Walking With Jesus

When It Stops Being Funny

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14a NLT)

When read and understood in its original context, the clear answer to the above question is always a resounding “NO!” Nothing is impossible for God. Yet, in my life, and I’m sure in some of yours, more and more things are becoming, not only hard, but impossible.

A few weeks ago, I spent almost 4 hours trying to print an odd sized envelope, which on my previous printer was no problem, but I simply couldn’t figure out how to do it on my new printer (that’s apparently too smart for me to be able to trick it). I called the manufacturer, which proved pointless, then went back to “self-made” plans, which also ended in futility.

And, yes, of course, as I always do, I prayed. I literally begged God to help me figure it out. You know what He said? “No! It’s not as important as you’re making it out to be. Do what your wife suggested and move on.” That’s not what I wanted to hear, so I continued to work at figuring it out myself, but still to no avail.

Why am I telling you this? Because we do the same thing with other issues, we all face. Maybe it’s a family member, co-worker, neighbor, or __________. They get on our last nerve complaining, bragging, moaning or groaning about the scratch they got on their glasses or some other “crisis.” And we’re like, for crying out loud, get over it!

Yet, I’m convinced we may be missing an opportunity to be Jesus to someone, if we’d just dig a little deeper. So, I dug a little deeper as to why the seeming simple task of printing a specific sized envelope bothered me so much. Because on some levels, to me, it signaled an end in my life. An end of something simple I can no longer figure out how to do. “What’s next?” was the cry of my heart as I sank into my “pity party.”

It was if the Lord was saying: “I won’t protect you from these kinds of things that are going to come, I just want you to trust Me.” Perhaps that’s His purpose in allowing those annoying people (even if one of them is yourself) to be a part of your life. What if you took the person aside and asked them: “Hey, ____, I’ve noticed it’s really bothering you that _______. There’s an easy solution, why do you think it’s bothering you so much?”

You might be surprised what kinds of doors those conversations would open for you to share the Lord with someone. But perhaps the best person to ask that question is the one staring back at you from the mirror. Why do you let those annoyances get to you so much that it’s now YOU who has become annoying in your persistence in talking about it/them?

We all have issues with which we’re seeking to deal. Some lie hidden just below the surface, but if someone would just have the courage to ask, it could help us take the next step in learning something key about ourselves that could move us more closely, not only to our heavenly Father, but to those in our family and spheres of influence who would profit greatly from our insights.

What am I learning? A lot, but perhaps most importantly, that we’re all “fragile” in our own ways. Aging and/or sickness/disease/accidents, can rob us of many things, but they can also open the door to experiencing things we would have never dreamed we would or could experience. The Lord is faithful and good and won’t waste ways to teach us what will ultimately enable us to become more like Him. They may not be funny, but they can certainly be fruitful in our life if we’ll let them be.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When the End Comes

“And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in Me.” (John 16:8-9 NLT)

At the end of time – every single human being who has ever lived, will stand before the God of Creation to give an account of their lives. Imagine, as the spouse standing before the stranger at her door in day before yesterday’s post, standing before a god you imagined, but is, in fact, not the One in front of whom you now stand.

So, here’s the bottom line: Is the God in front of whom you imagine standing at the end of your life, the god of your imagination or the God of the Bible? This has tremendous implications with which we must come to terms while there’s still time, if we have any hope of a home in heaven with the Jesus of the Bible.

Jesus believed the Bible, not only what He’d written through the hearts and minds of His chosen authors before He came to earth, but the ones through whom He wrote the New Testament Books from which come much of our understanding of who He was and still is – the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

The Bible is written to give us information upon which we can base our decision to accept or reject the truth of not only who God is, but who we must become as a result. How will we know what we truly believe? It will become apparent by the way we live our life. How so?

Just as each plant has distinct characteristics, each human being exhibits certain traits or identifying marks that will reveal what and in Whom they believe. Just as we recognize an apple tree by its fruit, each of us will be known by our “fruit.” Jesus followers have a language, lifestyle, attitudes, and demeanor that identify us as children of God, often referred to as the fruit of the Spirit.

The plot thickens because humans, by virtue of our sin nature, are easily deceived and can, in turn, too often easily deceive others. Paul warns of false apostles and deceitful workers, even writing that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light with the express purpose of deceiving as many as possible.

