Monday 01/10/12

Matthew 7:7-8 ESV

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Here God encouraged his believers to be proactive, just as He has repeatedly encouraged Joshua: be strong, do not fear, take actions. They are to pray & ask from Him what they need. They are to take actions, seek & knock. God promises that those who ask will receive good things (although not necessary what have been asked). Those who seek will find, those who knock will find an open door.

As with Joshua (Joshua 1), Christians need to study God's Word to learn what's good and acceptable according to God. That helps us live a right life and ask what is good & right, not according to our sinful selfish desires. As a Heavenly Father, God loves to give us good things, but will refuse us what are harmful to us & to others, even though we ask for them in our ignorance. So the more we study God's Word and follow them, the more we live according to how God wants us to, the more our prayers are granted.

Saturday 20/09/12

Matthew 7:6 ESV

Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Not everyone will appreciate right & holy & precious things. The dogs do not know what is holy. They are habitual minded. They follow their habits and their master's order whether it's right or wrong. The pigs do not know what is precious. They are carnal minded. They follow their fleshly desires - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vanity of life. These people do not care about the spiritual truth that leads to life. If we try to press it on them, they will get angry and turn to attack us.

Of course, it is wrong to label someone as dog or pig. But there is a dog & pig in everyone, just whether they are big or small. We should be discerning to see if these dog & pig minds are awake or asleep. If they are controlling a person, we best avoid making that person angry. If they are open & sober minded, we can talk.

Tuesday 25/09/12

Matthew 7:3-5 ESV

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

This command of Jesus instructs us to examine ourselves before we correct others. It follows and explains more the previous command: "do not judge...".  Otherwise, we may judge wrongly, harshly, causing strife, flare up anger, or be a hypocrite - do the very thing we condemn, or even worse.

So we need to regularly examine ourselves before we judge others. 

Monday 24/09/12

Matthew 7:1-2 ESV

Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Judge here means rash, hasty, opinionated condemning others. Christ didn't talk about legal judgement of the magistrate here, for it is right and necessary. Christ also didn't discourage evaluating & forming opinion on the good & evil of other people's conduct, it's impossible and dangerous not to do so. But rash, harsh, opinionated judgement causes strife and break peace within the community.

A rule of thumb Jesus gave to distinguish between right judgement and wrong judgement is whether we find it fair and comfortable if we are under the same judgement. Even then, we need to have grace and mercy to ready to forgive others as God has forgiven us in our other sins.

So we need to be merciful, graceful and self evaluating before we evaluate others. The goal is not to condemn, but to help them understand the bad consequences and sin no more.

Thursday 20/09/12

Matthew 6:34 ESV

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus pointed us to the natural world which demonstrates the faithful providence of God. The birds in the sky and the flowers in the field all live under His care day by day, trusting in God to provide them through out their alloted life. So we should learn from them and trust in God. He is our Heavenly Father, we are much more valuable to Him than those birds and flowers.

And we gain nothing from being anxious about tomorrow. It takes away our physical & mental energy to do what we can today. As Jesus said, we should let God take care of our tomorrow, let tomorrow worry for itself, and do the best we can today.

Wednesday 19/09/12

Matthew 6:31-33 ESV

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We all need food, drink and clothes, God knows that. However, there are things more important for us to pursuit. They are God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Here Jesus taught us to set them our highest priority, and God will add to us food, drink and clothing as we need.

As believers in the living & working God, we must trust in His providence, and pursue the higher things of His. The Gentiles who don't know God pursue food, drink & clothing, but we should not be like them because we know Him. God want us to persue His Kingdom & His righteousness.

Tuesday 18/09/12

Matthew 6:28-30 ESV

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

How many of our clothes can rival the beauty of the wild flowers in the field? Take a close look at a flower & its petals, Such elegance and softness, such fine and detailed texture, such variety of shape and size that God dressed them. Not even Solomon the richest and wisest king ever lived was dressed like these.

