Prayer, God’s Mercy Meeting Our Needs December 21, 2008
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As I have been thinking about prayer recently, I realized one of the great obstacles to prayer — not recognizing our needs. When we are too busy to see how needy we really are before God, we are likely to not pray as we should. It is only as we see our daily needs and the sufficiency of God to meet those needs that we are likely to pray with zeal and fervency.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” God’s mercy and grace are the answer for our needs! The question remains, “How needy are we?” If we do not see our needs we are unlikely to spend much time in prayer. On the other hand, if our needs are continually present before us, we are more apt to pray.
Consider the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15:21-28. Her daughter was demon-possessed. She had a need and she cried out to the One who could meet that need. When Christ’s disciples begged Christ to send her away and He responded that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, her need caused her to cry out more. “Lord, help me!” Again when Christ said it wasn’t good to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs, her need was still unmet. She cried all the more. Why? Because she had a need and was unwilling to leave until it was met.
Does this describe our prayer life? Are we keenly aware of our pressing needs and determined to go to the Savior until those needs are met? George Mueller was a shining example of this. He prayed until God meet His needs.
Are you praying as you should? If not, what are your needs? I have found it helpful to write down the areas of need in my life–and was surprised how long the list really needs to be.
My God give us the grace to see our needs and then come with confidence before the throne of grace to have them met by the prayer-answering God!
Imitators of God December 8, 2008
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In Ephesians 5:1, the Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children…” The word for “imitators” is from the Greek word “mimetes” from which we get the word “mimic”. It has the idea of copying something, or in this case, copying God. We are to so live our lives that we mimic God. Another way of saying this is that we are to be “godly” or “holy”, since God is holy.
But how are we to do this? What things are we to be doing to mimic God? The verse just before this tells us practically what to do. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you”. Here is the example we are to follow. Treat others the way God has treated us as His children. Being kind, tenderhearted, forgiving – these are three ways we can imitate God.
As we go about this day in our relationship with others, these are the characteristics we should strive for. Yet we cannot treat others this way if we have not experienced this treatment from God. Have you ever been forgiven by God? Have you known the kind and tenderhearted love of God in Christ Jesus for your own soul? If not, you cannot practice this type of behaviour towards others. Even if you have experienced this treatment from God, you still need the working of the Holy Spirit in your life to treat others in this manner.
Dear God, make me to be an imitator of You today in all my relationships and dealings with others!
The Truly Wise Man November 10, 2008
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In James 3:18 we read, “And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” Just prior to this verse James described the characteristics of true wisdom: pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. As followers of Christ, we must demonstrate these qualities in our lives. But we must not stop there. If we truly love Christ, we will also want to see others filled with these qualities of wisdom. Therefore, the true believer will not only demonstrate these characteristics of righteousness in his own life, he will also sow the seeds which produce righteousness in the lives of others.
Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Psalm 126:5 (Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting) writes, “The promise belongs to those sowing in tears. When a man’s heart is so stirred that he weeps over the sins of others, he is elected to usefulness. Winners of souls are first weepers for souls. As there is no birth without labor, there is no spiritual harvest without breaking ground and sowing.”
Does your heart weep over the souls of men? If not, it is unlikely there is much sowing of the seed of the gospel of Christ. If not, it is unlikely you will see much fruit for your sowing. Oh for a heart like Christ, who “seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
Dear God, make us to be weepers for souls!
A Call To Holiness October 24, 2008
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In my scripture reading today I came across the most compelling reason to be holy. 1Peter 1:15-16 says, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. This is taken from Leviticus 11:44 and offers us the mind of God on the reason for being holy: God is holy! What higher motive could there be for our holiness?
Albert Barnes, commenting on this verse, writes, “It is a great truth, that people everywhere will imitate the God whom they worship. They will form their character in accordance with his. They will regard what he does as right. They will attempt to rise no higher in virtue than the God whom they adore, and they will practice freely what he is supposed to do or approve. Hence, by knowing what are the characteristics of the gods which are worshipped by any people, we may form a correct estimate of the character of the people themselves…”.
