OPINION

BIBLE STUDY: Sunday, March 11, 2012

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- This Bible study appears in Baptist Press each week in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curriculum and additional resources for all age groups.

This week's Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.

Bible Passages: Matthew 6:8,32-33; Hebrews 10:19-20, 12:7-10; Romans 8:15,26; Mark 14:35-36.

Discussion Question: How does God's nature affect what you bring to him in prayer?

Food for Thought:

As children learning to pray, our conversations with our Father were simple. We said grace at meals: "God is great; God is good; let us thank Him for our food."

And we asked for blessings before we went to sleep at night: "I fall asleep in Jesus' wounds, / There pardon for my sins abounds; / Yea, Jesus' blood and righteousness / My jewels are, my glorious dress, / Wherein before my God I'll stand / When I shall reach the heavenly land. Amen."

Ken Hemphill, in his book "Prayer of Jesus," reminds us that the focus of our prayers should always be on our Provider and His Kingdom, not on our needs or desires. As simple as some of our first prayers were, the focus of them was on Him and His provision for us. When we bow our heads as adults, we need to remember those childlike prayers we learned as kids. It's in those prayers that our focus is on His faithfulness to us and His love for us.

MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at LifeWay.com/MasterWork.

Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.

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