2242AFC101422 – Where’s your evidence?
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Luke 18:7-8 – 7 “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
¡Que la bendición esté siempre con ustedes y que Dios los bendiga, Amado! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Beloved!)
The passage I cited today is at the end of the story of The Unjust Judge. He’s being pestered by a very persistent widow to rule in her favor. It’s important to recall here, that as a widow, she had practically zero rights, no standing, not a prayer of being heard. But because of her persistence, the judge finally said, “If I don’t take care of her, she’s going to talk me to death, so I might as well give her what she wants.” (In our family we have a saying, “It’s a terrible death to be talked to death!) This is reminiscent of another “what-if” story about a man who wakes his neighbor in the middle of the might to get something to feed a visitor that has just arrived. The man has nothing to feed to his unexpected guest, but he trusts his friend will help him out, and keeps entreating for his help despite the fact that the neighbor doesn’t want to get out of bed. In that parable, Jesus asks in Luke 11:11-13 – 11 “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” And of course we all remember this one found just up the page at Luke 11:9 – 9 So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. What should we be asking for in our prayers?
When we look at our lives – especially our prayer lives – do we see evidence of faith? “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Are we truly trying to live a righteous life where we “… do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?” (See Micah 6:8 – again) Could it be that the biggest of all the tests of faith is whether or not we believe God is listening, that we’re not just talking to the inside of our heads when we pray? Do we have the faith, the determination, the discernment, the patience and perseverance, and especially the humility to ask again? Can we, should we, will we keep that faith until the very day when we meet the Lord? And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” How do you know, how do I know, how do we know we have faith? We must check our hearts for evidence of sin, and take out the M.A.P.
I’m going to go “off-script” here and suggest asking for something that is always readily available, always ours to claim, and always a Perfect Gift. Let’s start with the Source of Gifts: James 1:17a – 17 Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible. Used by permission. Naturally we’re going to ask God for a Good Gift, a Just Gift, a Life-giving Gift. Here are some Scripture passages to give us a hint about that Good and Perfect Gift promised to us.
John 14:15-16 – 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
Luke 11:13 – 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Romans 5:3-5 – 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Acts 2:38 – 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 – 7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. ((↔ Click Link) to see this in context))
Can there be anything simpler than asking for the Holy Spirit to be with us? It’s definitely in the APP! If we give our lives to Jesus, he gives us the Holy Spirit. When we remember the Holy Spirit, we often think of Pentecost with fire and wind and speaking in tongues. We might also think of the Holy Spirit at the moment of creation, moving over the deep waters. There is another way we experience the Holy Spirit that we easily overlook. Here’s another hint: Exodus 16:4 – 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. And later on we read: Exodus 16:13c-14 – … in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. Then Jesus told us: John 6:51 – 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
The Bread from Heaven comes upon us quietly, evenly; it refreshes us and renews us in the same way that the dewfall renews and refreshes the land. In the first Epiclesis in the Canon (Eucharistic Prayer 1) and the remaining three Eucharistic prayers we hear the Priest pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the gifts we offer – the bread and wine. He says, “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall.” This recalls for us the manna[1] in the desert – quiet, mysterious, not overbearing, not weighty, always just enough, never leading to a surplus, but always refreshing, invigorating, and nourishing. Do you know “The Jesus Prayer?” One form goes like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I mentioned previously (↔ Click Link) that I always call of the Holy Spirit when I start one of these posts. Imagine with me for a moment how a simple prayer might put us in touch with the Holy Spirit: “Spirit of the Living God, come upon me like the morning dew, and make my day with you sanctified by your Presence in my heart and mind.” (↔ Music Link at the beginning). The Apostle Paul tells us that if we live in the Holy Spirit, we break the bondage to sin and live in the Light of Life – Jesus. Please read the entire passage. Galatians 5:16 (This link is to an important passage 10 verses long. USE it.) – 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. Our lives are filled with the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (read the entire passage), and that Fruit is rooted in Faith in Christ Jesus. That sustaining, refreshing invigorating dewfall in our lives makes Faith possible and enduring. Look back then at our Key Verse: And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Yes, he will, because in the Fruit of the Spirit we have everything we need to “wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord.” By living in the Holy Spirit we are open to hearing the Word of God, we are available to God as we present [y]our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [y]our spiritual worship. (See Romans 12:1)
There are thousands of things we can ask for from God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit. Instead of a laundry list – or shopping list, or list of demands – we can just ask for the Holy Spirit. He is everything we long for, everything we need, and he is right there next to you right this moment!. Here is a little list of the key components of prayer.
Adoration, Blessing, and Praise
Thanksgiving and Gratitude
Contrition and repentance
Supplication and Submission
Intercession and reverent closing
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS: God HEARS EVERY PRAYER. Here are a few he’d rather hear: LORD God, you are awesome! Jesus Christ, I love you! O God, come to my aid for I am in trouble. Oh, My God, how astounding is your love for us! Bless the LORD O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Gesundheit! God bless you! (If prayed with the intent of blessing, yah?) Spirit of God, fill me with Love like unto your Love. Here are some of the prayers he does not want from us. O, my God, really? Oh God! Now what! Jesus Christ, that was close! God ____ it, I already said no! God! Did you see that idiot? (Trust me, God saw the idiot, and heard your contempt.)
All our short prayers, all our long prayers, all our hollow prayers (when we recite rather than pray), all our desperate prayers, all our blasphemous prayers, all our righteous prayers – God hears and answers every single one of them. If we are walking in the spirit, the Holy Spirit prays for, with, and within us: Romans 8:26 – 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. If we think of the Holy Spirit as the bond of love between God the Father and God the Son, and if we are praying and walking IN THE SPIRIT, we are praying and walking in Love. Time to remember this:
GOD ≡ LIGHT ≡ LOVE ≡ TRUTH ≡ WAY ≡ LIFE ≡ ETERNAL ≡ MERCY ≡ GOD
(↨ Music Link)
Well, Belovéd, it’s time for us to think of this: “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. We must remember that Justice is a characteristic based in God’s Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, and Eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We must check our hearts for evidence of sin. Is there any? Of course there is! Do we know what to do about that? Of course we do! What do we want? Salvation! When do we want it? Now and forever! From whence does it come? From Above, as we read in John 3:3 – 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” What? Born again? How do I know when that happens?
You will know it happens when you take to heart what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 – 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. Belovéd, let the Bread from Heaven come upon us like the dewfall every moment of every day. We could try this little prayer to be ready for a new dew.
“Come Holy Spirit (↔ Music Link). Walk with me on this long road to Home. With you at my side and Jesus in my heart, we’ll all get to Heaven as soon as we should.”
[1] מָ֑ן Hebrew: mana See Psalm 78:24 and Exodus 16:15 – man`ə in the manner of “What is this?” Israel ate of the manna for 40 years until they ate the first fruits of the Promised Land.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
