Peace — Through the Father’s provision for the believer

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1 Timothy 6, Matthew 6, Matthew 7, Peace, Teachings

Peace of God

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” | Galatians 5:22

God’s ultimate provision of peace is discovered in the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. It is only through the Messiah that peace with God can be achieved and maintained.

There are times I am clearly not at peace. I am not at peace with myself and I am not at peace with God or Jesus. Something is wrong. I may or may not know it but it becomes evident in my anxiety and worry. I am not convinced, at that point in time, that God is good and has my best interest at heart.

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Rest — The absence of anxiety

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1 Peter 5, Anxiety, Jesus, Matthew 6, Philippians 4, Rest, Teachings

We all need rest. It is essential.

I am anxious about so many things. Anxiety is insidious. There is no rest when I am wallowing in my concerns.

I am a worry wart. I recognize it can be exhausting. When I don’t trust Jesus, I don’t rest well.

There is good news. I can give my anxiety to Jesus. He will take it for me. I hear Him say “I’ve got this!”

“You cannot serve God and wealth.” ~Jesus

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Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Money, Treasure, Wealth

The Jesus Manifest continues (Matthew 5-7). This is a critical teaching of Jesus. What should I think about money and wealth? I need to get clear on this. Jesus is!

Who will I serve? It is a stunning question. Jesus now explains that behind the choice between two treasures (where I lay them up) and two visions (where I fix my eyes) there lies the still more basic choice between two masters (whom I am going to serve).

It is a choice between God and mammon, that is between the living Creator himself and any object of our my creation I term ‘money’ (‘mammon’ being the transliteration of an Aramaic word for wealth). For I cannot serve both.

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” ~Jesus

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Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, John 6, Matthew 6, Money, Wealth

The backdrop to this is the feeding of the five thousand. It is a truly stunning miracle. Jesus was moved not to allow the crowd to go hungry. Jesus took care of their physical needs since they couldn’t afford to take them out for a meal. They were very impressed.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” ~Jesus | John 6:26-27

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.” ~Jesus

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Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Prayer

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” ~Jesus | Source: Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV)

Read more on Hypocrisy – What it is, why it is evil and hated by Jesus here.

Prayer essential in our relationship with God. One of the pillars in the Jesus Manifesto (Matthew 5 – 7) is prayer.  Prayer is not what we think. Jesus lays out what prayer is all about in the Kingdom of God where Jesus is in charge. Jesus draws a distinction between hypocrites who love to pray and those who pray because they love.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” ~Jesus

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Evil, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Temptation

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” ~Jesus Source: Matthew 6:13 (ESV)

Jesus taught us to pray. Jesus gave us the template. The prayer is a part of the Jesus Manifesto. This is the core of what I need to say to God. One of the pillars is to ask God to deliver us from evil (or as most translators agree) the evil one.

“When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.” ~Jesus

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Giving, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” ~Jesus Source: Matthew 6:2-4 (ESV)

There are a number of challenges here for me to pay attention to. Jesus changes how I think and act on giving when I listen to Him directly. This is a good thing since I have spent most of my career raising money for charitable causes. Yikes!

“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.” ~Jesus

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Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Luke 6, Matthew 6, Poor, Poverty, Rich, Wealth

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: “Happy are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Happy are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Happy are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.”

Source: Luke 6:20-21, 24

Jesus lays out the principles of the Kingdom of God. This excerpt is from what is known as the Sermon on the Plain. It is similar but slightly different than the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, he also has a series of “woe to you” statements.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” ~Jesus

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Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6

How much of what I do “for Jesus” is done to be seen by others? Probably too much. Jesus is clear that will get me nowhere. It could be a simple thing but they tend to be insidious. What about that gift to charity and I check the box to list my name? What about our public offering time in church designed to shame the non-givers?

Where will that get me? Nowhere.

Should I practice righteousness? Yes, Jesus says “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6) It is a question of motivation. Is my righteousness to be right with God or right in front of others? There is a huge distinction here that Jesus draws for me. It is important and I need to pay attention to it. My reward in heaven is contingent on it.

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

² “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Source: Matthew 6:1-4 (ESV)

Matthew 6:1 – Righteousness

"What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax." ~~Jesus

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Anxiety, Faith, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Relax, Worry

I worry a lot. It isn’t good. I know that. I worry anyway.

Jesus challenges me to trust God completely and not worry. Life is not about how much I have to eat and beautiful cloths to wear. It is not about getting. It is all about giving.

People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over lots of things. I know both God and how he works.

Jesus challenges me to steep my life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.

Jesus demands that I don’t worry about missing out. In God’s world, I find all my everyday human concerns will be met.

That is just God’s way. God is in a very good mood. God wants the very best for me. My job is to trust him.

