You are the workmanship of God, created for Him to give glory to Him by living through Him. The greatest challenge to a life of higher calling is a failure to understand who the One is doing the calling. Therefore, to live life with meaning, magnitude, and great measure, I must allow my limitations of what "I am not" to be transformed by the "I AM".

We are honored to have our One Weekend Pastor Jason Cook with us: Jason Cook played collegiate football at The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where he would be a 4 year starter and 4 year letter winner at Fullback. In 2009, Jason enjoyed a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens through the pre-season before embracing the call to ministry. Jason holds a Masters of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. Jason and his wife Courtney, have two children Charlie and Cager. Together they serve as the Associate Pastor of Preaching at Fellowship Memphis and as the editor with the Gospel Coalition contributing to the Faith and Work initiative.

The "Lord's prayer" or "model prayer" was given as a guide to move every disciple of Jesus through 6 anchor statements that keep one in a constant attitude of prayer. It is in the rhythm of the Lord's Prayer that hope is held, a cry of help is heard, and a hand of heaven holds.

This verse is considered the doxology of the Lord's Prayer, meaning "doxa" equals honor and "logy" or "logos" means word. Therefore, put the two definitions together and you have "words of honor". The Lord's Prayer is embedded in this doxology and serves as a succinct reminder of what we have and who we are in Christ. So, don't forget…

The freedom of forgiveness causes the child of God not to seek how much one can get away with, but instead how much they can get away from. The tension between these two realities has been considered "the fight"! The battle is between the desires of the flesh versus the delight of the Spirit, and the one who wins is determined by which one is given permission. Therefore, walking in victory is determined by recognizing the following principles.

The Lord's Prayer or model prayer is a revelation of the character of God as Father, King, Provider, Forgiver, Leader and Deliverer revealing a rhythm of invitation and challenge. Therefore, our relationship with God spiritually is to permeate our relationships physically, causing God to become most visible in our lives when we embrace and model forgiveness.

As we wait for the fullness of the physical Kingdom of God to come to this earth, we move in confidence that the Kingdom of Jesus is advancing in us. However, in our limitations, frailty and weakness, the "model prayer" shifts to a need for His provision to sustain us. The question is what is that provision?

As followers of Jesus we live within two historical book ends such as "Jesus leaving his rule as king to dwell on earth" and "Jesus as our reigning king on this earth". Therefore, there is more than a calling to embrace, but a command to embark upon, which is the advancement of this kingdom through our lives.

Today's message begins a new series that will cover the "Lord's Prayer or Model Prayer" line by line over the next several weeks to discover not a routine, but a rhythm, not a prescription, but a pattern, not a formula, but a flow for life.

Dr. Ed Newton - Not So Fast