Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12 NASB)
Since God wants us to succeed, He has given us a principle to govern our relationships: "Treat people the way you want them to treat you" (Matthew 7:12). Though simple, this standard requires divine strength to carry out because, as is usual with kingdom principles, it is contrary to the way we think.
Consider the values of generosity and forgiveness. God calls us to imitate Christ and be generous towards others; but when people take advantage of our generosity, we want to stop. Jesus told Peter that if someone repeatedly sins, we are to forgive every time. (Matthew 18:21-22) The Lord Himself forgave those who crucified Him. However, forgiveness does not humanly make sense when we are confronted with betrayal, unethical behavior, or someone who repeatedly wrongs us.
In light of the above principle, how are we to act? We are to set our attitude toward pleasing God. This involves putting aside our feelings about how the other person's behavior affects us and resolving to respond God's way—the way of faith. (Hebrews 11:6, Galatians 2:20) Submit to the control of the Holy Spirit. Refuse to allow "human thinking" to take charge. If the Spirit dominates our thinking, godly behavior will follow.
Scripture says we will reap what we sow. (Galatians 6:7) If we are generous, God will show us generosity; if we forgive, the Lord will grant us forgiveness. (Matthew 6:12) The way we live—in both attitude and action—will determine if we are a success in God's eyes.
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Charles Frazier Stanley was born September 25, 1932, in the small town of Dry Fork, Virginia. The only child of Charley and Rebecca Stanley, Charles came into the world during a time when the entire nation felt the grip of the Great Depression. To make matters worse, just nine months later, his father Charley died at the young age of 29.
However, Charles refused to let the Great Depression or the difficulties of his life define him. Instead, like his father and grandfather before him, he clung to God’s Word and took up the mantle to preach the gospel to whoever would listen.
Dr. Stanley’s motivation is best represented by the truth found in Acts 20:24, “Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.” This is because, as he says, “It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people’s lives.”
Dr. Stanley’s teachings can be heard weekly at First Baptist Church Atlanta, daily on “In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley” radio and television broadcasts on more than 2,800 stations around the world, on the Internet at intouch.org, through the In Touch Messenger, and in the monthly, award-winning In Touch magazine.