-02-26T08:31:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T00:31:42","slug":"feb-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sbc.edu.sg\/zh\/feb-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"2024\u5e742\u6708"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 2024<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Alumni<\/p>\n

I have been thinking about the importance of prayer and the template Jesus<\/span><\/p>\n

gave his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13. As we examine our private and corporate<\/span><\/p>\n

prayers, very often they are for physical things more than for spiritual. We<\/span><\/p>\n

seldom ask God to help us live holy and blameless lives, lives of integrity that<\/span><\/p>\n

please our LORD! Often it\u2019s all about – <\/span>Give us this day our daily bread!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes,we must ask God for the things we need and thank him for his bountiful<\/span><\/p>\n

provision daily – our daily bread, our daily safety, our daily health, our daily<\/span><\/p>\n

well-being. But shouldn\u2019t we also ask for our spiritual welfare?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jesus wants us to pray for our physical needs. But he also wants us to pray for<\/span><\/p>\n

forgiveness for the sins we commit daily (and yes, we do commit sin daily,<\/span><\/p>\n

consciously or inadvertently). As much as we need Jesus to forgive us our sins,<\/span><\/p>\n

we too must reciprocate forgiveness to those who have offended us. If we<\/span><\/p>\n

want to be forgiven by God, then we must also learn to keep short accounts<\/span><\/p>\n

with God by forgiving our brother or sister who has offended us in big and<\/span><\/p>\n

small ways. In doing this, we not only maintain the unity and peace in the Body<\/span><\/p>\n

of Christ, but also create opportunities to build bridges with non-believers!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jesus commands his disciples to pray against falling into temptation and for<\/span><\/p>\n

God to deliver us from all evil. We live in an evil and broken world where Satan<\/span><\/p>\n

is engaged in all sorts of deception to seduce God\u2019s children and subtly turn<\/span><\/p>\n

them away from loving God and his people, to loving oneself through indulging<\/span><\/p>\n

in selfish ambitions and desires. None of us are immune from temptation and<\/span><\/p>\n

that is why we must pray daily for God\u2019s protection from yielding or<\/span><\/p>\n

succumbing to temptation – <\/span>\u201cdeliver us from evil, O LORD\u201d<\/b>!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It will be great to end our prayers with, <\/span>[For yours is the kingdom and the<\/b><\/p>\n

power and the glory forever. Amen,]<\/b>, Footnote in Matthew chapter 6. As we<\/span><\/p>\n

close our prayers, we acknowledge God\u2019s sovereignty and affirm his glory,<\/span><\/p>\n

inviting him to do all he chooses to do in and through us, in accordance with<\/span><\/p>\n

his perfect will for each of us!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our Father in heaven,<\/b><\/p>\n

Hallowed be your name.<\/b><\/p>\n

Your kingdom come,<\/b><\/p>\n

Your will be done,<\/b><\/p>\n

On earth as it is in heaven.<\/b><\/p>\n

Give us this day our daily bread,<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And forgive us our debts,<\/b><\/p>\n

As we also have forgiven our debtors,<\/b><\/p>\n

And lead us not into temptation,<\/b><\/p>\n

But deliver us from evil.<\/b><\/p>\n

[For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen,]<\/b><\/p>\n

(Matthew 6:9-13 & Footnote 5)<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May God our Father, through Christ Jesus his Son, and the empowerment of<\/span><\/p>\n

the Holy Spirit guide our prayer life so we can confidently come into his<\/span><\/p>\n

presence daily and pray big and bold prayers as his children.<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to close with the first and last stanzas of this hymn of submission and<\/span><\/p>\n

surrender as our prayer:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Take my life, and let it be,<\/b><\/p>\n

Consecrated Lord, to Thee;<\/b><\/p>\n

Take my moments and my days,<\/b><\/p>\n

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.<\/b><\/p>\n

Take my love; my Lord, I pour<\/b><\/p>\n

At your feet its treasure store.<\/b><\/p>\n

Take myself, and I will be<\/b><\/p>\n

Ever, only, all for Thee.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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