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Posts Tagged ‘Luke 11’

Seeing Before Believing

Posted in Doubt, Experience, Faith, tagged , , on July 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“The queen of Sheba … came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.” – Jesus (Matthew 12:42 / Luke 11:31)

Why would Jesus refer to an ancient story about a queen who came a long way just to see for herself the amazing things she heard about King Solomon?1

Obviously, Jesus has no problem with those who wanted to see for themselves before believing, his problem is with those who refused to look right in front of their eyes.

— fritz
1. Read the story of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon in 1st Kings 10

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Praying and Getting

Posted in Philip Yancey, Prayer, Quotes, tagged , on December 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

…how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? — Matthew 7:11

… how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? — Luke 11:13

Philip Yancy


We pray for what God wants to give us, which may turn out to be good gifts or it may be the Holy Spirit. (From God’s viewpoint there is no better response to persistent prayer than the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s own self.)

Like Peter, we may pray for food and get a lesson in racism; like Paul we may pray for healing and get humility.

We may ask for relief from trials and instead get patience to bear them.

We may pray for release from prison and instead get strength to redeem the time while there.

Asking, seeking, and knocking does have an effect on God, as Jesus insists, but it also has a lasting effect on the asker-seeker-knocker.

— Yancey, Philip (2008-09-02). Prayer (Kindle Locations 3330-3340). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

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Expecting Good

Posted in Expectation, Explanations, Holy Spirit, Prayer, tagged on October 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? … If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? – Jesus (Luke 11:11-13)

Some are afraid to ask for God’s Holy Spirit, afraid to commit fully to Christ — afraid he may require a change too hard or allow an experience too painful.

Not so. Jesus assures that when asked for his Holy Spirit it will be good — not something too hard (a stone) or something which will bite back (a serpent).

How could we expect otherwise.

— fritz

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