NEGOTIATING WITH GOD? Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13


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Have you ever made a negotiation? Those who have worked in sales may find this super easy, but others may struggle, it takes skills to make a good bargain! Who doesn’t like a good bargain? In Africa, you bargain for almost everything… Tomatoes and Onions, you can negotiate a really good price! I know for sure, if we negotiated with our favorite grocery store, we would save quite a bit! Don’t start the trend now though, otherwise Kroger would be on my back fast! We find a kind of negotiation also in our OT story. It started with an outcry against the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They had been so rebellious and sinful that an outcry finally went to God. A punishment was certainly going to follow but Abram who had his cousin Lot in the city pleaded with God; he begged for the lives of the righteous: “Lord Heavenly God, Suppose 5 out of the 50 righteous are lacking, will you destroy the city? God replied: “No I will not destroy it” Abram goes even further, “what if there were even fewer righteous people?” Again God said: “I will not destroy the city!” Beloved! The mercy of the Lord is everlasting!... Can we make a bargain with God?  This biblical story seems to indicate that we can! God doesn’t seem to be allergic to it! My daughters had a funny story about it: OH God if I come to heaven, can my Ferrari too? If today you could bargain with God, what would your request be? I want us to think of it, because we are bringing that to God today. Remember the mercy of the Lord is everlasting!
There are all kinds of negotiations that happens in life. Whether it is about Brexit or the downing of a drone in disputed international waters, or even a mother negotiating with her toddler for more spoon feeds, I also saw it while reading the Apostle Paul’s negotiation in his letter to the Colossians. He was pleading with them to be firm to “real” Christianity, to flee from everything and anything that is not according to Christ! You see the world presented to them with all kinds of things that were so attractive to them but which were contrary to the faith they had learned. So Paul said: God forgave us all our trespasses. God nailed it on the cross! Act and live accordingly! Now is the time for all believers to be firmly established in the faith…
To be deeply rooted in Christ, not shallow, when the world presents its shiny and attractive thinking, we ought to withstand it all… Just remember! the mercy of the Lord is everlasting…
You see, a deeply rooted tree will withstand all kinds of high and strong winds but a shallow rooted tree doesn’t stand a chance. Jesus knew that in our Christian walk, we would need strength so He taught us how to pray: Lord Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us… The mercy of the Lord is everlasting! Jesus knew how difficult it is for us to forgive those who sin against us, so this becomes like a set limit to which we are encouraged to forgive because we ourselves expect to be forgiven by our Father in Heaven. It does raise the bar for us doesn’t it! Now time to drive your good bargain with God: What do you want to ask God? Did you think of your most pressing prayer request? Is it forgiveness? Is it strength to forgive someone? In your family? At work? Today, before we go to share at the table of the Lord, Remember that the mercy of the Lord is everlasting… So jump in this mercy from your heart!
Jesus is encouraging us even before the negotiating part. He says to us: “Ask, and it will be given you, search and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened.”  Jesus is not kidding. [My emphasis] He says: “If we who are evil to each other know how to give good gifts to our children how much more our heavenly Father who is good will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Talk to God today in all honesty! He listens!
The Mercy of the Lord is Everlasting!

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