THIS IS TABLE ROCK FELLOWSHIP – PASTOR RYAN LADEN
| Giver One of the constant themes of the teaching given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ is that our Heavenly Father is a giver of good gifts. Jesus does not tell us in detail what those various blessings and gifts will be in every situation we face, but we are definitely called by Christ to place our trust in the provision of God. Listen for this promise of provision in the following passage from the sermon on the mount: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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!So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”Matthew 7:7-12 NIV11 Stones and Snakes In verses nine to eleven, Jesus reminds his followers that the Heavenly Father is a better giver of gifts and blessings than even the best human father. Jesus uses great examples to get our attention here. Jesus reminds us that even the worst parent would not give their child a stone to eat or surprise them with a snake in their lunch box. If we, though we are imperfect and flawed, can work out how to provide what is needed for our children, then our perfect Heavenly Father will do better. Luke In the following teaching from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is heard giving this same teaching, but with a clarifying statement at the end. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will 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.Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”Luke 11:9-13 NIV11 Holy Spirit In verse thirteen, we hear that Jesus closed this teaching with a clarification. The Heavenly Father knows what we need most and will always provide what is best for us. We can see this truth in the fact that the Lord provides his own Spirit, his own presence to all who ask, seek, and knock. Perspective If we are able to step back from our moment by moment collection of needs and wants, and look at the way that God works in us for our good, in a way that fits within his eternal perspective, we will see that we have been given all that we truly need in and through the work of Christ. If we are struggling with our physical nature, our bodies, our finances, our earthly future, then we will no doubt ask God to supply these needs. We can trust the Lord to be our provision for our daily bread, as promised to us in Matthew 6:11, but more than that, we can trust that the Lord will provide us with his eternal comfort and provision. Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, we lift up to you our daily needs and our temporary concerns. We give these over to you today and ask that you will indeed provide as you have promised. But, more than that, we praise you, Lord. We give you thanks for the fact that we have been included in your gift of new and eternal life. We rejoice in the fact that you have included us in your resurrection, and we eagerly await the day when these gifts move from hope to reality in us. Praise you Lord Jesus. In Christ,Ryan Laden |
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