⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? ¹² Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! ¹³ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Luke 11:11-13

Dear God, the Luke telling of Jesus’s words are the verse of the day for Bible Gateway. I noticed an interesting thing in verse 13, so I wanted to compare it with the similar passage in Matthew 7:

⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? ¹⁰ Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! ¹¹ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

This morning, I noticed that Luke 11:13 specifies the Holy Spirit as the gift you gift while Matthew 7:11 says “good gifts” rather generically. It feels like Luke was being more intentionally specific. Which did Jesus say? Well, I’m sure he said all of this Sermon on the Mount stump speech more than once and the words might have changed from time to time, but I think I’m going to sit with the idea that the good gift you gift is the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit that guide my other requests. My desires. My wants. Honestly, the closer I get to you through communion with the Holy Spirit and through Jesus the less I need. The less I want. The more I see things are not about me.

Now that’s easy to day for an American with a new car and a garage in a nice home to put it in. But there’s always more I could covet. There’s always more I could want. Honestly, Father, I want for nothing because of your presence. My life is really quite something. Something to be envied. Not necessarily from a material possessions standpoint, but in the areas of peace. Man, it sounds like I’m bragging here. I don’t mean to be. I’m just grateful.

Father, please continue to hone my selfishness and wants down to nothing. Help me to focus more on my desires for others and their provision than I focus on my own. Help me to love others today. Help me to embrace the Holy Spirit’s presence. Oh, Holy Spirit, follow me today. Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, forgive me of my sins, and help me to recognize my unforgiveness of others and to turn it into forgiveness. Do all of this for your glory.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen