Author Archives: Steve

When God Does What You Ask For – John 16:23-24

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“Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” This enigmatic command is repeated by Jesus three times in John 14-16 (see 14:13-14, 15:16, and 16:23-24). It must be important if Jesus repeats it to His disciples three times on the same occasion (at the Last Supper). What does Jesus mean to ask the Father in His name and the Father will do it? The obvious answer is that up to this point Jesus had been with His disciples in person and so there wasn’t much need to pray to God the Father when Jesus was right there with them in person to supernaturally intervene in people’s lives. Now Jesus is going away (in physical presence) and so He is teaching them a different way to ask of or pray to God that applies also to us. With each repetition of this command Jesus taught the disciples more about how this new prayer relationship with God works. When Jesus tells the disciples in chapter 14 that He will do whatever they ask in His name, He also tells them to believe that He acts by the authority of God the Father because He is of the same nature as the Father and they can act on His authority (as God) when they do the same works that He did (vs. 10-14). In chapter 15 Jesus tells the disciples that He will tell them what He has heard from the Father, that is, He will reveal God’s plans or will to them so they can be productive for God’s Kingdom (vs. 15-16). In chapter 16 Jesus tells His disciples that they can have a happy and fulfilled life because they can talk to God the Father directly in Jesus’ name. God will do what you ask of Him (and you will have a happy life) when you ask by the authority granted you by Jesus as His obedient disciple and you ask those things that are consistent with God’s character and will.

The Dwelling Places of God – John 14:23

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“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” The Greek word for “home” (monē meaning dwelling place) used in this verse is the same word used for for “many rooms” in vs. 2 of this chapter: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” In vs. 2 Jesus gives the assurance that each of His followers has an eternal dwelling place with Him and He is going there to prepare it. In vs. 23 Jesus and the Father come to dwell (by the Holy Spirit) with those who love Him and keep His word so that His followers can prepare for their eternal dwelling place: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (vs. 15-16). Jesus gives us an assurance for this life that there is an assurance of eternal life with Him. The Holy Spirit (and Father and Son) dwell with us to help prepare us for our eternal life with Them. In other words, you will dwell with God then because He dwells with you now so that you will be prepared to live eternally in the place Jesus has prepared for you!

Your Divine Counselor – 2 Chronicles 10:16

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“And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David. So all Israel went to their tents.” The reign of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, is marked by the division of Israel into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). The division of the kingdom was the direct result of Rehoboam listening to the wrong people and following their bad advice. When Rehoboam became king, the people of Israel gathered before Rehoboam and asked him to lessen the use of forced labor. Rehoboam first conferred with the elders, the older men who were Solomon’s advisors, and then with the young men who were his friends and contemporaries. The older men advised Rehoboam to lighten the service of the people but the young men advised Rehoboam to increase the service of the people. Rehoboam, “forsaking the counsel of the old men” (vs. 13), threatened his subjects “according to the counsel of the young men” saying he would increase their forced labor even more than what Solomon, his father, required. As a result of Rehoboam’s poor decision-making, all the people of the northern tribes renounced allegiance to Rehoboam according to the saying of vs. 16. So be careful not only about the the spiritual counsel you choose to follow, but also about who is giving the counsel. The Holy Spirit is the One you should seek for spiritual advice–He is your Divine Counselor. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).

When the Righteous Die and the Wicked Live – Ezekiel 33:18-19

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“When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this.” This warning spoken by God through the prophet Ezekiel hardly seems fair. The formerly righteous person dies while the formerly wicked person lives! God explains His position on this matter in vs. 13-16. If a righteous person trusts in his own righteousness, which causes him to act unjustly, then none of his righteous acts matter and he is responsible for the injustice he has inflicted and he shall die. But if a wicked person repents and turns from her sin and begins to do what is just and right, then she shall live. God’s redemption is always tempered by divine justice. What matters is Who you trust in–yourself or God. The self-righteous person really only trusts in himself, not God. The penitent person no longer trusts in herself, but God. What matters in the end is what was the transforming effect of God’s redemption on your life? In fact, it is a matter of life or death!

