Post by kencoolidge on Sept 20, 2009 17:56:35 GMT -5
Inspiration by E-Mail for the Week of September 20, 2009
HOW MUCH MORE?
"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for
bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he
give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
(Matthew 7:9-11)
In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about
prayer. In the previous words He encouraged the simple act of
persistent prayer, telling us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking
in prayer.
In these lines Jesus corrects a wrong idea many people have about
prayer. They think of prayer as if it is our job to convince a
reluctant, stubborn God that He should give us things that He really
doesn't want to give us, but if we nag Him enough He may do what
we want. This is a wrong idea of God and prayer, and Jesus here
corrected it.
He said, "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks
for bread, will give him a stone?" Jesus made it clear that God
doesn't have to be persuaded or appeased in prayer. He is a loving
God who is ready to give to His children. Just was a man would
never give a stone to a son who asked for a piece of bread, God
will give us the good things we ask for.
Of course, we don't always know that the good things are. There
are times when we ask for something that would be like a stone or
a serpent to us, and God knows better than to give us what we
mistakenly ask for. Yet we don't miss the main point of Jesus here:
God is a loving, giving God and should be approached that way in
prayer.
The point is clearly made: "If you then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father who is in heaven." It is a sinful misunderstanding of the
nature of God to deny that He answers the seeking heart. If we do
this, we then imply that God is worse than even an evil man is.
Instead, in comparison to even the best human father, "how much
more" is God a good and loving father to His children? How much
more is God than even the best human father? Jesus didn't tell us.
He didn't say "100 time more" or "1000 times more." Jesus left it to
our meditation because it is beyond calculation.
When we realize how loving and how good God really is, it prompts
us to prayer. Many years ago the author J.B. Phillips wrote a book
with a powerful title: "Your God Is Too Small." He meant to show
that the God in the minds of many people is actually much "smaller"
than the God who is really there. We can say the same thing
regarding the love of God. For many people it could be said, "Your
God Isn't Loving Enough." The God who is really there is more
loving than we often think.
Today, think about how much God loves you – and let that lead you
to real prayer. He knows how to "give good things to those who
ask Him."
By David Guzik
For Bible Study resources by David Guzik, go to:
www.enduringword.com/library_commentaries.htm
For David Guzik podcast, find the link at www.enduringword.com.
A convenient link for mobile users – easily access David's online
commentary from your iPhone or web-enabled phone.
www.enduringword.com/mobile_commentary.htm
HOW MUCH MORE?
"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for
bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he
give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
(Matthew 7:9-11)
In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about
prayer. In the previous words He encouraged the simple act of
persistent prayer, telling us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking
in prayer.
In these lines Jesus corrects a wrong idea many people have about
prayer. They think of prayer as if it is our job to convince a
reluctant, stubborn God that He should give us things that He really
doesn't want to give us, but if we nag Him enough He may do what
we want. This is a wrong idea of God and prayer, and Jesus here
corrected it.
He said, "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks
for bread, will give him a stone?" Jesus made it clear that God
doesn't have to be persuaded or appeased in prayer. He is a loving
God who is ready to give to His children. Just was a man would
never give a stone to a son who asked for a piece of bread, God
will give us the good things we ask for.
Of course, we don't always know that the good things are. There
are times when we ask for something that would be like a stone or
a serpent to us, and God knows better than to give us what we
mistakenly ask for. Yet we don't miss the main point of Jesus here:
God is a loving, giving God and should be approached that way in
prayer.
The point is clearly made: "If you then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father who is in heaven." It is a sinful misunderstanding of the
nature of God to deny that He answers the seeking heart. If we do
this, we then imply that God is worse than even an evil man is.
Instead, in comparison to even the best human father, "how much
more" is God a good and loving father to His children? How much
more is God than even the best human father? Jesus didn't tell us.
He didn't say "100 time more" or "1000 times more." Jesus left it to
our meditation because it is beyond calculation.
When we realize how loving and how good God really is, it prompts
us to prayer. Many years ago the author J.B. Phillips wrote a book
with a powerful title: "Your God Is Too Small." He meant to show
that the God in the minds of many people is actually much "smaller"
than the God who is really there. We can say the same thing
regarding the love of God. For many people it could be said, "Your
God Isn't Loving Enough." The God who is really there is more
loving than we often think.
Today, think about how much God loves you – and let that lead you
to real prayer. He knows how to "give good things to those who
ask Him."
By David Guzik
For Bible Study resources by David Guzik, go to:
www.enduringword.com/library_commentaries.htm
For David Guzik podcast, find the link at www.enduringword.com.
A convenient link for mobile users – easily access David's online
commentary from your iPhone or web-enabled phone.
www.enduringword.com/mobile_commentary.htm