Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
I am sure that most of you have read this passage and probably are thinking in your head, "I ask for things all the time and don't get them." Or "I search for things and can't find anything." Or even this one, "I try knocking on the door and it doesn't seem like anyone is there." I am not talking about these verses to tell you that you have to to get something in return for asking, seeking, and knocking, rather I want to focus on the fact that all of those things depend on you. God is fully self-sufficient, he doesn't need us to do anything for Him. Everything that we do is based on our choice. So if you want something to be given to you, you have to ask for it. If you are trying to seek out and find something, you have to seek it out and you will find it. If you're in the place where you are longing for a relationship with God, you have to knock on the door. He is behind it with His open and loving arms waiting for you. If you haven't caught on to the theme here, everything depends on you and the decisions and choices that you make. God does amazing things and performs amazing miracles everyday, but it's all up to you and what type of relationship you want with the One who is the creator of the heavens and earth.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
Matthew 7:24-29: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the dreams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
This passage motivates me because when storms hit my life I want to have a firm and solid foundation. It is so encouraging to read that if you hear the words of God and put them into practice that you will have a strong and firm foundation. Think about the last time you did this. You were probably sitting in church listening to a sermon, or saw an encouraging spiritual post on social media and it really convicted you. Immediately you thought, I really needed to hear that, I am struggling with not doing those things in my life. How many times has this happened in your life? I bet that it's more that you can count. It happens for me too. I have to be honest with you. I will put a lot of time into putting these post together and sometimes it's hard to remember exactly what I blogged about. It's just a little tough to put the things into practice. One thing I have learned though, is that I have learned a ton in the past couple of months and what I have learned has translated not into all of these facts that I need to know, but has translated into me feeling God's presence nearly every second and every minute of every day. Feeling God's presence to me, means that I have a strong foundation. I know that when I slip up or when negative things happen in my life, that it's not going to phase me because of the foundation that I have.
Malachi 4
Malachi 4:1-3: "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire," says the Lord Almighty. "Not a root or branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the days when I act," says the Lord Almighty.
So...if you are seeing this scripture for the first time, you probably reacted the same way that I did. Especially after reading verse 3. "Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty." Like what? It's crazy and I really don't know how to encourage you with this passage. This passage is the perfect example of when you might ask yourself: "If God is so loving, why are the evildoers and arrogant going to burn." Some people might possibly question God here. I believe though that, this passage is just reality. There are going to be people who are out there that love nothing else besides the world. Some people just might not ever come to faith, and because of that, they will burn. This is some pretty intense stuff. That will be quite the day, and the crazy thing is, that day is going to happen too. I think one way that this passage can encourage is the part that talks about, "for those who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays." As believers in Christ we have the power to share his love with as many people as we can before our time on earth is over. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to be trampling over peoples ashes knowing that I could have said something to them that would've changed their lives forever. I like to look at it this way, I know that when I die I am going to heaven and will have eternal life. I know that. It's like I have a special treasure in me and I want to share that treasure with as many people as I can. Whether it's through my actions or my words. I just want people to know that there is something out there to live for and that is Jesus Christ.
There is a verse I want to close with. It's one of my favorite verses because of how great a reminder it is.
Malachi 3:6: "I the Lord do not change."
I hope that what I had for you was encouraging and that it can affect your life is a positive way today. I love you all and I hope that you ask, seek and knock, and remember that it's up to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment