Ask, Seek, Knock

Knock and it shall be opened to you. The expression "open door" has come to describe the opportunities we have in life. When I consider the opportunities that I enjoy today I realize how God has opened doors in my life. I have knocked on the door of God's forgiveness and He has given me peace. I have knocked on the door of God's love and He has given me a relationship with Him that is indescribable. I have knocked on the door of God's hope and He has replaced my fear with expectation. I knocked on the door of God's calling and He has given me a place to serve that brings me so much purpose. Knock and it shall be opened to you. What a promise!

Ask, Seek, Knock

The second part of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 7:7 is an encouragement to "seek". The promise is that if we will seek we will find. Our struggle to believe this promise is summed up in the words of a 1987 U2 song: "I still haven't found what I'm looking for". The words that follow Matthew 7:7 help me. Jesus points us toward relationships of love and trust. First, Jesus reveals that God, our Father, desires to give good gifts to us. Jesus concludes the discussion by pointing out that we should treat others as we desire to be treated. What does that have to do with seeking?

Ask,Seek, Knock

Questions are powerful. They express a full range of emotions. Sometimes they are rhetorical. Sometimes they are a cry for help. Sometimes they emerge from our lack of understanding and desire for knowledge. This week I will be giving a lot of attention to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:7. Jesus taught, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you". It's a pretty bold teaching. Jesus encourages us to "ask". There have been many times that I have been teaching a class when I paused to give students an opportunity to ask questions only to be met with silence. What have you asked the Lord today?

United Worship

I just returned from a Promise Keepers event in Nashville. We had a great time making the journey together. The word "together" is the best word I have to describe the significance of the weekend for me. The speakers were very good. The event was presented with excellence from beginning to end. The arena was packed and we ate well. But, most of all I enjoyed experiencing worship together. It seemed that all of our differences were cast aside. Our backgrounds didn't matter. The style of music didn't seem to matter. There were moments of authentic united worship that we experienced together and it was powerful and refreshing.

What's for dinner?

I just finished a great meal. I went back to the neighborhood where I grew up and ate some of my favorite things...some healthy some not so healthy. It's always interesting to eat at a favorite restaurant that you haven't visited in a number of years. You always wonder if the food will be as good or whether it has lost it's appeal. Tonight, I was not disappointed in the food or the flood of memories that I enjoyed as I ate with Lynn and my mom and dad. Have you ever noticed that memories are powerful when they are associated with a meal? A great dining experience touches so many senses beyond the savoury smells and tastes. It seems that Jesus understood the power of a special meal when he sat down with his disciples to eat the "last supper" with them. As he drank and as he ate his comments combined the significance of the moment with a powerful anticipation of the future. He said, "I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God...I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." (Luke 22:16,18)

Mirror Mirror on the wall?

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself
Leo Tolstoy

Long before Daniel Goleman sold millions of books declaring that self-awareness increases emotional intelligence, Jesus was encouraging people to look in the mirror. In particular, Jesus pointed out that it is not wise to remove a "speck" from a neighbor's eye without first removing the "log" that is in our own (Matthew 7:4). In my experience developing self-awareness is similar to removing something from my eye. Although it begins with self-examination, it almost always requires help from others who are willing to be honest with me.

New Beginning

I have always been a morning person. Consequently, I'm not much of a night person. By the way, it's 10 o'clock and I'm blogging...this is a small miracle. I'm not sure why I have always enjoyed dawn more than dusk. But, it may have something to do with the joy of facing a new day with a fresh perspective. It seems like each sunrise brings new hope to my heart and a sense of God's grace for the day. In the words of an ancient prophet "Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day" (Lamentations 3:23). Last Sunday was a special day for us at Heritage Fellowship to celebrate God's grace. We enjoyed a church picnic. As a part of the picnic we had a time for baptism in water. Water baptism is a great illustration of a spiritual new beginning. It represents the dawn of a new day in the life of the person baptized. As the person is submerged in the water, it demonstrates that yesterday's guilt is left behind. And with emergence from the water, a new day dawns. I hope you greet tomorrow with a fresh hope!