“What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread,
will give him a stone?” —Matthew 7:9
“The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one
of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if
God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (see Matthew 5:45). […]
We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We
refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have
I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay
someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am
withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive
someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s
child among my relatives and friends? (see Matthew 7:12). I am a child of God
only by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I “walk in the
light” (1 John 1:7). For most of us, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious
expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all
good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search
out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong— a
friendship, an unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God.
Then Jesus says, regarding His children, “Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew
7:8).” CHAMBERS
It used to be that when people went to church, they put on
their “Sunday go to meeting” clothes. Their
Sunday best. The idea was to present
themselves before the Lord, and others, with clean clothes and clean hands. Over time, at least in this culture, that
felt need has been lost. In fact, many
look down on the practice of men wearing suits to church. They see it as old fashioned and perhaps less
spiritual. But the problem is not with the
clothes we wear. God does not look at
our clothes .. He looks at our hearts. Wearing
our Sunday best was supposed to be a reflection of the heart. Coincidentally, the
same people who reject the idea that you must “dress up” to go to church have
the exact same problem that those who do dress up for church have. They believe that they can approach a holy
God with sin in their hearts. They think
it is about how you appear to other people. They think that they can ignore God during the
week, live like those who are lost, and then flip the switch and be a Christian
for a couple hours on Sunday … so long as they are out by noon.
If I asked you for a drink of water and you scooped some water
up out of a mud puddle and offered it to me, do you think I would be pleased
with what you offered? What message
would you be sending me? Your great love
for me? In the same way when we approach
God with a heart that is not clean, what kind of response do you expect from a
holy God? … (Psalm 24:4) “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand
in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not
trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” It is not about your clothes, my
friend, it’s about your heart. Think
about it. ELGIN
God Bless You
Charley Elgin
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