Friday 31/8/12

Matthew 6:16-18 ESV

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,  that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Fast represents activities which we are taking losses and uncomforts in God's name. Fast is refrain from taking food to concentrate on spiritual matter. Similar to turning the other cheek or forgiving others who sin against us, fast goes against our sinful nature & worldly wisdom, indicating one's spiritual maturity and obeying to God.

But again, motive - why we do it & for what - is important. If we do this to receive praises from men, then we won't get any from God. Spiritual matters must be from the heart. We must be consistent, in public and more so in private. God knows what we do when no one sees, and He rewards us accordingly.

Thursday 30/08/12

Matthew 6:5-8 ESV

"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.

These verses are about how we should not pray, and how we ought to pray. Pray is like talking with God. Not just about seeking help and protection, we can pray to talk with Him about many things, like with a Father.

Nevertheless, we need to check our motive. Praying is not to show off our spiritual & religiousness to other people. If we pray with that in mind, we will get nothing from God, praises from others will be our reward. When our motive is wrong, God will not hear us.

Also, we need to pray to communicate with our Heavenly Father, not to beg repeatedly. God always care for us and know what we need most and what is best for us, more than ourselves. So we need to trust in His goodness, ask what we wish, know that He hears, and continue the conversation to other things.

Tuesday 28/08/12

Matthew 6:14-15 ESV

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

We all have sinned, trespass the law of God and offend / hurt other people from time to time. The book of James says whatever we know good to do, and not do, is sim. We get angry with other people because they offend us, cause us harm & hurt, or simply not helping us in our difficulty. Nevertheless, we also do the same to many people. So we all sin against each other and against God.

Instead of bearing grudge against each other, God commands us to forgive each other, let bygone be bygone, and be caring & patient & kind toward each other.  That's the way we ought to live as children of God, created in His image.

Friday 24/08/12

Matthew 6:9-13 ESV

Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

This is the Lord's prayer. It's actually the Disciple's prayer - the model prayer which Jesus teaches us how to pray. It encompasses the essential points in a Christian life:

_ remind us that God is our Father in heaven.

_ acknowledge God's control and sovereign in our life, as a Father is sovereign in his children's life.

_ seek God's daily help and providence.

_ confess our sins and seek His forgiveness. Forgive all people we are unhappy or bearing grudge against.

_ seek His help, protection and deliverance from trials and temptations.

These five points encompass a Christian relationship with God

Tuesday 21/8/12

Matthew 6:2-4 ESV

"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.

These verse give an example of not practicing righteousness to be seen by men. Worldly people give, not because of their compassion or their love for God, but because they want to be praised and perceived as good & righteous by men. God can see their heart & their motives, which lacking love & mercy but full of pride & hypocrisy, and He won't reward them. The praise of worldly men, which they want, is their reward.

But a Christian should give, not to get praise, but because of his love for God & mercy and the genuine desire to share & obey God's commandments. God will reward him/her for the right motives.

Sunday 19/08/12

Matthew 6:1 ESV

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.

Our practicing righteousness, doing good work will count as nothing if our goal is to be seen and praise by other people. God knows our heart, and he won't praise us or reward us for that show. Will we still practice righteousness & obey God commands when no one see? When godless people deride us? When it may cost us money, our job, or even our life to do so?

We should practice righteousness because we love God & righteousness, and because it's human duty to do so. Not for praise or reward, even at our own cost and loss, we have to act uprightly and obey God's commands. God will love us, uphold us, provide us and reward us with joy, contentment, and other spiritual gifts as He sees fit.

Thursday 16/08/12

Matthew 5:48 ESV

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Perfect means complete and consistent, no fault and no change (because of circumstances). God is complete and total in all His way. He never fails to uphold His principles, or miss any of His promises. God is also always consistent in His doing. He is the same today, tomorrow, and forever. He doesn't change because of circumstances or difficulties. God is perfect.

As disciple & children of God, we must follow Him and be like Him, in thinking and doing. We also must be prefect.

Wednesday 15/08/12

Matthew 5:46-47 ESV

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Christians tend think loving & greeting good & friendly people are fulfilling the law of love, but God said that's not enough. Even evil people and those who don't know God do so, no difference. Those who know God and His law of love & mercy need to care & do good for those who are bad and hostile. In that way, our belief & faith in God can make a difference in our life & the way we act. People will see that difference and praise God.

Tuesday 14/08/12

Matthew 5:43-45 ESV

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

God commands us to love our neighbors, but he never told us to hate our enemies. In the previous verses above, Jesus - God - commanded us to accept the hurt, not retaliate, to be giving & sharing our possession, not holding tight, in servicing others whole heartedly, not minimizing unpaid work.

In the same way, we ought to love to our enemies, not hate, pray for their good, not wishing harm, do good to them when we can, not do harm & get back, . They won't pay us for that, but God will.

By doing so, we are following God who take care of both the good & the bad in this earth. Like He told the sun & the rain to bring good things to all, we should do good to all.

Sunday 12/08/12

Matthew 5:42 ESV

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

This verse is another hard verse, similar to the non-retaliating, giving & serving commands before. It goes against worldly wisdom, and our worldly mind automatically says "but people will take advantage of us if we do so".

I think like the command to take out the eye or cut off the hand before (Matthew 5:29-30), we need not to follow blindly. We can refuse the blatantly wrong demand. However, we should cultivate the strong tendency to give and to share, even when they cannot give back to us. The Bible says those who give to the needy are lending to God, He will pay back on their behalf.

So we need not be mindful of our right, our properties, or our fairness. God will take care of them for us, if we obey His command to not-retaliate, to give, and to serve selflessly.

Saturday 11/08/12

Matthew 5:39-41 ESV

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

These three commands go directly against human (sinful) nature and worldly thought. According to the wisdom of this world, we need to resist evil, to retaliate when being hurt, keep hold of our properties, and minimize our unpaid work which mainly benefits others.

But God wants us to live differently. He wants us to be patience and forgiving instead of retaliate, giving and sharing instead of keep tight hold of our things, helping and serving instead of minimizing & avoiding unpaired work. It's hard to understand why, and we fear of being exploited. But they are God's commandments, and they are good for us as well as others, and that's how human ought to live. May He gives us the spirit, the strength & the understanding to obey, amen.