It all begins with 'Our Father' It is easy to get sucked into the business of the details of life.  This is just as much a problem in the Christian life where we can get absorbed with doing the right thing, doing the spiritual activities we are supposed to do (pray, read bible etc), and helping with the running of a local church.  It can sometimes seem like a draining list of tasks.  Whenever you get to that point, you should stop everything and think about the first phrase of the Lord's prayer - 'Our Father'.  Turn it over and over in your mind.  Let the phrase remind you that you are a child of God before you are a servant; you are God's child based on His grace and not your performance; God's attitude towards us is grace filled and loving.  Ask God to give you a fresh understanding of Him as your Father and keep thinking about it until it permeates your soul, changes your perspective and renews your spirit. Note: Our experiences of our earthly fathers may be positive or negative and can influence the way we understand God as father.  To avoid getting a mistaken idea, we should always go to the gold standard description of God as Father which is given by Jesus in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32)

David Wanstall, 10/03/2011