Discipleship Essentials*
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
My Prayer Today
Almighty God, I come to You today, humbly, yet boldly to Your throne of grace. I thank You for the blood of Jesus which makes it possible for me to approach You. Without You Jesus, I am nothing. I ask that You would grant me the grace to live for You in everything I do. I want to please You in every way. Help me to be sensitive to the leading of Your Holy Spirit so that I may be a witness to others. Without Your grace, I am unable to live as how You want me to. Thank You Jesus for Your love and Your life. Help me to spread that to others. I ask this in Your name. . . Amen.
God’s Word Today
Luke 11:5-13
5 "Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this illustration: Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You would say to him, 6 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' 7 He would call out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and we are all in bed. I can't help you this time.' 8 But I tell you this -- though he won't do it as a friend, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you what you want so his reputation won't be damaged. 9 And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. 10 For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. 11 You fathers -- if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."
Background on the Text – Who Wrote It? Why Was It Written? Who Was the Audience?
The Gospel of Luke was written to help show how Gentiles could be included as God's people on an equal basis with the Jews. He was writing not only Theophilos alone, but the wider Gentile community. For Luke the new community extends its blessing broadly, which is true to Jesus' preaching and God's ultimate purpose. Luke was concerned about presenting a credible history of the spread of Christianity to the early church. The wonderful result of Luke's efforts is that this Gospel is a Holy Spirit breathed, Gospel for us today! We also could be considered as part of this broader community, because we are Gentiles (non-Jews) as well. Thank the Lord for using a physician named Luke!
Observation – What Does the Text Say?
(Specifically look at the bold verses, if any, to answer these questions.)
Interpretation – What Does the Text Mean?
Application – How Can I Respond to the Text’s Insights and Teachings?
Each Week’s Check List
After reading and studying this text, reflect on the following discipleship growth points:
Growth Point |
How |
Encouraged and strengthened me by |
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Fallen short areas |
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What will I do with these insights? |
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What did God say to me today? |
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Share insights and growth points |
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Changed/transformed how? |
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Thoughts...
This week we have been reading the story Jesus shared in Luke 11:5-13 and looking at various principles that apply to prayer. Jesus tells of a man who goes to his neighbor's house in the middle of the night to ask for some bread for his friend that has come to visit. One of the things that should strike us as we hear this story is the boldness of this man to go to his neighbors house at midnight when everyone was sleeping. Can you imagine if your friend stopped by the 3 o'clock in the morning and rang the door-bell to your house and asked for some food? We might not mind if it happened in the middle of the day, but it would seem very inconvenient to have this happen in the middle of the night. What an awkward time to come! The second principle on prayer that we can learn from this passage is that -- we must come to God in boldness. Just as it took great boldness for the man to approach his neighbor's house at midnight, so God also requires that we approach His throne in boldness -- not on the basis of who we are but rather because of what Jesus has done on the cross.
We do not have to be afraid of God when we pray. God is not some old man who gets upset every time He is bothered. Rather, He loves to hear from His children when we have concerns. We must come to God boldly, yet humbly, because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:16 says, "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it." God wants us to come to Him without being afraid. His relationship with us is like that of a loving parent. If a child is afraid to approach their mother or father then there is something wrong with the relationship. Of course, a child should honor and respect their parent and not "talk back" to their parent, but they should feel free to come and share their concerns with them. God also wants us to do just the same. Take time today to come before God and ask Him for His grace and mercy -- He wants to hear from you!