Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Asking, Seeking, and Finding


Ask in Faith

As has become normal for me, the verse that spoke to me was not the topic of the week. Luckily, with Come Follow Me it doesn't have to be. Matthew 7:7-8 is one of the most well know verses in the Bible, but have you ever really thought about what it means?

Matthew 7:7-8 
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

One of the hardest things for me to do is to ask for help, a large portion of me believes in doing it myself and only asking for help when I can't figure anything else to do. Jesus says ask, he says seek, the says knock. What do all of these have in common? It requires action on your part. You must talk the step of asking, you must actively seek (search) for what you are looking for, you must go out and knock on the door. There is a catch in this though - it is found in James.
James 1:5-6 
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

You must ask, seek and knock in faith. This isn't a "I'll see if it works" this is asking and seeking with true belief that you will receive an answer.  You don't have to have the faith of a saint 
Matthew 17:20 
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Don't be afraid to ask, don't be afraid to seek- reach out and knock on  the door. And do so in faith.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Ruth and Sampson: A Study in Contrasts

Ruth and Sampson: A Study in Contrast


My reflection this week is a study in contrasts. We have Ruth and Naomi who are a study in quiet strength. They did what needed to be done in grace and wisdom. We hear no whispers of complaint or murmuring despite trials, tribulations and hardships. They worked hard and people noticed. Then we have Samson whose birth was heralded by an Angel of the Lord and is blessed by the Lord. Yet he does nothing. He shows off his strength and is tempted and gives in to temptation. He does not increase his learning. He does not use his strength for good purposes, and if I understand the Law of Clean and Unclean properly he caused anyone who ate that honey to be unclean. We know that even prophets are not perfect. The only perfect man to ever live was Jesus. However, the lesson we can learn from Sampson is one of wasted potential. This man appears to have not applied himself to doing much of anything except amusing himself. Be more like Ruth and Naomi, strive and work hard, be less like Sampson.