Asking or Demanding

"You want something but don't get it. You kill* and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive,* because you ask with wrong motives,* that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (Jas 4.2,3)

Like me, you've probably have had situations where subordinates have demanded something from you rather than ask for it: whether it was time off from work, some equipment, personnel changes, or whatever. You probably denied it, not because you were unwilling to meet their need but because they made a demand rather than a request. This happened to me this week, and then today I read this passage of Scripture:

"Judge not that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you use it will be measured to you" (Mt 7.1-2). I thought, "God, but as a supervisor it is my responsibility to judge." Then I realized, Jesus wasn't telling us not to judge but was warning us that how we judged others would be the measure He used to judge us. Then I read a few verses later: "Ask, and it will be given... for everyone who asks receives." When was the last time I asked God for anything rather than demand from Him some outcome?

When I examine my prayer life I typically say, "Give me this, forgive me that, smite him or her, or teach me something I want." The motivation for my asking is an expectation that God will respond to my beck and call. God showed me today that I do not have because I do not ask, I demand. Thank you God for showing me my faults that I might become more like you.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Mercy and Justice

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices, mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness" Mt 23.23.

Zechariah says that "true justice" is to "show mercy and compassion to one another" (7.10) which makes some people assume that being just means to show mercy fairly to each person or that justice and mercy are actually opposites. I just came back from nearly 30 days of training at the Army's National Training Center in Ft Irwin, CA and have learned a poignant lesson concerning justice and mercy: one applies to the individual while the other affects the masses.

A soldier decided that she didn't want to heed the same rules as the other members of the team and wanted me to show her mercy because she was an individual. However, showing mercy to this individual would've hurt the rest of the team because it would not have been fair to them. Applying justice to a disobedient person affects the rest by discouraging reciprocating actions: this is why God demands an eye for an eye. Giving mercy to an individual restores a relationship with that person but not with a group: this is why Jesus says to turn the other cheek when offended. We must be careful not to confuse one for the other.

True justice contains mercy because the "judge" knows how to forgive the individual while still punishing the sin. If there is no punishment for sin, then there is no justice. If there is no forgiveness of sin, then there is no salvation. If there is no justice then there can be no salvation.

 

Posted with Blogsy