December 9, 2012

But Daddy....Be Consistent And Persistent

Luke 11: 1 - 13

Luke

Once when Jesus had been out praying, one of his disciples came to him as he finished and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

He said, "This is how you should pray:  "Father, may your name be honored.  May your Kingdom come soon.  Give us our food day by day.  And forgive us our sins - just as we forgive those who have sinned against us.  And don't let us yield to temptation."[

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this illustration:  "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread.  You would say to him, 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.  He would call out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me.  The door is locked for the night, and we are all in bed.  I can't help you this time.'  But I tell you this - though he won't do it as a friend, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you what you want so his reputation won't be damaged.

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for.  Keep on looking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.  For everyone who asks, receives.  Everyone who seeks, finds.  And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

"You fathers - if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion?  Of course not!  If you sinful people 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."   

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Thoughts.....

Todays scripture isn't about a need for bread, but for true bread....the Bread of Life....and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It's also about being consistent and persistent, so God knows that our minds are unchanging, resolute, and our conviction in him and with him is firm.  It's about bringing him honor and glory.  And about him forgiving us and teaching us to forgive others.  About learning to yield to temptations.  About living life with him. 

One day I was watching a church service on television.  The Pastor was saying that we shouldn't pray as some do by saying our prayers over and over expecting results.  He was disgruntled with churches that do this.  And then they ended the service with the Lord's Prayer....as they did every Sunday...."Our Father, who art in heaven....".  And how is that any different than the churches who pray prayers over and over?  It made me laugh.  This thought of not praying the same prayer over and over is indicated in Scripture.  And yet here, Jesus tells us to 'keep up the good work', be consistent and persistent, don't give up. 

We can talk directly to God, give him honor and praise, worship him, ask for things for others and ourselves.  We can also pray the same prayers over and over again.  I don't think the real issue is repetition, it is saying something from memory vs saying something from the heart.  I was in a church for a time, and they kept praying the Lord's prayer so fast from memory, I didn't feel the heart of the prayer, and figured if I wasn't, then maybe God wasn't either.  I did not feel the worship, the praise, the honor, the glory to HIM.

I suggested to them all that there was a difference, that if they slowed down their prayer, thought about what they were saying, they would feel the gift they were giving to God.  The blessings would come down.  What a difference with the change!  There was almost a rapture with Holy Spirit....certainly the anointing was felt.  The point....don't just yammer along blah blah from memory.  If you are going to pray a prayer regularly rather than have a conversation with God, pray with heartfelt purpose to worship him, to honor him, and praise him.  Maybe start out saying those prayers line by line, giving thought and pause to each line.  In that, you will be reminded of the depth of love you feel for him and will certainly feel the same from him to you.          

Although we do not know how John the Baptist prayed exactly, we now know Jesus' thoughts on this topic.  He outlined for us a prayer to remind us of the principles needed to have God 'answer the door', if you will.  Give God honor through praise and worship.  Ask him into our life.  Ask him to feed us the Bread of Life....Jesus.  Ask him to forgive us for our sins.  We are to forgive those who've sinned against us.  And ask him to help us yield to temptations in life.  Oh.....those chocolate chip with coconut cookies......that woman at the store....the guy at the bar..........needle across the record sound..............what bar..........why are you even there???????!!!!!!!!   Do you really NEED that new car?  How many toys does a child really need?

Do the words you pray have to be exact as Jesus said, or as Matthew indicated Jesus said in his Chapter 6?  No.  It's an outline and it's basic.  Although we've come to know it as 'The Lord's Prayer', it was not 'his prayer', so much as an outline of how we need to pray to have God hear us. Talk to him, and listen for him to talk to you.  It's important to know that we shouldn't be whining in asking for things all the time, but giving God praise!  It's important to know that we shouldn't sin, but we have a way to be forgiven....ask.  It's important to know God can help us yield to temptation.  It's paramount to know his Kingdom has come.    

