Disciple Notes

Trusting God’s Provisions

 

     You’ve probably seen the commercial—a son in his mid-30s who is still living at home making unrealistic demands on his parents.  The grandmothers replies, “What do you think this is?  A Holiday Inn?”  Sometimes when we pray we make requests of God as though we’re living in a hotel ordering room service.  We say, “Father in heaven, give me good weather, financial success, perfect health, gifted children and more free time.” 

     James 4:3 says, “When you ask you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”  There’s a big           difference between living in a hotel and living at the Father’s house.  In a hotel, the owner is a stranger, but in the Lord’s house the owner is our Father.  In a hotel, you get what you order even if it’s something that’s not good for you, but in God’s house you only get good gifts.  In a hotel, the employees exist to serve you, but in God’s home you’re expected to do your part to serve others. In a hotel, we have to pay for all the services, but in His house we receive the riches of his grace free from the     Father’s hand.

     In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught us how to appropriately make requests of our Heavenly Father.  The phrase that we will focus on Sunday is, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Jesus taught us to make requests.  We should not be afraid to ask    because our Father loves to give good gifts to his children.  It’s important though that we make appropriate requests when we pray. 

     Hope to see you in our services as we look carefully at what Jesus meant by the phrase, “Give us today our daily bread,” because we’re not exactly ordering room service at a hotel.

 

God Bless You,

Charlie