Do we have the Faith to ask God for Your Needs?

Verses:  Matthew 7:7-11

My thoughts about the verses:

As a society in general we want the best for our children.  We believe that our children are a blessing from Heaven.  Many of us can never imagine hurting a child no matter what.  Therefor we have to accept that this scripture focuses on this knowledge.

Jesus teaches us two lessons in these verses.  The first lesson that we learn is that we need to treat others with respect.  We are to treat our children and others with love and dignity.  We have to accept that we are responsible for the welfare of those that we support.

We are to provide our loved ones with their necessities.  It goes further than that we are to show respect and dignity to those that are less fortunate.  We are to help people as we are able.  Simple things as a smile have a way of providing a warm glow in people’s life.  We have to provide these needs so that people can live in a state of happiness.

Think about it this way. What would you say if someone mistreated a child or someone else?  Would you step forward and tell them what they are doing is wrong?  See our conscience requires us to be true to the Spirit that lives within us.  So it is no wonder that we who are Children of God fight for those that we see are hurting. 

The second lesson that we learn is that God will provide more for us than anyone else in our entire life.  Who else would give their child up for the lives of others?  This is a sacrifice that we cannot understand.  What we have to come to accept that God will provide all our worldly needs if we allow God to.

All that is required of us is to have faith.  We have to understand that when we call upon God’s name God will provide our needs.  God is ready to give us all we need.  Yet, we have to be willing to come to God and accept what God is willing to give us. 

We are not to act surprised when God gives us what we are asking for.  Essentially what we need to do is trust and has faith in God.  Every time we put our faith in God we are given what we need and desire.  The next time you are worried about the future simply ask at the door of Heaven and you will receive.  This is the promise God has given to us.

Prayer:

We praise you God for your love.  We thank you for the sacrifice on the cross.  We praise you for providing all our needs.  Dear God we ask you give us the Spirit to help those in need.  We ask you to help us accept what you are willing to freely give us.  Help us each day walk closer to you.  In the name of the Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you trust Jesus?  Do you have faith that God will give you all you will ever need?  Will you help others that are hurting?  Are you willing to reach out in the society and take a stand against the injustice of the world?  

Are you being Foolish with the Gifts God has given to You?

Verses:  Matthew 7:6

My thoughts about the verses:

God has given us many gifts.  We need to look at those gifts and determine if we are using them wisely.  God wants us to use our gifts to benefit the work that has been laid out before us.  When we choose to use our gifts foolishly we are wasting our energy and time.

Think about this a moment has you ever tried to debate an issue with someone whose mind is made up.   Think about that person that believed that your point of view was so off base that they will not listen.

Writing this I am thinking about those that have said that being Gay is an unforgivable sin.  They have taken future scriptures and declare that it is proof that being Homosexual is a sin.  Yet, there are others adamant that they are in the wrong.  That being gay is not sin because if you put in historical context of the scriptures you will find that being gay is not a sin.

There are so many other issues that have divided congregations and denominations.  Think back to the past and such divisions that occurred over things like baptism, communion.  These are the basic traditions of most denominations in the world.  Yet other denominations have been divided over music, color of carpet, even the hiring of new staff.

We have to use the gifts that God has given us wisely.  We have to remember that God wants us to share the good news.  When we come across a situation that becomes a heated debate we must ask ourselves if we are using our gifts wisely.

At the same time there rises another issue and that is should we stand up for what we believe.  The answer is simple we must stand up for the causes and beliefs that we share with fellow Christians.  We cannot lie down and allow people to hurt others with their fear mongering.  We have to be the people that help those that are hurt by others.  Think of it this way you cannot in anyway allow social injustices be the norm.  This in itself is a way of using your gifts unwisely.

The next time you feel as if you are wasting your breath trying to change someone’s mind realize that you are using your gifts wisely.  At the same time if you are helping others that have been hurt realize that you are sharing your gifts wisely.  Do not be afraid to share your story with others when it comes to times that you were treated unjustly.  Remember there is always someone that needs to hear your story so that they can be healed.

Prayer:

God we thank you for loving us.  We praise you for giving us many gifts.  Help us to use those gifts to help others.  Help us dear Savior to ensure that we use our gifts wisely.  Help us know when we start using our gifts foolishly so that we can change our ways.  In the name of the Guide of Life we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you using your gifts wisely?  Do you need to start using your gifts wisely?  What one thing that you have to step away from because of the foolishness that you are wasting your gift on?