In addition, I would add, by knowing what are the characteristics of the people who worship, we may form a correct estimate of the character of the god they worship. With that thought in mind, what is your lifestyle saying about the God you worship? Are you portraying God accurately?
Why You Do The Things You Do September 29, 2008
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This past Saturday at the weekly men’s meeting of our church we had a stimulating discussion concerning what motivates us in our Christian walk. It was helpful in many ways. The discussion centered around whether our obedience should be done out of love, fear, duty, etc. As we sought to understand the correct motivation for our actions it became clear to us that our obedience to God demonstrates our love to God. Often we are led to believe that our obedience to God is to be done ONLY out of love to God. That any other motivation (fear, duty, etc.) is a wrong motive and therefore our obedience is not really pleasing to God. There is certainly some truth to the fact that many people try to obey God, not because they love Him, but because of some of other reason. Herein lies the difference. A true believer obeys BECAUSE he loves God, whether at times that obedience is driven by a sense of duty, a fear of punishment, or the emotional element of love. His obedience is a demonstration of his love. Those who do not know God do not “obey” out of love as the foundation. Since they do not have genuine faith in God, any outward “obedience” they might show stems from a heart of unbelief. Romans 14:23 teaches, “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin”.
In 2 John 6, the Apostle John writes, “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments…” According to John, true love is obedience. Jesus teaches this same lesson in John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me…” Therefore, we can safely conclude that when a man is obedient to God, that is a demonstration of his love for God. Even though his obedience is based at times on a fear of God and his punishment for sin, his obedience at that time is a demonstration of his faith in the truthfulness of God’s Word to punish sin. The Apostle Paul expressed this in 1 Corinthians 9:27 when he said, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Paul is showing that fear is a legitimate motivation for obedience because it is based on the faith, faith that God will be true to His word and punish sin. Just as fear is a legitimate means to use in the training of children, so it is in love and obedience to God.
In summary, the heart of faith that the believer has is a heart that loves God, fears God, and senses its duty to God. These are all valid reasons for obeying God since they all stem from a heart of faith.
Faith is Prayers Essential Ingredient September 23, 2008
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Matthew 21:22 – And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. I have been learning lately the necessity of praying with faith. In fact, it has been quite startling to realize that my prayers are actually sin if I am not praying in faith. Romans 14:23 teaches that “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” I was reminded lately that even the heathen “think that they shall be heard for their much speaking (Matthew 6:7). It is not the length of my prayers that honors God, but the faith in my prayers that honors God. Even the Pharisees “for a pretence make long prayer” (Matthew 23:14). It is altogether possible that I can discipline myself to pray consistently and for lenghtly periods of time, and still not be pleasing to the Lord in this area of my life.
That is not to say that discipline and consistency in prayer are to be cast aside. Not at all! But prayer must be done “believing” that God will answer or my prayer is not in faith. I learned recently about “faith-sized requests” while on an elders retreat. Jim Elliff recounted about learning this concept some years ago. The idea is that we should pray for things that we have the faith to believe that God will answer. That may mean we start praying specifically for small things that we believe God will answer. From there, we build up to bigger requests when we have the faith to believe God for them.
This can be especially useful in dealing with sin in our life. Rather than praying that God will keep me from sinning with my tongue, I have begun to pray that God will enable me to go the next two hours without sinning with my tongue. I believe that God is pleased to answer that request and that He is indeed able to answer that request. In other words, I am praying in faith, believing that God is able to answer my prayer. I am seeing that while my faith is small, this is a way to build my faith in God. What a blessing to see specific answers to prayer!
Living By Faith September 11, 2008
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I was challenged last night in our men’s Bible study in the area of finances. Jim Elliff exhorted the men of Christ Fellowship of Kansas City to trust God when it comes to money. Jim shared a number of stories of God’s provision through the years and encouraged each of us to live our lives so that we have a story to tell. What a great encouragement. We are often content to get by with our day to day lives rather then expecting God to do great things. As I have been learning about faith this past week, this was a great reminder to me of my need to trust God more.