What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:33 The Message)

"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant." ~~Jesus

Tags

Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Prayer

Get on your knees and pray

Jesus challenges me to change my mind about how to pray. We are steeped in the religious way to do it. That is not the God way.

Here’s what He wants me to do:

• Find a quiet, secluded place so I won’t be tempted to role-play before God.
• Just be there as simply and honestly as I can manage.
• The focus will shift from myself to God, and I will begin to sense his grace.

May I accept the Jesus prayer challenge.

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6 The Message) 

“I tell you, do not worry about your life.” ~Jesus

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Faith, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Love, Matthew 6, Messiah, Worry

Good news of God

What Jesus would say to me if he just walked into my room right now?

I think he would look right at me and smile. He would sit down right beside me and he would put his arm around my shoulder to talk. I think on most days he would say “Why do you worry so much, child? You belong to me. Your family belongs to me. I want you to count on Me. Know that I love you. Your worry smothers your awareness of how my Love for you constantly fills your life.”

And then, I would look right back at Him and say “You’re right!” And then I would smile too.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

"When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself." ~~Jesus

Tags

Hunility, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Love, Matthew 6

Humility

Jesus calls us to a higher standard than the way of this world. He is in charge of the new plan. This is a plan of humility. God’s goal for us is for us to love everyone all the time.

The call from Jesus is to just help and love people. Don’t worry if anyone knows. Our Father knows. That is enough. Pleasing our Father is the only thing this is all about.

“When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:2-4 The Message)

"Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." ~~Jesus

Tags

Anxiety, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Relax, Worry

God is in a good mood

Jesus challenges us to not worry. God is God, in complete control and in a good mood.

God will take care of us. God has our best interest at heart. God takes pride in us.

Do I believe that? Does what I say reflect that? Do my actions make it clear to everyone that is my reality? Do I have that understanding deep in my heart?

At our core, we are concerned we are missing out on something. By trusting in God, we are getting everything God wants us to have. We can relax. We can respond to God. We need to focus on who God is, how God takes the initiative in our life to bring his goals to fruition and how much God loves to provide for our needs.

This is tough but it is essential in God’s World (Kingdom).

Here are the key ideas:

1. We are important to God. No detail of our life is too small for God.
2. God’s goal for us is to relax and focus on God.
3. Take time to know God and how God works.
4. Spend as much time every day on God, his reality, his initiative and how he provides for us.

 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Matthew 6:30 The Message (MSG)

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow." ~~Jesus

Tags

Focus, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Kingdom, Love, Matthew 6, Obedience, Right Now, Zephaniah 3

Jesus challenges us to focus on what God is doing today, right now. That is all that Jesus did. He focused like no one else on that one thing. He gave it His entire attention. Nothing else matters. This is not easy at all. It is not the way of this world. It is the way of God’s world (Kingdom).

In our culture, we are big on planning. It is an obsession. It is big business. We all want to be strategic. We miss today’s opportunities as a result.

The other side of this is equally disturbing. We whine and complain about what God didn’t do yesterday. We miss what God is doing by choosing to see what he didn’t do.

Jerusalem will be told:  “Don’t be afraid. Dear Zion, don’t despair. Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.  Zephaniah 3:17 The Message (MSG)

Jesus knew that if we did today what God wants us to, tomorrow will take care of itself.

Here are the key ideas:

1. Jesus challenges us to focus exclusively on what God is doing.
2. God’s goal is for us to be obedient to him. God wants us to love him.
3. God is God and it isn’t our place to question what he is doing. God is a mighty warrior. God is committed to seeing us through to the end.
4. God is in a good mood and takes care of our needs today and always.
5. God is great and doing amazing things right now.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34 The Message)

“Do not be worried about your life.” ~~Jesus

Tags

Faith, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Worry

The list of things I can worry about is pretty long. Give me a whole day and it grows enormously.

My heavenly Father knows I need stuff. I have to have faith. It is all about faith. Do I believe He loves me and has every good thing ready for me? Will He not do His best for me? I have to be going after His Kingdom. I have to seek the right standing He can bring to me. The other stuff will come.

Here are some things worry can do.

1. Damage my health.
2. Cause the object of my worry to consume my thoughts.
3. Disrupt my productivity.
4. Affect the way I treat others.
5. Reduce my ability to trust God.

May I pay attention to what He is doing now and not worry about what may or may not happen tomorrow!!!

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life …. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow ; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34

"God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." ~~Jesus

Tags

Help, Jesus Sayings, Matthew, Matthew 6, Plan

We often worry about what might happen. Conventional wisdom says “plan for the worst”. And so we do.

Jesus is direct and challenges us to change our minds (repent) about thinking that way. His way is to not worry and trust that God, our loving Father, will helps us the time we need it.

Jesus challenges us to give our entire attention to God right now. God is our God now. God is in a good mood and has our best interest at heart. God will help when it is time. But not before.

