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when you pray...

Matthew 6:5
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

As Disciples we want to dedicate ourselves to God's priorities; the tithe, our community, church and small groups, attend Worship regularly and read and study the Holy Bible. AND... we need to go to God in prayer throughout our day. Pray often and pray repeatedly. We cannot pray too much!

Prayer does not have to be complicated. Yesterday we read Psalms 123, all four verses of it! This reminds us of the "Kyrie eleison" (KI-ree-ay ay-LAY-ee-zonn) or "Lord, have mercy" a short prayer that is VERY important in Christian worship. It is a prayer from the heart about human need. 

Today we turn to the Gospel of Matthew to begin studying Jesus's own teaching on prayer! His first example is a cautionary one; "And when thou PRAYEST, thou shalt NOT be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be SEEN of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." Jesus is cautioning us from trying to attract attention and admiration with our praying. We don't need to be elaborate, unusual or even remarkable with our prayers. Jesus is teaching us that our prayers are a private matter between us and God.
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