(ThyBlackMan.com) Quid Pro Quo phrase means a favor for a favor or something that is given to you or done for you in exchange for something you have given to or done for someone else. There are those who call themselves “Christian” who treat God the same way. You have heard it over and over again in movies, in TV shows and probably have said it yourself at one time; “God, if you get me out of this problem I promise that I’ll never do that ever again.”
Many people believe that they are going to heaven because of the good deeds that they have done. That heaven is a place that you can earn your way into. Just like those who think that God works on the quid pro quo plan, a favor for a favor. It is religion or more accurately the spirit of religion that takes what God offers to each of us as His free gift of salvation and adds to it works of the flesh. You cannot ever do enough “good deeds” to earn your way into heaven. Even if you spent several lifetimes only doing good deeds you could never earn your way into heaven. Your sins cannot be wiped away by trying to offset them by doing a good deed. Only by the blood of the lamb shed for your sins on the cross, Jesus, can your sins be washed away.
When praying don’t fall into the trap of telling God how to answer your prayers. He doesn’t need your advice! Who are we to advise God on how to do ANYTHING? Can the clay tell the master potter what to make? Can the student tell the teacher how to teach? Can the child tell the parent how to raise them? God wants a close HONEST relationship with you! He doesn’t want you to pray to Him daily and say the “right things” for the sake of saying them. Or to say what you think He wants to hear so that He will “hear” your prayers and answer them your way. Trying to manipulate Jehovah God has to be the most foolish thing a “Christian” can do.
That is what the Pharisees and the teachers of the law would do back in Jesus’ day. That is why Jesus said Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” We call it “lip service”. Trust me when I say that I have prayed that I don’t fall into that trap and give my God lip service. It can be easy to do when you get into the routine of praying and spending time with God daily. You can get into a rut of prayers and say the same things over and over every day. Before you know it you end up saying the “right things” but not the righteous things.
Spending time in prayer then going out into the world and acting like the world instead of a Child of The Most High God. The world should “see” you differently not as one of their own. Pray that God shines brightly through you so that everywhere you go everyone will see God in you not just you! Then you will know that your time in prayer with Father God was time well spent. That is the quality relationship that God desires to have with you. Not a fantasy or make-believe relationship but an honest real one!
Staff Writer; Steve C.
Can contact this Christian brother at; SteveC@ThyBlackMan.com.
