I John 3:22 was pointed out to me the other day and I really love this verse. This verse is in the middle of a larger thought process so please take the time to read the chapter/book to get the context.
However, this verse specifically says, "whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." I'm going to add verse 23 which says, "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."
First, I'll add my usual caveat that we know from the greater context of Scripture that there is more to answered prayer than just asking and receiving. There is faith, there is not having unconfessed sin, there is reconciling yourself with your brothers and sisters in Christ, there is forgiveness, etc. So, with that in mind, let's keep going with this verse.
I love that "we receive" is attached with a "because" and it is keeping his commandments and doing what pleases him...that is Him! See, it isn't just about getting what we want because we ask the right way, or the right amount of times, or just because we want it. There must be obedience to God's Word in our lives before we should expect answer to prayer as well. Now, is this saying that we won't get "yes" answers if we are not obeying or simply that we won't get as many "yes" answers as we would if we were obeying? I don't know. I could read this either way. However, I would argue that if we are asking that question then we have a problem anyway as we should always be striving to obey God's Word and to do things that please our Heavenly Father.
Last, I liked verse 23 because it adds belief and loving each other to the list of things that we are commanded to do. So, if we struggle in our belief or if we aren't loving each other, then we aren't following the commands of God.
To God be the glory.
However, this verse specifically says, "whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." I'm going to add verse 23 which says, "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."
First, I'll add my usual caveat that we know from the greater context of Scripture that there is more to answered prayer than just asking and receiving. There is faith, there is not having unconfessed sin, there is reconciling yourself with your brothers and sisters in Christ, there is forgiveness, etc. So, with that in mind, let's keep going with this verse.
I love that "we receive" is attached with a "because" and it is keeping his commandments and doing what pleases him...that is Him! See, it isn't just about getting what we want because we ask the right way, or the right amount of times, or just because we want it. There must be obedience to God's Word in our lives before we should expect answer to prayer as well. Now, is this saying that we won't get "yes" answers if we are not obeying or simply that we won't get as many "yes" answers as we would if we were obeying? I don't know. I could read this either way. However, I would argue that if we are asking that question then we have a problem anyway as we should always be striving to obey God's Word and to do things that please our Heavenly Father.
Last, I liked verse 23 because it adds belief and loving each other to the list of things that we are commanded to do. So, if we struggle in our belief or if we aren't loving each other, then we aren't following the commands of God.
To God be the glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment