Whatever We Ask

Whatever We Ask
Words of Faith 2-13-2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 10
[35] Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
[36] "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
[37] They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
[38] "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
[39] "We can," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, [40] but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."

There is little doubt that the Bible teaches a message of blessing and prosperity. God really does desire to provide for and bless His children so that they may be His vessel of blessing to others. Sometimes we get off track and turn that idea of blessing into a selfish activity rather than see that God desires to bless us to be a blessing. Believers often begin to act like the world and grasp for power and control. This it is not something new. It started with the inner circle of disciples.
"Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
Oh my. Do you hear the arrogance? The selfishness? They were not asking for Jesus to deliver "whatever you ask 'in my name'" or whatever you ask in my character and spiritual guidance. No, this request was, "Lord, we want power. We want the power of your name without the responsibility of Your character. We want not THY will by MY will to be done." Frankly, this was sin and, of course, Jesus was wise to it.
"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. (Do we sense that He was shaking His head?) They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
Nothing too big. Not too flashy. Just let us sit at your right and left in glory as you rule. It would be funny… if it were not so tragic. They just did not get it. They did not get what the Kingdom was about or the price required.
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. Remember, you interrupted me as I was talking about how I am going to be betrayed to people who will condemn me to death and will hand me over to the Gentiles, who will mock me and spit on me, flog me and kill me and three days later I will rise? Perhaps you should have listened more carefully.
"Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered. Uh, sure. Whatever. Just let us be powerful.
We wonder if they had any clue of what they were asking.

Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." Yes, you actually will one day go through the very sort of agony that I am soon to go through and by then you will understand.
It causes us to wonder. Is there a sin quite so ugly as human pride and presumption disguised as a spiritual quest? Is there a grasping any more futile than our religious attempts to be powerful? Is there anything more sacred than the passion of Christ? Is there anything we need to surrender more than our human desire and tendency to control?

O Lord, forgive me for my attempts to seize power that is not mine. Forgive me my arrogance at thinking I am deserving of anything. Forgive me for the thoughts that I am like You in my suffering, for such thoughts sully and disgrace Your passion. I am humbled, O God, and in awe before You, Lord Jesus.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.