Prayer 04: Being with God | Rich Kirby

Where Are You Storing Your Stuff? | Gospel of Matthew | Rich Kirby

Every human being has a God-given desire for peace and pleasure, but rather than seeking the peace that Jesus gives and the eternal pleasures that we find in God's presence, we often chase after the fleeting peace and pleasure that money and wealth offer to purchase for us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls this way of living "storing up treasure on earth," and instead invites us into a radically different, aggressively generous way of living that he calls "storing up treasures in heaven."

How Should We Pray? | Gospel of Matthew | Rich Kirby

As founder of 24/7 Prayer, Pete Grieg observes, prayer is at the heart of the Christian life, but yet we're not very good at it. It can be difficult to know where to begin, which is why Jesus, when giving his disciples instructions on prayer, offers them a framework that we can use to get us started. This simple, yet powerful prayer of Jesus that has come to be known as the Lord's Prayer, has been central to the prayer life of all streams of the church down through the centuries, often as the anchor for the ancient practice of a daily prayer rhythm.

Righteousness in the Secret Place | Gospel of Matthew | Lindsey Hudman

If we're honest with ourselves, many of us take on different personas throughout our week depending on whom we're trying to impress or curry favor with, often without even realizing it. We can be doing all sorts of good things, but often with selfish motives. Living this way is exhausting, but Jesus invites us to live a much simpler life — a life where we do the right things for the right reason, because we are not performing for the approval of other people, but living for an audience of one.

Prayer 04: Being with God | Rich Kirby

We never mature beyond any of the four stages of prayer we are exploring in this Practice, but the further we progress in prayer, the more we desire to speak to God, to listen to God, and to just be with God. As a general rule, you can gauge the intimacy in a relationship by how comfortable you are being alone together in the silence. When applied to God, this type of wordless prayer has come to be called “contemplation,” based on 2 Corinthians 3:18. Prayer Prayer, at it's most basic, is the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. Over four weeks we'll learn how, in our busy and distracted lives, to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.

Prayer 03: Listening to God | Rich Kirby

There comes a point in our relationship with God where we desire not just to speak to him, but to listen — to hear his voice. As Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” But how do we hear God’s voice? PrayerPrayer, at its most basic, is the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. Over four weeks we'll learn how, in our busy and distracted lives, to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.