Read today’s texts first: Numbers 34-36; Mark 11
If you want to understand the words of Jesus,
look at His actions. They were always congruent!
look at His actions. They were always congruent!
At the height of the Word Faith movement, a song popular at their conferences worked its way into our Foursquare churches. It was based on the words of Jesus found in Mark 11:24: whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours. Unfortunately that promise was often attached to personal prosperity. You got the impression that if you weren’t wearing a thousand dollar suit and driving a BMW you were somehow lacking in faith.
If you want to understand the words of Jesus, look at His actions (they were always congruent – it’s called “integrity”). He didn’t focus on His own personal needs. He gave up family, friends, regular income, the comforts of home, food, sleep, safety, and eventually His life. We don’t read about Him praying for a bed to sleep in, a home-cooked meal to savour, a new robe to wear, a fancy chariot to ride around in, or an investment portfolio large enough for a comfortable retirement. Despite knowing He was destined for torture and death, His prayers always seemed to focus on the needs of others.
Unfortunately, prosperity teachers would dismiss His example with another verse taken out of context: He became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Paul’s example (11:27) gives the balance we need to understand he is referring to spiritual riches.
The context for Mark 11:24 comes in the next verse. Jesus strangely connects our relationship with God to our relationship with others. If we can’t quickly forgive others, how can we expect God’s forgiveness or, for that matter, His answers to our prayers. The authority Jesus taught about and demonstrated in His own life (from this chapter alone: His triumphal arrival in Jerusalem, His withering words to the unfruitful fig tree, cleaning up His Father’s house) came from an unobstructed relationship with His Father.
“Lord, You are not my celestial bell-boy standing by to serve my needs. I am here to serve You by serving others. Help me to keep my heart right and my prayers answered by quickly forgiving anyone who may have offended me.”
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