Prayer that "works"!

When I was in the British Mercantile Marine (aka the Merchant Navy), I was a very immature disciple of Jesus. However, I attended the on-board Sunday "Divine Service" as a witness to my feeble faith. This, of course, marked me out, and I would sometimes be asked if I would pray - not for healing, or guidance, or spiritual strength, but that such and such a horse would win such and such a race, as my shipmate had placed a large bet on that happening! 

I suspect that there are even fellow disciples of Jesus who think of prayer in the same way! It's asking for something, and expecting to receive it. This has led to the situation in which prayer is only answered if we receive that for which we asked!

Now, some might point to the words of the Lord Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 7:8 - "For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." However, it is always dangerous to lift a single verse, and base any decision on it, without recourse to other parts of God's Word that explain, and qualify, the verse in question.

It is not all asking that receives, for there is asking - such as I was requested to make - that is not true prayer. Some ask merely in word, with no real desire in their hearts. Some - like my former shipmates - ask selfishly, that they may use this wonderful privilege to satisfy their own desires. Others ask rebelliously, without submission to the will of Father God. Then there are those who ask without faith - not really expecting any answer. Some ask in laziness, not ready to play their own part. Yet others ask ignorantly for things that would nt be a blessing if they were to receive them. It is surely clear that those who ask in any of these ways will not receive!

Similarly, not all who seek find! The seeking must be earnest. Speaking through His prophet, Jeremiah, YHWH says: "You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart," (29:13; emphasis added).The seeking must also be for good things. If we seek that which is sinful, or that would work spiritual harm in us, Father God will not give us what we seek. Then, again, we must be living lives that seek to honour Him. The Sons of Korah remind us that: "No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Ps.84:11; emphasis added). The thing that we seek must be good, and we must walk in the path of obedience, or there is no promise of reward for our quest.

Finally, Father God does not open the door to all knocking. There are knocks like those of mischievous children, who knock at a door (or ring the door-bell),and then run away, not really having wanted to enter! It is also all too easy to knock at the wrong door! It is when we knock at the right door, with expectancy, and faith, and persistence, that the door is graciously opened. 

Thus, in interpreting the wonderful prayer-promise that the Lord Jesus gave, we must read into those words their true meaning. If we are to receive positive answers, then our asking, seeking, and knocking, must be true prayer! 

We'll continue with this topic, DV, next time!

Loved With Everlasting Love

On my very first deputation with fellow-students of the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow, I was not the leader, or the preacher. I was not charged with reading the Scriptures, or praying. My part in the team was to be the soloist. Possibly, that was considered to be the safest thing for me to do! The song that I chose for that evening, in a building close to Anniesland Cross, was "I am His, and He is mine", written by George Wade Robinson, and more often referred to by its opening words:

Loved with everlasting love, Led by grace that love to know;

Spirit, breathing from above, Thou hast taught me it is so!

O this full and perfect peace, O this transport all divine;

In a love which cannot cease, I am His and He is mine.

Of course, love is the foundation, the core, the whole edifice, of the Christian faith. That is because “God is love” (I Jn.4:8, 16). That is His essential Being. Without God, true love would not exist and, if one may say so with all reverence, without love, God Himself would not exist. And God loves you!

His love is an “everlasting love” and compels Him to act strongly and lovingly on our behalf. “In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10). Jesus prayed, “I in them and Thou in me, … that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them even as Thou hast loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, may be with Me where I am, …” (John 17:23-24). The Father will never allow those who are truly His to part from Him or our Saviour. These precious facts are taught to us by the “inspired” (literally “God-breathed”) Scriptures: “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”(II Tim.3:16), and by “... the Spirit of truth [Who] will guide you into all the truth;” (John 16:13).  God the Father drew us to Himself “... in love: Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Eph.1:5). Writing to his fellow-believers, the apostle John assured them: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (I Jn.3:1). In His grace, we come to Him, experiencing sweet forgiveness and everlasting love. Cradled in the security of His undying love, we have peace. “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.”(Is.26:3).  Speaking through His prophet, Jeremiah, Father God said to the Children of Israel: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you.” (Jer. 31:3). I believe, firmly, that these are words that every disciple of Jesus may take unto him/herself. Are you able to do so?!

