Ask God Honestly
Everything begins with our relationship to God. Jesus made it possible for us to have a restored relationship with God. We can talk with God, spend time in His presence, and ask Him to help us because, as believers, we are called His sons and daughters.
Because of our relationship with God, He listens to us. Much like a child talking to their parents, God wants us to speak to Him. When we pray, we have the opportunity to tell God our needs, our concerns, and the desires of our heart.
Jesus tells us that if we seek a relationship with God, we will find it. God gives Himself freely to all who seek Him. God isn’t hiding in heaven, hoping we will someday find Him. He is readily available to talk with us.
This means we should be persistent in our relationship with Him. We have access to the Creator of the world. Everything comes from Him and has life because of Him. He has the ability to give us the things we need.
However, while we can ask for whatever we want, it doesn’t mean He will give us everything we ask for. Just like an earthly father won’t give his child something harmful, God also won’t give us something we do not need (Matthew 7:10-11).
We often don’t ask God for things because we may feel guilty for doing so. But God actually desires for us to go to Him—even with the smallest of requests.
Take some time today and tell God honestly how you feel. Ask Him for the things you truly need in life. Continue each day building a relationship with Him through Scripture reading and prayer.
The Lamb of God
Have you ever waited a really long time for something important? Maybe you spent weeks waiting to see an old friend, for news about a medical diagnosis, or for someone to respond to a message you sent them.
In the first century, the people of God had waited hundreds and hundreds of years for the coming of a Savior. John the Baptist was sent to be the forerunner of that coming Savior. God planned for John to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival, and call them back to repentance.
John waited his whole life for Jesus. He spent his days in eager anticipation of the coming of a Savior who would save his people. And on that day when Jesus did arrive, John the Baptist cried out in excitement.
John calls Jesus the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. In the old covenant, lambs were sacrificed on behalf of the sins of the people. Their sacrifices were a temporary means to restore a person's relationship with God.
But Jesus' coming heralds a new covenant between God and ...