"Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened."

Matthew 7:7, NKJV

 

There's a lot to take in, for a Christian today. Yesterday we witnessed the beginning of a new era in America... an era that I don't believe many will enjoy. It is easy to become discouraged, especially for those who are accustomed to dealing with people who have integrity. I don't believe there are many people left in government who have that particular trait. Since I believe that, I am preparing for the worst, physically, but for the best, spiritually.

 

That may seem strange until you truly consider the promise above. It was uttered by Christ, therefore it is absolute. I know many of you have been praying that evil men would not succeed in their evil deeds, and now you may feel let down because it may appear that they have succeeded. But don't forget this important aspect of prayer: God's will!

 

Think back to Jesus' prayer in the garden. He prayed that if it was God's will that "this cup be taken from Me". The cup given to Him at that time was death on the cross. But Jesus did suffer death on the cross, so did God fail to answer Christ's prayer? The answer is obvious: God did answer that prayer, for Jesus prayed that God's will be done.  As we now know from history, it was God's will that Jesus be crucified at that time that our sins might be forgiven. So Jesus wanted one thing: That the cup be taken from Him if it was God's will. In effect, Jesus asked and it was given to Him. He sought God's will and found it. Jesus was not let down by God at all - His prayer was answered.

 

Now look at the present situation. Evil men with evil intent have appeared to have got away with their evil plans... but have they really? For have we not been praying for God's will at the same time we have been praying for wicked men not to succeed? It may have appeared at the time that wicked men succeeded by killing Jesus, but it actually turned out to be a victory for all who believe in Christ.

 

The uncertain events of the various times on this earth are no different. If evil men are given power for a moment in time, it does not mean that God's will is not being done. It may very well be that a complacent church in America ushered in these wicked men. No less than a supreme court justice said recently that we were too quick to give up our rights, and he was right! Notice how many Christians and how many churches have "eased back" on their service to the Lord for "health concerns". How ironic that people would try to save their physical health, while at the same time committing spiritual suicide.

 

Think about that for a moment: Thousands of churches gave up meeting together... for their health! That's like a young man or woman giving up their virtue to save their purity.  Life just does not work that way. So, if you are concerned about the illegal and unconstitutional events of recent days, that is all well and good! But don't act as if God has somehow reneged on His promises. It is just as true today as it was yesterday: Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find.

 

Unfortunately, I believe what we have "found" is that there is a price to pay for unfaithfulness to God. The question is: "What will we do about it."

 

Today's reading is from the 7th chapter of Matthew. It contains great hope for those who will embrace the truth's contained in this portion of God's Word.

 

"Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

Matthew 6:11-13, NKJV

 

I know a lot of people wonder why they should take the time to pray. They look around this evil world and see evil men getting away with evil plans and they are tempted to think that somehow God has let them down - so why even bother to pray?

 

Maybe the reason that God wants us to pray is, in part, because there are evil men with evil intentions. They need to be stopped, but why should God stop them if we won't even take a few moments to acknowledge His sovereignty and His power and humbly request His help. Maybe He wants us to remember that our sole reason for being here is to serve Him. Maybe He wants us to realize that we don't even eat, not even for a single day, except for the food He has provided.

 

Maybe He wants us to forgive others because we personally know how valuable that the forgiveness is that He provides for us. Maybe He wants us to pray to be delivered from temptation, every single day, because we struggle with temptation to sin , every single day.

 

There are probably a lot of things we do not know about God's reasons for commanding us to pray every day, but we do know that He does indeed command us to pray each day. Maybe days like this particular one will help us to understand a little better. Today, in our nation, there will be an attempt to certify a new President. This despite more than a thousand sworn statements from witnesses in a half a dozen states stating that cheating and fraud occurred. Maybe God wants us to ask Him to intervene on important matters like that.

 

The reason we pray, for things ranging in importance from our families eating today, to corrupt men being thwarted in their corruption, is this: God truly is in control. He is the only One who not only knows exactly what to do, but who also has the power to do it. So, if you have been trying to go it alone perhaps today is a good time to begin to pray for the things that only our Creator can provide.

 

Or, we could continue to try it on our own. We see where that has gotten us, don't we?

 

Today's reading is from the 6th chapter of the Book of Matthew. It is a continuation of the greatest sermon ever preached, by the greatest One to ever preach. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Matthew 5:6, NKJV

 

These words, of course, are from the most famous sermon ever preached, by the most famous person who ever walked the face of the earth. They were spoken by Jesus, the Son of God, nearly two thousand years ago and they are as true and as important today as the day they were first spoken.

 

Think about how wonderful the word "blessed" really is. It has a two-fold connotation; first, blessed means "happy", and second, the source of this happiness is a result of one's having received favor from God. So, when you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will be happy because God will place His favor upon you for doing so. And you will also be blessed because part of the favor so bestowed is the fulfillment of His promise that your hunger will be satisfied - you "shall be filled".

 

It is the same with all of the other promises contained in these beatitudes, from those who are poor in spirit (humble) to those who are persecuted, and everything in between, for those who seek to do God's will in God's way always receive His favor and as a result will always be happy.

 

It's a pretty good deal, when you think about it, so why not think about it today! It is guaranteed to make you blessed!

 

Today's reading is from Matthew chapter 5. I hope that you will read this portion of the sermon on the mount and take it with you throughout the day, for it has the power to give you the happiness that everyone so desperately needs.

 

 

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."  Matthew 4:1-4, NIV

 

It's just the fourth day of reading only one chapter a day in the New Testament, and already we have come to something that has the potential to be life changing. We see from the passage above that Jesus has not had anything to eat for forty days. So when Satan tempted Him to turn the stones into bread, we can readily see that it would have been appealing to Christ to eat - but He didn't act on that temptation - why not?

 

I believe the answer is something that can change our lives, if we will let it. Jesus did not turn the stones into bread because He had a hunger that went beyond the physical. His desire was first and foremost to serve God. Apparently He had committed this fast to God, and He was not about to break it at the behest of the devil. So, while Jesus was clearly hungry for food (He hadn't eaten in 40 days) He had a greater "hunger" to be obedient to His Father. This is made clear when he said that man does not live on bread alone, but "on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

 

The reason that we read God's Word is that only it can fill us with that which feeds the soul. And, while we can all afford to go hungry for food from time to time, we must not go without partaking of God's Word on a regular basis if our aim is to keep our souls from starving to death. As Jesus pointed out, man lives on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This is truly a "diet" that we can live with!

 

Today's Scripture is the 4th chapter of Matthew. I pray that you will find something in the reading that you can carry with you throughout the day, in order to become a better servant of the Lord.