Jesus Revealed Part 16 - It's In The NameSample

Asking God For Things  

Thoughts on the Passage

Yesterday, we talked about the joy that would come when Jesus comes back to life. It was a joy that no one could take away. Today, Jesus adds more – the disciples were free to ask the Father for things in Jesus’ name so that their joy will be full. That is an amazing promise. We receive the joy of His resurrection – victory over sin and this world. Then we get to fill up our joy by asking the Father for the things that release an abundance of joy.

Jesus is clear in this passage. The Father wants to release blessing upon His children because they love Jesus. We love Jesus because He forgives our sin, sets us free, opens the door for us to become children of the Father, and will send us the Spirit. Some people love this promise because they feel it is a blank check to ask God for everything we want. That is not true. 

The disciples demonstrated that they loved Jesus more than this world – because their hearts were filled with sadness at His death (when the world rejoiced) and will be filled with joy when He comes back. That is why the Father loves us so much. Jesus loved what the Father loved. As disciples of Jesus, we love what He loves and what the Father loves.

What happens when we love what God loves? When we ask – He gives!

Application

What do we need today to show the love of God for us, our families, or our world? Ask for it.

What do we need to live full of joy today? Ask God for it.

Time to Pray

Father, when I love what You love, then there is no limit for me. That is just so amazing. There is nothing that You will withhold from me. The challenge for me is to not love what this world loves. The challenge is to be able to discern what You love in a world that is filled with so much that attracts my heart. I cannot say that I see Your heart as clearly as I want to see it. It is something I struggle with every day. So today, I ask that You show me Your heart clearly and that it breaks through this world’s noise – and I will ask for many things!! I will ask for things that fill my heart today with joy. I will ask for things that have my joy overflow to a world that needs Your joy but does not know how to get it. I will ask…in Jesus’ name, Amen.