The light on the horizon is a fishing boat, and the smaller one behind, the entrance to the fjord into Tasiilaq by Nick Russill
Good morning, beloved,
Well, we officially have a teenager in our house..Noah is a birthday king today. 😉 So we were already out at the store this morning picking up all the necessities for a happy boy. Our blessings, as we say, outweigh all the stress and worry of the circumstances that swirl around us. Yesterday, friends came from our church to help me clean our house. What a blessing. So grateful for a boost and for the kindness of the body of Christ. Peoples’ prayers, help, kindness just lifts us up. When we are weak, He is strong. And able. And full of grace and mercy. When we began going to a small church, we had no idea the intricacies of blessing upon blessing as we can serve and the body of Christ is stepping in to help us carry on.
Lord, as we study Your beautiful Word today, may we glorify You and give You our time, Spirit-filled. Direct, lead, guide our paths.
We are going to break down more of Matthew 6 today in greater detail. Here’s the verses:
Matthew 6:19 Do not gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal.
20 But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal;
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness!
24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).
1 John 2:15 Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].
17 And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.
The world’s offering:
- love for the Father is not in him
- lust of the flesh
- lust of the eyes
- pride of life
- passes away, temporal
God’s offering: carry out His purposes in your life and you will abide forever.
2 Corinthians 4:18 Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.
Seen: temporal, brief, fleeting: keep your eyes off of this.
Unseen: deathless (what a word!, everlasting AND look to it, consider it!
Hebrews 12: Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
World’s offering:
- strip it off
- throw aside unnecessary weight
- sin that cleverly clings and entangles
- distracts us from Jesus
God’s offering
- a cloud of witnesses who have testimony to the Truth!
- A race set before us that we need to run with endurance, persistence
- Jesus: Leader, Source of faith and Finisher
- Jesus: endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame…ALL FOR THE JOY OF OBTAINING THE PRIZE
- Jesus: seated at the right hand of God
Hebrews 11: 24 [Aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
25 Because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life.
26 He considered the contempt and abuse and shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward and away to the reward (recompense).
27 [Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.
Example of Moses for us:
- Even tho Moses was great in the eyes of people, refused to be Pharaoh’s daughter’s son., refused to have enjoyment of sin
- Preferred to share suffering, bear the shame of people of God
- Greater wealth found: contempt, abuse, shame that Christ would endure
- Faith took him out of Egypt
- Faith kept Pharaoh in his place
- Never flinched in purpose
- Endured steadfastly who gazed on the Invisible God
Beloved, pray on. Pray on!
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