Jesus' illustration is not just about the neighbor next door, your neighbor.....to whom you could teach the principles of God, were you to start knocking on their door.  It's so much more.  It's about going to God.  Jesus said the word 'but'....'but I tell you this'.  Cute phrase, 'but I tell you this'.  We often tell someone, 'let me tell you something', or 'I've got news for you'.  And people usually balk at the statement wondering why we think we have so much authority that we could tell them something.  But Jesus.....now HE's got authority to tell us ANYTHING.  "But I tell you this....".  And he goes on to say that the neighbor won't do it as a friend, but if we keep knocking enough, the neighbor will get up and help give us what we want so his reputation won't be ruined.  But I tell you.....if you have the Holy Spirit, you have authority to ask for anything.  Even move mountains.  Let's break his statement down a bit.

The neighbor 'won't do it as a friend'....why do you suppose?  Do you think you would be happy to be awakened in the middle of the night with someone knocking on the door for something other than a fire?  I'm not sure I would even wake up to 'throw open the sash', let alone the door.  And if I did, I'd probably have emergency on speed dial ready to push send.  If you kept knocking, I would be less likely to be happy about it probably.  But, knowing myself as I do, in reality, I'd probably start cooking the meals for them once I was fully awake.  So, in this instance, Jesus alludes to the neighbor being annoyed enough to not be friendly, but who eventually will meet the need.  Guess he wasn't a Christian....yet.  Being consistent and persistent helps in getting answers....and sales.  Marketers have known this for years.  Some commercials folks know by heart.  Oh, have you seen the Land's end holiday commercial?  It's precious and deserving of an award! 

This Scripture also refers to God.  Gotta love Jesus' parables.  Ok.....Not.  Anyway, God may find us a pain in the neck, but because of our being consistent and persistent, our minds not wavering as regards our need or want, the desires of our heart will be fulfilled.  The reason we need to be consistent and persistent when reaching out to our loving Daddy, is so that he's not making mistakes....nor are we.....presumably.  Often times we want something only to realize it wasn't what we should have asked for.  We don't appreciate it.  How often did you hear growing up that working for something gives you more appreciation for that which you sought and obtained?  Or we rush to the store with the sale ad in our hands having to have 'that thing' and get it home wondering why we spent so much money?  Or we wanted that job, that person in our life, that car, the house, etc. only to grumble about it without appreciation later?  God does not want an ungrateful brood, because it does not bring him glory.....his reputation will be damaged.  How can you possibly tout God as being wonderful, if you are complaining all the time? 

Jesus tells us, "And so I tell you, keep asking and you will be given what you ask for."  If we continually commit something to prayer, God sees the earnestness of our heart, the conviction of our passion, the intent of our desire, and, through prayer, we will have come to mind, from God, either the promise to receive from him, or the way to obtain it ourselves without his divine intervention.  Without his divine intervention is the 'Keep on looking and you will find' part.  So is the 'everyone who seeks, finds'.  God can also give us what we seek from him.  Sometimes we find in our seeking, an answer to empower ourselves to achieve that for which we asked from God.

"Keep on knocking and the door will be opened."  Whether directly by God, or as a result of our actions, or God helping us in our actions, the door will be opened, if we continue to be consistent and persistent.  Remember this also:  Just because a door opens does not mean you should go through it.  It could be a test from God.  Ask yourself,  Will asking for this, or walking through this door align with God's principles as outlined in the New Testament?  There are a lot of angry people out there using the Old Testament as an excuse to murder or for revenge.  We are to live under the New Testament.  Jesus didn't come for us to go back to the old ways.  It invalidates his coming, life and resurrection to do so.  God may give us our heart's desire, even if it doesn't align to teach us, prune us.  

"For everyone who asks receives."  This is the 'be careful what you ask for' moment.  Ask yourself, "Will it bring God glory, and make HIM and me truly happy?"  Is it from GOD?  Satan can hear our prayers, too.  He can be quicker than God to give us what we want.  But God, in being thorough, purposeful, will give us what we need, or test us to help us learn if we are in alignment and asking for his purpose, or our own selfish purpose.  Food for thought!!!!!!!!   

