“Pray always” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

When we pray, the God of the heavens and the earth stops all things and becomes laser focused on you and your prayers. The moment you utter, “Father…”, God, in all his being, is fully present to hear your prayers.

What an amazing reality!

We are told in James 1:17 that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”

When Jesus was instructing his disciples about prayer, Jesus says, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13).

The key phrase is “How much more.”

It is worth noting that Jesus couples prayers with the gift of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to pray prayers that honor him and further the kingdom.

Or put in another way, if God said “yes” to all every prayer you prayed in the last seven days, how would the world be different?

Would the world look more like God’s kingdom here on earth?

Pray always. Pray without ceasing. Pray God-honoring prayers.

“I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10)

God. God who is the Creator and God who will one day hold everyone accountable.

To modern day Americans who values self-discovery, freedom, and independence, the entire concept of God seems so oppressive, so restrictive, so un-American.

We don’t like the idea of having to answer to anyone. As long as we are not hurting anyone, we should be free to dictate what is right for our own selves. So how does the concept of God even fit in the modern world anymore?

That’s a fantastic question. But there is one major flaw to this way of thinking. We are free to choose but we are not free from the created order of things. We are not free to reject gravity. We are not free to reject cause and consequences.

Fish are restricted to water. But water is the only environment fish are free to flourish. Outside of water, outside that environment, fish die.

That is the way with us. God’s rule and kingdom is the only environment where human beings can flourish. It is within the bounds of God’s laws that we can find true freedom to flourish.

• You shall have no other gods before me
• You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them
• You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
• Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
• Honor your father and your mother
• You shall not murder
• You shall not commit adultery
• You shall not steal
• You shall not give false testimony
• You shall not covet

God’s laws are given to us, not to restrict us, but to free us so we can flourish in the world God has created. It is when we submit and subject ourselves to the rule of God that we are truly free. Freedom without God is not freedom at all. Freedom without God’s laws entraps, enslaves, and ultimately kills.

Life is found in Christ and Christ alone.

That’s the meaning of Christmas. That’s why Christ came. Jesus tells us, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Friends, may you discover freedom as you submit to Christ.

Happy Advent! Let us prepare ourselves for the reality of Christ.

“I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens” (Psalm 50:9).

The Verse of the Day is from Psalm 50. God literally tells the Israelites, “Don’t give me your bull!” The problem is not that Israel has ignored offering burnt offerings to God.

Then what was the problem?

God tells us what God desires, “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High” (Ps. 50:14).

• What God desires is our hearts that respond in gratitude for recognizing all that God has done for his people. The sacrifices and the offerings aren’t offered out of compulsion but out of genuine gratitude for all that God has given us.
• Secondly, what God desires is for us to fulfill our promises to God. Live out our vows. Live as if God is God. Submit. Obey. Because God is God.

The bull that God calls out is, “You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you” (Ps. 50:17).

• When we say God is God, but live as if God’s word doesn’t pertain to us.
• When we put ourselves above the authority of God’s word. We do this when we say things like, “I know what the Bible says, but I think…, but I feel…”

God flat out declares, “Don’t give me that bull!”

God is honored by “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation” (Ps. 50:23).

Again God declares, “But the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Ps. 147:11).

We say every Sunday before we receive the offering and tithes that God is not interested in your money. God wants our hearts of gratitude. You see, no matter how much we give, God doesn’t need our money. A bazillion dollars doesn’t make God any grander or more glorified. What God is honored by and gloried in is when we respond with genuine gratitude for salvation and for all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Our tithes and offerings are only a token representation of our gratitude. What God desires is our hearts.

During this Advent season, give your heart to God. And out of gratitude, dedicate and offer yourselves and your tithes to honor and glorify God.