Matthew 6
Flowers in Israel, taken by BR’sC
Bible Passage: Matthew 6
Jesus our Saviour and Father has told us in words His expectations of how we should live. There are many important teachings in this chapter and again it is not possible to touch on every verse. I would like to bring into attention this verse as it strikes me the most.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
I read this verse as: our first priority in life is to actively seek to do the will of God. For God is our King and we seek His kingdom to rule over us. We strive to keep His laws. Furthermore, we strive to be righteous in whatever we do just as God is righteous. Righteousness is the act of doing what is ‘right’ in the sight of God and it requires us to constantly understand what actions are ‘right’. Lastly, by seeking His kingdom and His righteousness with faith and with more heart than all other pursuits in life, we ought not to worry about our livelihoods as Jesus promised us that He provides and will provide our lives abundantly.
In this verse, I feel, it encompasses all the teachings Jesus taught in chapter 6. As Christians, we are born again people and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Our past sins were erased and the filthy clothes of sin are now changed into white garments. It is solely the grace of God and His choosing that allows us to come before Him. It is solely the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus that allows us to be cleansed from our sins and decadent ways. We are indeed indebted to Jesus.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
The law of God can be summarized in two parts and that is to love men in the same degree as we love ourselves and to love God more than ourselves. By loving God more than ourselves, we are putting God above ourselves. Jesus in fact loves us more than Himself and it was this love that gave Him the power to suffer on our behalf. If we truly understand the love of Jesus, we will then understand the law and know how to keep the law.
The law itself defines righteousness. As if we keep the law, we are doing something that is ‘right’. Conversely, if we do not keep the law we are doing things that are unrighteous. However not all things are written in the law. As Paul puts it, we can do all things but not all things are profitable or edifying.
There seems to be two extreme stances that religious people can make today. One group is the people who keep very strictly to their laws. The other group feels that the Grace of God covers all sin and they have the liberty to do anything they like.
The former group can be likened to the ultra orthodox for instance. They keep to the law and their rabbinic traditions very strictly. However, to them it seems perfectly fine to be smoking and to drink alcohol. It is also perfectly fine not to help others in need; cause trouble with the authorities or to even tell lies. Are they keeping the law? I would think in their opinion they are keeping the law and keeping it very strictly. However in the aspects of mercy and love, they have fallen short of Jesus expectations. Sadly, I have seen them do these and they really reminded me of the Pharisees as spoken by Jesus.
Why do they do this? I would think that it is because they have not come to know Jesus or believe in Him.
The latter group is Christians who are led by the fallacy that salvation is guaranteed and that successful career and flamboyance in the world is glorifying to God. To them this verse becomes ‘Seek first the glory of the world, and more shall be added to you’.
If we truly understand the love of Jesus and seek to do His Will, we would help people in need and do it silently. We would fast and pray for others in our own quiet spaces. We would always forgive others being reminded constantly during Holy Communion the death of Christ for our sins. We would serve Jesus with all our hearts for He is our King. We shall not be slaves to the world being reminded every Sabbath that Jesus has set us free from the slavery of this world and to sin. We would do our best to change our character and to shine forth light to people around us. We would avoid chasing and slogging for the fashion or trends of this world and worry that we have not the 5Cs. Rather, we will focus on God and make it our aim in life to do the things that are pleasing to Him.
“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “No more shall every man teach his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34)
The time has come when we know God and know His laws with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings us to reminder of the teachings of Jesus and helps us in our weaknesses. This is a blessing that TJC has. Jesus has set us the example of what is actively doing the law and He has promised us that if we seek for His kingdom and righteousness, He will not only add to our daily necessities but also add more abundantly to what we already possess. May Jesus help us to do His Will!
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appleofHiseye
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Matthew 6:24
To Serve Two Masters…
I once tried to serve two masters. However, I ended up serving one; something and not someone that became closer to me than even a friend and I sat with it everyday. The thing was a computer—the metal-and chip object that had power because I plugged it to the power switch. It may be able to chat to you, feed you information, sing to you, play games with you and it can even show you bazaar things of the world. But one thing it can never do is empathize with you, give you sympathy and love you. In fact, it may even hate you.
Seemingly I had forgotten my other master, the Lord Jesus, let alone my own family. Maybe I remembered Him from time to time or maybe I saw Him in church sometimes. But I did not really know Him, and therefore I did not fear Him nor did I listen to Him. Likewise, I had almost lost my sense of respect for my family or the simple acknowledgement that they deserved from a being that dwelled under the same roof. I was lost in a surreal world of a Multi Online Role Playing Game (MORPG), one of the infinite sources of entertainment of the internet.
Before I touched this game, I observed other players such as my brothers and relatives. In actuality, I remembered I had told them playing MORPG was a complete waste of time, money and resources. In the end you would be bored out and you will regret playing any game because the cycle is repetitive. There is so much more that could be accomplished in the hours spent hitting the same buttons causing the role character on the game to do identical actions for the sake of becoming a level higher. In a way, pride overcomes the player of the game character because he has accomplished one more level. Never would they ask themselves how many more levels to go, and how many more countless hours must be spent? At first I thought it was harmless, it should have been simply entertainment all for fun and playing with family would be good for bonding and sharing a common interest.
