Luke
18:1-8
Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. 2 He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. 3 A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!' 4 "He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. 5 But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice--otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'" 6 Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? 7 So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? 8 I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"
Food for thought!
Jesus told them a story to show them that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.This is very revealing. Jesus tells the story in order to tell his listeners the need for constant and consistent prayer. You, just imagine: Jesus telling his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. Do we still need Jesus to convince us the need for prayer? In other words, are you convinced that you need prayer? Do you still struggle to pray? Does prayer come naturally to you?
This parable is not liking God to an unjust judge; it contrasts him to such a person. Jesus is saying, "If, in the end, an unjust and rapacious judge can be wearied into giving a widow woman justice, how much more will God, who is a loving Father, give his children what they need?"
The reason why Jesus wants us to pray consistently is simple. Whatever we focus our attention on increases. If you fix all your attention on something, you end up getting it. What consistent prayer does is that it fixes our attention on something we are praying for. This is what the woman in the gospel reading did: she never gave up on her desire for justice. Day and night she was always there with her request that justice be made to her. She fixed all her attention on that one thing. Eventually, she got it.
Is there anything you earnestly desire for yourself or for others? Have always your attention on it. And the best way to do that is by transforming your desire into a prayer. When we pray we focus. Focus brings tremendous power. Without it, you'll often feel drained and unable to accomplish much. With it, you'll find that your talents and abilities gain direction and intentionality. And this will bring you what you want to achieve.
The law of focus is like chasing rabbits. If you chase many at once, you catch none. But if you focus on one only, you get it. If so many things clamor for your attention, bend all your energies to one, and pursue it until you get it. Something wonderful happens when we narrow our focus, says John Maxwell, because our mind doesn't reach towards achievement until it has clear objectives.
Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. 2 He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. 3 A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!' 4 "He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. 5 But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice--otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'" 6 Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? 7 So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? 8 I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"
Food for thought!
Jesus told them a story to show them that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.This is very revealing. Jesus tells the story in order to tell his listeners the need for constant and consistent prayer. You, just imagine: Jesus telling his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. Do we still need Jesus to convince us the need for prayer? In other words, are you convinced that you need prayer? Do you still struggle to pray? Does prayer come naturally to you?
This parable is not liking God to an unjust judge; it contrasts him to such a person. Jesus is saying, "If, in the end, an unjust and rapacious judge can be wearied into giving a widow woman justice, how much more will God, who is a loving Father, give his children what they need?"
The reason why Jesus wants us to pray consistently is simple. Whatever we focus our attention on increases. If you fix all your attention on something, you end up getting it. What consistent prayer does is that it fixes our attention on something we are praying for. This is what the woman in the gospel reading did: she never gave up on her desire for justice. Day and night she was always there with her request that justice be made to her. She fixed all her attention on that one thing. Eventually, she got it.
Is there anything you earnestly desire for yourself or for others? Have always your attention on it. And the best way to do that is by transforming your desire into a prayer. When we pray we focus. Focus brings tremendous power. Without it, you'll often feel drained and unable to accomplish much. With it, you'll find that your talents and abilities gain direction and intentionality. And this will bring you what you want to achieve.
The law of focus is like chasing rabbits. If you chase many at once, you catch none. But if you focus on one only, you get it. If so many things clamor for your attention, bend all your energies to one, and pursue it until you get it. Something wonderful happens when we narrow our focus, says John Maxwell, because our mind doesn't reach towards achievement until it has clear objectives.
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