(This passage is also referenced in Luke 6:43-49)

Today we look at the rest of chapter 7, and we are continuing to talk about Kingdom things. Here, Jesus is talking to His disciples about how much Father God loves us.

He begins with commanding us (yes commanding us) to ask, seek and knock for what we want. The Lord Jesus knows that if we ask we will be answered. Verse 9 is particularly poignant. We know that a loving Father will give his children good things. If they ask for bread, he will give them bread, not a stone! Our heavenly Father is so much more loving than we are, so why should He not answer our prayers for what we need? Of course He will, and sometimes we even get things we want (but don’t necessarily need!)

Jesus then tells us that in Kingdom life we walk a narrow road. He is warning us that if we live in the Kingdom, we will not be walking with the main stream in this world. We will be different, and this will mark us out.

In verses 15 - 20 we are warned about false prophets, and we are told that by their fruits we will know who the true prophets are, and who the false ones are. How we live shows what is inside us.

A preacher once said that only when the perfume is spilled can you smell what is inside the bottle; and it is the same with us, what comes out of us, is what is within us. 

Then Jesus talks about disciples. He says there are those who are true disciples, and those who are not. Those who are true have a real relationship with Him; those who are not only pretend to follow Him. He says, only those who do the will of His Father are His true disciples. We can be sure that as followers of the Lord Jesus, we are His true disciples, and as we walk with Him, so we do the will of the Father.

This all culminates in the last few verses of the chapter which say that if we trust Him and are His friends and build our lives on Him, then we will be safe and secure.

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Lord, help me to walk closer with You today, and carry Your fragrance. Amen.