DOUBLY GOOD

Well, I was posting everyday for awhile during our 21 Days of Prayer. I started noticing, however, that as I did, viewership was falling. Probably because I was bombarding you and you couldn't keep up! So over the next few weeks I will post remaining devotionals.

DOUBLY GOOD

Daily Reading: Gen 20:8-22:8; Mat 7:1-12

When I was a kid, 7-Eleven was the place. Do you remember those blue ICEEs? They were the best! And the candy aisle. Wow. Maybe you remember the marketing slogan, “Oh thank heaven for 7-Eleven.” I probably shouldn’t have thanked heaven for 7-Eleven because it’s likely the reason I had more than my share of cavities.

I have another 7-Eleven that will be better for you: Matthew 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

In what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives a lot of teaching on prayer and here in chapter 7 there are some questions with vivid images: like v. 9-10,

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

Picture a Dad coming home from a trip. His 5-yr old meets him at the door:

“Dad, what did you bring me? Did you remember to stop by the pet store? Did you get me a clown fish like Nemo?”

Dad says, “I sure did, son. It’s right here in this box.”

The boy opens the box and out slithers a snake. Yikes. Any Dad that would do that ought to be in counseling—at the least! If that’s the way he jokes, it’s over the line in my book. That’s a Dad who doesn’t understand the vulnerability of his son and what that does to his relationship. All that it would take is once or twice with a scene like this one and you have a boy who will quit asking Dad for anything. The trust in his Dad’s goodness would be broken—perhaps beyond repair.

And it seems to me that Jesus would agree. This is what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7. He’s wanting to contrast the goodness of a faithful Dad with the heavenly Father:  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

In essence, Jesus is saying, “Even a loser Dad would not stoop so low to surprise his son with something that he doesn’t need. If he’s hungry, would he answer his hunger by giving him a piece of limestone? If he wanted fish, would he respond by giving his son something that could hurts or kills him like a copperhead?” Of course, Jesus is expecting us to answer, “Absolutely not. No loving Dad would do that.”

So Jesus says, “How much more…” Our heavenly Father is not erratic. If earthly Dads are mostly good, know this: your heavenly Father’s goodness is doubly-good. He doesn’t answer our needs with what would hurt us.

But if God is good why hasn’t He given me what I asked for?  Let me respond to that question with a question: Have you ever prayed a prayer in the past that now as an older and wiser person, you are grateful God didn’t answer that prayer? I don’t know all of God’s plans for you, but I do know this, His greatest goal for you is that you become like His Son, Jesus. Greater than His desire for your happiness, is His desire that you reflect God’s glory as God’s son or daughter.

So pray. Ask. However He answers you can be confident of this: He’s is more generous than the best earthly Dad there is. Thank God for Matthew 7-Eleven.

Prayer: Father, first let me thank You for Your character, that Your nature is love. I also thank You that You are wiser than I am and You will not answer my foolish wishes with foolish answers. Thank You for those unanswered prayers that would have brought harm to me and those around me. Help me as I pray to ask for what is best for me and Your kingdom.

For further study: Is Matthew 7:1 a command to never judge anyone for anything?

If there’s a verse that people can quote, likely it’s this one. It’s the retort for just about anything people disagree with: “Didn’t Jesus say to never judge?” As is so often the case, one phrase without understanding the conversation can change the meaning. Reading further in the same chapter,

15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16You will recognize them by their fruits.

How do you do this without some wise judgment? Sounds like Jesus is recommending some judgment here.

Or consider the words of the apostle Paul, Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 1 Cor. 6:13

St. Paul is telling us that one day, the saints will judge angels. If that’s so, then there are some things in this life that believers should judge among themselves as well in a faithful, merciful, and loving way.

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus is telling His followers about the principle of mercy and honesty as it relates to judgment. He doesn’t say we shouldn’t ever point out a speck in your brother’s eye. Jesus words are this, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” Matthew 7:5. Rather He’s saying, “Deal with yourself first. Judge yourself. How much mercy do you give yourself? It’s better to give a lot of mercy because you’re going to need it when you have a very obvious log in your eye! Deal with that first. THEN you will be better able to see clearly to help someone else.”

Questions:

·       How merciful are you toward your spouse’s mistakes and flaws? If you got as much mercy as you doled out, how much would you get?

·       How can it be actually a loving thing for someone to point out your flaws or blind spots? Does it feel loving to you? Why or why not?