As Jesus said, we are much more valuable than these wild flowers. We are His children, He is our Heavenly Father. Thus He cares for us much more than these flowers. If He cares for their food, drink, or clothing, He cares for ours also. And much more, He cares for our life & our body, for our maturing & learning, so we can see the light of life, and become like Christ, become His image as He originally designed (Genesis 1-2).

So we ought not to worry, God cares for us. Being anxious is lacking faith.

Friday 14/09/12

Matthew 6:27 ESV

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

What good we get by being anxious? Nothing. What we can do, we do. What we cannot control, pray and leave it to God. If God is willing, He will open the door. If God refuses, it is for our own good. So in any case, if we are anxious about something, do what we can, pray and trust in God for an outcome ultimately best for us.

Thursday 13/09/13

Matthew 6:26 ESV

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

God is the Creator and Sustainer of this world. He reigned in Heaven, but in the Bible, He also takes pride that He waters the grass in the wilderness and feeds the sparrows. He cares for billions of creatures He created, from the least of the grasses and the sparrows, to the greatest elephant and whale, and every humans.

Compare to the grass, the sparrows, the elephants, the whales, are we much more valuable? Does God call us His children and tell us to call Him as Heavenly Father? Then how much does He care for us? He cannot give us a smooth & soft life, lest it spoil us. However, He assures us as we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, we will see the light of Life and will not lack of food, drink, or clothing.

Wednesday 12/09/12

Matthew 6:25 ESV

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

As human in an uncertain & sinful world, we have many things to be anxious of, about our life, about our security, about our work, our family, our society...Jesus summarized them as eventually bow to "what will  we eat? what will we drink? how will we cloth?" Those anxious thoughts ruin our life and our body, because they prevent us from living as how God designed us to live, drive us to toil and tempt us to sin to get wealth to keep us safe now and in the future.

Nevertheless, that's the way people who don't know God think. As believers in God is the Creator and Administrator of the universe, we trust in His loving kindness and sovereign. Even more, He is our Heavenly Father. The father is the provider & mentor & defender to his children, so with Him what do we have to be anxious about if nothing can happen without His approval?

Trusting in God's power to provide and to guard, we, as His children, can live a more carefree life, seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, trusting in God to provide all we need. We work hard, not toiling for food & security, but to tend the our home and our garden - the Earth, and making use the talents God gives us. We work hard, then rest and enjoy and do good, that's the life God has designed for human. That life is only possible because we trust in Him.

Monday 12/09/12

Matthew 6:23-24 ESV

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Whoever we rely on to give us our income, food, drink, and clothing are our lord and master, whom we fear and obey. God promises to give us these, but money can also give us these. Thus every man must choose between serving God as the ultimate provider, and serving money - the work, the company, whatever giving him money.

Serving money while ignoring God lead to evil, because money does not distinguish between good and evil. More often, it encourages evil and unjust gain, rich people need to pay heavy price for getting money. Sometimes even their soul. Thus people having lots of money are prone to be proud, not fearing God and tempted to sin. They think their great wealth and power can protect them from harm & retribution, but the Bible says that's only in their imagination. God can destroy them anytime when their sin is full.

On the other hand, people serving God are protected from harms. Even if they fall God will help them stand up. God demands nothing toil some, while his reward has no hidden cost. God gives them love and favor from all men. And He forgives them their sin, saves them by the blood of Jesus, and let them live with Him forever.

Monday 3/9/12

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In our life, we can work toward two kinds of treasure

_ Our treasure on earth, which is our money, our clothes, our housing & other belongings. They give us comfort & enjoyment. But they require constant care & keep. Otherwise thieves will steal, rust will destroy or we will use them up. They also have no eternal value. We are born naked and will leave this world naked. Our treasure on earth will eventually perish. How many of us can enjoy stuffs / money once belong to our great grand parents?

_ Our treasure in Heaven before God: our spirit & wisdom we learnt & receive from Him, our relationship with Him, the good work we do in His name.  They are the treasure brings us blessing in this life, and will continue to the next.

So we should focus on both 2 kinds of our treasure, with emphasize on the eternal treasure in Heaven.