April 3 “Keep on Keeping on, Period!” Luke 11:9-10
EASTER ANNOUNCEMENT: On April 9, 2023, we will have a “SONRISE” Service. It will begin at 7:00am, and there will be a biscuit and coffee, plus… breakfast afterwards.
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “So, I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10)
In our humanity, we have a tendency to want immediate results and the idea of patience is foreign to most of us! Many years ago, after several months of work and saving, I had enough money to purchase a new bicycle. It was beautiful! The bike was red and chrome and the seat was black and the trim matched the rest of the bike! Boy! I was a proud puppy when I rode this amazing machine up to my buddy’s house to “show-off” my new purchase. Everyone was “oooing” and “ahhing” over my new bike! Two weeks later, I came rushing home, after a long days riding around the countryside, with my boys, and I rolled into our yard and, I was already late for supper, so I leaned my bike up against the hickory tree near the back door and rushed into the house to eat supper. Quickly, my focus was turned and I forgot about my bike that was propped against the tree, when it should have been placed in the barn, where it was supposed to be! The next morning, a went out to begin my day, and my new bike was gone! Holy, Holy, Holy, I had a spell! Mama came running out to see what was going on, and making a long story short, Mama comforted me, and gingerly indicated that I should have put it away, the way that it was intended! Anyway, Mama & Daddy continued to assure me the bike would “turn up,” somewhere, and I would get it back! That night, as I was doing my evening prayers, I doubled down on asking about my bicycle and I spent the majority of the time requesting my bike to be found! Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, and I was beginning to recognize that I was going to need to repeat the process and continue to work and save for another bike. On night, at the supper table, Daddy told me that I needed to be patient and for me to continue to have faith! I know that he was only trying to help, but I thought that that was the dumbest advice possible, especially after the long time without my new bike! As I struggled with the idea of giving up on finding my new bike, Daddy came sliding into the yard, blowing the car horn, and as Mama and I bounded out of the back door, low and behold, there was my red and chrome bike! Come to find out, it had been stolen from our yard by an older teenager, and he had dumped my bike in the woods behind Mr. Walker’s house, and because everyone in the Spring Bank Community new about my bike, it was easy for the finder to return my bike! Now, I realize that this is not your typical Biblical teaching story, however, just listen! As Christians, living in these mortal, human bodies, we have a tendency to give up too quickly and to expect “INSTANT” results, however, the scripture passage for today, tells us to CONTINUE to ASK, CONTINUE to SEEK, and to CONTINUE to KNOCK!! The question for today is this… Are you praying for a particular thing, and do you have the feeling that you should abandon your prayers, and resign yourself to the idea that it is not going to happen? When we pray, with our focus and attitude, securely grounded on HIM, we are to CONTINUE to ASK, SEEK, and CONTINUE to KNOCK!!! So, I say to you, as a fellow believer! DON’T STOP ASKING, BELIEVING AND KNOCKING! He PROMISED, I BELIEVE, and I am WAITING for HIS WILL to be MADE KNOWN!! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!