Permission to Speak Freely

That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

2 Chronicles 1:7

Young King Solomon, at the beginning of his reign, was given an invitation beyond all imagination. He was invited by God to ask Him for anything he wanted. Now, Solomon didn't ask for what you might expect. He didn't request wealth, honor, victory over his enemies, or even long life. Instead, he humbly asked God to give him the wisdom and knowledge he needed to lead God's people well. His request was not only humble but pleasing to God. God not only granted Solomon's request but also promised to give him exceeding wealth and honor like no king before or after him in the history of the world would enjoy. Talk about a windfall of blessings!

But isn't the modern believer blessed in this way too!? We too are invited to ask our Lord for whatever we want. In Matthew 7:7-11 Jesus invites us to:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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 good gifts to those who ask him!"

I think we often overlook how great a privilege that is. You can ask God for anything! Of course, our situation is different that Solomon's. His invitation to ask probably came with a stronger assurance that he would get whatever he asked for, but still as God's children we are not very far off at all from this level of certainty. As God's children, we can be sure that He will hear our requests and answer in accord with our best interests.

So, now that you understand the invitation, what are you going to ask for? Don't overlook how great a blessing it is for you to be able to take any request you want before your Creator. Make time to pray! But take James 4:2-3 to heart. "You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." Be sure not only to ask but to do so with right motives.

Now You'll See What God Will Do

Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

Exodus 5:22-6:1

In Exodus chapter five God walks right up to the biggest bully on Israel's block and picks a fight with him. At least that's how I read the story. God's people had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years serving one cruel Pharaoh after another. When God calls 80 year old Moses (a washed up, old, nobody in Egypt's eyes) to go to Pharaoh and say, "let My people go." Not only is Pharaoh not impressed by Moses or his miracles, he is not at all afraid of this God of the slaves either. In Exodus 5:2 he says, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."

"I've never heard of God, so how famous can He be?" he reasons. "If this God's people are all slaves serving me then doesn't that prove that my Egyptian gods are more powerful than He is?" To Pharaoh it did. He was insulted that Moses and this unknown god would dare approach him in this manner, so he added to the Israelites burden. He stopped providing them the straw they needed to make bricks, but he still required them to make the same quota of bricks each day. Of course, the Israelites failed to meet the quota, the Israelite foremen were beaten, and Pharaoh refused to relent. He renewed his demanded that they find a way to meet his impossible expectation.

When God stepped in to save them it actually made their situation worse. But here's the thing, when things got worse, God was just getting started. In the first verse of chapter six God tells Moses, "Now you will see what I will do..." What a powerful verse! Can you imagine hearing that come out of God's mouth?! 

So often when things get worse in our lives we see it as the end. We run to God to complain that things are worse now than before. But so very often when things get worse in our lives it's because God is just getting started on a new and amazing work. How does the old saying go? You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Sometimes the beginning of a great work looks messy and destructive. Trust God anyway because it's in those moments that you are best positioned to see what He will do.

Jesus is The Way

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

Jesus is the only way to Heaven because He alone is the way to salvation and forgiveness. He alone can pay the penalty for man’s sin, because He alone is the god/man. You see only a man could pay the debt for mankind's sin but only God could be a sacrifice perfect and sinless enough to pay the infinite price of punishment that the sins of the whole world required. 

This is why Jesus is The Way. Only He could pay the price for sin. Only He could forgive the sins that separated us from God. How could there be any other way? Who else but Jesus is both God and man? How else but through His death on the cross could God’s perfect wrath against man’s sin be satisfied? What other sacrifice could make atonement for our sin? Could any other man be good enough to get to Heaven on his own? 

No! It’s only in Jesus! If you are waiting for some other way, or trusting that somehow God will let you in because you “aren’t that bad.” You’re wrong. Cast your pride aside, bow before King Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness. Confess Him as Lord of your life and become a Christian today! No one is beyond saving if you will only repent and believe. Jesus is The Way to Heaven for you!

For further reading- 

• Matthew 7:13-14- "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it."
• Acts 4:12- "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Glamorless (W.o.W. Rewind)

The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

Nehemiah 3:5

Serving the Lord is not always glamorous. In fact, it rarely is. Don't let the TV preachers fool you. It's not about sequined jackets or puffy hairdos. The Bible talks about feeding widows, caring for orphans, healing lepers, protecting the foreigner and the stranger, and showing hospitality to those in need. Jesus Himself walked the dusty roads of Palestine for three and a half years, healing and loving on the dregs of his society. He "put his shoulder to the work" of the cross, carrying it to the place of His crucifixion (John 19:17). He did not think it below Him to take your sin and your punishment upon Himself but "took on the nature of a servant" and "humbled himself" even to the point of  "death on a cross" (Philippians 2:7-8).

The Apostle Paul also gives us an example to follow. The great missionary financed his ministry by working as a tent maker during the day and preaching when he could (Acts 18:3-4, I Thess 2:9, II Thess 3:7-10). Paul never thought himself too good to do the Lord's work but saw himself as he truly was...a vile sinner saved by grace. Redeemed from slavery to sin, Paul became a slave of God...a willing servant who "put his shoulder to the work" with a grateful heart. He once wrote of the church as a great body in which the different members are asked to do different jobs. Just like the human body cannot be all mouth or all foot, the church cannot be all prophet or all teacher. Paul notes that "the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it" (I Cor 12:23-24).

So do not think yourself beyond or above any act of ministry or service to God's people. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples, "So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Luke 17:10). Choose to "put your shoulder to the work" to do whatever God has called you to do and whatever the Bible commands you to do with a cheerful heart as a thanks offering to your God. 

For further reading...

• I Cor 12:12-31- Which part of the body are you?
• Luke 17:7-10- A hard word on the true nature of servitude.
• Jonah- Trying to run from God's command? You should really put your shoulder to the work.