The Heart of Our Heavenly Father
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)
I recently read an amazing story about David Livingstone. He was born in 1813 in Scotland and died in 1873 in Zambia, Africa. He was an extraordinary man with a heart for God and others. His adventuresome spirit took him to places few if any had seen up to that time. His skill with medicine gave him a doorway to ministry. He was the first medical missionary to Central Africa. Toward the end of his life, he lost contact with the outside world for about 6 years. Henry Morton Stanley, a reporter for the New York Herald was sent to find him in 1869. He found Livingstone in the town of Ujiji in October of 1871. He greeted him with the now famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” to which he responded, “Yes, and I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you.” In less than two years Livingstone would die of malaria and dysentery. After his death, Britain wanted the tribe in Zambia to return the body of their countryman for a proper burial. At first the tribe refused. Eventually they sent his body back, but without the heart. They placed a note on his body that said, “You can have his body, but his heart belongs in Africa.” Livingstone's heartless body is buried at Westminster Abbey in London. Today there is a statue of Livingstone at the place where they buried his heart.
Question: If your heart were to be buried at the place you loved most, where would that be?
The above passage tells us a great deal about the heart of our Heavenly Father. It teaches us:
* Our Heavenly Father Is Approachable. 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. Three times he invites us to approach him. “Ask!” “Seek!” “Knock!” The repetition is meant to get across the idea that the door of your Heavenly Father’s house is open. He wants us to approach him. If you ever need anything from him – just ask. If you need it real bad, seek. And if you’re desperate knock on the doors of heaven – he won’t mind. He’d love to hear from you, He’d like to know your concerns. There is no red tape – no hoops – no drills – no appointment secretaries to mess with. Just ask anytime, anywhere – any of you, and you’ll have an audience with him.
* Our Heavenly Father Is Benevolent “Ask,” and it will be given to you; “Seek,” and you will find. “Knock,” and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Your Heavenly Father is kind, He is compassionate – He is generous. Be encouraged to come. Pray to him. It is not in vain that you pray. God is not toying with you. He answers. He gives good things when you pray. Understand His benevolence.
* Our Heavenly Father Is Wise. “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! We have a heavenly Father who is willing to answer and wise enough to give us what we really need. The emphasis here is on God’s wisdom. We often don’t know what to ask for. But God knows what we need – and he will not answer our prayers by giving us anything that contradicts his heart of love towards. A loving human father wouldn’t give his child a stone or a snake when he is hungry. That would violate the boundaries of common sense and concern. If we know who to respond to our children in loving ways – how much more will our Heavenly Father know how to respond to us when we ask anything of Him?
What’s the point of all this? If you knew his heart, you would never stop pursuing Him. When you pause to consider that God is infinitely strong and can do all that he pleases, and that he is infinitely righteous so that he only does what is right, and that he is infinitely good so that everything he does is perfectly good, and that he is infinitely wise so that he always knows perfectly what is right and good, and that he is infinitely loving so that in all his strength and righteousness and goodness and wisdom he raises the eternal joy of his loved ones as high as it can be raised—when you pause to consider this, then the lavish invitations of this God to ask him for good things, with the promise that he will give them, is unimaginably wonderful.
Livingston’s heart was kept by the people to whom he gave it. Your Heavenly Father wants you to know that he has given to you His heart through the cross of Jesus Christ. Will you receive it today?
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
I recently read an amazing story about David Livingstone. He was born in 1813 in Scotland and died in 1873 in Zambia, Africa. He was an extraordinary man with a heart for God and others. His adventuresome spirit took him to places few if any had seen up to that time. His skill with medicine gave him a doorway to ministry. He was the first medical missionary to Central Africa. Toward the end of his life, he lost contact with the outside world for about 6 years. Henry Morton Stanley, a reporter for the New York Herald was sent to find him in 1869. He found Livingstone in the town of Ujiji in October of 1871. He greeted him with the now famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” to which he responded, “Yes, and I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you.” In less than two years Livingstone would die of malaria and dysentery. After his death, Britain wanted the tribe in Zambia to return the body of their countryman for a proper burial. At first the tribe refused. Eventually they sent his body back, but without the heart. They placed a note on his body that said, “You can have his body, but his heart belongs in Africa.” Livingstone's heartless body is buried at Westminster Abbey in London. Today there is a statue of Livingstone at the place where they buried his heart.
Question: If your heart were to be buried at the place you loved most, where would that be?
The above passage tells us a great deal about the heart of our Heavenly Father. It teaches us:
* Our Heavenly Father Is Approachable. 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. Three times he invites us to approach him. “Ask!” “Seek!” “Knock!” The repetition is meant to get across the idea that the door of your Heavenly Father’s house is open. He wants us to approach him. If you ever need anything from him – just ask. If you need it real bad, seek. And if you’re desperate knock on the doors of heaven – he won’t mind. He’d love to hear from you, He’d like to know your concerns. There is no red tape – no hoops – no drills – no appointment secretaries to mess with. Just ask anytime, anywhere – any of you, and you’ll have an audience with him.
* Our Heavenly Father Is Benevolent “Ask,” and it will be given to you; “Seek,” and you will find. “Knock,” and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Your Heavenly Father is kind, He is compassionate – He is generous. Be encouraged to come. Pray to him. It is not in vain that you pray. God is not toying with you. He answers. He gives good things when you pray. Understand His benevolence.
* Our Heavenly Father Is Wise. “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! We have a heavenly Father who is willing to answer and wise enough to give us what we really need. The emphasis here is on God’s wisdom. We often don’t know what to ask for. But God knows what we need – and he will not answer our prayers by giving us anything that contradicts his heart of love towards. A loving human father wouldn’t give his child a stone or a snake when he is hungry. That would violate the boundaries of common sense and concern. If we know who to respond to our children in loving ways – how much more will our Heavenly Father know how to respond to us when we ask anything of Him?
What’s the point of all this? If you knew his heart, you would never stop pursuing Him. When you pause to consider that God is infinitely strong and can do all that he pleases, and that he is infinitely righteous so that he only does what is right, and that he is infinitely good so that everything he does is perfectly good, and that he is infinitely wise so that he always knows perfectly what is right and good, and that he is infinitely loving so that in all his strength and righteousness and goodness and wisdom he raises the eternal joy of his loved ones as high as it can be raised—when you pause to consider this, then the lavish invitations of this God to ask him for good things, with the promise that he will give them, is unimaginably wonderful.
Livingston’s heart was kept by the people to whom he gave it. Your Heavenly Father wants you to know that he has given to you His heart through the cross of Jesus Christ. Will you receive it today?
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 1:53 PM
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