The Joy of Glory

Matthew 7:7-11
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. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are 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!

Reflection
I am blessed to have an amazing father. I don’t know if that has been your experience or not. I know it was not his.

My own father grew up in an orphanage with no dad or even a good model of what a father should be like. For this reason, I have often wondered how he turned out to be such a good dad. Don’t get me wrong, he’d be the first to admit he has faults, but overall he wins “#1 Dad” in my book.

So how did that happen? How did a man with no father, end up being a good father?

The simple answer… God.

My father became a believer near 30 years of age and having God as his own Father completely transformed him!

But here’s the deal… as great of a father as he became… it was only because God is that much greater! At the end of the day, all fathers, myself included, are lacking because we are broken and sinful. Yet, we know how we should be and act toward our children (even if we don’t always do it).

HOW MUCH MORE…

How much more does God know how to be and act as your father! That is Jesus’ argument in Matthew 7. If fleshly, broken, sinful fathers can do well by their children… how much more of a Father is God!

Specifically, Jesus points out that God stands ready to provide all we need to live the life to which he has called us. Ask and you shall receive! That doesn’t mean ask for just anything. No. With just a little more context we quickly understand that he is offering to provide us with what we truly need, with what is best. We may sometimes ask for stones and serpents… things that are not for our ultimate good… and our Father may refuse those requests, but only because he stands ready to provide the bread and fish we need to survive and thrive!

And what is it that we need to live the life to which he has called us? Luke 11:13 is a parallel passage that makes our heavenly Father’s all-sufficient-good-gift explicit! “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!”

Your Father gives you and empowers you with his very Spirit! Truly he gives us the best gift! The only gift we need for all things! He gives you himself!

You have the best Father!

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

John 16:4b-15
On Sundays there will be no written devotional as the reading for that day also serves as the sermon text for Shades Valley Community Church. If you would like to listen to this morning’s sermon on John 16:4b-15 you may do so by clicking here.

Joel 2:28–29
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Reflection
I love the rain.

The sound of it on the roof. How it washes away the pollen in the spring. The new life it brings. There’s just something refreshing about it. Rain seems life-giving… and I mean in even more ways that just literally giving life to plants and animals.

Is it any wonder then why the Lord would choose a similar image when describing how his Spirit will one day give life to all his people? He didn’t specifically choose the image of rain, but it is a “water-type” image nonetheless as he speaks of “pouring” out his Spirit on all his people.

And what is the result?

Spiritual life!

They prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions! The Spirit of God leads to people hearing from God and proclaiming God! Life, life, and life!

And wonder of wonders… this is the age, the hour in which we live! God has poured out his Spirit upon all who trust in his Son… upon you and me! And that Spirit bears the fruit of spiritual life in and through us!

Do you see the Spirit of God at work in and through you bearing the fruit of life in Christ? Perhaps you don’t prophesy or dream dreams (perhaps you do), but the life-giving work of the Spirit is more multi-faceted than we usually imagine. And, no matter what he does through you… he does it all to glorify Christ (John 16:13-14)! This is the ultimate evidence of the work of the Spirit of God in your life… do you see the glory of Christ? And, are you being empowered to glorify Christ?

You cannot see Christ’s glory apart from the Spirit working!

You cannot glorify Christ apart from the Spirit working!

You cannot pour out what has not been poured in! And, if the Holy Spirit of God has been poured out upon you… there will be evidence of spiritual life! Maybe not dreams and visions, but evidence in the form of loving the glory of Jesus and pointing others towards it.

There will evidence that the Spirit has “rained” upon you… and that evidence is life that loves the glory of Christ.

 
*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.