# 29. 2017 Dev. Mt.7:12. Ask, Seek, Knock! Read vs 7-12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Matthew 7:12
12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus continues with His teaching by making comparisons and He ends with the anticipation of God’s grace: do good to others because God is good to you and is in line with God’s law. Jesus begins with a difficult concept,” Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” In Chapter six Jesus said: “…and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom…”
In that case do we need to ask, seek and knock? Yes, we do! God wants us to ask him for his grace and by asking we know what we want and we acknowledge that we depend on Him alone. The difficulty comes when we seem not to get an answer, or we do not find what we want, or a certain door is not opened to us. In Jesus’ comparison of giving gifts of parents and of His Father, vs. 9-11 if parents give good gifts then certainly God will do better.
The answer is simple, as parents know what is good for their children and know what they need so also God, He knows what we need, what will build us up, what will conform us to His calling. Therefore, God gives us what we need and not necessarily what we want. On the basis of God’s goodness to us in that regard Jesus encourages us to practice God’s grace.
V.12 points us back to what Jesus said before it: 12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Jesus gives us the Golden Rule but He does much more, “for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus here introduces what He says in Mt. 22: 34-40 “The Greatest Commandment”: Love the Lord your God with everything you have, and love your neighbor as much as yourself. “Go and do likewise!” (Luke 10:37)
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