The Lord's prayer is often used as a model for how we Christians should structure our own prayers; Praise - Petition - Praise. This is good and we can learn a lot from how Jesus says prayer should be offered in that time before He died for our sins.

Our Father who is in heaven,
holy is your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom, the power,
and the glory, forever. Amen.

In this article we can look at part of the first section on 'Praise' as exemplified by the statement, "Our Father who is in Heaven, holy is your name".

Firstly Jesus introduces us to the Father of us all. We see here the relationship that we should have with God and which He has with us. He IS our Father.

This is a relationship based on the character of a God, the true God, who is GOOD and because He is GOOD we experience His holiness and can then say, 'Holy is your name!"

We come before our God who is the focus of our prayer and our lives. He is the perfect Father set apart from any other whom we might also call father. Holy is His name. His reputation is unsullied and as a perfect Father He loves us and wants us to approach Him in that love.

Of course we know that our Father God is not just in heaven looking down on us from afar. He is close; He is with us; He is IN us! As His children we should come to Him seeing that closeness and radiating the love, holiness and glory we have received from Him!

Jesus came to reveal the Father and so as we look upon Jesus as detailed in the bible we see the Father. We see the love Jesus personified, for God is love. We see the Holiness that Jesus personified as the perfect representative of the character of God. As we see the risen, glorified Christ we see the glory of our loving, holy God who welcomed all who were willing into a loving relationship with Himself, even though they (like us) had all deserted Him and gone astray!

As we experience the goodness and holiness of God through focussing on Jesus, we come to realize that this is how we grow to be like God; as we behold Jesus who came to reveal the Father.

2 Cor 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

We are being changed into the image of Jesus who is the express and perfect image of the Father.

But why are we being renewed in mind and heart to be like Jesus now; in this age?

Just as Father God sent Jesus into the world so Jesus sends us into the world, to continue to show the world the Father.

John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

We live in a world of orphans who need to know their Father God.

What does this mean in reference to 2 Cor 3:18 above?

It means that we are being transformed to project the glory of God to the world. We were not saved just to save our skins and hang on till Jesus returns. We were saved to bring heaven to earth, but we are getting ahead of the story!

We are to show the world what a Holy God is like, in contrast to the imitations that men make for themselves. As Christians we have Jesus' Holiness imputed to us so that He can say to us through Peter...

1 Pet 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

So in praising and appreciating our Holy God, we also appreciate that He is, through Holy Spirit whom He has given us, equipping us to do what Jesus did while here on earth as a human being. Jesus is the one and only begotten Son of God, but God has created US 'sons of God' through the 'New Creation' as mentioned in 2 Cor 5:17.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

In Christ we are a new creation and in Christ we can do all things. Jesus was given all things by the Father and He has in turn put us in charge by delegating His authority to us, His disciples. So like Paul we can say...

Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

When we are in Christ, and we know it, and we see our identity in Christ, we will be able to truly be 'Master/Teacher/Servants as He was. Servants who are also equipped to rule in life as kings.

John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God... rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.

This is before He went to the cross. Knowing His identity and being comfortable in it as God's Son, Jesus could nevertheless humble Himself to wash our feet!

The rulers of this world though, want their feet washed. They want the honour of men. They want to be served rather than to serve.

But we Christians are not to be like them. We are to be like Jesus, the annointed one; a Master/Teacher/Servant.

In the same way as Jesus, when we know our position in Christ, we can be humble and yet do all things in Christ Jesus, now! Jesus has through Holy Spirit annointed and equipped us to be His followers and representatives here and now with the power through Holy Spirit in us to "be holy as He is holy". As it is written “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

John 14:20 Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

We are in Christ and He is In us. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him. Thus Jesus and the Father are In us!

Our Father is not just in heaven now! That was true in Old Testament times before the death and resurrection of Jesus on our behalf.

But now, for us as Christians, God is here with us and IN us and so we can say, "He who is in us is greater that he who is in the world".

What a 'great' God; what a 'good' God; what a 'holy' God we worship, who wants us to know Him as and call Him - "Father". Our Father God is truly set apart from all others that are called gods.

Our Father God; Holy is His name!

Best wishes for grace and the peace of Jesus.

Attlee.