Religion: commitment first

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

It's easy to read this and not understand why some prayers seem to go unanswered, but if you think along those lines, then you are not considering related verses such as:

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7-8)

Evidence such as this proves that some prayers shouldn't be said; some prayers are the fruit of our human desires and unjust longings. Our God says that you will receive when you ask - but only when He is within you. If His words are in you, are first and foremost amongst your thoughts, then the types of prayers that will come out of you are also going to be of His words. We must fill ourselves with His holy spirit as we attend to the Bible in regular, daily study.

God wants to see you filled with the honest desire to reach for Him. Leading into study with prayer, exiting from it in like manner, letting each footstep taken be towards Him. Pray as David did in the Psalms, "Open my eyes so that I may see wonderful things in Your law." Try to consider the Word of God as literally MORE IMPORTANT than daily food. It's THAT important. (On a side note, I found it quite interesting once to try a single-day fast of only water just for the sake of observing what an effect it would have, and I found myself thinking quite a number of times how much more I appreciated God's watchful eye over me, providing for me whenever I need it.) Like Job, our natural desire for God's word should be more than for physical food, "I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread." (Job 23:12)

I'm going to try something over the course of this next week, and I propose you each find some way of doing a similar test - that is, if you are not already incorporating the Bible into your daily life. I've found that I really enjoy taking the bus into work for the half-hour or so of "me time" it provides. However, that time is often translated into playing a video game on the PSP or watching a movie on my cell phone. Sure, it's a lot of fun - I love video games - but in the end it's not the games or movies that matter, is it? I pledge to use this time next week to study the Bible, and to take note of how each day seems to unfold. I expect things will probably feel more fulfilling, and it will feel like there's more time in each day.