So, how can we know for sure what’s true and what’s not? How do we know what to believe? Can we even know for sure that we’re truly following the Jesus of the Bible? And I assure you, based on the authority and truth of God’s Word, absolutely YES YOU CAN! But how? Paul explains in Romans 8:16-17: “For His (Jesus’) Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.”

Folks, let me be real. Look in the mirror of your soul and ask yourself what motivates you? What is it in your life that you most love? What brings you the most joy? What generates for you the most compassion? What prompts you to be most generous? Gives you the most satisfaction? For me it’s Jesus, but if it’s anything other than Jesus for you, if you ever hope for an eternity in heaven, it must be Jesus for you as well.

Let me ask another way. When your heart stops and your eyes close in death, who do you most want to be certain is in the room with you? If it’s anyone but Jesus, first and foremost, you need to get on your face before the Lord and yield your life and allegiance to Him. Because when you stand before the Lord to give an account of your life, which we all must, we’d better be certain that Jesus is the Lord of our life.

If the fruit of your life isn’t pointing to Jesus you need to make certain that you make time now, while you still have time, to make sure your life, the efforts of your whole being, are pointing to Jesus.

Perhaps this brief illustration by Ron Hutchcraft can help. Just click on the link – Bridge to God.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A God of My Own Creation (Part 2)

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see- such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:15-16 NLT)

Paul continues his description of Jesus in the verses following those above in Colossians 1, but the point for us is, we’d better make sure we’re following the God of the Bible. The god of too many professing believers in Christ or a christ, is far too small.

Fruitfulness, as I understand it from Scripture, is, on some levels, a two-way street. What, for example, is the fruit, the evidence, of the god you and I serve? If I’m following a God that claims to be the Author of heaven and earth and promises me a home in heaven, doesn’t it make sense to “check His credentials?”

The God I serve, and I pray and trust you also serve, is the pre-eminent force of all existence. My God is pre-existent, which means He has no beginning and will have no end. He IS the reason behind everything that now exists. And be careful, I’m hearing some “murmurings!”

“Yep, see, I told you. God’s responsible for evil! He’s behind it all, just like the guy just wrote!” First, that’s NOT what the guy just wrote. Yes, of course, God created the earth and all it contains, but evil was man’s idea, not God’s. He gave us free will, knowing we’d mess up ourselves and our world, but even before He started the world spinning, He had a plan in place to free us from sin and from ourselves. His name is Jesus!

But, in all fairness, what we believe about God is all based on faith. We can choose to believe He is who He claims to be or not, but that’s for another post. For our purpose’s today, we’re looking at those who profess faith in God or a god but haven’t adequately researched the “god” they are following.

Because I’ve read about, thoroughly studied, and researched the God of the Bible, I’ve come to see Him as exactly who He claimed to be. But because I’ve come to see Him clearly it doesn’t necessarily mean that those who have been following another “god” or no god at all for many years, perhaps generations, will all of a sudden see the light and put their faith in Jesus. Imagine if you were the spouse in yesterday’s story, would you immediately open your arms and heart to this “stranger” that has knocked on your door?

Similarly, a person of faith in another explanation of God isn’t likely to immediately change their whole system of belief based on one conversation, and rightfully so. As I’ve written many times, don’t take my word or anyone else’s, research the Scriptures for yourself, on the basis of their own merit. Let the Lord reveal Himself to you, personally, giving you confidence He isn’t only what I say about Him, but what you, hopefully, will come to believe He is to you as well. But most importantly, He is what He says about Himself.

The ”fruit” of God’s life He has allowed to be revealed in and through my life is undeniable to me and, I pray, to others. He’s given me insight and understanding of things that have revolutionized the way I see and understand Him and many things about my own life. But He’s also revealed Himself in and through the “fruit” He’s bearing in my life. How so? Through His “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,” and in many other ways.

Let’s wrap this up in tomorrow’s post.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

A God of My Own Creation?

“Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” (Colossians 1:10 NLT)

Imagine you’ve been married five years. You have one child and another on the way. You’re happy, content, and anticipating living the rest of your life with your spouse and kids. Then you get a knock on the door, you open the door, and to your surprise, there stands your spouse (or so you thought). “Why did you knock on the door? Why didn’t you just come in like you always do?”

A conversation begins and the truth is finally revealed, this person isn’t your spouse at all. The truth is the person to whom you are married is an impostor. The person you intended to marry, who now stands before you, was in an accident and has been hospitalized and unable to communicate for the last five years, and only now has had the opportunity to contact you to explain why they weren’t able to come to the wedding.

They know nothing of your present situation, only that they still love you and can’t imagine life without you. So many unanswered questions. What do you do? Who is the person to whom you’re married, the person with whom you’ve built a life, whom you’ve grown to love and respect.

What’s the issue in this situation, the basis upon which a decision must be made? Your mind is racing: “But they look exactly like you! I thought it was you!”

What’s the point? Many professing believers in Jesus have “married” the wrong god! They sound the same! They “look” the same, at least as we imagined they’d “look!” They use some of the same terms to describe themselves! You’ve followed them for years, but they’re not the God of the Bible.

The Lord first gave me this idea as I prayed for a dear Mormon family I’ve grown to love very much but can’t seem to find a way to get them to consider for themselves they’re “married” to the wrong god. To hear them speak, they genuinely believe they are loving and serving the Jesus of the Bible, when in reality, they’ve been duped and are living a lie. Their “Jesus” isn’t God, he’s half-man and half-god, not the God-man of the Bible.

Then the Lord prompted me to look further. How many in the churches of America and across our world, are following a god of their own creation. A god of prosperity, or a gentle, white-haired old gentleman rocking away in heaven wringing his hands wondering how to get the world under control. Or a vicious, violent, mean-spirited god who can’t wait to take revenge on the worthless minions who take up space on planet earth.

Why is that even important? Because if we have a wrong view of God, we can never see the God of the Bible or ourselves correctly. To misunderstand who God is, is to misunderstand the purpose of our own life, the reason God allows us to have breath in the first place.

Many have built very comfortable “Christian” lives on a lie, believing they’re running their own lives, they just need “god” to help them out when they get in a jam; otherwise, their attitude is: “I’ve got this! I just need ‘god’ to give me respectability and help me smooth out the rough spots.”

The fruit of our lives, ultimately, will bear the truth of who we’re really following, the God or god to whom we’ve really pledged our life. Who is it for me? For you? Let’s look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does It Mean to Remain?

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” (John 15:5-6 NLT)

Too often we jump to the conclusion that what Jesus is addressing in these verses is salvation, but that would be a mistake. The issue here is fruitfulness, which of course is, arguably, the single most important indicator of life. But remember the context.

In the next verse Jesus points directly to the point of remaining (abiding) in Him: “But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.”

Jesus’ point is clear: His “true disciples” will bear much fruit, but what does that look like? It will look like rendering much glory to the Father. But how? By abiding (remaining) in constant and close communion with the Lord Jesus, illustrated by how we pray – that for which we ask Him in prayer.

The real question here is “What is the focus of most of my prayers?” For whose glory am I asking? Who will stand to benefit from my prayer? What “fruit” will grow as a result of my seeking the Father in Jesus’ Name? Realizing we’re not the fruit producers, only the fruit bearers. Remember, the point of prayer isn’t so much what’s being asked, but what’s behind the asking? Not only content, but motive.

Ideally, for someone who professes faith in Jesus, we’re not following Jesus simply to receive, but to give. Yes, of course, we must receive. Jesus IS our life, so we receive our sustenance from Him. He is our Sustainer, in the sense that apart from Him we are nothing and can do nothing. So, we MUST receive from Him. So, prayer is our lifeline.

The context of our asking is to give evidence of our allegiance to Him, our dependence upon Him, but also to give glory, honor, adoration, and worship to our Father. So, the bottom line here is, why do we pray? Are we seeking to use God to get our way, or humbly acknowledging that He IS our all in all and apart from Him we are nothing and can do nothing.

Fruitfulness grows out of intimacy. No intimacy, no fruit. No fruit, no relationship. No relationship, no heaven. And, yes, I know I said it wasn’t about salvation, but in a sense it is. Notice in the above verse Jesus mentions “My true disciples.” What is that? A disciple is a pupil, a learner, but more specifically, Jesus says they are “My” true disciples.

Does it make sense that Jesus knows those who are His and those who are not? And what is the measure of that knowledge? Intimacy! Closeness! Relationship! Anyone can say anything, but it doesn’t make it true. Do you think everyone who believes they are a “disciple” actually is one? Even among the twelve to whom Jesus was speaking, one was a devil, not a disciple – even after walking with Him for three years.