Do you Judge Others?

Verses:  Matthew 7:1-5

My thoughts about the verses:

It is so easy to criticize others.  We can see their flaws.  We often share what we see wrong with them.  We judge them because they are not living a Holy life.

Yet, do we judge ourselves.  Do we look at our own life and see what we are doing that is not holy?  Are we willing to admit that we have our own faults? 

These questions are much harder to answer.  We look at our lives and say that we do live a Holier life than other people.  We think that we do better than others.  It is harder to criticize our faults than it is others.  We do not want to admit that we have faults.

Yet, this is exactly what we need to do.  Instead of judging others we need to look at our own lives.  Are there things that we need to change in our own life?  Are we live fully in the light of the Lord?  Have we fallen into our old ways?

One sign that you are living outside God’s will is when you do judge others.  How ironic that the one sign that we miss is when we consider others are less than worthy of God’s love.  We need to think to ourselves are we judging without looking at our own lives.  Many times we will see that we need to fix something in our own life.

Amazingly what we often see as a major issue in other people’s lives we miss the major issue in our own life.  We have to fix our faults before we can ever try to help others.  Noticed it isn’t judging other faults.  It is actually helping others overcome the things that are leading them from God.  Yet, if we do not fix our own short fallings we can never help others overcome theirs. 

Remember that as you judge others they are also judging you.  They are seeing all the things that you have done.  Instead of taking your advice as a helpful situation they see it as sharp criticism.  In fact they see it as a stab in the back because they see the things that you need to change.

We have to come to the point that we work with others.  Instead of judging others we need to look at our own lives and fix what we need fixed in our own life.  We need to turn away from judging.  There is only one Judge of the World.  Jesus is the only one that can judge us. 

Prayer:

We praise you God for your love.  We thank you for always being there with us in our life.  We praise you for your guidance in our life.  Help us to not judge others.  Help us look at our own lives and change the things that we do that fall short of your glory.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you living a life that you are proud of?  Are you evaluating what you need to change in your life to walk closer to God?  Are you judging others?  What do you need to change today to make your life closer in line with the will of God?

Do You Have The Faith of Birds?

Verses:  Matthew 6:25-34

My thoughts about the verses:

You might think this is a funny question to ask.  What do you mean do I have the faith of a bird?  How can this be an important part of studying the word of God?

Let us look at it this way birds do not worry.  They know God will provide what they need to survive.  God has given the ability of flight to travel to go to where food is.  God has given them the ability to blend in to the environment.  God has given them the water they need to survive.  God has given them the knowledge of how to build places of shelter.

Birds do not stress out about survival.  Even though they live a lot of their life flying to new food sources and new places to build nest they know God will provide the way.  It is amazing to think that there are a lot of things birds have to fear yet they do not fear the necessities of life.

Do we have those fears?  Many of us live our life in a mind of poverty.  We do not believe that God will provide our simple needs.  We spend a lot of time trying to meet those needs.  Yet, we do not put our faith in God. 

We have to come to the understanding that God will provide our needs.  What we must do is give ourselves truly to God.  When we give our life to God we will not have to worry that God will not provide our needs.

Honestly all of us at one point have fallen into that state of fear.  We try not to but we begin worrying so much that we step away from the sheltering arms of God.  We try to solve our problems on our own.  We struggle because our faith in God is faltering.  We all start fearing our needs will not be met at one point of time.  We do have a way of reclaiming the gift of God’s provisions for our life.

When we go into deep prayer and submission of our life to God we are able to overcome our fear.  We learn that God wants us to have a successful happy life.  It is up to us to stay in fear or to humbly turn our lives over to God.  When you choose to give your life fully over to God you will soon realize that you will have your needs met and will be happier than you have ever been in your life.                                                                                                                                                          

Prayer:

God we thank you for giving us all our needs.  We thank you Jesus for giving us the gift of everlasting life.  We thank you for loving us even when we stray.  Help us to live a life of faith.  Help us live like the birds and flowers knowing without fear that you will provide all our needs.  Help us overcome the poverty mind set.  In the name of the Giver of Life we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you have the faith of a bird?  Do you know God will provide all your needs if you only trust God?  Are you ready today to stop worrying about things of this world and focus wholly on God?

Who do You Serve?

Verses:  Matthew 6:24

My thoughts about the verses:

This is a very simple question.  We have to remember that we can only serve God or the things of this world.  If we choose to serve the world our life will be full of unhappiness and a lack of peace.  When we serve God we feel love, peace and happiness.

