"Then He said to them, " Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs." Luke 11:5-8
Far too often, we treat God as a clerk at a local store while thinking of ourselves as customers. We expect to be able to put in our order with Him and have it filled in a manner that exceeds our expectation and for it to be done right away. Should He, in our minds, fail to deliver, we become either angry and indignant or defeated and hopeless. Many of us will try to fix whatever the problem is or obtain whatever the need is ourselves and will step outside of God's will for our lives if we feel it necessary. "Oh we of little faith."
None of us can begin to know the entire will of God. None of us can see things from His perspective. None of us has access to His intent be it past, present or future. We do, however, have access to His assurances and promises. He has promised to provide for all of our needs (rather than the wants on which we so often base the health of our relationship and even His existence). He has promised to hear our pleas. He has promised a way of escape for any temptation that threatens to overtake us. And He has promised everlasting life to those that are His.
Beloved, if your situation is not covered by one of these or the many other promises and assurances given by the Lord, which is doubtful, be persistent in your supplications. Beseech the Lord in all you do, day and night. Draw closer to Him and He will draw closer to you. In short, as our scripture of the day clearly indicates, bug Him! For after this He has said, "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," Luke 11:9-10.
Building God's family,
Lee
Showing posts with label Persistence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Persistence. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2018
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Persistence in Prayer 8/16/2012
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:13
Every parent wants to give their child the world. Some do it by lavishing the best they are able to provide on their young ones. Others do it by teaching hard work, relating that nothing comes easy but equipping them to be able to acquire things for themselves. Few us do not want our children to have it better than we did growing up.
The interesting thing about that statement is that not many of us had it bad at all. This was because our parents wanted us to have it better than they did and so it continues.
Beloved our kids do not have to ask for most of the things we provide. If they ask persistently, we are likely to relent even if we are not necessarily predisposed to give them that thing. This is analogous to our relationship with our heavenly Father. He lavishly gives so much and so constantly, we take Him and his blessings for granted yet we still take our wants and needs to Him. Let us lift our minds from the material to things such as mates, recovery of health, answers to inquiries, solutions to problems, relationships and so on. These are things that are important to us. God invites us to bring these prayers and supplications to Him.
Jesus said we should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). He also rhetorically asks, "Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you he will see that they get justice, and quickly" Luke 18:7-8. Not only does persistence pay, it is authorized and encouraged.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Every parent wants to give their child the world. Some do it by lavishing the best they are able to provide on their young ones. Others do it by teaching hard work, relating that nothing comes easy but equipping them to be able to acquire things for themselves. Few us do not want our children to have it better than we did growing up.
The interesting thing about that statement is that not many of us had it bad at all. This was because our parents wanted us to have it better than they did and so it continues.
Beloved our kids do not have to ask for most of the things we provide. If they ask persistently, we are likely to relent even if we are not necessarily predisposed to give them that thing. This is analogous to our relationship with our heavenly Father. He lavishly gives so much and so constantly, we take Him and his blessings for granted yet we still take our wants and needs to Him. Let us lift our minds from the material to things such as mates, recovery of health, answers to inquiries, solutions to problems, relationships and so on. These are things that are important to us. God invites us to bring these prayers and supplications to Him.
Jesus said we should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). He also rhetorically asks, "Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you he will see that they get justice, and quickly" Luke 18:7-8. Not only does persistence pay, it is authorized and encouraged.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
When the Going Gets Tough-5/30/2012
"Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." 1 Sam 30:6
Though a powerful fighter and commander, the as yet uncrowned David was a troubled and conflicted person. As is the case with many leaders, godly or otherwise, when things go wrong the blame lands squarely on the shoulders of the person in charge. David and his mighty men left their wives, children and possessions in what they thought was a safe place while they went off to fight. They returned to find that an enemy had raided their base, stolen their possessions and kidnapped their wives and children. David himself had two wives captured.
Beloved we all know what it is like to go through bad times. Any number of things can send us into despair. Suppose a critical and costly error is made on the job. Imagine an at fault car accident that causes someone to become badly hurt. Consider the occurrence of a situation that jeopardizes your ability to provide for your family. These and many other things can cause even the strongest person to fall apart. The loneliness in such a situation is profound. David, however, is an example of what to do in situations like these. We must remember who we are and whose we are. God has never failed us. All any of us has to do is look back across our lives to see that He has delivered us EVERY time. In fact, our ability to look back is proof in and of itself.
