“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
(Matthew 7:7, ESV)
Several sets of parents were standing in the kitchen. They were gathered for a birthday party for a young teen. The families involved were all close. Their kids had been raised together. They looked out for each other. When one family was going through stressful times, others would jump in to help. They knew each other very well. Standing there around the kitchen table, one of the parents commented, “This generation is so frustrating. The kids want everything handed to them. They don’t want to apply themselves. They are under the impression that they deserve what we worked hard to get.”
I have heard this musing among parents for many years. Some say that parents have been making these same types of comments since the dawn of humankind. Though we do not know when children began feeling like they deserve to be just given anything they want, I believe this feeling typified the “me generation”. The “me generation” was all about me, me, me. The “me generation” tended to love material possessions. They wanted to have what others had. They did not like to be denied. They were impatient. They were selfish, often self-centered. They did not feel the need to work hard to attain a good living, a house, a car, or other possessions. Many felt they should be given what they want. They often could not separate “wants” from real “needs”.
Typifying this “me generation”, I read about a young man in the 1990’s who was hired at a job site. His mother drove him to work in a Cadillac. He lacked a tool belt, adequate clothes for working all day, and had an attitude that he was better than all others working there. As was the fad for some of the teens, his pants hung down low on his hips. This made him constantly pull up his pants. He told his foreman that he didn’t want to borrow a tool belt because he didn’t use belts. An hour after he started working, he disappeared. His foreman found him playing a portable video game in the port-a-potty. He had locked himself in there for a half hour playing a game. The foreman later commented on the young man, “He thinks he is entitled. He is lazy. His mother dotes on him, giving him everything he wants. He doesn’t want to work for a living. He wants to be handed everything he thinks he deserves.” The young man lasted exactly one day at work before being fired. I’m sure he went back home complaining to his mother about the unfair treatment he received at the job site, which was untrue. It was just one more of the lies he told to satisfy himself.
It is not just spoiled children who tend to feel they deserve more or want everything handed to them. Many adults feel the same, especially when it comes to God. They feel that God should answer their prayers on their timeline. If they lack any modern conveniences, they blame God. If things don’t go their way, they attack God. In a way, they too want to be handed everything without any work on their own part.
Today’s scripture is often misunderstood by the “me generation”. They think this scripture is about getting what they want. When Jesus said, “Ask, and you shall receive” (Matthew 7:7), they misunderstood the meaning of this verse to be that God will give you whatever you desire. Scriptures like this were perverted by the “blessing movement” and the “prosperity gospel”. Errant pastors and teachers taught that this verse showed that God wants you to get wealthy, have a lot of possessions, and be rich. That was not the intent of this verse.
This scripture for today focuses not on being “handed everything” from God but on what you NEED TO DO for God. It is not a verse about getting what you WANT but about God’s providing what you NEED. Jesus wants you to “ASK” when you have a need, not a want. The need shouldn’t be something selfish or self-centered. It should be something that would benefit the gospel. Jesus also encouraged His followers to “SEEK” God’s wisdom and counsel. This search for wisdom in today’s world takes time and effort. You need to seek God’s voice, study God’s word, search out ways to accomplish God’s work, and dedicate yourself to finding the path God intends. Jesus ends Matthew 7:7 by urging the faithful to “KNOCK” on God’s proverbial door in prayer. If you come looking for God, you will find Him. If you need God’s insight, HE will grant it. You won’t be handed everything you want in your time frame. You need to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK. Nothing is just handed to you. That’s how you learn to trust in God.
The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that people throughout time have sought “cheap grace”. When they sin, they want to say a quick prayer and be forgiven. When doing wrong, they want even grievous sins to be overlooked. They don’t want to atone for sins. They want the grace doled out to them whenever desired. God’s grace is not so cheap. There are times when you need to work out what God wants you to do. That may involve going to another and confessing your sin. It may involve fixing a mess you created. You may need to swallow your pride and make amends. Jesus doesn’t want lazy, self-entitled, “cheap grace” followers. Jesus wants people who will ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK to get HIS work done.
“Cheap grace” Christians tend to be lazy. They don’t want to do the work involved in making things right or accomplishing a godly work. Sadly, they are all too common, not only in the days of Bonhoeffer, but in today’s world as well. I pray you aren’t one who wants everything handed to you. I hope you actively pursue God. My hope is that you put in time praying, doing Bible study, worshipping, sharing the faith, and doing the work of the Lord. As you go about with an active and not a passive faith, be confident. If you are dedicated and committed to Jesus, ASK and you shall receive. SEEK God’s direction, and you will find it. KNOCK on God’s door with your petition, and God will find a way to get you not what you want but what you need.