"Everyone who seeks finds."  Finds what?  Ask yourself, "Will what I am seeking bring God glory?"  IF they are answers about him, of course they will bring him glory, IF YOU APPLY THEM.  You may find what you think are answers from God, when they are only answers you've come up with.

Either way, "And the door is opened to everyone who knocks."  That does not mean that you will always get what you want.  It means that God will open the door as you knock to hear what you have to say."  The earlier phrase, "keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for" is the part where you get what you want.  Again, be careful what you ask for.  And make sure you are knocking on GOD's door.

Pay attention now....as Jesus talks about what can be given.  He says, "You fathers - if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion?  Of course not!"  Jesus alludes to God being willing to give you what you ask for, however, there may be a very painful lesson in what you are about to receive, if in fact you choose to receive it without foundation.  By that I mean, if you haven't thought things through, taken them to Scripture for alignment first, deciding whether it will bring God glory, regardless of how happy you believe it may make you feel.  It also indicates that if you are consistent and persistent when going to Daddy....Father God....he'll see your mind is not a tempest storm, as unchanging as the wind, you're committed to seeing through that which will come after, that you've hopefully aligned it with Scripture, it's a 'Martha Stewart moment'....it's a good thing....and he'll grant you your heart's desire with joy.  Or you'll get it anyway......and you may not be grateful after all.  

The most important sentence in this whole lesson today as part of his parable is the following:  "If you sinful people 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?"  What Jesus is saying is that the greatest gift you can ask for is the Holy Spirit.  Sit back and rest with that thought for a few moments........................................  

Gomer Pyle, from Mayberry, Andy Griffeth's friend in the TV show, used to say 'Chazam!'  Cha-zam' had no real meaning other than a statement of 'Wow!' or 'Gee! with an extra element of amazement perhaps.  Not profound, yet what we've just read is profound.  The greatest gift we can ask God for is the Holy Spirit.  Chazam!  In telling us this, we understand that if we had Holy Spirit in our lives, our lives would be vastly different.  We wouldn't need much, because all our needs would be supplied through him.  We wouldn't need to ask God about much, because Holy Spirit would be our Teacher.  We wouldn't hurt much, because our needs would be supplied and life understanding given, so his need to act as our Comforter wouldn't even be in high demand.  And God could be busy doing other things than dealing with our petty wants and wishes.  Not that he doesn't want to hear from us, we can go directly to him anytime, but isn't the illness of a loved one more important in the scheme of prayer?  Isn't there a whole world of hurting people who do not have God, Jesus, Holy Spirit in their lives?  Isn't everyone crying out in pain somewhere that isn't a believer?  And if you are a believer, shouldn't you be addressing Holy Spirit to teach you what you need to know to help yourself, and if that doesn't work, then go up the chain of command to Jesus and then God?  And say, why don't you have Holy Spirit in your life, if you are a believer?  All you have to do is ask God for him....Jesus said so....right here....last sentence.

If you are not a Christian believer, I invite you into the family.  Won't you ask the Trinity into your heart today?

Why are you sick?  Why are you poor?  Why are you in crisis?  Why do you want for anything?  If Holy Spirit is talking to you, you may not be listening.  And folks, I say this to myself all the time, so please do not think I am attacking you.  I learned long ago, 'what ever you can get through you, you can get to you'.  And Ministers, Pastors, Priests can be needy just like everyone else.  We also need pruning like the rest, so he made sure we were never perfect.  I can SO attest to that.  And like the rest of the world, in MY imperfection, I ask for things without checking with him first.  Like checking to see how much flour I had to make cookies before I went to the store and spent extra gas money to do so, that I didn't need to do after all.  Major expensive bag of flour when you factor in the gasoline.  And I'll feel the pruning....3 bucks can go along way elsewhere and I'll find myself short 3 bucks for something very soon.  Just to give you an example.  I tell you this so you really do know, I am not talking 'AT' you, but sharing with you always. 

