Matthew 7:7-11

Rachel Workman: 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

We need to be careful with these verses. This does not mean if you ask for material things over and over that we'll receive them. It means that those who ask and seek will receive peace, grace, mercy, wisdom and salvation. If we keep asking for God's peace over a situation we will receive it. If we ask for his grace and mercy we will receive it. If we ask for a new car, well that would be up to us to provide. Our basic needs will never go unmet with God. He loves us that much.

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John Burnett:  ⁷ “^[a]Ask, and it will be given to you; ^[b]seek, and you will find; ^[c]knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or what man is there among you ^[d]who, when his son asks for a loaf, ^[e]will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or ^[f]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!  Jesus is not talking about wants, He is talking about needs, wisdom, and salvation.  Jesus calls us evil, He is calling a spade a spade, and gives absolutely no thought to how it makes us feel or whether it will fill seats on Sunday.  The same one who condemns us sinners, loved us so much that He took the most brutal beating ever given and died the most painful death so that we do not have to.  Not only do we miss the consequences of our sins, we are named co-heirs with Christ and get to spend eternity with Him in paradise.  He rewards us even though we don’t deserve any of it, it is called grace and it is amazing.

Have a blessed weekend.

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Allen Michaels:   “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Jesus tells us to persist in pursuing God. People often give up after a few halfhearted efforts and conclude that God cannot be found. But knowing God takes faith, focus, and follow-through, and Jesus assures us that we will be rewarded. Don’t give up in your efforts to seek God. Continue to ask him for more knowledge, patience, wisdom, love, and understanding. He will give them to you.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? Sometimes God knows we are praying for “snakes” and does not give us what we ask for, even though we persist in our prayers. As we learn to know God better as a loving Father, we learn to ask for what is good for us, and then he grants it. ¹¹ 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! Christ is showing us the heart of God the Father. God is not selfish, begrudging, or stingy, and we don’t have to beg or grovel as we come with our requests. He is a loving Father who understands, cares, and comforts. If humans can be kind, imagine how kind God, the creator of kindness, can be. Jesus used the expression “If you, then, though you are evil” to contrast sinful and fallible human beings with the holy and perfect God. ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. This is commonly known as the Golden Rule. In many religions it is stated negatively: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.” By stating it positively, Jesus made it more significant. It is not very hard to refrain from harming others; it is much more difficult to take the initiative in doing something good for them. The Golden Rule as Jesus formulated it is the foundation of active goodness and mercy—the kind of love God shows to us every day. Think of a good and merciful action you can take today.

Here is a link of 57 scripture verses on how to treat others. http://www.openbible.info/topics/how_to_treat_others