ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Encouraging Words
Jesus is not proposing a prosperity gospel here as many are in the habit of proclaiming about this passage. If we have chosen to follow Christ and are sincerely pursuing Him with the intent to be like Him, then we will be in the process of being transformed in respect to our desires and wants. We will not want the things of this world, but we will want the the things of His Kingdom. We will be asking for those heavenly things, seeking Ham and His Kingdom, knocking on His doors in pursuit of Him and His righteousness. These are the things that will be given to us, that will be found, the doors that will be opened, and that which will be found. Glory be to God!
Saint of the Week
St. Theophan the Recluse
WHAT SHOULD WE SEEK?
Matthew 6:31-34
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Personal challenge
Why is it that we so often seek the wrong thing in life. We focus so much on the things of this world, food, drink, clothing, basically, stuff. God wants us to seek Him and His Kingdom. He is the one who will provide for our true needs. He is the one who gives us life. Glory be to God!
TAKEN CARE OF
Matthew 6:30
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Encouraging Words
Every one of us has basic needs that have to be taken care of to survive. Beyond those needs, everything else becomes a want. Jesus is telling us here that God knows what our needs are and He will provide for those needs. Where the challenge comes in is when my definitions of those needs are different than His definition. The more that we can align with God and how He chooses to meet our needs, the more I will be satisfied with what He is providing. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
FORGIVENESS
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Personal Challenge
Only God can fully forgive sins. However, the degree to which we experience His grace and mercy in our lives because of His forgiveness, is truly impacted by how much we are willing to forgive those who have trespassed or sinned against us. If I hold on to their trespasses and do not free them as I am capable of doing, those acts of unforgiveness will come between God and me as He forgives me of my trespasses. We are to behave like Him if we want to be like Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
BE TRUE
Matthew 5:37
But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Personal Challenge
Our modern world has become so comfortable with ambiguity. This is the kind of world that makes it easy to promulgate falsehoods as if they are the truth. This then makes it easy for people to lie and cheat because they can always find something out there that supports their sin. Jesus made it very clear to us that there is no room in the Christian life for pursuing falsehoods. We are to be true to His calling and true to those around us. We must always speak in such a way that people know that they can trust us to stand by our words and our beliefs. Anything else is from the evil one. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
RECONCILIATION
Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Personal Challenge
As I read through this expectation set by Jesus, it appears to me that He is describing reconciliation is truly a one-sided event. If there is something amiss between my brother or sister, whether they are at fault or I am at fault or we are both at fault, if I want to be able to effectively worship my God, then I must go to that person and initiate reconciliation. There is nothing said about the other person choosing to be a part of that reconciliation: It is my duty, my responsibility, to seek and pursue reconciliation. This is hard to do because our pride kicks in and tells us that the other person needs to contribute, if not be responsible for the reconciliation. Jesus never said that being a Christian was easy! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
