"Ask,
and It Shall be Given You." Part 1
By Mrs. E.
G. White
It seems so sad that we praise
God so little. Gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving need now to be searched
for and cultivated as lost arts. They are more precious to the Lord Jesus
than all the treasures of gold and silver which the earth contains. Every
human being should appreciate the kindness and love wherewith God has
loved us. When we were yet enemies Christ gave His life that we might
be saved. How much have we appreciated this gift?
In His instruction to His disciples
Christ dwelt upon the great gift of the Spirit, declaring that nothing
was too great to be expected from the coming of the divine Spirit. He
longed to quicken and enlarge the conception of His disciples by communicating
to them His own complete appreciation of God's love, that they might be
able to comprehend the value of the gift of all gifts, given by God with
the giving of His beloved Son,--the gift of the Holy Spirit. On all who
love and serve God this gift has been bestowed. Christ has made provision
for all to receive His Spirit; for He desires to see human nature released
from the bondage of sin, and, by the power which God gives, renewed, restored,
raised to a holy rivalry with the angels.
To the woman at the well Christ
said, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith
to thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would
have given thee living water. . . . Whosoever drinketh of the water that
I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life."
Yes; in giving the Holy Spirit,
it was impossible for God to give more. To this gift nothing could be
added. By it all needs are supplied. The Holy Spirit is the vital presence
of God, and if appreciated will call forth praise and thanksgiving, and
will ever be springing up unto everlasting life. The restoration of the
Spirit is the covenant of grace. Yet how few appreciate this great gift,
so costly, yet so free to all who will accept it! When faith takes hold
of the blessing, there comes rich, spiritual good. But too often the blessing
is not appreciated. We need an enlarged conception in order to comprehend
its value.
Christ declared, "Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall
be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh
findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask
bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if
he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask
an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye, then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?"
Oh what amazing love and condescension!
The Lord Jesus encourages His believing ones to ask for the Holy Spirit.
By presenting the parental tenderness of God, He seeks to encourage faith
in the reception of the gift. The heavenly Parent is more willing to give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than earthly parents are to give
good gifts to their children.
What greater thing could be
promised? What more is necessary to awaken a response in every soul, to
inspire us with a longing for the great gift? Shall not our half-hearted
supplications be turned into petitions of intense desire for this great
blessing? We do not ask for enough of the good things God has promised.
If we would reach up higher and expect more, our petitions would reveal
the quickening influence that comes to every soul who asks with the full
expectation of being heard and answered. The Lord is not glorified by
the tame supplications which show that nothing is expected. He desires
every one who believes to approach the throne of grace with earnestness
and assurance.
Do we realize the magnitude
of the work in which we are engaged? If we did, there would be more fervency
in our prayers. Our entreaties would rise before God with convincing earnestness.
We would plead for power as a hungry child pleads for bread. If we realized
the greatness of the gift, if we desired the attainment of the blessing,
our petitions would ascend with earnestness, importunity, urgency. It
would be as if we were at the gate of heaven, soliciting entrance.
We should ask with an earnestness
that will not be denied. The Lord has an intense desire that every one
should take advanced steps in absolute certainty, relying upon God. He
is the light and life of all who seek Him. The measure which we receive
of the holy influence of His Spirit is proportionate to the measure of
our desire to receive, of our faith to grasp, and of our capacity to enjoy
the great goodness of the blessing and to impart it to others.
-- Concluded
Next Month --
Originally
published in The Bible Echo, August 5, 1901.
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|  God's
Word Our Assurance
Christ
Our Righteousness A Morning Talk
Through
Faith Alone Part 1
Through
Faith Alone Part 2
What
Was Secured by the Death of Christ
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 1
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 2
Christ,
Our Loving Comforter and Restorer
Work
to Show Christ to the World
"Let
Him Take Hold of My Strength"
Ellen
G. White's Last Recorded Letter
The
Joy of Giving
A
New Year's Day Letter
Christ
Our Hope
A
Letter of Comfort and Assurance
Prevailing
Prayer
A
Prayer of Consecration
Help
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God
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Christ's
Righteousness Avails
Trusting
Christ
The
Fair Flowers of Promise
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 1
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 1
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 3
"I
Will Give You Rest"
Working
as Christ Worked
A
Life-Changing Experience
The
Character of God Revealed in Christ
What
God Desires Us to Be
God's
Plans the Best
A
Peculiar People
God
With Us
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 1
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 2
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 1
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 2
The
Foundation of Our Peace
One
Thing Impossible With God
Windows
Wide Open
The
Only Foundation
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 1
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 2
Homeward
Bound
A
New Year's Day Letter
Asking
to Give
The
Mighty and Inspiring Conflict
God's
Word a Treasure House
True
Success
Little
Things
You May Trust
Him
Hearts
Filled with Thankfullnes to God
Calamities
and God’s Love; Sin, Judgment, and the Shortness of Time
Lord
is Risen
The
Sabbath
Some Thoughts
for the New Year
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