We’re in this relationship with Jesus, not for what we can get out of it, but what we can learn, how we can become more invested in the One who gave His all for us. Reading the Bible, going to church, serving, or saying prayers doesn’t qualify us to be a disciple. So, what does? Bearing fruit! How? By allowing our life – everything we’re becoming and every desire of our heart, all that motivates us from the opening of our eyes in the morning until they close in sleep at night – glorifying and honoring our King, not ourselves.

Our asking in prayer grows out of our hunger for Him, not out of our need for things that will feed our own selfishness.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Never Stop Praying (Part 2)

“And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15 NLT)

Perhaps the single most important “prompt” to never stop praying is temptation. While temptation in and of itself is not sin, it quickly leads to sin if not kept in check. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Since you are tempted without ceasing, pray without ceasing.“

When my wife and I first met I literally wanted to be with her every waking second. We both worked, so, it put a cramp in my “full-time” desires to be with her, but she was always on my mind. We don’t usually think of thinking about someone as “prayer,” but that’s essentially what it is. The focus of our thoughts guides our life. We are the products of our thoughts.

What we think about comes about, so, if Jesus is at the center of our thoughts, our every desire, ideally, is to please Him, honor Him, share Him, (all I could talk about was Kathy when we were dating), and be with Him. The plot thickens because, at least for now, He’s invisible to us, so we can only “speak” to Him by a “spiritual” phone we often refer to as prayer.

Kathy and I would spend hours on the phone, sometimes literally falling asleep while trying to carry on a conversation. Similarly, sin, at least in the beginning stages of our relationship with the Lord, is our constant companion. We can’t expect Satan to sit back and do nothing as we seek to walk faithfully with Jesus, but the longer we walk with Him, on many levels, temptation loses its attraction.

As when Kath and I were dating she was always on my mind, so, when our love for Jesus begins to blossom, He’s constantly on our mind. We often have this “honeymoon” experience with the Lord, and we’re tempted to believe: “Whoa, this is going to be a breeze!”

Then reality sets in and Satan begins to draw more and more of our attention. “That new secretary at work is a babe!” Or “That new guy in the apartment near me is a looker!” Or we pass by the car dealership, shoe store, or __________ and think: “I deserve that! (whatever “that” looks like for you). The point is Satan’s goal is to turn your thoughts from Jesus back to him, and his primary means of doing that is the person looking back at you from the mirror.

Before we met Jesus, we were the center of our own universe, then after we found in Him everything we’d ever hoped He would be, Satan begins to draw our thoughts back to the “freedoms” we had before all of those “Biblical restrictions.” What we too quickly forget is the bondage in which those “freedoms” had us. We so foolishly believe: “Oh, I can quit ‘this’ (whatever has you in its devilish grasp) anytime I want to!” Yeh, and I can walk on water or fly to the moon without assistance.

Over time it gets easier to not only have ongoing conversations with the Lord, but long for them, depend on them as a drowning man clings to his life preserver. In this season of my life, Jesus is nearly always on my mind. In every circumstance, every conversation, every task, every aspect of my life I’m realizing that He IS my all-in-all, and that’s the way I want it.

How about you? Are you there yet? If not, keep focusing on Him, because over time Satan will lose His grip on you. That’s our goal. That’s why we never stop praying.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Blessings, Ed 😊

Pray Without Ceasing

“Never stop praying.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)

Early in my walk with the Lord I read a lot of books on prayer, but among the most helpful were written by George Müller. Why? Because he wrote from what he lived every day. Life is the classroom in which we learn, not only to pray, but to learn the “art” of prayer. If you want to learn to pray you have to be willing to do 2 things: (1) Focus every day on getting closer to Jesus. And (2) Learn to desire His voice as you listen to Him every waking moment.

“But how do I do that? I work, have kids, cook meals, and on and on! I have a life, I don’t have time to pray every moment!” See (1) above! Prayer grows out of relationship. As the relationship deepens, the desire for prayer will deepen. Brother Müller wrote: “I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up. And the answers are always coming.”

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

By God’s grace I’m finally beginning to understand how to “Never stop praying.” But how? First, by understanding that prayer isn’t only speaking, but listening. God is always speaking, but we are so easily distracted by life and all that entails, it’s very easy for us to not “hear” His voice. The most prominent way the Lord speaks is through His Word, the Bible, but it’s far from the only way.

