41And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luke 22:41-44
3 Lessons from Jesus’ Prayer Life
**Pray Fervently
**Pray Regularly
Luke 5:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
**Pray Persistently
Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.
18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor–this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
This chapter closes with a simple command to enjoy God’s blessings and be thankful to Him. God is the source of all our wealth and material blessings. Without Him, we would have nothing.
Being content requires us to focus on what God has done for us. We should give thanks each day for the litany of blessings He has bestowed upon us. He is worthy of all our praise. Hear the words of the psalmist.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.This also is vanity.11 When goods increase,They increase who eat them;So what profit have the ownersExcept to see them with their eyes?12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,Whether he eats little or much;But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.14 But those riches perish through misfortune;When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return,To go as he came;And he shall take nothing from his laborWhich he may carry away in his hand.16 And this also is a severe evil–Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?17 All his days he also eats in darkness,
Ecclesiastes 5:10-17
Money doesn’t always equal peace in this world. Some of the richest people on planet earth are constantly worried and anxious. While the Bible never expressly condemns wealth, Christians are given warnings about trusting in riches in the Holy Scriptures. (Matthew 6:18-34 & 1 Timothy 6:10) God’s people should trust in God and God alone.
Solomon was one of the most affluent individuals in history. He had the money and the time to pursue every worldly allure. Here, he dispels the myth which permeates human thought that money can buy contentment. “If I only had more, I would be happy” is how this thinking is shared in our day. However, the King tells us “not so fast my friend.”
We need finances to live in this world. There is nothing wrong with having money or possessions. Nevertheless, Solomon advises against placing trust in wealth. Why? Because wealth doesn’t satisfy us and it requires much energy to oversee. We will leave all of our money behind. Trust in the Lord, Child of God.
8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. 9 Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9
Solomon now moves to a general discussion of generosity and wealth in these final verses of chapter 5. Once again, he notes the oppression of the poor and the corruption of the justice system of his day. And once again, these observations are extremely applicable in our day.
Corruption, greed, and mistreatment of others are rampant in our society. Daily media regularly showcases instances of oppression. Things surely haven’t changed much.
Our task as Christians is to fight injustice wherever we can. Let us not excuse it but root it out when we have the chance. As the prophet Amos stated in chapter 5:24, But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
One aspect of Christianity that separates it from virtually all other faith systems is the way God bestows His grace on us. Someone once described biblical grace as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Such a description is applicable indeed. We receive the best that God has through the sacrifice of Christ.
Jesus paid the debt so that we could be free. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin so that we could reconciled to God. Jesus endured the horrors of separation so that we would never be separated from God. God’s grace is amazing indeed!
I pray that you will be encouraged from the Scriptures with these thoughts about God’s amazing grace.
Psalm 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Romans 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed– 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-7
Another warning is given in these verses. The basic premise is this—when you make a promise, keep it. Breaking a promise is sin before God. Meaningless promises dishonor God and lead to his discipline.
Jesus, himself would give similar warnings about worship and promise-making in the gospel of Matthew. Consider Jesus’ words from this Scripture…
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 100:4
We are commanded to be thankful as Believers in Christ. Thankfulness is not a suggestion, it is a command. How can we grow in thanksgiving? How can we increase in giving thanks to God? Try these three steps.
**Realize your blessings. Take a moment each day and realize just how much God has blessed you. Take a look at your material blessings, your physical blessings, and your spiritual blessings. Write them down and take inventory of God’s goodness. This first step will put you on a path of thankfulness as we become cognizant of the bounty God has heaped upon us.
**Focus on what you have been given. Too often we focus our hearts upon the things we don’t have. God’s has blessed us mightily, but, we tend to focus our minds on what we have missed. If you desire to grow in thankfulness, focusing on God’s blessings will help you to comprehend the goodness and grace of God.
**Make thanksgiving a daily part of your prayer life. As you pray each day, give thanks. Paul tells us we are to make our requests known to God “with thanksgiving.” (Philippians 4:6) Praying with thanksgiving to God for His goodness multiplies our “thanksgiving quotient” as we grow in Christ.
Try these steps this week and it will make a difference. Let us strive, as Christians, to make Thanksgiving more than a season or a day. May we seek to make thanksgiving a way of life every day!
mrtonyfrench 