In and Within 21 The Door's Open, Come On In!

[HKHaugan]

So far I have given what I believe to be a thoughtful approach as to the nature of Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Mt.6. As in all teaching there are words that call for expanded exploration simply because they carry so much within them. Words like ‘Kingdom’ ‘Heaven’ ‘Father’ for instance are constantly used throughout Scripture. I have only dabbled in their meaning and that purposefully because my intent is that as you study them they will have personal significance for you. What they have meant to me were His gift to me. They will become a gift to you according to how you are willing to experience them.

My goal is to open the door the Lord has given us in His teaching on prayer. It is now your room to enter. It is not only what you find there it is where it leads you that makes it so individually unique. An expansive dimension awaits every individual. It is your personal journey. It is yours to take and yours to experience. No one can experience it for you. My part in writing is to encourage you to see the half full glass that begins to overflow as your own discoveries happen.

My feeble attempts at exposition of Scripture are just that, feeble (there are many more sophisticated Bible scholars than I) and they are attempts (all of us are limited in our ability to grasp the depths of God’s incredible being). How I see the Scripture is what I believe the Holy Spirit has led me to see. However each of us has been blessed with a uniqueness in seeing it that can be a blessing to others. What I am saying here is that our shared uniqueness in the Body of Christ can only add to the movement and growth of the Kingdom of God here on earth. If I can encourage you to move in prayer, in relationship with Jesus and in a discovery that is yours alone, I have done my part. My hope is that you will in turn open the door for someone else.

That journey I mentioned above is one we are all on and the Lord is here to bless each of us as the Holy Spirit moves us to explore, exchange and expand. No one is greater, more able or even more deserving than any other believer in the Kingdom. Everyone has something to offer the other in the Body. The beauty is that our Father loves us each equally yet uniquely so that, for each of us, it is a personal experience unlike anyone else’s. The Cross of Jesus is the key to that experience. Just as Jesus is the unique Son of God so we are uniquely created to be His younger brothers and sisters who He calls to take up our cross of faith in every next moment. There are no ‘cookie-cutter’ Christians. Each of us is special to Him. The evidence is in Jesus’ own words when He tells Mary after His Resurrection not to hold on to Him because He is returning “to my Father and your Father, my God and your God (Jn.20:17).” Grab that piece of the good news and clutch it firmly to your heart.