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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 11:1-13

Set – Zechariah 2; Luke 11

Go! – Zechariah 1-3; Luke 11

Luke 11:1-13
¹ Another time Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples approached Him.
Disciple: Teacher, would You teach us Your way of prayer? John taught his disciples his way of prayer, and we’re hoping You’ll do the same.
Jesus: ² Here’s how to pray:
Father [in heaven], may Your name be revered.
May Your kingdom come.
[May Your will be accomplished on earth
as it is in heaven.]
³ Give us the food we need for tomorrow,
⁴ And forgive us for our wrongs,
for we forgive those who wrong us.
And lead us away from temptation.
[And save us from the evil one.]
Imagine that one of your friends comes over at midnight. He bangs on the door and shouts, “Friend, will you lend me three loaves of bread? ⁶ A friend of mine just showed up unexpectedly from a journey, and I don’t have anything to feed him.” ⁷ Would you shout out from your bed, “I’m already in bed, and so are the kids. I already locked the door. I can’t be bothered”? ⁸ You know this as well as I do: even if you didn’t care that this fellow was your friend, if he keeps knocking long enough, you’ll get up and give him whatever he needs simply because of his brash persistence!
⁹ So listen: Keep on asking, and you will receive. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰ All who keep asking will receive, all who keep seeking will find, and doors will open to those who keep knocking.
¹¹ Some of you are fathers, so ask yourselves this: if your son comes up to you and asks for a fish for dinner, will you give him a snake instead? ¹² If your boy wants an egg to eat, will you give him a scorpion? ¹³ Look, all of you are flawed in so many ways, yet in spite of all your faults, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to all who ask!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Experts in any field recognize that repetition makes you an expert. Whether talking about sports, music, sciences, writing, art, or any other field, doing something many times makes you better and better the more you do it. So it is with seeking Me and My will for your life. The more you read My word, the better you understand Me and what I want for you. The more you listen to My voice, the easier it is to recognize My voice amidst the cacophony of voices around you.

Just coming to Me at an altar one day and asking for forgiveness doesn’t mean I’m through with you. I want you to continue to seek Me day after day, week after week, year after year for the rest of your life. I want you to become an expert at hearing My voice and finding Me in places others might never expect to find Me. But you will because you have become an expert at hearing My voice. I want you to know My voice the way a mother knows the single cry of her baby among the dozens of cries in a nursery.

That’s what I was trying to tell My disciples that day as they asked Me to teach them to pray. Prayer isn’t so much about form and getting the words right as it is about just talking with Me…a lot. Get to know Me. Spend time hanging out with Me. Take a look at My world and see My handiwork. Then talk to Me about what you think about it. Let Me know what you think about the world I made, the place you live, the family you have, the country you live in. Some things you won’t like about it, but that’s okay. Sin has left a lot of ugly scars on My creation, but Ican help you see beyond the scars and see the beauty of the world I created for you.

Tell Me about your problems. Tell Me about your blessings. Tell Me about the needs others have shared with you. Tell Me about your dreams. I want to know all about you and want to share My dreams for you. I have plans for you and when you get to know Me well, you will understand that I have your best in mind…always. So keep on asking, you’ll get better at asking and you’ll receive. Keep on seeking, you’ll get better at seeking and you’ll find. Keep on knocking, you’ll get better at knocking on My door and I’ll answer you. Keep on staying in touch with Me every way you know how. I’ll be here.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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