See you have to choose who you want to follow in this world.  You cannot choose to serve God and the things of this world.  They are the opposite of each other.  If you choose to serve God you will not want to do things that are against the Spirit that lives within us.  If you choose to serve the world you are turning away from God.

See you cannot in any situation choose to serve two things at once.  When you do this you are living in a constant state of unhappiness.  One day you will lean toward one way of life.  The next day you may lean toward the other way of life.  No matter what you will never be totally happy because your life will be in chaos.

We have the choice to serve God or the world.  We can desire to do things that reward our Spirit.  We can also choose to collect the things of this world.  In the first situation it isn’t about what you own instead it is about a feeling deep inside of you.  In the second situation it is always about gaining more and more things. 

We have to remember that Jesus wants us to lean on him and build our wealth on serving God.  Yet, if we do not listen to God our life is in disarray.  We are constantly fighting our Spirit.  Those that have chosen God have to realize that if you are working against God your spirit will constantly ache deep inside.

Now we also have to realize that since God created all of us there is a spirit within us.  Yet, if you have not accepted God you do not have the guidance of God in your life.  Those that have accepted God have the power of God guiding them and leading them in the way of light.

The choice is yours you cannot live with your spirit divided.  You cannot serve the world and God at the time.  God is ready to accept you into the fold.  Yet, the choice is yours. 

Prayer:

O Holy God we praise your name.  We bow down to you and ask for your guidance.  We worship you for you are the giver of life.  Help us to choose to have you as the master of our life.  Help us not fall into the desires of the world.  In the name of the Giver of life we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Who do you serve?  Do you spend your time serving God?  Do you spend your time serving the World? Are you willing to spend your whole life serving God? The choice is yours are you ready to make than choice today?

Are you Healthy or Unhealthy in Spiritual Ways?

Verses:  Matthew 6:22-23

My thoughts about the verses:

It is easy when you first read this that we think God is talking about the Health of our body.  Yet this is not what these verses are addressing.  Instead it is the Health of our Spiritual side of life.

Think of it this way the more time that you spend with God the healthier your Spirit will be.  We will see the light of God in others.  We will also feel with the light and love of Jesus.

When we spend our time focusing on things other than God our Spirit is unhealthy.  When we lose sight of the ways of God our view is not able to find the light of the Lord.  We also cannot focus on God.

Think of it like this if you are saved you have a healthy Spirit.  When you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior then your Spirit is unhealthy.  This is not this simple a matter.  What we have to realize those that have accepted Christ can also live unhealthy.  We can live without our life focusing on God.  In this situation even though we are saved our Spirit though saved is also unhealthy.

We can recover from this unhealthy Spirit when we start focusing on Jesus.  When you turn your life around and accept God your Spirit becomes healthier.  When we start focusing on living in a Godly way we become healthier.  We can quickly go from an unhealthy Spirit to a very healthy Spirit.

Prayer:

God of love we thank you for your love.  Jesus we thank you for giving us the way to have a healthy Spirit.  Holy Spirit we thank you for helping us sees the light of God.  We know that we will never be completely healthy until we turn our lives over to you.  Help us dear God give our life over to you.  Help us dear Holy Spirit to live our life every day in the ways of God.  Jesus helps us see the light that comes from accepting your sacrifice.  In the name of the Light and Guider we pray.  Amen 

Questions:

Are you ready to be healthy?  Are you tired of being unhealthy? Have you turned your life over to God?  Is today the day that you start becoming healthy in the name of the Light?

Where do You Store Your Treasures?

Verses:  Matthew 6:19-21

My thoughts about the verses:

Where do You Store Your Treasures?  Many of us hear this and we immediately go to our money and other things we own.  We hear that treasures stored in the world will rust and moths will consume.  With these words we immediately think that Jesus was saying give your treasures that you own to God and do not keep them for yourself. 

Yet, we need to dive deeper into the word treasures.  There are the treasures that you collect in the things that you do in this world.  Examples of these treasures are money, cars, clothes, and houses.  The other types of treasures are things of the spirit that lives within you.  Examples of these treasures are love, peace, and happiness.  The first types of treasures are things of the world the second are treasures of the Spirit.

So does this mean that we must sacrifice and live without the needs of the world?  The answer is no.  Simply put God doesn’t desire for us to live in a poverty state of mind.  We have to believe that God desires for us to be happy and provide what we need to live a successful life. 