If My People Pray – 2 Chronicles 7:14

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“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” After the temple was built and dedicated, the glory of the Lord filled the temple (vs. 1–3) and God appeared to Solomon and told him that He had heard Solomon’s prayer (vs. 12–22). God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer was a message of repentance and restoration. God’s purpose above all is to forgive his people and heal their land when they repent of their evil ways. This verse describes the process of individual and collective repentance: humble oneself, ask God for forgiveness and mercy, and turn away from sin and unrighteousness. When God’s people truly repent, then He will “heal their land,” which includes not only deliverance from drought and pestilence but the restoration of people to their right relationship with God. Be assured that God hears you and will restore you into fellowship with Him when you repent and turn away from your sin and unbelief.

The Joy of Giving – 1 Chronicles 29:9

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“Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.” In preparation for building the temple, King David accumulated precious metals and stones and wood for its construction. In addition to all the materials he accumulated as King, he gave a substantial amount of gold and silver from his personal wealth. Then he asked the leaders of Israel what they would give. They also gave a substantial amount of precious metal and stones from their personal wealth to help pay the costs of the temple construction. After these gifts were given the Israelites were joyful because everyone had willingly given without being commanded. They gave freely to the Lord and the result was that it made them happy! David acknowledged that what they gave was only what God had given them in the first place: “For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you” (vs. 14). Giving to God is not a burden but an expression of our worship of Him. When done willingly and freely with a whole heart, giving makes you happy! But always remember that when you give to God you are really just giving back to God what He has blessed you with in the first place.

Planners and Builders of the Kingdom – I Chronicles 28

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King David assembled all the military, civic, and religious leaders of Israel and declared that God had revealed to him that not him but his son Solomon would build the temple. David had formulated comprehensive plans to build the temple because “he had it in his heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord” (vs. 2). Because God wanted Solomon rather than David to buid the temple, David turned the plans and preparations over to Solomon, his son, who would be the one to build the temple. David gave Solomon “the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the Lord,” (vs 12). David said that God had made it clear to him “in writing from the hand of the Lord, all the work to be done according to the plan” (vs 19). God inspires us in different ways by His Spirit to do His work. Some develop plans; some construct the buildings or implement the programs. So he who plans and she who builds are both are doing the work of the Lord. Whether your role in God’s Kingdom is planner or builder, let the Holy Spirit give you inspiration for using the abilities God has given you to advance His Kingdom!

Willing to Do God’s Will – John 7:17

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“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (John 7:17, ESV).

In this verse the teaching of Jesus is clear. To be His disciple requires a conscience act of one’s own will–a personal decision–to believe in Him and obey Him.

No one can make the decision for you. You can’t inherit salvation. Each person must come to the place in his or her own life where it is your will to do God’s will. Those whose will is to do God’s will, then comprehend the reality and truth of the teachings of Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins and are saved. Be willing to do God’s will!

Signs Everywhere – John 2:11

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“This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” During political campaigns, signs begin to be posted everywhere advertising a person running for a certain office. The miracle of turning the water into wine at the wedding at Cana was Jesus’ first miracle and a sign, as John referred to Jesus’ miracles. It was not a public miracle but rather a miracle to be seen and understood by a select few–His disciples. The miracles of Jesus that John included in his gospel were signs that attested to His identity as Messiah and Son of God and generally meant to lead unbelievers to faith (see vs. 23). The miracles or signs John writes about revealed Jesus’ divine nature by the performance of an exceptional or outstanding accomplishment: a large quantity/high quality of wine (2:6, 10), the official’s son healed over a long distance (4:47, 49–50), the invalid’s recovery from a 38-year medical condition (5:5), the large quantity of food produced (6:13), the man’s recovery from lifelong blindness (9:1–2), and the raising of Lazarus from the dead (11:17, 39). While these miracles showed the glory of Jesus as the sovereign Creator and ruler of the universe, He is still working personal and private miracles today in the hearts and lives of individuals. His signs are posted everywhere advertising that He can be your Savior.

When the Spirit Remains – John 1:32

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“And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.” The Holy Spirit did not just descend on Jesus, the Spirit remained on Him. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon people periodically to enable them to accomplish certain God-given tasks, communicate a word from God, or see a vision from God. However, Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would be full of the Spirit at all times: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” (Isaiah 11:2). With Jesus began the age of the Spirit. Jesus’ ministry was anointed by the Holy Spirit because He walked in the Spirit. Oh, that the Spirit of God would descend from heaven and remain on us!