So the most important thing to take away from the table today is that God considers the Holy Spirit the best gift he can now give you....since he's already given you Jesus....his Kingdom has come....it is here!  The other thing is to honor God, ask for Jesus daily, ask for forgiveness of your sins, forgive others, yield to temptation.  Ask to live here as in heaven....that those in heaven in authority would approve.  And know that he is your heavenly Daddy to whom you can go to for everything.  God loves you, Jesus loves you and Holy Spirit loves you. They want nothing more than for you to be happy, for your joy will bring them glory, honor, joy, and praise. 

Remember.....be careful what you ask for!

I'm asking for your help now......                              

As we reach the end of the year, we get closer to the time when we worship His Majesty by sharing in the joy of the birth of his Son, Jesus Christ.  There is no better time than now to let God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit know how grateful you are for them being there for you, Jesus being born, and being fed the Word of God.

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Let Us Pray

My Father, Daddy, I know you are in heaven, but in my heart I believe you are here....right here in my heart, in my life.  I just praise you and thank you for loving me, giving me life, caring for and about me.  May I bring you honor in what I do, how I live, how I love....you....and others.  I know your Kingdom has come....Jesus lived among us, and now lives with you.  May he be in my heart and soul daily....he is my daily Bread....of Life.  Please meet my daily needs.  Please forgive me of my sins.  Please help me to forgive those who have sinned against me.  And please help me yield to any temptations.  Help me to live my life on earth as I would if I were in heaven, doing so in a way as to receive the approval of you and others in authority in heaven....Jesus and Holy Spirit.  I just praise you and thank you Lord of heaven and earth.  Holy Spirit come fully into my life in such a way as for me to know, with wisdom, how I am to live my life and what I am to do daily to share your Word...the Gospel of Jesus Christ....as outlined in the New Testament....sharing your everlasting life opportunity for all.  Baptize me with the fullness of your love.  May our journey together be everlasting....may I never do anything that displeases you, God or Jesus.  Help me to never fall from your grace.  Although I know I will from time to time err, I also know that you will forgive me my feeble attempts at perfection, which makes me laugh as I say this, since I am so far from perfect, yet I strive to be a better Christian and more like you in my heart daily.  You know my wants and my needs.  Be careful for me in answering my wants, and let me be more discerning as I make requests for such and for my needs.  You see my future....I do not.  You know which path will take me firmly on the journey you have for me....help me know what that is, too.  Show me the way.  Jesus, again I thank you for living, and dying, for me.  Holy Spirit, thank you for putting up with me!!!!  Bless your heart.  I love you all.  I praise and thank you with my words, help me praise and show you thanks by my actions.  Always.  Amen.                     

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Lord,LordJesJeJeJJjEJJJ     JJThe LORD is king!  Let the nations tremble!  T***

More love.... 

  Benediction....Blessing

Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'.

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Definition of a Christian:  Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Regardless of church name or religious affiliation. 

It is not how we worship, but that we worship....the Trinity!   

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Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

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  Our Current Cause

It is time to reach into the community and the world around you to see wherein lies the greatest need.  As you choose to focus on these areas, do so with a servant's heart.  Whether the need is for children, adults, or animals, or any cause in between that will help those in need, ask God how you can best serve his needs, what path you must take, and how long you should persevere.  Sometimes we are to be in the lives of others merely as stepping stones.  Sometimes we are to touch those lives forever.  Whatever journey you are called to take, whatever team you will be a member, know this:  God is with you always...even til the end of time.  He loves you, is grateful for you, and will help you along life's way, especially if you are helping others along theirs, persevering with a servant's heart.  

Please accept my sincerest thanks....and God's....and may God richly bless you! 

BesidesBesid   

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    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

   Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

"Amen."

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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided. 

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  Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

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