Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Ask, and it will be given
to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the
one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among
you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a
snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give
your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good
things to those who ask him! ‘So always treat others as you would like them to
treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.’
Food for thought
Jesus taught us many things; but he especially taught us
to pray because he knows the power of prayer. The strongest action that you can
take in any action is to go on your knees and ask God for help. Again, if we
can beat the devil on prayer (if we can maintain prayer in our life) we can
beat him on anything else. But if the devil can beat us on prayer (if he can
make us drop prayer in our life), he can beat us in everything else. The devil
smiles when we make plans; he laughs when we get too busy; but he trembles when
we pray.
Pray for rain and carry an umbrella!
During a morning worship service, Ellen noticed a nice
looking man sitting by himself on the back pew. As a single woman she had a
vested interest in meeting him. She approached him with an extended hand and
said, "Hi. I'm Ellen." He took one look at her and bolted out the
door without saying a word. The following Sunday he returned to church and made
this apology: "My name is Bob Price, and I owe you an apology for my rude
behavior last Sunday. You see, my deceased wife's name was Ellen, and I had
been praying, 'Dear God, please send me another Ellen.' When you approached me
and said, 'Hi. I'm Ellen,' I lost it." Bob and Ellen have now been married
twelve years and are both very thankful for the way God answered Bob's prayer.
So when you pray for a woman or man, be on the lookout;
God will make her or him pass by; prepare yourself for one; dress well, talk
well, behave well. When you pray for anything, believe and behave that you have
it. Mar 11:24-25 That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything,
ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God- life,
and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer,
remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone,
forgive-- only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your
slate clean of sins. "
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple once said: “The only way
to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep
looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you
find it.”
I’ve got it down to four words: “Do what you love.” Seek
out an occupation that gives you a sense of meaning, direction and satisfaction
in life. Having a sense of purpose and striving towards goals gives life
meaning, direction and satisfaction. It not only contributes to health and
longevity, but also makes you feel better in difficult times. Do you jump out
of bed on Monday mornings and look forward to the work week? If the answer is
‘no’ keep looking, you’ll know when you find it.
Is this not what Jesus is saying in today's gospel? Ask
and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open?
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