The Devotional - 16

The Devotional

Comment:

How important are the events of life these days to you? Do you have any vision? Many have the thought to live “one day at a time” nothing is terribly wrong with that, we certainly have to get through the day, and if you have read the passage in Matthew 6: 25-34 you know that the LORD Jesus says in verse 34 that we should not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have enough things to worry about of its own. If this is all one understands out of these 10 verses of scripture, they have missed the boat, they are still stranded on the island. Many saints of God are stranded on the isle because they do not daily plan for the “joy” of tomorrow. Notice also Matthew 25:23 and the contents surrounding, verses 14-30.

Challenge:

Matthew, the Gospel is written to the Jewish nation, by a Jewish person about a Jewish Person. According to the writer, this Person is Jesus Christ the Jewish Messiah. We might readily conclude then, “What has this Jew for the Jew have to do with me? “I am a Gentile, my beliefs are rooted in paganism and I have enough worries and enough religion to get me through life, so why bother? The answer is that Jesus is your King also, Revelation 19:11-16 and you would do well to listen up.

Matthew 6:25-34

The LORD Jesus in this sermon is teaching the joy of being “holy” in a world of good and evil. He began in Matthew’s Gospel in chapter 5. We call the verses of 5:1-12 the beatitudes and Jesus is recorded as saying “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. This brings up an interesting thought; “How is there “joy” in or while being persecuted?

As one takes the time to read from Matthew 5:3 to 7:27 we are challenged to live a holy life. Many if not all of us at some point in this reading say “impossible” I cannot do this, I won’t do this and I have already messed up, so why should I even try since I will only mess up again and again. Yes, many religious people stumble all day long and instead of joy, they are so unjoyful that they readily turn to the temporal happiness of the world and forget pursuing the “Joy of the LORD”.

I believe the access to the “joy of the LORD” is found in what we call the LORD’s Prayer revealed in verses 9 – 13 of Matthew 6. You say what? I pray that prayer every day, at least 10 times, I must be holy so how come I have no joy? The first answer is repetition in words are not prayer, the second answer is, since you are not praying, but expressing words from rote memory, God does not hear these words, just as you might ignore the words of your child when they continually say, when on an extended trip. “Are we there yet”?

Please stay tuned we will do more with this “joy” tomorrow by letting tomorrow worry about the things of tomorrow. Meanwhile! Rejoice in the LORD, again I will say rejoice, Philippians 4:4.