Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Go to Video
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened
to you. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in
the law and the prophets.
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its
gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the
gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever
find it. Matthew 7:7, 12-14(NLT)
The Christian
life is never easy. This is why God
instructs us how to navigate that narrow road with prayer. It’s all asking, seeking, and knocking.
ASK
Not many people would openly deny the
willingness of God to give to His children.
Inwardly some of us want to buy the Father a calendar. But this asking is necessary. It shows our confession of faith in His
willingness to give that which is good.
Prayer is
natural in the asking department. A raven's chick stretches its neck out
and screeches for mother to bring dinner.
The mother is moved to put aside her own appetite and feed her
young. A lamb's bleating not only brings Mom to the rescue, but the sound
actually causes the milk in her udder to begin secreting. The cry
of the child brings the response of the parent. One reason many prayers remain unanswered is
the lack of asking.
SEEK
What exactly is
it for which I should seek? Well, what
is it that your heart condemns? Are
there promises you’ve not kept? Is there
a bad attitude? Are you insincere?
Also seek for
that which is truly the desire of your heart.
At times we receive different answers because God is speaking to our
heart, and our selfishness gets in the way.
St. Augustine's mother prayed that God would keep her son with her until
she could win him to Christ. But the boy
left and went to Rome. It seemed like
God hadn't listened. But in Rome
Augustine met Ambrose, an eloquent preacher, and was converted, and became an
important instrument in God's hand. What
Augustine's mother REALLY desired in her heart, was given by a most
gracious Father.
KNOCK
Action must
always follow the seeking. This is where
the rubber of prayer meets the road of faith.
James (2:14-17) tells us that merely talking or wishing is not what
comprises real faith. You must somewhere
along the line INVOLVE yourself with what God wants to do.
Former
President Ronald Reagan learned about decision-making early in life. An aunt took him to a shoemaker for a new
pair of shoes. The cobbler asked him if
he wanted square or round toes on the shoes.
He hemmed and hawed, so he was told to stop by in a day or two when he'd
made up his mind. A week later the
cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked if he'd come to a decision. Not
yet, said he. Okay, your shoes will be ready tomorrow. When Reagan came to the store he found a pair
of shoes, one shoe with round toe, and the other with square!
What is a
step of faith like? The Golden
Rule is magnificent, and belongs to Jesus alone. All the great writers in history stated it
negatively. Jesus, in His divine wisdom,
is the only one to say it positively. Note
the difference....When stated negatively it is only common sense. If I don't want to get punched in the nose,
don't punch anyone else in the nose. Simple;
it almost
works. But Jesus changes the Do no harm approach to Do help!
It changes from common sense to Christian surprise.
In prayer, a step of faith is finding
something for which you must be totally dependent upon God (ASKING), banishing self
from the matter (SEEKING), and then
finding something connected with the matter and helping out until God reveals
His heart in the thing (KNOCKING).
For You Today
The narrow
road is a tight fit. The harness of
Jesus may be light, but it will constrain you to go in the direction HE wants.
No comments:
Post a Comment