“God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:34 The Message)

"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do." ~~Jesus

Tags

Jesus Sayings, Matthew, Matthew 6, Obedience

God wants us to act on what He is talking with us about. Jesus gets that.

Jesus knows what the Father is doing and He does that. He acts on His Father’s words. He knows the vital connection between knowing and doing.

Jesus challenges us to listen to our Father and act on what we hear. There is a vital connection between what God is doing and what I should be doing.

Is God forgiving me? I must forgive myself and everyone else.

Is God healing me? I must bring others to God’s healing hand.

What is God doing? Am I doing it as well?

“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:14 The Message)

"All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference?" ~~Jesus

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Jesus Sayings, Matthew, Matthew 6, Money, Time

Jesus knows how to ask questions. He forces us to get clear. What is important?

Perhaps the question is rhetorical but it is worth an answer. So ask yourself. Do you think it makes much of a difference (in God’s world)?

Jesus knows, directly from God, what is important. It isn’t our fashion sense. It isn’t the kind of car we drive. It isn’t how well our house is decorated. It isn’t how well we eat.

Jesus challenges us to get our priorities in line with God and His government.

Does our heart burn with love for God?

Do we love everyone?

Do we have a heart for God?

Everything that isn’t focused on Him, what He wants and loving others is a waste of time and money. Period.

“All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference?” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:27-29 The Message)

"Don’t be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving." ~~Jesus

Tags

Focus, Giving, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6

God is in an amazing mood. He has so much He wants to give us.

Jesus challenges us because He knows what we are focused on. He demands that we don’t focus on getting things and getting more things.

Jesus knows when that is our focus, we don’t see what God wants to give us. This is radical because His focus on the Father is radical.

To receive our Father’s gifts we have to respond to Him. If we are looking to get more in this world, we have the wrong focus.

“Don’t be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:29-31 The Message)

"You know both God and how he works." ~~Jesus

Tags

Anxiety, God is Good, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Love, Matthew 6

Jesus challenges us to not worry and live for what God wants to accomplish today. God takes care of the flowers and the birds. We see that and know that. And yet we get focused on the wrong things.

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—Jesus wants us to know that God will attend to us, take pride in us, do his best for us.

God is the loving Father who has our best in mind all the time.

Do we know God is in a good mood?

If so, we know how God works. We need to understand in our heart the very nature of God. Once we get that, we will always know how He works.

May I know both God and how God works.

“You know both God and how he works.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:33 The Message)

"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions." ~~Jesus

Tags

Initiative, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Provision, Reality

We all have the same amount of time every day. Jesus challenges us to use it to focus on it on a few (three) very important issues.

• God-reality – God is first and most importantly God is God. He has a reality that He gives us when we live in His world (Kingdom). His reality is not the reality of this world. We need to focus on what is the reality in Heaven (God’s world). He wants that reality here on earth. He teaches us to pray “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. What is God’s reality? That should be our focus.
•  God-initiative – Everything starts with God. He has created everything. Nothing exists without Him.  Do I see everything that way? Everything in my life, my world, starts with Him. There is not success without Him.
•  God-provisions – God gives us every good thing. He is in a good mood. In fact, He is in a great mood. He wants us to have every good thing. We need to focus on what He has for us and not what we want. Do we see the good He is doing or do we see what He is not doing?

Jesus challenges us to focus. With the help of His Holy Spirit, we can do it.

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:31 The Message)

"If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part." ~~Jesus

Tags

Forgive, Forgiveness, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6

Forgive

Jesus challenges us to forgive others. It is a clear command and unambiguous.

That is our part to do. When we do, GOD forgives us. He is also clear that if we don’t forgive others, GOD won’t forgive us for missing GOD’s goal for our life.

Really? Yes, really. He said it. I think He meant it.

May I forgive.

May I root resentment out of my heart and life.

“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.”  (Matthew 6:14-15 The Message)

 

"People who don’t know God and the way he works worry too much." ~~Jesus

Tags

Anxiety, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Worry

God is good all the time

Why do we worry?What produces that anxiety in our gut?

Because we don’t know what a good mood God, our Father, is in. It is easy to confuse God with what we know here about our fathers. God is God. God is completely perfect. God is good all the time. We must get that in our core.

God loves us. He has every good thing in store for us. When we get that at our core, we relax. We are at peace. We don’t worry at all.

May I remember, today, how God works. May I relax. May I be at peace.

“People who don’t know God and the way he works worry too much.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6 The Message)

"You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others." ~~Jesus

Tags

Forgiveness, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6

The Power of Forgiveness

Jesus has set the bar high in some cases. We all want to be forgiven. And God does forgive us.

To receive that in all its fullness, we need to forgive others. We can do that through the power of His Holy Spirit. We are the forgiving people!!

God’s goal for us, as forgiven people, is to forgive as well.

“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 6:14-15 The Message)