How many times have you said something to someone and immediately wished you could take it back? Whether it was in the "heat" of the moment, the result of pent-up frustration, or we were just simply having a bad day, I would guess most, if not all of us, have had that experience at least once. Some have called it "a slip of the tongue", but is it really? The more I think about it, I keep coming back to Jesus' words to the religious rulers of the day; "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." (Matt. 12:34-35, KJV).
Sometime ago I heard a Pastor say that the words we speak are like water in a bucket. When someone bumps our "bucket", i.e. offends us, whatever is inside will flow out. There is quite a lot of truth in that statement. In the Proverbs we read, "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water..." (20:5), and I would guess, so are other things, good and bad. The condition of our hearts is of such that Jeremiah wrote it is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (17:9). Unless the love of God fill our heart continuously, and without the exercise of much diligence, the things that pour out from it can be very destructive. As we read also in the Proverbs, "...grievous words stir up anger" (15:1). On the opposite side, "A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!" (15:23).
I quite like David's prayer request in Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Paul beautifully encouraged us when he wrote, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8). God is so good He even tells us the things we should think / meditate on. What's in your bucket? Are your words / meditations pleasing to God? As we make David's prayer our prayer, may we take Paul's words to heart as well. Today is as good a time as any to start doing so.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Seeing Jesus
Amidst all the hustle and bustle of our days, it has become increasingly difficult to find moments of solitude. Those important times of mediation and quiet reflection that we all need to focus on things eternal; times to spend time with God. It is unfortunate that the more pressed we are for time, it is those moments that tend to go first as we try to accommodate the things that demands our attention. Yet amidst all that is going on around us, is there anything else really more important to us than those moments of fellowship?
On the occasion of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, John tells us "much people", came from all parts to worship at the feast, not just because they heard that Jesus was coming to the city, but also to see Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead (John 12:9, 12). However amidst all the excitement, John records an event that we could easily gloss over. Some Greeks who came to worship at the feast met the disciple Philip and requested of him, "Sir, we would see Jesus" (12:21). Oh, we cannot begin to comprehend the depth of such a request! These Gentiles could have found any number of things to occupy their time. They could have been caught up in the excitement of simply being where Jesus was when he rode into the city, a story they could tell to their children, but that was not their focus. I firmly believe they did not just want to see his face, but rather to spend time in his company and be taught by him. Amidst the hustle and bustle, they "would see Jesus"; this was their priority, everything else could wait.
What is your greatest priority? Are you a part of the Christian crowd that is distracted by things in the moment? Being where Jesus is does not mean we are having fellowship with him. To have fellowship, we have to resist the lure of activities around us and carve out for ourselves those moments when "we would see Jesus". It is during those moments that we can enjoy the intimacy of our relationship with our Heavenly Father; when we can experience for ourselves the experience of the hymn writer, "And he walks with me and he talks with me / And he tells me that I am his own / And the joy we share as we tarry there / None other has ever known". No matter how busy life gets, I challenge you to make the time to see (spend time, fellowship, become intimate with) Jesus. I submit, nothing else is life is as important.
On the occasion of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, John tells us "much people", came from all parts to worship at the feast, not just because they heard that Jesus was coming to the city, but also to see Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead (John 12:9, 12). However amidst all the excitement, John records an event that we could easily gloss over. Some Greeks who came to worship at the feast met the disciple Philip and requested of him, "Sir, we would see Jesus" (12:21). Oh, we cannot begin to comprehend the depth of such a request! These Gentiles could have found any number of things to occupy their time. They could have been caught up in the excitement of simply being where Jesus was when he rode into the city, a story they could tell to their children, but that was not their focus. I firmly believe they did not just want to see his face, but rather to spend time in his company and be taught by him. Amidst the hustle and bustle, they "would see Jesus"; this was their priority, everything else could wait.
What is your greatest priority? Are you a part of the Christian crowd that is distracted by things in the moment? Being where Jesus is does not mean we are having fellowship with him. To have fellowship, we have to resist the lure of activities around us and carve out for ourselves those moments when "we would see Jesus". It is during those moments that we can enjoy the intimacy of our relationship with our Heavenly Father; when we can experience for ourselves the experience of the hymn writer, "And he walks with me and he talks with me / And he tells me that I am his own / And the joy we share as we tarry there / None other has ever known". No matter how busy life gets, I challenge you to make the time to see (spend time, fellowship, become intimate with) Jesus. I submit, nothing else is life is as important.
Praying Effectively II
"Lord, teach us to pray..." (Luke 11:1). This was the profound request of Jesus' disciples, and which should be the request of all of us. By ourselves we can do nothing (John 15:5), and so even in prayer, we need to be taught by Him who had the most intimate of prayer relationship with the Father. Jesus did not trivialize the disciple's request, but Luke opens verse 2 with the words: "And he said unto them, When ye pray,say...", and what follows is a prayer that we refer to as The Lord's Prayer. The brevity of this prayer, 58 words recorded by Luke, is a reminder to us that it is not the length of our prayers that matters, but rather the sincerity of our hearts, a belief in God's sovereignty, and a right relationship with Him.
