What Jesus Did! - Our Father's Graciousness

Do any of you have a son? If your son asked for bread, would you give him a rock? No! Or if your son asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? No! {You are not like God}--you are evil. But you know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those people that ask him.
- Matthew 7:9-11 (ERV)

THOUGHT: If our attitude in prayer is one of persistence, God's attitude is one of grace. He longs and loves to bless us. After all, he is our perfect and wise Heavenly Father. If we give our children what is best for them because we love them, our heavenly Father will do so to a completely perfect extent. We should not only be persistent in prayer, we should also be confident; the one who hears our prayers is our loving Father!

PRAYER:

Abba Father, thank you for being so close to me and concerned for me. Thank you for finding great delight in being gracious to me. Thank you for being patient with me. Please forgive me for the times I?ve disappointed you or rebelled against your will. I love you Father. Please have your will triumph in my life. In the name of Jesus, my older brother I pray. Amen.

Related Scriptures:

The true children of God are those people that let God's Spirit lead them. The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God's chosen children.

And with that Spirit we say, "Abba, Father." And the Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say we are God's children. Also, the Spirit helps us. We are very weak, but the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We don't know how to pray like we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us. The Spirit begs God for us. The Spirit speaks to God with deep feelings that words cannot explain. - Romans 8:14-16, 26

Everything good comes from God. And every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky (sun, moon, stars). But God never changes {like those lights}. He is always the same. - James 1:17

Always be happy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be happy. Let all people see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything. But pray and ask God for everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks. And God's peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That peace which God gives is so great that we cannot understand it. - Philippians 4:4-7

What Jesus Did! - Sharing God's Kindness

"When you give to poor people, don't announce that you are giving. Don't do like the hypocrites do. They blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They do that in the synagogues and on the streets. They want other people to give honor to them.

I tell you the truth. Those hypocrites already have their full reward. So when you give to poor people, give very secretly. Don't let any person know what you are doing. Your giving should be done in secret. Your Father can see the things that are done in secret. And he will reward you. - Matthew 6:2-4 (ERV)

THOUGHT:

Giving to the needy has always been a hallmark of God's people. But the goal of helping others is to bring honor to the name of the Lord, not to develop a name for ourselves. We are to let our light shine so God is glorified, not us.

We are blessed with what we have because God wants us to share with those in need. We are here to be conduits of his blessings. Our sharing should be such an everyday part of life that we don't even think about it, much less think about others noticing that we did it. While it is not our motivation for caring, it is comforting that God will not forget our deeds of kindness or the love we've shown to those less fortunate.

PRAYER:

Holy and giving God, you are so generous with us, your children. Father, please help us and especially please stir me to be more generous with those in need. I confess that I find it easy to be cynical, at times, with those in need.

But after getting to know them, their story, and their hurt, I know they need your love and blessings as much as I do. Father, I also know that you have put me here to share them. So, dear Lord, please make me an instrument of your grace and teach me to share what you have given me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Related Scriptures:

2 Cor. 9:11

"Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God. "

Gal. 1:10

"Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah). "

James 1:27
"The kind of religion (worship) that God accepts is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world's {evil} influence. This is the kind of religion (worship) that God accepts as pure and good. "

What Jesus Did! - Benevolent Compassion

If a person asks you for something, then give it to him. Don't refuse to give to a person that wants to borrow from you. - Matthew 5:42 (ERV)

THOUGHT:

In the last several statements, Jesus challenges us to a way of life that does not reflect conventional thinking. These radical challenges should not be read legalistically. At the same time, we must hear Jesus' imploring us to live by a Kingdom Family ethic toward others so that we can be powerful witnesses in a world so self-absorbed. While letting someone take financial advantage of us is not Jesus' intention (there certainly are other passages in the New Testament that help us understand this), he definitely wants us to be incredibly generous with others. We must refuse to put our personal possessions above the needs of others. God's Kingdom, and our citizenship in it, should be the primary force determining what we do to help, how we help, and how much we give up to help. But clearly, our lifestyle should be one of blessing and helping and giving, not judging and criticizing and hoarding.

PRAYER:

Sacrificial Father, you gave so much for me so that I could be your child. Please help me see people through your eyes, with your truth and compassion. I want to be a source of blessing in what I say and do. Grow my generosity so others may see your grace in me and give you the glory. In the name of your most precious Gift I pray. Amen.

Related Scriptures:
This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters {in Christ}. Suppose a believer is rich enough to have all the things he needs. He sees his brother {in Christ} who is poor and does not have the things he needs.

What if the believer who has things does not help the poor brother? Then the believer who has the things he needs does not have God's love in his heart. My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No! Our love must be true love. We should show our love by the things we do. - 1 John 3:16-18
- Jas. 2:15-17