On one occasion, among many others, the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with a question. The question was, “What is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

“But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40)

They just knew they had Him, as they had thought at other times, but notice Jesus’ response. Jesus said that we are to first love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind. Then He added that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, and that the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.

When He mentioned the Law and the prophets, He was saying that every book in what we call the Old Testament centered on these two commands. If we do not first of all love the Lord our God, we cannot truly love our neighbor, and by the same token, if we do not love our neighbor, we don’t really love God.

The world often visualizes God in the Old Testament as an angry and vengeful God, and the New Testament as a loving God, but that is not so. Even some who call themselves Christians feel this way. However, God is always a loving God and He never changes. Anyone who sees God as “mean” in the Old Testament cannot truly know Him. They obviously haven’t read the Old Testament and understand who He is.

With every sacrifice made in the Old Testament was God’s proof of His love for us. Every sacrifice pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of His Son on a wooden cross on Calvary.

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:6-11)

Let no man ever say that God is mean and vindictive in the Old Testament, but kind and gentle in the New Testament. God’s love shines forth on every page of the Bible, whether New or Old Testament. Even in His more than justified judgments, His love and grace can be seen.

Now the question remains, “How do we prove our love for God?” Any true Christian who has humbly studied the entire Bible with an open heart yearning for the Truth, will eventually notice that two important facts stand out. Both in the Old and New Testaments these two truths are clearly visible. These two truths are (1) love and (2) obedience. We show our love for Him by obeying Him.

The Old Testament in particular speaks of “fearing the Lord thy God.” Does that term mean we are to be scared to death of Him? Does it mean we quake in our boots and run and hide? Whenever we see that term, remember that it is speaking of a reverential (respectful, honorable) trust, including the hatred of evil. It is the respect a child would have for their father who will discipline them, but also loves them with all his very being, who would give his life for them. This term is meant for the believer, never the unbeliever.

“Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.” (Deuteronomy 6:17-19)

“And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.” (Deuteronomy 6:24-25)

Yes, these passages are written specifically for Israel, but the principle most definitely applies to the Christian today. Think not?

Jesus, God in the flesh, said in the New Testament:

“If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

“You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14)

Some Christians try to be very religious to prove they are the elite of God. They have the somber voice of church talk down pat. They display hypocritical emotions on cue. They may even quote some Scripture. Guess what? The Pharisees of Jesus day were super religious, but they hated Jesus. They had Him crucified! The Pharisees of today would no doubt do the same.

The apostle Paul was a Pharisee who hated Jesus and tried to eliminate His followers, He thought he loved God and was being obedient to God, until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. After that meeting, he wanted nothing more to do with religion. He shed the religious hypocrisy and became truly obedient to God. Now why did he do that? He did it because he fell in love with God and chose to serve Him in obedience the rest of his life; i.e. love and obedience.

Are you tired of being religious? Would you like to really know God? Come to Him through His Son Jesus. Shed the religious hypocrisy and love Him with all your heart, mind and soul. Obey Him by loving your neighbor and obeying His Word.

Remember what Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

ATTENTION! My email address has changed to Phillip5769@twc.com.

A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer when he asked the Lord to create a bridge to Hawaii so he could drive there anytime he wants.

The Lord said, “Your request is very materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of project. The supports would have to reach the bottom of the Pacific. It would take over thousands of miles of steel and concrete. It would be hard for me to justify your desire for such a worldly thing. You need to ask for something else.”

The man thought about it and finally said, “Lord, allow me to understand women. I want to know what they are thinking when they give the silent treatment, why they cry for no apparent reason, what they want when they say ” nothing!” and how to make a woman truly happy.”

The Lord replied, “You want two lanes or four lanes on that bridge!

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Prayer is simply talking to God. We primarily listen to Him through His Word He had written down for our benefit. We talk to Him via prayer.

The “prayer” introducing this article is obviously a joke, but is it possible that some of our prayers are just as ridiculous? Now if God wanted to build a bridge from the mainland to Hawaii He could certainly do so, but it ain’t gonna happen. I ask again, is it possible that some of our prayers are just as ridiculous?

The “send me your money now” preachers like to use the next two verses to show that ANYTHING we ask is ours for the taking; wealth, health, prosperity in all forms, but is it true? Read these two verses carefully.

“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22)

“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” (John 16:24)

Sounds promising! Where’s my checkbook!

The Bible never contradicts itself, so what else does it say about praying? Notice this verse.

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3)

Uh Oh! There it is! We don’t receive because we ask with the wrong motives. A bridge to Hawaii is the wrong motive. An “A” on the test is the wrong motive when we won’t even bother to study. A bass boat in the driveway is the wrong motive.

Jesus said in John 16:24 to ask in His name, but don’t we blaspheme His name when we use it improperly? When we ask with the wrong motives, so that we may spend it on our pleasures, we discredit His name just as much as one would by using His name as a curse word. Isn’t that breaking the third Commandment; “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain?” (Exodus 20:7) It most certainly is.

God is not a genie or tooth fairy to be used for granting wishes. Notice what the Lord says in the next verse. Read it very carefully.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)

If I abide in Him and His words abide in me, THEN I may ask whatever I wish and it will be done, BECAUSE His will and mine will be the same. I won’t be asking for childish, frivolous nonsense in my prayers.

Let’s proceed to another verse.

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (John 15:16)

Again, if we are bearing fruit for Him, we will be in tune with His will not our will. Under that condition, our prayers will be on a more spiritually mature level, and not the prayers of a child with a Christmas list.

Someone may ask, “How am I to know what to pray for?” I think that question is answered in the next verse.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

Wisdom is the ability to correctly use the knowledge we have. God provides us the knowledge we need in the pages of His Word, and as we mature spiritually, wisdom follows.

Does God answer prayer? God most certainly answers the prayers of His children. We may not get the answer we expect, but His response will be better than what we originally asked of Him. I must emphasize that God always listens to the prayers of His children, and wants what is best for us. See Romans 8:26-39. Did you notice in verse 26 the Spirit of God helps us to pray and makes intercession for us?

I have met many Christians over the years that are timid about praying in public. Some are so terrified, they refuse to do so. That tells me right off that their prayer life is practically non-existent. Folks, the only way to be comfortable in prayer is to pray. Praying should be natural for a Christian, but sadly it is not.

My wife and I have found that God has answered many of our prayers, and with some we are still waiting to see what He will do. If your prayers are meant to glorify Jesus, I know of no Biblical reason for your prayers not to be answered. One of the greatest experiences a Christian can have is to see Almighty God moving through our prayers as they bring glory to His Son Jesus.

If you have been stumbling through frivolous prayers, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. We have all been there, and as long as we are in this body, we will continue to act like spoiled children on occasion. He knows that.

“For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” (Psalms 103:14)

Perhaps instead of acting like ‘spoiled’ children with a list of “I wants,” we can come to Him with the simple faith of a child with our needs. We came to Him in faith and He saved us, then surely as His child He is still listening.

There are times my prayers seem shallow. They remind me of a rock skipping along the surface of the water, not reaching any depth. Are you that way sometimes?

How do we get out of the shallows and into the deep waters of prayer? I believe the best way is to get in the Word first.

To hold an intelligent conversation with anyone, whether we are a child or an adult, we must first learn to listen. We listen to God by hearing what He is saying to us in His Word, the Bible. Then we talk to Him by prayer, and Jesus gave us an example to follow in our prayers.

Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
‘Give us this day our daily bread.

‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ (Matthew 6:9-13)

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

ATTENTION! My email address has changed to Phillip5769@twc.com.