When we think that there are conditions that God puts in order to hear our prayers, we think about what is essential. This daily devotional completes our look at what those essentials are.
Nuggets
- Child-like trust grows as we grow in knowledge and grace.
- Child-like love means we imitate God as we walk with Him.
- Child-like ways means we approach God guilelessly.
- Child-like spirit means we approach God reverently.
Devotions in the Conditions of Power in Prayer series
In the previous devotion, we began looking at Spurgeon’s sermon entitled The Conditions of Power in Prayer. He told us that access to God’s power was contingent on obedience.
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That is logical to think that there were conditions that needed to be met in order to access God’s power when we pray when we consider the verse Spurgeon was reviewing. John wrote, “and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him” (I Jn. 3: 22 ESV).
We also started looking at Spurgeon’s essentials to determine the “… do what pleases him” (I Jn. 3: 22 ESV) parts. Let’s finish that up.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Prayer is a two-way communication with God in which we pour out our soul to Him.
Child-Like Trust
“Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation” (I Pet. 2: 2 CSB)
Child-like trust grows as we grow in knowledge and grace.
We might look at this and believe that we are to have a child-like innocence. Chapin disagreed. He contended that we need the strength that comes with experience to withstand temptation.
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Instead, what Chapin was talking about is trust. When we lack trust, we possess a resistance to believe. Trust eliminates fear.
Jones talked about having the unconsciousness of a child. We trust so much that the trust is not an issue. It is second nature.
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How does this trust grow? It grows as we grow in the Lord. Leifchild and Meyer gave us a list of how that happens. We grow in
- Knowledge
- Purity
- Heavenly mindedness
- Peace and tranquillity of mind
- Every spiritual grace
- Humility
- Hope
- Attitude
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We know that, when we are growing, it is more than just growing away from sin. It is growing toward God.
It is our choice to mortify sin, but it is also a sacrifice. Mortify means to place a death penalty on our sins. A living sacrifice is the embodiment of becoming sanctified and giving everything to God after being forgiven of our sins.
Glossary
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
Job Duty #1
Be a Living Sacrifice (Romans 12: 1-2)
We also have to remember that this is an inward growth. It isn’t that we grow to more and bigger acts of kindness.
It is that we grow closer to God and be more like Him. Thomas reminded us that we now have endless possibilities. No, not because of us, but because, with God, nothing is impossible (Mt. 19: 26).
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The focus is on trusting God so that we can grow. That is how we work out our salvation (Phil. 2: 12).
This hints at reaching maturity. That is our goal — perfection. Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
Glossary
We can only get there through a child-like trust.
Child-Like Love
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5: 1-2 ESV)
Child-like love means we imitate God as we walk with Him.
Walking is the term used to describe how we live our lives. Walking with God means we are humble, reverent, teachable servants of God.
Spurgeon told us what that looks like. He wrote, “We should abound in love to God, love to Christ, love to the Church, love to sinners, and love to men everywhere. You must get rid of selfishness before God can trust you with the keys of heaven; but when self is dead, then He will enable you to unlock His treasuries, and, as a prince, shall you have power with God and prevail.”
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Let’s think about this. Both of the greatest commandments focus on love. “Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these”’” (Mk. 12: 29-31 ESV).
Glossary
Think how children love. They are accepting and inclusive, but they love their parents and family the most.
Disciples are to love God and other children of God the most.
We have to remember that we cannot love to the extent that God does. He is love.
Manton reminded us that we are made in God’s image. The capacity to love is in us.
We may not be able to love to the extent that God does, but we can learn. Jesus is our example.
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Child-Like Ways
“Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking” (I Cor. 14: 20 CSB)
Child-like ways means we approach God guilelessly.
We shouldn’t be concerned about being called a child. This does not have a negative connotation.
Chapin felt it is the exact opposite. He wrote, “The child illustrates the value of the soul as Christ brings it before us here.”
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We are expected to come to Christ with a child-like knowledge and then grow.
The Christian Age’s sermon entitled The Wisdom of Childhood reminded us that it is all about simplicity of character. But there is one caveat. “Our childlikeness is to be confined to the moral nature; beyond that, in the reign of the intellect, will and activities, we are commanded as Christians to be men.”
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Child-Like Spirit
“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mk. 10: 15 ESV)
Child-like spirit means we approach God reverently.
It all comes down to having a child-like spirit. That means we genuinely submit to God. Submitting to God is actions by humans that obey God and keep His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, follow His purpose for us, and do not follow Satan’s promptings.
We come to God in faith, not trying to do everything in our own understanding. Faith is a gift from God that enhances the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives and distinguishes us from others.
Glossary
We come to God and do things His way.
Making the Connections
Chapin wrote, “Greatness is in spiritual power; it is not an outward attainment that the man can attain and the child can not. It is not any outside clothing; it is not in crowns; it is not in the world’s fame; it is a spiritual quality, and the child has that spiritual quality which is the condition of all greatness.”
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Vaughan made a great observation. He wrote, “God always empties before He fills; He will humble before He will use a person.”
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That is scary. God uses us, but He makes sure we are focused on Him before He uses us to expand His kingdom.
We are only great when we are doing God’s work. Then He makes us great.
How Do We Apply This?
- We grow by desiring to grow.
- We choose to resist sin.
- We read God’s Word
- We remember past joy and peace from doing God’s Will.
Father God. We are Your children. We want to approach You with a child’s joy in seeing the Father. Help us to always seek Your spirit so that we may be like You. Amen.
What do you think?
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