Luke 11 (KJV)
5And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity (persistence) he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." - Matthew 6:7
Where's the balance? One section of scripture says to be persistent in prayer while the other warns of vain repetitions. Another section tells us that God is aware of our needs. How do you address this issue?
I guess the best place to start is to think about some of the purposes of prayer. It's our chance to communicate with the Father. It's also a chance for us to offer up requests to the Father. I think one of the greatest purposes of prayer is illustrated in the life of Moses.
God was about to destroy Israel and start a new nation from Moses, but Moses interceded for Israel. The result was that God did not destroy Israel. Did God change His mind, or did God change Moses? Think about Moses, he had a short temper and that resulted in the murder of an Egyptian. I think the person who murdered the Egyptian would have taken God up on the "nation out of you" offer. But God gave Moses the chance to change - and Moses did.
So what does this have to do with persistent prayer? I think it has much to do with it. The more we pray, the more we seek His will. And according to the main scripture today from Luke 11, seek and you will find. If we are putting God's will first, then we are changing to be more Godly.
All this to say that persistent prayer changes us into what the Father intends. Pretty cool.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Prayer Framework
Luke 11:2-4 (KJV)
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Many of you are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, but probably the one recorded in Matthew 9. Either one presents a great outline for prayer. (Matthew 6:9 - "After this manner therefore pray ye...).
Our Father: "Who are you addressing?"
in Heaven: "Where does He dwell?"
Hallowed (holy): "What is His quality?"
Thy kingdom come: "Whose kingdom?"
Thy will be done: "Whose way is best?"
Give us daily bread: "Who provides our needs?"
Forgive us: "Who can pardon us?"
As we forgive others: "How are we to treat others?"
Lead us not into temptation: "Whose path do we follow?"
Deliver us from evil: "Who directs us when we stray?"
If you were to go through this "manner of prayer" each morning where would your perspective be?
You start off by addressing the all powerful God, whom we can call Father. And though He can be everywhere and anyplace He chooses, He still dwells in a place we can only imagine - and though it is our home and destination, it's still beyond our full comprehension. (Do you see how each question provokes a new thought - and most questions I've put up here lead to how great God is.)
Continue to go through the questions and reflect. Try to start off the day with a prayer like this. We are commanded to pray without ceasing (I Thes 5:17) and these prayers can be compared to text messaging or quick phone calls to God. But the prayer we just talked about is our chance to daily give God our all. To put our perspective on Him. To truly acknowledge Him for whom He is.
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Many of you are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, but probably the one recorded in Matthew 9. Either one presents a great outline for prayer. (Matthew 6:9 - "After this manner therefore pray ye...).
Our Father: "Who are you addressing?"
in Heaven: "Where does He dwell?"
Hallowed (holy): "What is His quality?"
Thy kingdom come: "Whose kingdom?"
Thy will be done: "Whose way is best?"
Give us daily bread: "Who provides our needs?"
Forgive us: "Who can pardon us?"
As we forgive others: "How are we to treat others?"
Lead us not into temptation: "Whose path do we follow?"
Deliver us from evil: "Who directs us when we stray?"
If you were to go through this "manner of prayer" each morning where would your perspective be?
You start off by addressing the all powerful God, whom we can call Father. And though He can be everywhere and anyplace He chooses, He still dwells in a place we can only imagine - and though it is our home and destination, it's still beyond our full comprehension. (Do you see how each question provokes a new thought - and most questions I've put up here lead to how great God is.)
Continue to go through the questions and reflect. Try to start off the day with a prayer like this. We are commanded to pray without ceasing (I Thes 5:17) and these prayers can be compared to text messaging or quick phone calls to God. But the prayer we just talked about is our chance to daily give God our all. To put our perspective on Him. To truly acknowledge Him for whom He is.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Allegiance
Luke 11:23 (ESV)
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Have you ever thought about this statement and its implications? Regardless of what anybody says, there is no middle ground concerning Christ. You are either with Christ or against Him. You either join Him in His work or you attempt to destroy it.
How are your actions? Are they joining Christ in His work or destroying it? Are you like me and categorize them as neutral? From this scripture, there is no neutral. Seems a little unrealistic doesn't it? How can everything either be for Christ or against Christ? Let me offer up a couple of scriptures that are frequently quoted, and then you make the decision.
Proverbs 3:6 - In ALL THY WAYS acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I Thessalonians 5:18 - In EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
ALL and EVERYTHING aren't middle ground. If both of these passages are ways we are supposed to live, how can we acknowledge God or give thanks for something that is neutral.
And that makes a good way to test your actions: can you acknowledge God or give Him thanks concerning what you are doing or what you have done? If not, read Psalm 139:23-24 and pray that God will forgive you, cleanse you, and direct you on a proper path with Him, one that is for Him.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Have you ever thought about this statement and its implications? Regardless of what anybody says, there is no middle ground concerning Christ. You are either with Christ or against Him. You either join Him in His work or you attempt to destroy it.