Why is that so critical? Because He will never tell us anything or instruct us to do anything that isn’t verifiable in the Bible. Even as I write He’s speaking, correcting, giving me ideas, sending me to Scriptures that illustrate what I’m writing.

Think about the Apostle Paul. Over and over in his writings he’s highlighting things the Lord has taught him or is teaching him. His letters are filled with very practical instruction about daily issues regarding life, sin, holiness, where he should go or shouldn’t go, receiving on the spot guidance on a ship on his way to Rome. The Lord sent an angel to give Paul instructions for that moment that saved the lives of everyone on the ship.

In the closing verses of 1 Corinthians 6 Paul is essentially defining what holiness looks like as he paints a sharp contrast between those who walk in the ways of the world and those who walk with God. Then in 1 Corinthians 7:1 he writes: “Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body, or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”

If our hearts aren’t focused on reverencing God in every dimension of our being, we won’t even desire to hear God’s voice. We’ll settle for going to church, listening to the entertaining music and letting someone else tell us what to believe about God. We’ll dupe ourselves into believing “that’s what I believe,” when we rarely, if ever read God’s Word or take the time to get to know God better. Truth be told, many professing believers don’t have a clue what they believe.

God becomes a means to an end, not an end in and of Himself. Unless and until the Lord is our everything, what we read about, think about, long to be like, long to discover new ways to express our love for Him, serve Him, magnify Him with every fiber of our being, we won’t know Him, let alone hear His voice.

To never stop praying is essentially an ongoing adventure with God, learning who He is, what He desires of us, and deciding whatever He wants for us, that’s what we want, then we talk about it – He speaks, we listen, we speak, He listens – throughout the whole day regardless of what else is going on. By the way, He often speaks most clearly THROUGH what we’re doing or through what’s going on.

Let’s look at another vital aspect of why we should “never stop praying,” tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What About Physical Healing?

“Is anyone among your suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:13-15 ESV)

The same principle we looked at in yesterday’s post applies to praying for health. Praying for an 80-year-old with a cold to have perfect health isn’t realistic. And yes, I know there are those who believe as long as you’re breathing you should have perfect health, that it’s “God’s will.” Call me a doubter, but I don’t believe that’s what the Bible teaches.

We’re all going to die of something, so, understanding that nothing enters my life except it passes through the filter of God’s permission helps me to understand that, not in spite of, but because of my disease, God’s intention in allowing me to have Alzheimer’s may be the devil’s attempt to push me away from God, but God’s design is to draw me nearer to Him. It’s in our weakness that He’s exalted, not, as a rule, in our strength.

He’s teaching me things in this season of my life I’ve never seen in Scripture before. That’s what has prompted this article. I’ve never seen prayer as I see it now, not as a tool in my hands to get more out of God, but a tool in God’s hands to give us more of Himself. It’s all a matter of perspective. If I’m on the throne of my own life, then it makes perfect sense that I should seek to use God to get whatever I want. Wow! That’s a win-win if there ever was one! And then throw in heaven on top of that! Who wouldn’t go for a deal like that?

There’s just one problem – it’s not backed by Scripture. The purpose of prayer isn’t to get our way, or even to get things from God, it’s to help us see what the Lord is seeking to accomplish in, through, and on our behalf, so that He can have His way, letting us be helped and blessed, and His Father glorified.

The emphasis isn’t on us, but the Father. He is the goal of our asking, so, to the extent what we ask Jesus to give us exalts, honors, and magnifies the Father, to that extent we are blessed and the Father is glorified. We cannot forget the purpose of prayer: “So the Son can bring glory to the Father.” That’s why Jesus said to ask in His name.

We pray, not simply for answers, but for intimacy with the Father, which can only happen through the sacrifice of prayer. And answers won’t come, whether material or spiritual if our focus is on us. The irony is, God will open the floodgates of heaven to give us anything we ask when our heart is fixed on Him. Intimacy, closeness to God, grows out of devotion, trust, faithfulness, and love.

When our top priority is knowing the Lord, the most prominent desire of our heart is more of Him – to see Him more clearly, to hear Him as we listen more intently, and to walk with Him more nearly. That for which we ask for ourselves will always grow out of our desire to experience those three things, because they are the reason for our prayers.