Things of the world, the materialistics of this world will disappear one day just as we a merely sojourners passing by on earth. In the blink of an eye, we will be nothing but dust for life belongs to the Lord.
“For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun? (Ecc 6:12)
My journey began in this unknown world and the community seemed so friendly, the environment and the atmosphere was interesting and calming. Little did I know that as soon as started the cycle, there was no stopping and so I began advancing to the next level. Stronger and wiser I wanted my character to become and the less I became attached to reality. Time that was once allocated to homework and study as well as family reunions, soon became rationalized. I just did not have time any more, it was never enough and I needed my computer or I would constantly feel anxiety. Addiction had consumed me and I failed to admit it. Moreover, I was a hypocrite and I was in denial as I deceived myself: it is just time management with a little bit more allocated to entertainment that was all I thought. I neglected my family and I thought they were the enemies stealing my time.
If I could show no respect to my family, how could I face the Lord Jesus? I knew it was wrong but my routine bed-time prayers were clouded with thoughts about how to rationalize time to play with the computer. This is idolatry for Jesus did not seem to be a priority anymore. I did not listen and I did not hear my Master’s voice, I had walked astray and my will had grown weaker while my desires consumed me.
My merciful Master, His saving grace reached me when He called me to attend a theological course. Home-sickness overcame me when I first arrived in this foreign place and I could only think about my game character for the first day or so but then I realized there was so much more I missed at home. I missed the comfort and the ease of being with my family; I especially missed my grandmother because I neglected visiting her and sharing the moments of laughter and fun together. Then I came to know my Lord again, I finally realized that I had not served Him well as I had not served anyone else either.
From the moment sin sprouts you must cut it off because you cannot live with sin and the Lord, just as you cannot listen to two masters. It may not be a game that captures your eye, but these days it could be countless hours spent on Facebook, drama, movies or surfing the net. Trust your Master for He will not tell you to do something that is bad for you, but something good and pleasing for your own benefit and for Him. As a good servant, you will repay His mercy and His love that He shows to you.
biblereadingcompanion
Thank you for this very frank sharing and it is indeed a good time over the weekend now to take stock of where we stand as far as serving two masters (or more) are concerned .
In a fast paced society today, there are indeed many time and heart thieves. There are so many things that compete for attention and if we are not careful, we may end up giving Jesus only a small part of our time and hearts.
I can relate totally to appleofHiseye’s experience. That’s why I no longer have any games on my laptop. I also deleted all the games on my iphone, except for some ‘intellectual’ word games.
But I also found that I was obsessed in solving these word games. Every free, idle minute plus lots of other minutes/hours that I could have used doing more productive things, I was busy trying to show that I was clever by solving the word games.
Well… I did it. 100% for every puzzle. But what did I really gained?
I am reminded of 1 Cor 6:12 that says, “”All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.” (ESV).
While playing games etc is NOT wrong. And they are perfectly lawful and acceptable. But they may not necessarily be helpful. And the key thing is not to be enslaved by it.
The examples of appleofHiseye and my iphone word game craze are just the tip of the iceberg for a lot of me. When I think about it, there are other time-stealers…. one of my two ‘vices’ – watching football and reading up all the latest news about it online, reading tons of graphic novels,… etc.
While these things are not bad and wrong, my overindulgence in them has taken away some time for God.
Serving two masters…. I know whom I want to serve. The question is … do I really do it?
PS
When i first come to church, a bro gives me bible study to teach me the basic doctrines in a systematic way. After the basic doctrines, he is very kind to continue with Matthew.
i learn from him and Matthew that Lord Jesus gives time to His children to learn to follow His teachings and in really simple ways too.
Matthew 6:16-18
Lord Jesus said, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. As assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
Lord Jesus said, “But you, when you fast, anoint your head (ie comb your hair) and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
When the church declares fasting prayers before important convocations like baptism and spiritual meeting, how can others not know that we are fasting? Actually God’s requirement is not that others do not know, God’s requirement is that we comb our hair and wash our face on that Sabbath.
When we do these 2 simple things, God rewards us from heaven.
Then Matthew 6:14-15: same simple principle applies: forgive as much as i want God to forgive me, 10%, 20%…99%…, i choose.
(A bro mentions recently that in his many years in Singapore, he has not seen a baptism with rain pouring. Guess this is God’s simple way of assuring us that He sees at least 2 children combing their hair and washing their faces during fasting prayer.)
PS
i still don’t quite understand how my left hand does not know that my right hand is doing a charitable deed? (Matthew 6:3)
May be it is like when i make a donation for charitable purpose, the money is to go from the wallet to the right hand and into the donation box and not pass from right hand to the left hand and back and into the donation box as if it doesn’t bear to let the $ go.
Freely i receive, freely i give, quietly and willingly.