One aspect of this trust in God relates to our ability to give to others in need. When we are trusting God for our provision and living within our means, we are able to have more to give to others. As we learn from the widow’s two mites, it is not the size of the gift that matters as much as the sacrifice we make by faith to give. This fits well with my previous posts about having either a great faith or a small faith. By God’s grace, I desire to have a faith that sees great things from God.
Believing Prayer September 10, 2008
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“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22). What a great reminder of the need to pray in faith. But how does this work? How do I know if I am asking according to God’s will? How do I know if God wants me to have the thing I am asking for? These are the questions that I think others have as well. Jesus is certainly not talking about “positive thinking” here. In other words, he can’t be saying if you just believe anything strong enough, it will happen. This would be contrary to the whole of scripture.
In my situation, I am looking for employment. I have applied for a number of jobs and none of them have come through. I have asked the Lord for certain jobs and have not obtained them. I realize that I am fully trusting God to provide for me and my family, I just don’t know which job that will be. Since I know that work is the means God usually uses to provide, I am seeking to find work. Overall, I have great confidence and faith that God will provide for my family. This is my prayer and I can rest knowing that God is going to answer it.
What Can God Do If We Believe? September 9, 2008
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In Ephesians 3:20 Paul encourages the believers that God “…is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”. What an great thought for us to meditate upon as we continue looking at the subject of faith. Once again in my reading of Matthew’s gospel, I was struck to see the contrasting levels of faith in the lives of those around Jesus. In Matthew 14:31 Peter started walking on the water towards Jesus. What an act of faith! Yet, as his eyes became focused on the circumstances around him (the effect of the wind on the waves) his faith seemed to sink as quickly as he did. In his desperation he cried out “Lord, save me”. After Jesus rescues him from imminent danger, he said to Peter, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Matthew 14:31). We see the apparent connection between Peter’s sinking and his lack of faith. What a lesson this should be to us in times of discouragement. May God grant grace to trust Him BEFORE the doubt sets in as we saturate ourselves in fellowship with Christ.
We then see the opposite demonstration of faith in the woman of Canaan in the very next chapter. In Matthew 15:28 Jesus commends her faith by saying, “O woman, great is they faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” Her faith in this instance was persistent, she wouldn’t give up. Even the disciples were troubled by her persistence and said to Jesus, “Send her away; for she crieth after us” (15:23). Yet Jesus, rather than send her away, in the end blesses her for her faith and gives her the healing for her daughter that she so desired. Make no mistake here, her faith was not something she produced in her own power. The scripture is clear that faith is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
So how do we obtain this faith? Romans 10:17 instructs us that “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” As we humbly seek God in His Word and yield to the instruction we find there, God miraculously gives faith. We need to be like the father who came to Jesus in Mark 9 and was told by Jesus, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”. In response, the father “cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). A small faith is certainly something that should bring forth humility as well as tears. When we consider all that God has promised to those who believe, a small faith should be mourned.
May God be pleased to increase the faith of all those who humbly seek Him in His Word.
According to you Faith September 8, 2008
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In Matthew 9 we see three more examples of the importance of faith. In each case, healing occurred based on true faith. In 9:2 Jesus healed the man sick of the palsy when he saw the faith of those who brought him. In 9:22 Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, saying to her, “…thy faith had made thee whole.” And finally in 9:29 Jesus healed the two blind men. Jesus asked them in 9:28, “Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.” Then, in verse 29, “Jesus touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.” This kind of faith is truly needed in my life. In this chapter Jesus does some great things according to the faith of those He heals. Certainly the Bible is clear that faith is “the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). We can do nothing to earn faith and we definitely do not deserve faith. Yet God is pleased to grant it to whomever He wills.
My response to this chapter and the miraculous healings according to faith is to cry out to God, “Lord, help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). O Father, may it seem good in your sight to answer my prayer for your own glory!
Truth Makes Free 