How are your actions? Are they joining Christ in His work or destroying it? Are you like me and categorize them as neutral? From this scripture, there is no neutral. Seems a little unrealistic doesn't it? How can everything either be for Christ or against Christ? Let me offer up a couple of scriptures that are frequently quoted, and then you make the decision.
Proverbs 3:6 - In ALL THY WAYS acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I Thessalonians 5:18 - In EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
ALL and EVERYTHING aren't middle ground. If both of these passages are ways we are supposed to live, how can we acknowledge God or give thanks for something that is neutral.
And that makes a good way to test your actions: can you acknowledge God or give Him thanks concerning what you are doing or what you have done? If not, read Psalm 139:23-24 and pray that God will forgive you, cleanse you, and direct you on a proper path with Him, one that is for Him.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Proclaim the Kingdom & Heal
Luke 9:1-6
1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
This section of scripture recounts the first time Jesus sent the apostles out on their own. Their mission was simple: proclaim the kingdom of God and heal.
Jesus also equips them so they can stay focused on their goal. He first tells them not to be concerned with possessions, clothing, food or money. He also tells them if they receive hospitality from someone, to be content with that and not to seek hospitality from others. And he also tells them what to do if they are not accepted. Verse 6 then shows that they obeyed him.
I know that we are not apostles, but this paragraph tells us much about how we are to live as followers of Christ. Do you do the two things Jesus commanded? Proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal? Glorify God and edify others? Acknowledge God in everything you do and use your words to build up? When we reword the mission Jesus gave to the apostles, it brings it closer to our realm of everyday life.
We can give God the glory in our lives (which does include preaching the gospel). We can build up others with our words. What are the things that can get in our way? Jesus explained it: being preoccupied with possessions, clothing, food and money. Letting the “acceptance” from others determine how we act. Using the gospel to extort things out of others. Jesus made it simple: glorify God and build up others. Anybody happen to remember what the greatest commandment was? And the second?
1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
This section of scripture recounts the first time Jesus sent the apostles out on their own. Their mission was simple: proclaim the kingdom of God and heal.
Jesus also equips them so they can stay focused on their goal. He first tells them not to be concerned with possessions, clothing, food or money. He also tells them if they receive hospitality from someone, to be content with that and not to seek hospitality from others. And he also tells them what to do if they are not accepted. Verse 6 then shows that they obeyed him.
I know that we are not apostles, but this paragraph tells us much about how we are to live as followers of Christ. Do you do the two things Jesus commanded? Proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal? Glorify God and edify others? Acknowledge God in everything you do and use your words to build up? When we reword the mission Jesus gave to the apostles, it brings it closer to our realm of everyday life.
We can give God the glory in our lives (which does include preaching the gospel). We can build up others with our words. What are the things that can get in our way? Jesus explained it: being preoccupied with possessions, clothing, food and money. Letting the “acceptance” from others determine how we act. Using the gospel to extort things out of others. Jesus made it simple: glorify God and build up others. Anybody happen to remember what the greatest commandment was? And the second?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Receiving Children
Luke 9:46-48
46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
If you have children or work with children, you may have an understanding of what it takes to “receive” a child. I’m a stay-at-home dad, so I know all about the Fall Back-to-school “Happy Dance.” Children can drive you crazy. Yeah, they may be cute, but they how to push every button to make you go crazy.
So, why did I bring that up? It’s so you understand that God wants you to realize that all that you do may not be as important as you think. Have you humbled yourself enough to have patience with a child who doesn’t stop talking from 6am to 10pm? How about two of them? Have you listened to a child, I mean really listened to them as they tell you a story? Okay, you may be doing pretty well with your own children; what about other children?
Why are children able to frustrate us so? Are we just taking ourselves too seriously? What’s God trying to tell us? Stop, listen, and love. How many times has God put that in His word? We find it in Exodus 14 (see Friday, Feb 8), we see it in Psalm 46, and we even see it in Luke 9 during the transfiguration.
How you treat children probably reveals the softness of your heart. It’s the soft heart that is able to truly receive Christ. It’s the hard heart that pushes a person's own selfish agenda.
46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
If you have children or work with children, you may have an understanding of what it takes to “receive” a child. I’m a stay-at-home dad, so I know all about the Fall Back-to-school “Happy Dance.” Children can drive you crazy. Yeah, they may be cute, but they how to push every button to make you go crazy.
So, why did I bring that up? It’s so you understand that God wants you to realize that all that you do may not be as important as you think. Have you humbled yourself enough to have patience with a child who doesn’t stop talking from 6am to 10pm? How about two of them? Have you listened to a child, I mean really listened to them as they tell you a story? Okay, you may be doing pretty well with your own children; what about other children?
