20151007 GREAT HARVEST

GREAT HARVEST

Matthew 9:36-38 When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  (37)  He said to His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. (38) So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields."

The compassion of Christ is evident in that He pays attention to those around Him. In the verse immediately preceding this it is told that He traveled all over that area preaching the kingdom and healing all manner of illness. In His traveling He sees the crowds of people wandering aimlessly with no one to lead them. They are like sheep without a shepherd. This makes them easy targets for wolves, lions, false prophets and charlatans.

Jesus is in human form. In His earthly ministry He is imprisoned by time and space like us. There is a limit to how much He can do at any given time. Keep in mind, in this form He is teaching us how to live. We humans wear ourselves out trying to fit 25 hours of work into a 24 hour day. Jesus could have said, “Look at all the work out there. You guys are going to have to work a lot faster and a lot harder.” But He didn’t say that. He told them to pray for more laborers.

In Short:

1.  There is a lot of work out there.

2.  You can’t do it all so pray for more laborers.

3.  There is someone in charge of the harvest and that someone is not you.

In the next chapter Jesus sends the apostles out to do some work. So He is not saying, “Just sit back and pray for others to do all the work.” I think at the heart of this is, Pray, Do your best, Trust God for the rest.

Father in heaven, thank You that Jesus saw the sheep and their needs. Thank You that You see… You see us… You see all those around who are in need. Please raise up and send out more workers to lead the sheep. And give us clear instruction as to what work we are to do and where we are to apply ourselves. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

20150826 GOOD FATHER GOOD GIFTS

GOOD FATHER GOOD GIFTS

Matthew 7:7-11 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  (8)  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.  (9)  "You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?  (10)  Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!  (11)  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.

Just as we are not to get tired of doing good things (Galatians 6:9), we are not to get tired of praying. As in all of this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus again deals with a matter of the heart. Jesus came in part to show us the true nature of our Heavenly Father. Our perception of Him is often one of a cruel task master glaring over the ramparts of heaven, just waiting for one of us to step out of line so He can smite us. But the picture that Jesus gives here is that of a loving Father who delights in blessing His children with “good gifts.”

The danger here is that we might see Him as some kindly old gentleman who turns a blind eye to the mischievousness of his grandchildren. No. Our Father is Holy and deserves our respect and worship and when we approach Him with the right attitude and with the knowledge of His love we can approach Him with boldness and without fear. Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

1 John 4:18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.

Father in heaven, Thank You that we can boldly approach You without fear, because You do love us. Thank You we can bring every need, desire, request to You, knowing that You hear and that You will answer with the best answer. Today I pray especially for Your children who still walk about afraid You are set upon punishing them. Open their eyes to see Your love. Give all of us undivided hearts that respect You, worship You and truly understand the depth, length and width of Your love. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

20150807 WHEN YOU PRAY

WHEN YOU PRAY

Matthew 6:7-8 "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  (8)  Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!

When you give, when you pray- It is assumed that the followers of Jesus Christ will indeed give and pray.

Prayer should be as natural to us as breathing. It is conversation with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. I appreciate how The Message paraphrases these verses. Matthew 6:7-8 "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  (8)  Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.

Although there are biblical ways to pray, just saying the same thing over and over does not guarantee the answer you are seeking. That is not to say we should not continue asking for something. We will talk more about this later in this chapter.

Have you ever heard a child ask for something repeatedly without taking a breath? For instance, “Daddy, can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink? Can I have a drink?” (No, that was not another computer glitch.) And, while the child is doing this daddy is engrossed in a conversation on the phone. That child will eventually get a drink, but it will probably follow a lecture on interrupting and maybe a time out.

When we repeatedly pray selfish prayers we are just like that child who is clueless about respect and about how much his daddy loves him. That dad wants to bless his child and meet his needs. It is not necessary for the child to ask rudely nor with such urgency. As the child grows up he learns that he can have a conversation with his dad and share thoughts and ideas.

It’s the same for us. Our heavenly Father loves us. He knows what we need long before we ask. He wants us to pray according to His will. To do this we need to know His desires and pray accordingly. Lord willing, we will begin looking at “The Model Prayer” next.

Father in heaven, grant us a desire to pray, to talk to You and to listen to You. And as the disciples asked Jesus, teach us to talk to You with clear understanding of Your love for us, and with faith in Your provision. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!