Show Don't Tell: Matthew 7:7-12

Instead of saying "Jesus taught us to ask in prayer," feel the escalation. Ask—receive. Seek—find. Knock—the door opens. Each word more active, more persistent. This isn't passive wishing; it's determined pursuit. Then the Father argument: if your son asks for bread, do you give him a stone? They look alike, but one feeds and one breaks teeth. If he asks for fish, do you give him a snake? Both from the water, but one nourishes and one kills. "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" The comparison shames us into confidence. Even flawed parents give good things. How much more the perfect Father? Then the summary of all ethics: "Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."