Al Mohler wrote: “There is no true intimacy with God without prayer.” And the focus of our prayers must be the Father’s glory, not ours.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

More Thoughts on Prayer

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it!” (John 14:12-14 NLT)

Nobody prayed more in line with God’s will than Jesus. He knew better than anyone how to get things accomplished that pleased His Father. His miraculous feats weren’t to render glory to Himself, but to reveal to the world the God behind the miracles.

The verse above that urges us to ask for anything in His name is prefaced by the unbelievable claim that we can do “even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” What does that mean? Jesus is the embodiment of all Truth; therefore, He is incapable of telling a lie. That means that what He said is exactly what He meant.

Think about it. Jesus lived for only 33 years. I’m soon to turn 77. Shouldn’t my prayers render more glory to the Father with 44 extra years? “Yeh, but what about all the miracles He performed? Where are YOUR miracles?” That’s a great question, but it misses the point. Miracles reveal who God the Father is so people who see them can have a clearer picture of Him.

The miracle of new birth in Jesus and the resultant transformation that can only come from the Spirit’s activity is the greatest miracle known to man. Jesus explained that in Matthew 19. To think Jesus’ invitation is for us to have God lavish wealth and possessions on us isn’t only wrong, it’s blasphemous.

If that’s disappointing to you, you may not be a Jesus follower. Why would I say that? Because a Jesus follower’s heart beats with desire to please Jesus, and the single most important way to accomplish that is to bring glory to His Father. If your heart’s desire is a better job, a vacation home, a new car, or anything else material that will make your life easier, you’ve probably missed the point of prayer.

And please don’t hear what I’m not saying. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with wanting any of those things, but when you’re pounding heaven’s door wanting the Lord to provide you with money to buy a new car when all you can afford is a used car, who’s wanting to receive glory? YOU, but God the Father likely won’t receive any glory! There’s nothing wrong with praying for necessities, which, of course, a car may be, but the point isn’t that for which we pray, it’s ultimately who will get the glory?

Let’s pick this up in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Thoughts on Prayer

“But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.” (John 15:7-8 NLT)

It would seem the verses above are an open invitation to ask for the desires of our heart to be met, and on some levels, they are, but let’s dig deeper. The broader context is a conversation Jesus is having with His disciples shortly before He’s betrayed and murdered. If we turn back to John 14:13-14, we’ll get a broader sense as to exactly what He’s saying.

“You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it…” Yes, but notice His next words: “…so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” The foundational purpose of prayer isn’t to get something, it’s ultimately to give something. Our requests should prompt Jesus to answer in such a way that His Father is glorified, blessed, pleased, and magnified.

What might that look like? Let’s say the end of the money comes before the end of the month and I have no way to pay my ____________ (and you can fill in the blank). So, what do I do? I pray, but how? “Oh Lord Jesus, You see my empty bank account. I realize now I should have waited on that vacation, but…” And on and on it goes. Is the Lord going to answer your prayer for money when you’ve painted yourself into that corner? He may, if you’re a brand-new believer, but He doesn’t as a rule, reward irresponsibility, He rewards faith.

So, in another context, let’s say someone prays like this: “Father, my love for You grows stronger every day, so I know You hear me when I pray. I’ve done all I can with the little I have coming in, but my kids are hungry, and I have no resources to adequately care for them. I’m so grateful for Your care of me since my husband died, and I want You to be glorified through Your provision of me and my family. I’m not begging, because You are a good, good Father, I’m just thanking You in advance for how You will meet this need. In Jesus’ holy name.”

Prayer is an avenue of learning and growing in our love for and dependence upon the Lord, which has nothing to do with where we are socially, economically, or in any other way. Trust in God grows out of our hunger for Him, not hunger for provisions to live better materially, but to grow closer to the Lord spiritually.

When I literally didn’t have two pennies to rub together and could have papered my wall with eviction notices, I was never evicted, not because I was a smooth talker or was resourceful, but because, by God’s grace, I understood that the Lord was my provider, and He ALWAYS provided. Sometimes it was close (😊), but He NEVER failed.

God wasn’t my “sugar daddy,” He was my loving Father who used my limited resources to teach me things about myself and about Himself that I desperately needed to learn. He humbled me when I wasn’t ready and/or willing to humble myself. I’ve never forgotten the lessons I learned in that season.

So, today, if you see me pick up a penny, it’s not because I need the penny now, it’s to remind me in whom I’ve placed my trust. In this season I have need of nothing material. My Father cares for every detail of my life and I will continue to bless His holy Name for His faithfulness and provision.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