It is important to note the elements of The Prayer. At the very beginning it honors God, it sought the replication of the will of God on earth as it is in heaven, it recognizes God as the source for our daily provisions, it seeks the forgiveness of our sins in direct proportion to the extent we forgive others, and it seeks God's leading in our daily walk. Obviously, the words of Jesus were well chosen because in effect, the essence of His teaching was faith in God and purity of heart. We cannot hope to pray effectively if we have unforgiveness in our hearts. The Psalmist David wrote: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart..." (Psalm 23:3,4). It is interesting that Jesus did not simply teach asking for forgiveness, but He made it conditional upon our forgiving those who had wronged us. The spirit of unforgiveness is the padlock that chains our prayers to the ground. Whenever Jesus taught on prayer and faith, He made the effectiveness of those prayers conditional on our forgiving those who have wronged us. In Mark 11:25, 26 we read: "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Heavy words indeed, but there is certainly no ambiguity to them.
As we enter our respective times of prayer, may we come to God with an openness that reflects all Jesus taught. Of course, we cannot hide who we are from our Him. Whether we choose to be transparent or not, He is fully aware of the condition of our hearts, and lest we forget, it is He who has set the terms and conditions on which He will answer our prayers. Who better to know what pleased God than God's Son? The words of Mary, Jesus' mother, was never more profound: "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it" (John 2:5). I submit that is advice worth following.
It is important to note the elements of The Prayer. At the very beginning it honors God, it sought the replication of the will of God on earth as it is in heaven, it recognizes God as the source for our daily provisions, it seeks the forgiveness of our sins in direct proportion to the extent we forgive others, and it seeks God's leading in our daily walk. Obviously, the words of Jesus were well chosen because in effect, the essence of His teaching was faith in God and purity of heart. We cannot hope to pray effectively if we have unforgiveness in our hearts. The Psalmist David wrote: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart..." (Psalm 23:3,4). It is interesting that Jesus did not simply teach asking for forgiveness, but He made it conditional upon our forgiving those who had wronged us. The spirit of unforgiveness is the padlock that chains our prayers to the ground. Whenever Jesus taught on prayer and faith, He made the effectiveness of those prayers conditional on our forgiving those who have wronged us. In Mark 11:25, 26 we read: "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Heavy words indeed, but there is certainly no ambiguity to them.
As we enter our respective times of prayer, may we come to God with an openness that reflects all Jesus taught. Of course, we cannot hide who we are from our Him. Whether we choose to be transparent or not, He is fully aware of the condition of our hearts, and lest we forget, it is He who has set the terms and conditions on which He will answer our prayers. Who better to know what pleased God than God's Son? The words of Mary, Jesus' mother, was never more profound: "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it" (John 2:5). I submit that is advice worth following.
Praying Effectively
The first verse of Luke 11 fascinates me. It reads, "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." Lest we forget, these men were Jews and would have prayed prayers of adoration, blessings, praise and so on while attending the synagogues. Yet there was something distinctive about the way John's disciples, and Jesus prayed. The very fact that they enquired of Jesus such teaching, after he finished praying, suggests that they recognized the difference in the prayers they prayed, and what they were hearing. Not only that, but they saw the results of Jesus' prayers first-hand.
Bible Scholar & Commentator Matthew Henry posited, "'Their request is, 'Lord, teach us to pray; give us a rule or model by which to go in praying, and put words into our mouths.'' Note, It becomes the disciples of Christ to apply themselves to him for instruction in prayer. Lord, teach us to pray, is itself a good prayer, and a very needful one, for it is a hard thing to pray well and it is Jesus Christ only that can teach us, by his word and Spirit, how to pray. 'Lord, teach me what it is to pray; Lord, excite and quicken me to the duty; Lord, direct me what to pray for; Lord, give me praying graces, that I may serve God acceptably in prayer; Lord, teach me to pray in proper words; give me a mouth and wisdom in prayer, that I may speak as I ought; teach me what I shall say.'"
I quite like that; "Lord, teach me to pray in proper words...teach me what I shall say." It is quite possible to be praying (saying prayers) in the wrong way. It is no wonder Paul encourages us to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18). In other words, let our prayers be be guided or directed by the Spirit. If He guides our prayers, it is fair to say that we will always be praying in the will of God, and I believe that those are the prayers that moves the hand of God. Do you want to pray effectively and not just be saying words? Maybe a good place to start in our next devotional moment is with the words, "Lord, teach me to pray" and allow Him to do so. If anyone knew how to pray effectively, He did. Think about it.
Bible Scholar & Commentator Matthew Henry posited, "'Their request is, 'Lord, teach us to pray; give us a rule or model by which to go in praying, and put words into our mouths.'' Note, It becomes the disciples of Christ to apply themselves to him for instruction in prayer. Lord, teach us to pray, is itself a good prayer, and a very needful one, for it is a hard thing to pray well and it is Jesus Christ only that can teach us, by his word and Spirit, how to pray. 'Lord, teach me what it is to pray; Lord, excite and quicken me to the duty; Lord, direct me what to pray for; Lord, give me praying graces, that I may serve God acceptably in prayer; Lord, teach me to pray in proper words; give me a mouth and wisdom in prayer, that I may speak as I ought; teach me what I shall say.'"
I quite like that; "Lord, teach me to pray in proper words...teach me what I shall say." It is quite possible to be praying (saying prayers) in the wrong way. It is no wonder Paul encourages us to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18). In other words, let our prayers be be guided or directed by the Spirit. If He guides our prayers, it is fair to say that we will always be praying in the will of God, and I believe that those are the prayers that moves the hand of God. Do you want to pray effectively and not just be saying words? Maybe a good place to start in our next devotional moment is with the words, "Lord, teach me to pray" and allow Him to do so. If anyone knew how to pray effectively, He did. Think about it.
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