I have heard this musing among parents for many years. Some say that parents have been making these same types of comments since the dawn of humankind. Though we do not know when children began feeling like they deserve to be just given anything they want, I believe this feeling typified the “me generation”. The “me generation” was all about me, me, me. The “me generation” tended to love material possessions. They wanted to have what others had. They did not like to be denied. They were impatient. They were selfish, often self-centered. They did not feel the need to work hard to attain a good living, a house, a car, or other possessions. Many felt they should be given what they want. They often could not separate “wants” from real “needs”.
Typifying this “me generation”, I read about a young man in the 1990’s who was hired at a job site. His mother drove him to work in a Cadillac. He lacked a tool belt, adequate clothes for working all day, and had an attitude that he was better than all others working there. As was the fad for some of the teens, his pants hung down low on his hips. This made him constantly pull up his pants. He told his foreman that he didn’t want to borrow a tool belt because he didn’t use belts. An hour after he started working, he disappeared. His foreman found him playing a portable video game in the port-a-potty. He had locked himself in there for a half hour playing a game. The foreman later commented on the young man, “He thinks he is entitled. He is lazy. His mother dotes on him, giving him everything he wants. He doesn’t want to work for a living. He wants to be handed everything he thinks he deserves.” The young man lasted exactly one day at work before being fired. I’m sure he went back home complaining to his mother about the unfair treatment he received at the job site, which was untrue. It was just one more of the lies he told to satisfy himself.
It is not just spoiled children who tend to feel they deserve more or want everything handed to them. Many adults feel the same, especially when it comes to God. They feel that God should answer their prayers on their timeline. If they lack any modern conveniences, they blame God. If things don’t go their way, they attack God. In a way, they too want to be handed everything without any work on their own part.
Today’s scripture is often misunderstood by the “me generation”. They think this scripture is about getting what they want. When Jesus said, “Ask, and you shall receive” (Matthew 7:7), they misunderstood the meaning of this verse to be that God will give you whatever you desire. Scriptures like this were perverted by the “blessing movement” and the “prosperity gospel”. Errant pastors and teachers taught that this verse showed that God wants you to get wealthy, have a lot of possessions, and be rich. That was not the intent of this verse.
This scripture for today focuses not on being “handed everything” from God but on what you NEED TO DO for God. It is not a verse about getting what you WANT but about God’s providing what you NEED. Jesus wants you to “ASK” when you have a need, not a want. The need shouldn’t be something selfish or self-centered. It should be something that would benefit the gospel. Jesus also encouraged His followers to “SEEK” God’s wisdom and counsel. This search for wisdom in today’s world takes time and effort. You need to seek God’s voice, study God’s word, search out ways to accomplish God’s work, and dedicate yourself to finding the path God intends. Jesus ends Matthew 7:7 by urging the faithful to “KNOCK” on God’s proverbial door in prayer. If you come looking for God, you will find Him. If you need God’s insight, HE will grant it. You won’t be handed everything you want in your time frame. You need to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK. Nothing is just handed to you. That’s how you learn to trust in God.
The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that people throughout time have sought “cheap grace”. When they sin, they want to say a quick prayer and be forgiven. When doing wrong, they want even grievous sins to be overlooked. They don’t want to atone for sins. They want the grace doled out to them whenever desired. God’s grace is not so cheap. There are times when you need to work out what God wants you to do. That may involve going to another and confessing your sin. It may involve fixing a mess you created. You may need to swallow your pride and make amends. Jesus doesn’t want lazy, self-entitled, “cheap grace” followers. Jesus wants people who will ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK to get HIS work done.
“Cheap grace” Christians tend to be lazy. They don’t want to do the work involved in making things right or accomplishing a godly work. Sadly, they are all too common, not only in the days of Bonhoeffer, but in today’s world as well. I pray you aren’t one who wants everything handed to you. I hope you actively pursue God. My hope is that you put in time praying, doing Bible study, worshipping, sharing the faith, and doing the work of the Lord. As you go about with an active and not a passive faith, be confident. If you are dedicated and committed to Jesus, ASK and you shall receive. SEEK God’s direction, and you will find it. KNOCK on God’s door with your petition, and God will find a way to get you not what you want but what you need.