There may not always be a person or persons around to console and comfort us. There may not be those with whom you can consult in a time of trouble. It may be that everyone is not only looking to you to resolve a situation but they may very well array themselves against you for lack of a better target for their anger and pain. It is at times like these that we must encourage ourselves. It is at times like these that we must tap into the presence of God within us and remember. Having done that, as David did, we must take it to God and then move according to His will. Not only did David (and his people) ultimately prevail, they exceeded their previous position and possessions and had enough to share with the elders of Judah who were their friends.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Though a powerful fighter and commander, the as yet uncrowned David was a troubled and conflicted person. As is the case with many leaders, godly or otherwise, when things go wrong the blame lands squarely on the shoulders of the person in charge. David and his mighty men left their wives, children and possessions in what they thought was a safe place while they went off to fight. They returned to find that an enemy had raided their base, stolen their possessions and kidnapped their wives and children. David himself had two wives captured.
Beloved we all know what it is like to go through bad times. Any number of things can send us into despair. Suppose a critical and costly error is made on the job. Imagine an at fault car accident that causes someone to become badly hurt. Consider the occurrence of a situation that jeopardizes your ability to provide for your family. These and many other things can cause even the strongest person to fall apart. The loneliness in such a situation is profound. David, however, is an example of what to do in situations like these. We must remember who we are and whose we are. God has never failed us. All any of us has to do is look back across our lives to see that He has delivered us EVERY time. In fact, our ability to look back is proof in and of itself.
There may not always be a person or persons around to console and comfort us. There may not be those with whom you can consult in a time of trouble. It may be that everyone is not only looking to you to resolve a situation but they may very well array themselves against you for lack of a better target for their anger and pain. It is at times like these that we must encourage ourselves. It is at times like these that we must tap into the presence of God within us and remember. Having done that, as David did, we must take it to God and then move according to His will. Not only did David (and his people) ultimately prevail, they exceeded their previous position and possessions and had enough to share with the elders of Judah who were their friends.
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Tear the Roof Off-7/12/2011
"Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying." Mark 2:4
Human beings are amazingly resourceful and resilient. There are ways found to do just about anything. We investigate, analyze, solve, plan, execute and evaluate. Most every problem that faces us is eventually solved. We then pass along the solution to others and set ourselves to tackle the next obstacle.
As Jesus was in a home sharing wisdom and knowledge, a few friends desired to see him in order to obtain healing for one of their number who was afflicted with a palsy. He was unable to get himself to Jesus. When they arrived and could not gain entrance because of the crowd, they put their heads together and found a way to get to the Lord.
Beloved, we should all use the resourcefulness that God gave us to get to Him. It was all to easy for humankind to leave Him. From that very time He has been making ways for us to be returned, reconciled and reunited. Having been advised that there is a way, we must overcome all obstacles to get to Him. We find ways to accomplish so many things that do not contribute to our salvation. Why not do similarly for that which does?
It also seen in this passage that there was an effort to deliver someone who could not deliver himself. The Christian must be willing to overcome obstacles to getting others to Christ as well. Once we have been saved, it becomes a priority to conduct others to salvation as well. Through their own circumstances, they may be hindered from seeking and gaining him on their own...perhaps as some of us may have been.
Let us tear the roof off if we must, but let nothing stand between us, our duty and our Lord.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Human beings are amazingly resourceful and resilient. There are ways found to do just about anything. We investigate, analyze, solve, plan, execute and evaluate. Most every problem that faces us is eventually solved. We then pass along the solution to others and set ourselves to tackle the next obstacle.
As Jesus was in a home sharing wisdom and knowledge, a few friends desired to see him in order to obtain healing for one of their number who was afflicted with a palsy. He was unable to get himself to Jesus. When they arrived and could not gain entrance because of the crowd, they put their heads together and found a way to get to the Lord.
Beloved, we should all use the resourcefulness that God gave us to get to Him. It was all to easy for humankind to leave Him. From that very time He has been making ways for us to be returned, reconciled and reunited. Having been advised that there is a way, we must overcome all obstacles to get to Him. We find ways to accomplish so many things that do not contribute to our salvation. Why not do similarly for that which does?
It also seen in this passage that there was an effort to deliver someone who could not deliver himself. The Christian must be willing to overcome obstacles to getting others to Christ as well. Once we have been saved, it becomes a priority to conduct others to salvation as well. Through their own circumstances, they may be hindered from seeking and gaining him on their own...perhaps as some of us may have been.
Let us tear the roof off if we must, but let nothing stand between us, our duty and our Lord.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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