“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3 NKJ)
My two-year-old grandson, Grant, has developed the habit of saying: I want some. I think his aunt April (my daughter) started him down this path by letting him eat some of my M&M stash. But he quickly learned to apply it to almost everything he wants. He also understands the concept of returning to the M&M jar again and again.
My M&M stash is a jar of the candy that used to sit on my desk. After his first taste, it soon became evident that Grant not only knew where to find the candy, he also knew how to open the lid and get some anytime he so desired, which was often. I subsequently moved the M&Ms to the top of our refrigerator so he can’t reach them without asking, “I want some.”
Now, since I am a spoiled Poppa, I don’t mind Grant having the M&Ms. It’s just that he doesn’t know how to regulate his intake of these candies, and that is not good for him. A balanced diet requires the adults in his life to regulate what he eats so that he continues to eat in a healthy manner.
Yet, when Grant asks, “I want some,” he usually gets the opportunity to have some of what he is asking for. In the case of M&Ms, he doesn’t know that he can take one or two, eat them and then return for more. So when the lid comes off, Grant reaches in and gets all his little hand can hold.
God has given us many promises and Paul wrote that all of them are assured to be ours through Jesus Christ. Yet, those divine promises must be balanced by such considerations as today’s passage. Read it again. Carefully consider the depths of its wisdom. Balance God’s open promise jar against this teaching He gave through James. Then properly ask for all your hand can hold.
Dear Father, thank you for all your promises. Empower us with a balanced faith and understanding. Inspire us to ask for all you have for us. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today and tell God what you want,