Can You Answer This Question ?

Today, we’re going to do something together. I want you to vacuum all the dust out of your brain. You’re required to use your imagination and answer a question.

You’re sitting next to the road, the hot sun sears the top of your head and you’re in a sorry mood. Suddenly you hear the noise of a big crowd of people moving by. You’ve learned a long time ago that the make-up of the crowd determines whether they are generous or not. Those heading for a football game don’t give much.

“What’s up?” you ask those nearest you, coughing at the dust the crowd is raising.

“It’s Jesus of Nazareth. We’re walking with Him,” someone responds.

“Jesus of Nazareth! Isn’t He the One that does all those miracles?”

This is your chance; you may not get another.

You yell at the top of your voice, “Hey, Jesus of Nazareth! Hey, over here! It’s me!”

The crowd stops. “He’s calling for you!” You scramble to your feet and suddenly there He is, the fellow you’ve heard so much about. This isn’t Robin Williams voicing Aladdin’s genie. This is the fellow who does real miracles.

You approach timidly. “What can I do for you?” he asks.

There’s the question.

What would you ask the Lord if He were standing right in front of you? Do you know?

“Well, Lord. I’ve got a special unspoken request.” Nope. His Word says, “ask.” Try again.

“Um, well Lord, you said your (heavenly) Father knows what I need before I ask him.” (Matt. 5:8) So, do that.” Buzzzzz. Wrong again. He tells us to ask all the same. We need prayer more than God does. We need to ask.

What Do You Want?

I’ve struggled at times with the answer to the question, “What do you WANT!” Sure, I want a lot of things for my family and good health. But, is there a burning desire for anything inside me?

C.S. Lewis in his book, The Weight of Glory, said “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

You might observe that the Psalmist said, “I shall not want,” but I think that can be translated, “I shall not lack,” so it isn’t the same thing.

I wonder if it isn’t a sin to not want anything very much.

How To Want Correctly

You know what? If you want what God wants, your interior man hums with God’s power. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:7, 8 NKJV)

Incorrect wanting is called “coveting.” God-inspired wanting motivates our faith. When we spend time with the Lord and let Him change our heart we begin to want correctly.

Lord, help me to want rightly. It’s those who passionately desire to see God’s miracles, who receive from God what they want. So … Spend time with God consistently so that you can want right. Act on what you want. Trust Him to supply and to help you reach the goal. Continue persistently. The path towards what we desire changes us. Dig around, kick around, look around and see what you want. Then go for it. Wanting can change your life.

If the Lord asked you right now, “What do you want?” what would you say? Write me and tell me what you think. I’ll pray for your wants, too.

Hmmm …

Red Cross founder Clara Barton was reminded by a friend of a cruel thing that someone had done to her in the past. Barton seemed not to recall it, and the friend asked, “Don’t you remember?” Her reply? “No, I distinctly remember forgetting it.”

Image par Keishpixl de Pixabay

Quit Muttering and ASK!

My mamaw Deloney knew a lot of hard times in her earlier life so as she and Granddad settled into retirement she wanted to make her nest a bit more comfortable.

I’m sure it was with her urging that Granddad finally got an air-conditioned car and wonder of wonders they got air-conditioning in their little house. Granddad jested, “Next she’ll want me to build an air-conditioned tunnel so that she can walk from the house to the car

Really, he was happy to make her happy. The day that she demanded a dishwasher, though, he balked. He couldn’t see any reason to change the time-honored system of washing dishes by hand or even helping her himself since that was women’s work—(back in those days not today, young ladies, so settle down).

But Mamaw wanted one.

One day I was in the back of the house when Mamaw had once again broached the subject of a dishwasher. Granddad was adamant: no dishwasher! Continue reading

What To Ask For When the Genie Shows Up

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I always loved those cartoons where someone found a lamp, rubbed it and out popped Robin Williams. Well, once it was Robin Williams. Most of the time it was a magic genie.
And now, boys and girls, what did the magic genie say? You got it. “You’ve got three wishes—and no wishing for 100 more wishes.”

My imagination could shift into overtime thinking about all the loot and goodies I could get with three wishes. Of course it was only play-like.

So, imagine my shock when I stumbled on this in the Bible: “May the Lord grant all your requests.” (Psalms 20:5b, NIV). The Message paraphrase doesn’t sugarcoat this Spirit-inspired wish: “May all your wishes come true!”

That’s in the Bible! Wow! All right! Yes! Oui! Let’s see, what do I want?

Then, I thought, “If God grants all my requests, I had better be very careful about what I request. Hmmm …” Continue reading

How To Howl Effectively

This poor man cried…

Our daughter was visiting us this week. She’s got a tribe of boys aged three to ten and there’s no lack of energy in the house when they’re around.

I smiled one day, when three-year old Jesse started to howl and cry about something in the other room. His mama didn’t even look up from what she was doing. A wise mother has to be able to interpret cries or she’ll be up and down fifty times a day, you see. Continue reading