When God Says …
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:11-13 KJV).
Dovetailing the Lord’s teaching about how to pray, these passages affirm God's generosity as a loving Father to those who ask. These assert that if imperfect earthly parents give good things, those are what their children ask to satisfy their needs, the Heavenly Father gives the best gift—the Holy Spirit—to those who ask. It signifies that prayer is the expression of relationship built on trust, between a parent and a child. Prayer is the key to receive divine enablement, not just to get material things. The core message is about persistent and trusting prayer, relying on God's willingness to give good things, culminating in the ultimate gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us for victorious spiritual life. It is not by our merit, but by the finished work of the Lord. These passages reveal that our needs are what attract the Lord’s abundant supply through grace.
The parable the Lord Jesus uses in these texts shifts from our persistence in prayer to the Lord’s readily available provision of grace, meaning our asking is rooted in our identity as His children, not in earning His favor. The truth is we already have His favor notwithstanding of what we have done or do. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8 NIV). All our righteous effort of good works doesn’t impress God. He calls those filthy rags (Isaiah 64.6). What impresses and pleases God is our faith as we come in His presence in total dependence on Him. It is written, the Holy Bible says: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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