Kids and Toy Stores - Daily Devotional July 6th 2009

Daily Bible Reading Plan - 1 Samuel 18, Isaiah 62, Matthew 7

Kids and Toy Stores (Matthew 7:7-11)

The other day I went down to get the mail from our mailbox and my daughters came with me. They have quickly grown to love getting the mail with me because at the mail box place they sell Hello Kitty stuff. Not only do they sell it but the whole place is covered with Hello Kitty items. So now when we go to get the mail I just say, "come on girls we are going to the Hello Kitty store".
As we were down there on this particular day the girls started asking me for a Hello Kitty item. They did not just ask once but kept asking. It seemed a bit like nagging at first but they were having good attitudes and the few times I said no they did not pout so... I decided to buy them something.

As I read Matthew 7 today I realize something, my daughters must have read it as well. When kids get into a toy store their eyes light up and they see all the opportunities that await them and their God given persistence kicks in and they start to ask and they continue to ask until they leave the store. It does not matter if they walk out with a toy or not, they will continue to ask. Sometimes we look at this as nagging but maybe the kids are reminding us of a valuable lesson.

If you study these few verses in Matthew 7 you will quickly discover that the words, ask, seek and knock in the original Greek are written in such a way that it means to keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking. Their original meaning is a continual action that does not stop until an answer comes. God is encouraging us to keep going after it until we walk out of the store with a toy in our hand. God wants to bless and God wants to give but He also wants us to ask.

I think it is time to open up our eyes like a kid and see all the opportunities that surround us. You need to open up your mouth and start asking daddy for the desires of your heart. Don't just ask once or twice but keep asking until He responds. The greatest encouragement in this is verse 11 that says, "...how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him".

Today is your day, be like the kid in the toy store!

Tomorrows Bible Reading - 1 Samuel 19, Isaiah 63, Matthew 8

Dream Big
Ben