What Jesus Did! - Ultimate Splendor

You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. "And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the flowers in the field. See how they grow.

They don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. God clothes the grass in the field like that.

That grass is living today, but tomorrow it is thrown into the fire to be burned. So you know that God will clothe you much more. Don't have so little faith! - Matthew 6:27-30 (ERV)






THOUGHT:
What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? While God made many wonderful and marvelous sights for us to see on our planet and in the universe, God still calls us his children, his most marvelous work. King Solomon was richest of the Israelite kings. He had clothing beyond compare in the ancient world, but the beauty of his garments couldn't rival that of the wildflowers on the hillside. God gives these flowers beauty and nourishment out of his grace.

Jesus reminds us that if God takes that much care with wildflowers, then won't he do even more to take care of us, his creations of splendor? So let's not worry. Worry is a bad habit. Worry is an undisciplined heart seeking after the wrong things. Instead, let’s pursue our Father. Let’s cast our anxieties at his feet and trust in his care. Yes, there may be some bumpy and heartbreaking times as we make our journey through life here on earth, but his grace will ultimately bring us to his glory and splendor.





















PRAYER:
Please give me patience, O Almighty God. I want to cast my cares and anxieties on you, but I'm not quite sure how to let them go. Through your Spirit, help me relinquish my search for significance in what I can acquire, possess, control, or invest. I want to trust you and rely on your gracious provision. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Related Scriptures:
Let all people see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything. But pray and ask God for everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks. And God's peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That peace which God gives is so great that we cannot understand it. - Philippians 4:5-7

So be humble under God's powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes. Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:6-7

Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with the things you have. God has said, "I will never leave you; I will never run away from you." So we can feel sure and say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. People can do nothing to me." - Hebrews 13:5-6

What Jesus Did! - Only One #1

"No person can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one master and love the other master. Or he will follow one master and refuse to follow the other master. So you cannot serve God and Money at the same time.
- Matthew 6:24 (ERV)

THOUGHT:

Who will I let rule my life? With whom will my ultimate allegiance lie? When an ultimate choice has to be made, on what basis will it be made? What am I pursuing most passionately with my use of time, talents, and treasure?

There is only one correct answer according to Jesus; that one true answer is our Father in heaven. Giving our devotion to anything else, or to anyone else, means that what we pursue on earth is destined for decay, death, or destruction. In the strongest terms possible, Jesus reminds us that money can't be our god if we want to serve the Lord God Almighty. It's either our Father in heaven, or not. All our energies should be channeled to honor him, or not.

PRAYER:

Holy and Almighty God, I come before you in humility, acknowledging your greatness and majesty. I want to live with you, and your Kingdom, as my number one priority. Help awaken me to the things that I may place in my heart that rival you as God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Related Scriptures:

"I am the Lord your God. I led you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves. {So you must obey these commands:} "You must not worship any other gods except me. - Exodus 20:2-3

It is the same for each of you. You must decide if you can leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower! - Luke 14:33

You can be sure of this: No person will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God if that person does sexual sins, or does evil things, or is a person who always wants more and more for himself. A greedy person like that is serving a false god. - Ephesians 5:5

What Jesus Did! - Storing Up

"Don't save treasures for yourselves here on earth. Moths and rust will destroy treasures here on earth. And thieves can break into your house and steal the things you have. So save your treasure in heaven. The treasures in heaven cannot be destroyed by moths or rust. And thieves cannot break in and steal that treasure. Your heart will be where your treasure is.
- Matthew 6:19-21 (ERV)

THOUGHT:

Jesus wasn't very big on storing up things. The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31) reminds us how easily we can forget that our blessings come from God's grace and are not something we have accomplished on our own. Jesus did not store up things while he was here; he shared them, gave them away, gave them to people in need, and used what he had to bless others.

Jesus wants us to confront a couple of crucial questions: What is our treasure and where are we keeping it? Every earthly treasure we have is vulnerable to destruction. Every one of our treasures, except our relationship to God and his people, is temporary. So why do we spend so much time investing in things that will not satisfy or sustain? Jesus urges us to invest in what is lasting, eternal, and ultimately perfect. If we do, nothing can destroy and nothing can steal our blessed assurance that we will be victorious in Jesus.

PRAYER:

O precious LORD, thank you for investing so heavily in me and in the world in which I live. There is no one who can love me like you do. Father, please help me focus my priorities and my thoughts on heavenly things as well as placing my treasures in heaven. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.

Related Scriptures:

You were raised from death with Christ. So try to get the things in heaven. I mean the things where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth. Your old sinful self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. Christ is your life. When he comes again, you will share in his glory. - Colossians 3:1-4

Give this command to the people who are rich with the things this world has. Tell them not to be proud. Tell those rich people to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted. But God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy.

Tell the rich people to do good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. And tell them to be happy to give and ready to share. By doing that they will be saving a treasure for themselves {in heaven}. That treasure will be a strong foundation --their future life can be built on that treasure. Then they will be able to have the life that is true life. - 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Moses grew up and became a man. Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Moses chose not to enjoy the pleasures of sin. Those pleasures end quickly. Instead, Moses chose to suffer bad things with God's people. Moses did this because he had faith. Moses thought that it was better to suffer for the Christ than to have all the treasures of Egypt. Moses was waiting for the reward {that God would give him}. - Hebrews 11:24-26