What Would You Have Me Do For You? Series

A lifetime of that begging kind of engrains itself into you till you get to the point where - whenever there’s a crowd - you cry out like you always have: “HAVE MERCY ON ME”

They’re not sure anyone will pay attention to them this time. They’ve been ignored before. And there’s absolutely no reason Jesus – or anyone else - would pay attention to them now.

So, it must have come as something of a shock when Jesus stopped… stooped down… and asked them “What would you have me do for you?”

I don’t think they really expected Him to do anything like this.

They might have expected a coin, or a piece of bread.

Or perhaps just a little attention from the Son of David… but now

Now, the King of King, the Lord of Lords has personally asked them what they’d like.

And they suddenly realize they can ask Him for whatever they want… and He just might grant it.

And so, with a boldness born of desperation they cry out "Lord, we want our sight." (Matthew 20:33) And Matthew 20:34 tells us “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

Now, my point is this.

There are Christians who receive nothing from Jesus because they don’t ask. That’s what James said:

“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3)

What’s James saying?

He’s saying that – as Christians – we can get distracted.

We have a need. We have a problem.

But when we go to try to solve that problem or meet that need, we can often end up seeking our answers in the wrong places.

It’s as if there’s this bright earthly light that catches our attention and like a moth we’re drawn to that light –that solution - because that’s what moths do.

As Christians, we find ourselves in all kinds of frustrating situations that we can’t easily solve.

So what do we do?

We do what all moths (human beings do)

… we get upset

… we get angry

… we get quarrelsome

… we seek to resolve our problems by force or by manipulation

And James says: “Wrong light bulb!”

“You do not have, because you do not ask God”

We run into problems in our lives because we try to solve the problems all by our lonesome.

It’s as if we didn’t hear the still small voice of Jesus as He stoops down to you and asks: “What would you have me do for you”

One of the most assuring verses in the Bible for me is Romans 8:32 which says

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all— how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

What that verse is saying is this: “What Would You Have Me Do For You? I gave my Son for you. If I would be willing to sacrifice My Son for your salvation don’t you think I’d give you practically anything else you might need?”

It’s as if the King of King, the Lord of Lords has personally asked you what you would like.

But too often, thought, we ignore that offer/ that promise/ because we’re afraid of what would happen in our lives if we actually took Him up on it