Why are children able to frustrate us so? Are we just taking ourselves too seriously? What’s God trying to tell us? Stop, listen, and love. How many times has God put that in His word? We find it in Exodus 14 (see Friday, Feb 8), we see it in Psalm 46, and we even see it in Luke 9 during the transfiguration.
How you treat children probably reveals the softness of your heart. It’s the soft heart that is able to truly receive Christ. It’s the hard heart that pushes a person's own selfish agenda.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The Good Portion
Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
I have taught on this subject before, but it still serves as a good reminder to many of us. And yes, this one speaks to the “Martha” in all of us.
Let’s first commend Martha for what she did right: she welcomed Christ in her home and she desired to serve Him. These are two qualities ALL of us need – first, to welcome Christ in our home or more importantly, our lives; second, we should desire to serve Christ.
So, where did Martha go wrong? In a place where many of us go wrong: where the serving becomes more important than Jesus. How many of you have taken on too many responsibilities at church and forget to just spend time with God because you are too busy? I have – it’s a constant battle, and it has become extremely challenging since I’ve been in the ministry. Doing for Christ will NEVER replace being with Christ.
Now, don’t go overboard and swing completely to the other side – we still need to DO, but the doing must be influenced by the time we spend with Christ. We learn this in Luke 8. (Luke 8:21(ESV) – But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”)
So, it comes down to being both Mary and Martha: first sit at Jesus' feet, then go and serve.
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
I have taught on this subject before, but it still serves as a good reminder to many of us. And yes, this one speaks to the “Martha” in all of us.
Let’s first commend Martha for what she did right: she welcomed Christ in her home and she desired to serve Him. These are two qualities ALL of us need – first, to welcome Christ in our home or more importantly, our lives; second, we should desire to serve Christ.
So, where did Martha go wrong? In a place where many of us go wrong: where the serving becomes more important than Jesus. How many of you have taken on too many responsibilities at church and forget to just spend time with God because you are too busy? I have – it’s a constant battle, and it has become extremely challenging since I’ve been in the ministry. Doing for Christ will NEVER replace being with Christ.
Now, don’t go overboard and swing completely to the other side – we still need to DO, but the doing must be influenced by the time we spend with Christ. We learn this in Luke 8. (Luke 8:21(ESV) – But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”)
So, it comes down to being both Mary and Martha: first sit at Jesus' feet, then go and serve.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
God's Choice
Exodus 33:19b
And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
This seems like one of the most unfair statements our Lord has made. As if His mercy is random, just a whim - however He may be feeling that day. No, I'm not trying to blasphemous, I'm just trying to touch upon some real feelings we all have and may be afraid to face up to.
How many times have our words, thoughts, or actions said, "God isn't fair."? You look at other's around you, both believers and unbelievers, and it seems that there is no justice. If God is in control, how can He let this stuff go on like this?
I guess we need to know a little more about God and His nature to fully understand this. The scripture we started with states He will be merciful to whom He chooses, and gracious to whom He chooses. So that leads to the next question, "Who did He choose?"
John 6:44 tells us no man can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. And James 4:8 tells us that those who draw near to God, these He will near to. Both of these don't give us an exact answer, but give us a little evidence. If you have asked Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior, God chose you - and chooses to grow closer to you. He chooses to be merciful and gracious to you. He chooses to love you with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3). He chooses never to leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5).
Sometimes the way the Lord works is just beyond our grasp (Ps 139:6) so we need to trust in fact: He chose us; He loves us; He won't leave us. He is just/fair (Job 4:17; Pr 11:1; Pr 16:11; Isa 45:21; Zeph 3:5).
We can trust Him, and now we know that the words He spoke to Moses (at least in our context) about who he chooses was about those of us that chose Jesus.
And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
This seems like one of the most unfair statements our Lord has made. As if His mercy is random, just a whim - however He may be feeling that day. No, I'm not trying to blasphemous, I'm just trying to touch upon some real feelings we all have and may be afraid to face up to.
How many times have our words, thoughts, or actions said, "God isn't fair."? You look at other's around you, both believers and unbelievers, and it seems that there is no justice. If God is in control, how can He let this stuff go on like this?
I guess we need to know a little more about God and His nature to fully understand this. The scripture we started with states He will be merciful to whom He chooses, and gracious to whom He chooses. So that leads to the next question, "Who did He choose?"
John 6:44 tells us no man can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. And James 4:8 tells us that those who draw near to God, these He will near to. Both of these don't give us an exact answer, but give us a little evidence. If you have asked Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior, God chose you - and chooses to grow closer to you. He chooses to be merciful and gracious to you. He chooses to love you with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3). He chooses never to leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5).
Sometimes the way the Lord works is just beyond our grasp (Ps 139:6) so we need to trust in fact: He chose us; He loves us; He won't leave us. He is just/fair (Job 4:17; Pr 11:1; Pr 16:11; Isa 45:21; Zeph 3:5).
We can trust Him, and now we know that the words He spoke to Moses (at least in our context) about who he chooses was about those of us that chose Jesus.
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