on, and he lets out a deep sight like the ones Peter has heard so many times before. Because there in Mr. Jones white box are all the blessings that God wanted to give to him while he was still on earth…but Mr. Jones had never asked. “Ask,” promised Jesus, “and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). “You do not have because you do not ask,” said James (James 4:2). Even though there is no limit to God’s goodness, if you didn’t ask God for a blessing yesterday, you didn’t get all that you were supposed to have. That’s the catch – if you don’t ask for God’s blessing, you forfeit those that come to you only when you ask. In the same way that a father is honored to have a child beg for his blessing, your Father is delighted to respond generously when God’s blessing is what you covet most.God’s Nature Is To BlessPerhaps you think that your name is just another word for pain or trouble, or that the legacy you have been handed form your family circumstances is nothing but a liability. You just don’t feel like a candidate for blessing.Or perhaps you’re one of those Christians who thinks that once you’re saved, God’s blessing sort of drizzle over your life at a predetermined rate, no matter what you do. No extra effort required. Or perhaps you have slipped into a ledger-keeping mindset with God. In your blessings account you have a column for deposits and one for withdrawals. Has God been unusually kind to you lately? You think that you shouldn’t expect, much less ask for, God to credit your account. You might even think God should ignore you for a while, or even debit your account be sending some trouble your way.This kind of thinking is a sin and a trap! When Moses said to God on Mount Sinai, “Show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18), he was asking for a more intimate understanding of God. In response, G...