To finish, here is a rendering of  the song “Loved with everlasting love,”, sung by Rev William McCrae, who accompanies himself on the piano. Be blessed.

Lovely skin!

For some time, I have had little lesions on one side of my nose, and on part of my forehead. A gel, regularly applied, had been dealing with them for a number of years. Then, my GP retired, and the doctor who took over the practice decided that I should be looked at by a specialist. So, a hospital appointment was made and, after a few necessary cancellations, I finally was able to meet with the dermatologist who, after an examination, prescribed a more powerful ointment. For some weeks, I displayed some very red patches on my face.

However, the ointment seemed to work and, this morning (Sat.), I went for a follow-up examination. I was seen by a different doctor and, as she examined me, she said: "You have lovely skin"!!!! Well, I do not recall anyone ever having said that to me before! However, I was happy to hear it. Well, I was happy, until I gave those words some deeper thought!

You see, that very kind and complimentary doctor was looking only at my skin! If she had been able to look right inside me - not just the physical that could be viewed through x-rays, but the real me; the me that is known only to me; the thoughts that I have; the actions that I take when no-one else is around; etc., etc. - then she might would have arrived at a different conclusion!

Some will be familiar with the record of the prophet Samuel being sent, by YHWH, to the family of Jesse, so that a successor to king Saul might be anointed. The first of Jesse's sons noticed by Samuel, was Eliab, the first-born. As the prophet looked at this, apparently, fine young man of stature, he was sure that the one whom he was to anoint was before him. However, YHWH spoke to him: « ... YHWH said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for YHWH sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but YHWH looks on the heart.” » (I Sam.16:7). Then, again, through the prophet Jeremiah, YHWH makes abundantly clear the manner in which He views us: “I, YHWH, search the mind and try the heart, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer.17:10).

I referred, above, to « the me that is known only to me ». However, those words of YHWH to Samuel, and His words through Jeremiah, remind me that that statement is not totally true! You see, the Lord knows me, inside out, and outside in - and He knows me even better than I know myself! That, as folk often say, is scary!

However, that is also where the message of the Gospel comes into play. You see, the love that Father God has for me - and for you - is so great; so beyond our comprehension; so supernatural that, in the Persona* of the Son, the Lord Jesus, He not only "... bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." (I Peter 2:24), but even "For our sake He [the Father] made Him [the Son] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him [the Son] we might become the righteousness of God." (II Cor.5:21).

Please let that sink in. The holy, sinless, Creator, Who cannot even bear to look upon sin, became, in the Son, the very epitome of sin - for you, and for me. Indeed, I believe that it was at that brief moment in the time that He had created, that the Father turned His face from the beloved Son, causing the Son to utter what is often referred to as "the cry of dereliction":  "E′lo-i, E′lo-i, la′ma sabach-tha′ni?” which means, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mk.15:34, et al).

However, the final word that Jesus spoke from the cross was the word (in Greek) "Tetelestai" = "Finished"! That was the word that was stamped on a bill to show that the bill had been paid in full. When Jesus proclaimed it, He was announcing to the whole of the universe, that the price for your sin, and mine, had been "paid in full" with His precious blood and, as we were being reminded this morning, the veil/curtain in the Temple - that signified our being separated from Father God - was torn in two, from top to bottom, showing that the way was now open for us to enter the presence of Almighty God knowing that, as we do so in the Name of the Lord Jesus, we are accepted in Him, and justified in the eyes of the Father. Hallelujah!

But this is true only for those who come to the Father, through the Son, in repentance and faith. I know that many to whom this devotion is sent have done so. I also know that there are those who have not. I urge you, to think seriously about these things. Your eternal destiny depends on your relationship with Almighty God, through the Lord Jesus. He said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me." (Jn.14:6). But, in Him, all are accepted - and that includes you! 

* This is explained, further, in my book "Great Words of the Faith", available from Amazon. (Link at the top of the page). Remember, ALL royalties are sent, directly, to Release International in support of the persecuted church.

You cannot outgive God!

One of the lasting memories that I carry from my adolescence, concerns my late father. We were a "churchgoing" family and, in the congregation to which we belonged, most people, including the Ross family, gave their offering in special envelopes. These, my mum and dad filled each Saturday evening, one for each of them, and one each for me and those of my siblings who were old enough to attend the worship service.

I recall, clearly, one specific Saturday. I don't know if there had been some additional, and perhaps unexpected, household expense during that week, or coming up in the week ahead, but my mum told my dad that they would have difficulty putting the usual amounts in the church offering envelopes. However, my dad had one personal pleasure - he smoked a pipe. Suddenly he said that if he did without tobacco in the coming week, the envelopes could be filled as usual. 

My mum tried to dissuade him, but he was adamant. "After all", he said, "the Lord is no man's debtor". I had never heard that particular saying before - but it has stuck in my mind for, now, some 65 years. I should add that, on the Monday evening, there was a knock at the front door. My dad went to answer it, and I could hear him speaking with someone. When he returned to the living room, he had a smile that stretched from one ear to the other! "Who was that?", my mum asked. My dad named the person. "What did he want?" my mum asked. "Nothing!" replied my dad, enigmatically! Then he put his hand into his trouser pocket and pulled out a £5 note. "Which bank", he asked, "would take a deposit of  6 shillings on Sunday, and give me £5 on Monday?" It turned out that that my dad had done some work for this other person, and had never been paid. He had accepted the loss but, that evening, he had been paid - with interest!

Many years later, as a student at the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow, the student body were addressed by Stanley Collins, the then Superintendent of the Tent Hall. His message was on the subject of tithing. I had heard the word, but it wasn't something to which I had given a great deal of thought. However, he did say something that brought me up short! He made the point that many of us had given up much to study at the BTI, and that we probably appreciated every penny we received. Then he also told us that if we received a gift of £1 (remember that this was in the latter half of the 1960s) 2 shillings belonged to the Lord - our tithe! 

I am not able to claim very much for myself, but I can say that I have tithed ever since - and eventually added a "love offering". 

One more story! I was now married and the father of two healthy children. But I was also unemployed! I had occasional teaching jobs, but nothing permanent. Three or four times each week, I would sit down to check the family finances. I didn't have a computer with a spreadsheet programme, but pen and paper did the job. I wrote down our income; I wrote down our necessary expenditure; I arrived at a balance - usually "in the red"! However, we maintained our tithes and love gifts. Then, one evening, the Lord spoke to me. "Are you going to get through this month?", He asked. "No, Lord. It looks as if we will be short." "Were you going to get through last month?" came the question. "No , Lord, it didn't look possible." "Did you get through?" A moment of thoughtful silence, then "Yes, Lord. Actually we did!". "And the month before?" "Okay. That was the same." "Has there been a month since you became unemployed , in which you were definitely going to make it?" "No, Lord." Has there been a month when you didn't make it?" Another thoughtful silence. "No, Lord. There hasn't!" "Are you getting the message?" "Yes, Lord. Your mathematics work on a different plane than mine!" Since that evening, I only check the figures when there is a change in our income. 

I can testify, from personal experience, that I - and my family - have never lost out by giving to the Lord. I think it was the late Billy Graham who said: "The Lord can do more with the 90%, than I can with 100%! As my dad said, "The Lord is no man's debtor." 

Humility.

The apostle John records an interesting incident in his record of the Gospel. Referring to the Lord Jesus, on the night on which He was betrayed, John writes: He "rose from supper, laid aside His garments, and girded Himself with a towel. Then He poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (John 13:4-5)

The Greek word usually translated "humility" occurs seven times in the New Testament, implying self-abasement and suggesting a meekness of spirit. In Greek literature however, it was used to describe a slave’s demeaning of himself before his master ‒ an outward prostration, rather than an inward character trait.

The idea that a master would set aside his status and voluntarily become a slave was probably incomprehensible to the world of Jesus’ day. Yet, we are instructed to “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8; emphasis added). He defined humility by His actions, as He did during that Last Supper with His disciples, So now we, if we claim to belong to Him, are to voluntarily take up His attitude and “... to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Christian humility arguably surpasses all other virtues. Expressing itself as more than acting in a humble fashion, it consists of an inward habit of self-abasement, showing consideration to all others.

This characteristic, in God’s eyes, is seen as one of great value. “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for « God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. » Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:5-6; emphases added).