““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, if your 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 NIV
We are coming down the stretch in the Sermon on the Mount. We are getting into profound teaching with the greatest preached sermon. I have included links to the previous posts in this series on 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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
From the beginning of human history with Adam and Eve in the garden, God has sought a personal relationship with us. And He wants to be in communication with us at all times.
‘Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ‘ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
When we focus on the things troubling us, we take our focus off of God. We are asked to pray for our enemy; offering heartfelt prayer for those we resent is impossible.
You may ask, “John, what are you getting at?”
God is there to help us and support us. We may not always feel that way, but our faith should tell us that He is. He is the source of everything, and every source of wisdom comes through Him.
He knows that when we focus on the grace that He provides while extending that grace to those around us, regardless of our circumstances, knowing He is there will give us a joy we can not explain.
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. ‘ Proverbs 3:5-8
One of the reasons that Jesus taught in parables is that He knew that those whose hearts were open would continue to seek the answers to His lessons. As Christians, we should never reach a position where we know everything. This is reserved for God.
I love it when God reveals new insight into verses I’ve read many times. This is why reading through the Bible is not a one-and-done exercise. This is the standard that the Lord holds us to:
‘Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ‘ Joshua 1:8
The word “meditate” means to “chew on.” When we “chew on” our food, the saliva in our mouth starts to break down the nutrients in the food and releases those nutrients into our body to help us live healthily if the food is nutritious. This is why it is essential that the food we choose to eat the food that has the proper nutrients.
The same applies to our “spiritual” food. We are called to “guard our hearts.” How do we go about doing that? We carefully pay attention to what we allow to enter our minds.
‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.’ Proverbs 4:23-27
Which of you, if your 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.
When we come before the Lord with a pure heart looking for wisdom that we can use to glorify Him, He will give us the answers we seek. And in the end, everything He desires from us calls us to love Him and others.
We can trust the Lord to provide us with everything we need to accomplish the tasks He has assigned us while we are on this earth.
We should also know that His timing is perfect. There may be times that we get out in front of ourselves.
You’ll see this example with Abraham and Sarah. They were promised a child in their old age, but through their impatience, Sarah offered her servant up to Abraham, and Ismael was born. This impatience has resulted in a thorn in the side of Israel to this day.
‘Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.’ James 3:13-18
When seeking wisdom that comes from God, there are a few characteristics to look for:
Pure – the definition of pure is “free from contamination.” Clean, clear, fresh, refreshing, and unpolluted. If something seems off about the “wisdom” you receive, it may not come from God.
Peace-loving – the definition of peace is “harmony in the absence of hostility.” Wisdom from God will positively affect everyone involved. If the “wisdom” you are receiving requires that you change another person or circumstance by your will, it is not wisdom from God.
Considerate – the definition of considerate is “careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to others.” This falls in line with considering the needs of others before our own.
Submissive – the definition of submissive is “ready to conform to authority or the will of others.” There is only one authority for the Christian: to live submitted to the teaching of Jesus. We are called to live under His sovereignty over everything else. We are called to live under the authority of the governing body of our society unless it conflicts with our ability to live under God’s command. You’ll see this example in the life of Daniel and the lion’s den. Great study!
Full of mercy and good fruit – the definition of mercy is “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.”
There is only one good fruit, which is love, accompanied by joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are attributes that the Lord puts no limits on.
Impartial and sincere – the definition of impartial means “treating all rivals fairly and justly.”
Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called us to love our enemies. When the Law of Moses referenced punishment, it was written to restrain our natural tendency: if someone did something wrong, the penalty should be severe. In most cases, we want someone punished far worse than the crime.
The wisdom from God is going to be a reflection of His heart. For the Christian, He provided Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. A price that we could not pay for ourselves. As Christians, He expects that we extend that same grace and mercy to those around us.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your wisdom. I pray that You continue to give me a heart seeking You above all else.
I thank You for the challenges that You allow me to go through, knowing that You will allow these challenges in my life to help me grow in faith.
I pray that You allow my life to reflect the work Jesus is doing in my heart.
Thank You for everything You provide; I pray I am a faithful steward of Your provision.
In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