Then the question then becomes what God means by storing treasures in Heavenly things instead of worldly things.  It is our focus that God is talking about.  If you spend all your time focused on collecting things of the Earth you spend less time focusing on the things that feed our Spirit.  You have to remember that it is our focus that Jesus is talking about.

How do we then focus on things of the Spirit and still meet the needs that we need in this world?  The first thing that we can do is spend time in God’s word.  We can dedicate time each day in praying to God.  We can give back to God the things that God has given to us.  We can stand up against social injustice.

See it isn’t about living without instead it is the action of giving to God in a humble spirit.  I want to focus on social injustice for a second and how we can help in overcoming it.  We can feed those that are hungry.  We can clothe those that cannot meet their daily needs.  We can stand up against those that declare others are less than perfect. 

See when you do these things with humility you are actually focusing on God.  You are giving love to those that do not feel love.  God sees this as an action of storing your treasures in Heaven.  It is not hard to focus on God.  We can do it each day and when we do we will see that we start living a much more fulfilling life.

Prayer:

God of love and peace we praise you.  Jesus we thank you for the gift of eternal life.  We offer our lives to you.  Help us each day give our life to you.  Help us dear Lord Walk in this world with a heart that focuses on you.  In the name of the Most high we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you storing your treasures in Earthly Goods or in Heavenly Goods?  Are you willing to focus your life in communing with God?  What do you need to do today to grow closer to God?

Fasting is a Communion with You and God Alone

Verses:  Matthew 6:16-18

My thoughts about the verses:

The first question is what is fasting.  Fasting is a time when we give up food to help us get centered in Christ.  We fast so that we can take away things that may separate us from God.  Fasting is not only a time of physical experience but a spiritual experience.  While you are fasting you also go to God in prayer. 

Many people fast during different times of the year.  During Lent many people fast to make a connection with God.  Sometimes the fasting comes in giving up certain items.  While at other times people will fast during a certain time of the day.  Fasting in this manner is showing God that you love and cherish the one that has created you.  It is also a way of asking for atonement for the sins that you have committed.  Again it is so important during this time that the person who is fasting prays to God for guidance.

The problem arises when we decide that we need to share our fasting experience with others.  Instead of communing with God we want others to see that we are fasting.  We flaunt our fasting so that others can see us as Good Christians.

Yet, Jesus makes it very clear our fasting should be something that is only between us and God.  When you want others to recognize that you are fasting you miss the whole point of why you are trying to fast in the first place.  You get to the point that you want others to praise you for your loyal devotion to God. 

Yet, in reality it isn’t something that others need to praise us for.  We are to go to this communion with the thought of praise and devotion to God and God alone.  We are to come in humbleness and allow our body, mind and spirit to connect with the one that has given us new life.

Jesus makes it very clear that our outer appearance should not show to others that we are fasting.  We should not walk around proclaiming that we are fasting.  Instead, we are to treat this time as we would any other time.  It isn’t about giving up things instead it is about receiving things. 

You may be saying to yourself if I am fasting how can I receive anything.  Am I not giving this time up to God to show my devotion?  Yet, we need to remember that it is during these times that we receive our greatest blessings.  Fasting is a time of direct dedication to listening and being centered on God leads to a better understanding of what God desires of our lives.  When we fast we are allowing God to come in our presence and shower us with the gifts that we need in our lives.

The next time that you are fasting look at it in a new view.  Remember that you can never give up as much as Jesus did on the cross.  You will never be able to fast enough to win your way to Heaven.  Once you come to realize this than you can accept that fasting is just a small gesture of giving yourself to God.  When you do this God will reward you in a way that you never thought possible.

Prayer:

O Holy God we thank you for your love.  We thank you for your sacrifice.  We praise you for being in our lives day and night.  Help us go to you in humbleness.  Guide us as we turn our lives fully over to you.  Help us to remember that it is not about what we give to you but what you have and will give to us.  In the name of the Provider we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you fasting so that you can show others how good a Christian you are?  Do you keep your fasting in secret?  Have you accepted that you can never give up as much as God has given up for you?  Are you willing to accept the blessings God has already has given you and desires to continue giving you?

Thanks to those that Keep coming to the Blog

Due to illness the blog had to be put on a hiatus...yet the time has come...to reignite the fire.  Writers will do their best to update daily.  Hopefully in the next coming months daily blog posts will be coming consistently.  Thanks again for keeping your eyes open and ready for the next post.  

We will be continuing the study of Matthew right where we stopped in July.