ASK----STANDING ON MOUNT BEATITUDES

 

          Standing on Mount Beatitudes, our Lakes Church Lead Pastor Dr. Aaron D. Burgner shared with us that this is the hill where Jesus proclaimed the Sermon on the Mount. I opened my Bible to the Scripture Matthew 7:7 and suddenly like a light from Heaven, the word ASK jumped off the page: "Ask, and it will be given to you; Seek and you will find; Knock and the door will be opened to you"

Ask

Seek

Knock

The first letter of each of the three action verbs, Ask, Seek, and Knock spell the word, "ASK." How amazing, how mysterious, that the Lord would highlight the first letter of those three words in sequence. He who spoke the world into existence, spoke these words in that sequence as translated into the English language, and He revealed it to my delight, because I was seeking Him.
          Seek Him. Seek the One who called you. Seek to know Him. Seek a heart to love Him. Seek—the heart of the three words, Ask, SEEK, Knock. It is so amazing to walk on the ground where Jesus walked, to sit on the mount by the Sea of Galilee where He taught His disciples, where He walked on the water, where He calmed the sea. From Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
          There are four “do not” commands in the Sermon on the Mount: “do not store up treasures” and “do not be anxious,” which shows up three times. If we obeyed the first command and refused to store up treasures, the other commands would likely be harder to follow—our anxieties would increase since we would have less to find our security in. But the message of Jesus has more to do with what’s in our hearts than in our bank accounts. He’s not interested in an empty wallet if it’s adjacent to an anxious heart. He’s interested in a heart that is anchored in Him. He’s focused on eternal treasures. Jesus knows that anxiety usurps our allegiance to His kingdom. It takes our eyes off the eternal thins and fixes them on the temporary things. He’s serious about teaching us to trust Him and not to fear. He’s deeply invested in our hearts. If our hearts are attached to the fleeting, temporary things of life, anxiety is a natural response. But if our hearts are invested in the eternal things of His kingdom, they will be unshakable! If our hearts trust Him, we have nothing to fear!
          The Sermon on the Mount is a call for getting to the core of life's meaning. For moving beyond the external to the internal. For discovering the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart . . . a matter of attitude, or as Jesus taught, our be-attitudes.

          Heavenly Father, I am so grateful that when You look at me, You see my heart covered by the blood of Jesus. Give me a heart which yearns for Your Presence, a yearning for You that draws me over and over into Your Presence, a yearning that makes only a few days without time in prayer and Your Word seem like an eternity. Give me a heart which is motivated first and foremost by a desire for You, not for what You can do for me, but a yearning for Your Presence. Give me a heart that wants You more than anything else You could give, to love You and know You more than anything in life. Give me a heart that takes what You have made known to me and makes You re-known to everyone else, a heart that makes Your name and renown the desire of my heart. Give me a heart to feel Your Holy Spirit woo me once again to the place where I meet You. In the simplicity of my prayer time, give me a heart to be suddenly confronted by the majesty of my Redeemer—the One Who is responsible for any good in me. Lord, each morning, give me a heart that welcomes Your fresh mercies which fall like manna from Heaven, and once again move my heart. I gratefully surrender all. Morning after morning. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Look Up—meditate on Matthew 7:7 … pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

Look In—as you meditate on Matthew 7:7 … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

Look Out—as you meditate on Matthew 7:7 …pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.