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Many people, including Christians, want to know how
to ask God to help with their needs so Jesus
explains in these Bible study verses from Matthew
that prayer is the answer.
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Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus
Teaches about Asking, Seeking,
Knocking
7:7
"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will
find; knock and the door will be opened to
you.
-
- 8
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be
opened.
-
- 9
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will
give him a stone?
10
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
snake?
-
- 11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more
will your Father in heaven give good gifts to
those who ask him!
-
12
So in everything, do to others what you would have
them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the
Prophets."
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
What Jesus Says about
Asking, Seeking & Knocking
Jesus tells us to persist in
pursuing God. People often give up after a few
halfhearted efforts and conclude that God cannot be
found. But knowing God
takes faith, focus, and
follow-through....
We all have trouble keeping
our faith strong because it is human nature to
doubt and to give up. Sometimes we have to go
against "instinct" and follow the heart God has
given us to believe and ask God for the things we
need in life.
When we ask God to help us
accomplish a task in our lives whether it is for
job, family or health we are showing our dependency
on Him, not ourselves.
But, let's make sure the
things we ask for are "good" things, not things
just for our vanity.
The child in Jesus' example
asked his father for bread and fish -- good and
necessary items.
If the child had asked for a
poisonous snake, would the wise father have granted
his request?
Sometimes God knows we are
praying for 'snakes' and does not give us what we
ask for, even though we persist in our
prayers.
An example is something our
pastor has said on many occasions: "Be careful
about praying for patience; God may send you a
problem to test it."
I have pondered this because
turmoil makes us stronger. An old TV show had
the title; "Father Knows Best" and this most
certainly applies to God.
As we learn to know God
better as a loving Father, we learn to ask for what
is good for us, and then he grants it, if it is in
His will.
7:12 The Golden Rule -
.. in many religions it is stated negatively:
'Don't do to others what you don't want done to
you.' By stating it more
positively in Matthew 7:12, Jesus made it more
significant.
It's not very hard to refrain
from harming others; it is much more difficult to
take the initiative in doing something good for
them. Let's make an effort to treat others more
like we would like to be treated. We will be
rewarded on earth and in heaven.
*** A suggestion is to take
out your study Bible and look up these verses &
read the explanations carefully. I had a much
better understanding of the "Rule" after doing
this.
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
go
here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Another Bible Study Verse - Matthew
7:1-6 -
What
Jesus Says about Criticizing Other
People
-
No matter
what you do in this life, you will most likely be
criticized by someone. But, what about you and I?
Do we have the habit of criticizing others?
Bob Pardue is a member
of First
Baptist Church
in Lancaster, SC.
Verses about how to pray and ask Jesus for
answers are from Life Application Study Bible:
New International Version
Comments are welcome. Please email
me with any questions or comments you
may have.
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