Ask, and it shall be given you seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For e

1
Matt 77-8
Ask, and it shall be given you seek, and ye
shall find knock, and it shall be opened unto
you For every one that asketh receiveth and he
that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.
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God requires action from us!

• Ask
• Receive
• Seek
• Find
• Knock
• Open
• Cant sit idly by and expect the good things of
  life to find us!
• Faint heart never won fair lady

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God Gives Man Instruction to Work

• (Gen 319) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
  eat bread, till thou return unto the ground for
  out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art, and
  unto dust shalt thou return.
• If you want reward you must work!

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God Gives Man Instruction to Work

• (2 Thess 310) For even when we were with you,
  this we commanded you, that if any would NOT
  work, neither should he eat.
• No work then No reward

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The toilsome quest for a larger share Is wiser
than to sit and stare Fling forth idle wishes to
the wind Go after it youll make luck
bend In thine own deserving favor. That gives
life a tasty flavor.
Leroy Brownlow
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Receiving Reward for your Labor

• (Matt 2521) Well done, thou good and faithful
  servant thou hast been faithful over a few
  things, I will make thee ruler over many things
  enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

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A Passive Servant

• Slothful servant One talent man
• (Matt 2526) His lord answered and said unto
  him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou
  knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather
  where I have not strawed
• (Vs 30) And cast ye the unprofitable servant
  into outer darkness there shall be weeping and
  gnashing of teeth.

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A Passive Servant

• Like a piece of Driftwood
• Such a servant accomplishes nothing!
• Against nature
• (Prov 66) Go to the ant, thou sluggard
  consider her ways, and be wise.
• (Prov 1915) Slothfulness casteth into a deep
  sleep and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

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The road to accomplishment is like any other road

• A Good place for traveling, but a poor place for
  sleeping.
• Have you ever dozed off at the wheel?
• in recent years there have been about 56,000
  crashes annually in which driver
  drowsiness/fatigue was cited by police roughly
  40,000 nonfatal injuries and 1,550 fatalities
  result from these crashes.
• (www.NHTSA.org)

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The road to accomplishment is like any other road

• A Good place for traveling, but a poor place for
  sleeping.
• (Eph 514) Awake thou that sleepest, and arise
  from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
• God wants us to be seekers not passive or
  slothful.

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Four Kinds of People

• Wishbone people
• They wish for, and long for and sigh, but dont
  have the get-up and try.

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Four Kinds of People

• Funnybone People
• Life is a joke and levity blinds the eye so when
  accomplishment beckons, they ask sneeringly,
  WHY?

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Four Kinds of People

• Jawbone People
• They jaw, rave and cry long on talk but short
  on the try.

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Four Kinds of People

• Backbone People
• Up and at it, they ascend the summits high for
  they seek and seek, try and try.

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Four Kinds of People

• Wishbone People
• Funnybone People
• Jawbone People
• Backbone People
• Which are you?

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Biblical Characters Who Sought
(Gen 138-9) And Abram said unto Lot, Let there
be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee,
and between my herdmen and thy herdmen for we be
brethren. Is not the whole land before thee?
separate thyself, I pray thee, from me if thou
wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the
right or if thou depart to the right hand, then
I will go to the left.

• Abraham Wanted peace so he went and made an
  unselfish effort to find it.

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Biblical Characters Who Sought

• Jacob sent his sons to a foreign land in search
  of food
• (Genesis 421) Now when Jacob saw that there was
  corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do
  ye look one upon another?
• Seek and ye shall find!

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Biblical Characters Who Sought

• Zaccheus wanted to see Jesus
• (Luke 191-4) And Jesus entered and passed
  through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man
  named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the
  publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see
  Jesus who he was and could not for the press,
  because he was little of stature. And he ran
  before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to
  see him for he was to pass that way.
• Dont let the crowd get in your way to
  accomplish your work!

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Biblical Characters Who Sought

• The Merchant man
• (Matt 1345-46) Again, the kingdom of heaven is
  like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls
  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price,
  went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
• He didnt just wish but went and got it!

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Spiritual Seeking

• (1 Cor 1412) seek that ye may excel
• Dont be satisfied with mediocrity
• Lets excel in our service
• Lets be active for God

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Spiritual Seeking

• (Matt 77-8) Ask, and it shall be given you
  seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall be
  opened unto you For every one that asketh
  receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to
  him that knocketh it shall be opened.