Matthew 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask.
Now that’s an irrefutable fact Friends! Our Creator and guide laid out the plans for each of our lives, so He must know what we need to live successfully. Jesus is teaching here on prayer. When He says, ‘Be not ye therefore like unto them,’ He’s referring to the crowd pleasers, the publicity seekers, those who want to be seen praying and considered righteous. ‘And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They shall have their reward.’ (vs.5) Lord forbid people, that we should pray like the hypocrites! And Jesus’ tone on that last sentence, about they getting their reward. Hn! It sounds a little too ominous for my liking. Don’t think I want to partake nuh. Anyway Friends, praying is to be done seriously to the Lord, not merely for seeking the attention of men. We need to have the right attitude, the right reason, which is approaching God for a worthwhile purpose, with reverence and faith, not just to look righteous in the eyes of men. ‘But when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.’ (vs.6) Now note here people, Jesus is not saying that we should only pray behind closed doors. He’s not condemning public prayer, just its improper use. There’s certainly need for us to pray in church and other public gatherings. What He’s talking about is making a show of it. Just do our personal praying quietly with no attention seeking, or selfish and vain glorious motives. Not to please men, but to please God. And when we please God quietly, He’ll reward us openly, and have the hypocrites confused and angrily stammering: ‘Buh..but how come a bunch of sinners like them getting so much eh? An..and me..me who so righteous…always praying..praying here there and everywhere, only getting this small amount eh? But that not right nuh!’ Hn,hn! We all know the kind. But Friends, it always comes right back to the state of our hearts. Motive is God’s number one priority. Regardless of how religious, righteous and prayerful we think we are, if it’s not for the right reasons, but just for show and attention seeking, then the Lord will look on us with utter disdain. He’s certainly not into ego tripping or plenty talk. Jesus warned: ‘But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.’ (vs.7) Ah people, in the Lord’s eyes, a simple, heartfelt plea for ‘Help!’ is much better than a long rambling, repetitive spiel of woe and want. We only have to tell Him what’s in our hearts. For prayer is not supposed to be a means of changing God’s mind, or even getting Him to answer you, but for enlisting His great desire and inclination to help us. As believers, prayer should flow forth from our faith; the trust and confidence that the Lord knows what’s best for us, and will always act in our best interest. Realizing this Friends, nowadays I seldom pray for anything for myself, cause He knows all the big things I desire. Now I try to sit patiently and wait till He’s ready, for I’ve learned from hard experience, that I’ll get the desires of my heart, but only when He’s ready. So there’s no use in fighting it, but I do work towards them. We’ve got to make the necessary preparations, before He can do His part. Ah Friends, life can be very uncertain and confusing, but through the power of faithful and sincere prayer, to a most merciful and understanding God, we can get relief from the cruel pangs of this wicked world. Please remember, that between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, help is just a prayer away. Much LOVE!…three for the price of one…Wow!…the best deal in town…
Now that’s an irrefutable fact Friends! Our Creator and guide laid out the plans for each of our lives, so He must know what we need to live successfully. Jesus is teaching here on prayer. When He says, ‘Be not ye therefore like unto them,’ He’s referring to the crowd pleasers, the publicity seekers, those who want to be seen praying and considered righteous. ‘And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They shall have their reward.’ (vs.5) Lord forbid people, that we should pray like the hypocrites! And Jesus’ tone on that last sentence, about they getting their reward. Hn! It sounds a little too ominous for my liking. Don’t think I want to partake nuh. Anyway Friends, praying is to be done seriously to the Lord, not merely for seeking the attention of men. We need to have the right attitude, the right reason, which is approaching God for a worthwhile purpose, with reverence and faith, not just to look righteous in the eyes of men. ‘But when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.’ (vs.6) Now note here people, Jesus is not saying that we should only pray behind closed doors. He’s not condemning public prayer, just its improper use. There’s certainly need for us to pray in church and other public gatherings. What He’s talking about is making a show of it. Just do our personal praying quietly with no attention seeking, or selfish and vain glorious motives. Not to please men, but to please God. And when we please God quietly, He’ll reward us openly, and have the hypocrites confused and angrily stammering: ‘Buh..but how come a bunch of sinners like them getting so much eh? An..and me..me who so righteous…always praying..praying here there and everywhere, only getting this small amount eh? But that not right nuh!’ Hn,hn! We all know the kind. But Friends, it always comes right back to the state of our hearts. Motive is God’s number one priority. Regardless of how religious, righteous and prayerful we think we are, if it’s not for the right reasons, but just for show and attention seeking, then the Lord will look on us with utter disdain. He’s certainly not into ego tripping or plenty talk. Jesus warned: ‘But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.’ (vs.7) Ah people, in the Lord’s eyes, a simple, heartfelt plea for ‘Help!’ is much better than a long rambling, repetitive spiel of woe and want. We only have to tell Him what’s in our hearts. For prayer is not supposed to be a means of changing God’s mind, or even getting Him to answer you, but for enlisting His great desire and inclination to help us. As believers, prayer should flow forth from our faith; the trust and confidence that the Lord knows what’s best for us, and will always act in our best interest. Realizing this Friends, nowadays I seldom pray for anything for myself, cause He knows all the big things I desire. Now I try to sit patiently and wait till He’s ready, for I’ve learned from hard experience, that I’ll get the desires of my heart, but only when He’s ready. So there’s no use in fighting it, but I do work towards them. We’ve got to make the necessary preparations, before He can do His part. Ah Friends, life can be very uncertain and confusing, but through the power of faithful and sincere prayer, to a most merciful and understanding God, we can get relief from the cruel pangs of this wicked world. Please remember, that between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, help is just a prayer away. Much LOVE!…three for the price of one…Wow!…the best deal in town…
SCRIP-BITS 