Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Espresso and Other Freaky Things

I recently was at an airport standing in line at a cafe ordering a cup of coffee before my flight. Wanting to try something different, I asked for a decaffeinated chocolate espresso. Those of you reading this probably know that an espresso is not a full cup of coffee, but only a "shot" of really strong coffee to get you going. And you know that there is no such thing as a decaffeinated espresso. I had never ordered one before, so much to my surprise when I received my cup, expecting to get a full cup of some sort of chocolate concoction, I was very disappointed to see that it had about an inch of substance in it.

I hesitated before saying anything to the cashier, thinking that maybe I was supposed to add something to the espresso at another counter in order to fill up my cup. So I asked what seemed to be a very logical question. "What am I supposed to do with this?" (I can already hear some of you laughing.) To which the cashier replied, "That's it. That's what you ordered." Feeling slightly frustrated and somewhat taken advantage of at the same time, I politely said, "I think I'll pass." Having pity on my ignorance, the cashier chose not to require me to pay for something I didn't know I was getting. I then walked back to the end of the line and ordered a normal decaffeinated coffee.

Go ahead. Have a laugh on me. Now that you got that out of your system, I want to say a quick word about asking for what we want when we talk to God, and no longer settling for shooting aimless prayers into the air and hoping something good comes out of it instead of giving our faith a chance to grow. I am reminded of two stories in the Bible where Jesus specifically asked individuals the question, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Both accounts are very close to each other in the book of Mark. In Mark 10:35-45 , Jesus is conversing with his disciples. James and John have approached Jesus with an agenda. To which Jesus replied, "What do you want me to do for you?" They each wanted to have a seat next to Jesus when He took His throne in heaven. When the rest of the disciples heard about this outlandish request, they became very angry with James and John. It would be like your siblings approaching your parents and asking them for their entire estate and trust fund when they die, except it is magnified many times over. Jesus made it clear that He was not responsible for declaring who would sit at His right and His left in heaven. But He also made it clear that James and John would both suffer death on account of His name. You'll notice that He also didn't rebuke them for their specific request.

The second account is also in Mark 10:46-52 where Jesus is leaving Jericho. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus approached Jesus asking Him to have mercy on him. To which, again Jesus replied, "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus wanted his sight restored and Jesus honored his request.

Here's my question to you: Are you clear about what you are asking Jesus to do in and through your life and in the lives of others? How about when it comes to praying for people who have not yet begun a personal relationship with Jesus? Are you content to pray for "the lost" or are your prayers laser focused and fueled with a sense of urgency for Sue, Bob, George, Mike, or whoever the lost around you may be?

I'm convinced that one reason why we don't see growth in our faith is because we aren't asking God to intervene in specific ways in specific lives of the people we love and care about, especially lost people, and giving Him opportunities to answer those prayers in specific ways. Let me encourage you to change that today by praying specifically for someone right now that you believe is still without a Savior. Plead with God on their behalf for them to be spiritually rescued by Him. And then ask God to use you in any way He wants as a link in the chain of that person's spiritual journey, bringing that person into a saving knowledge of Jesus. Then see what happens.