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Daily God Walk, Sermon On The Mount Two: Is Your Treasure Temporal or Eternal?

2/26/2022

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            Is Your Treasure Temporal or Eternal?
 
Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 619-21
 
Why do we tend to store up “treasure,” or in today’s vernacular, “put something away for the future”? Do you think it might be that we are just a little unsure of the future and we want to be prepared for whatever comes along? Or we might be looking forward to the time when we can retire and then live on what we have accumulated.

It is good to save for unexpected expenses and it is good planning to be prepared. The point that Jesus was making is not that things are evil, or that we should take a vow of poverty and have nothing, but the message is to not let things become the treasure of your heart.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Another way of saying it is, “Where your heart is will be evidenced by where you invest your resources.” I know people who cannot afford to pay tithe or give to benevolent causes because by the time they make two car payments, a boat payment, and storage for the boat and RV, they are just barely making it.

Oh yes, I forgot the house that is in the right neighborhood, and the stylish clothes the kids demand. Also there is the “guilt payment” to the children. You know what I’m talking about; dad has the boat so out of guilt he has to get the kids the latest electronic games, and maybe even a dirt bike.
​

God doesn’t care what things you have, but he is very concerned about what things have your heart. He wants us to have treasure, but the treasure he has for us is the treasures in the kingdom of God. The first treasure he offers is eternal life. He then offers righteousness, joy and peace (Romans 14:17). The Lord actually delivers the treasure that the world of things promises, but falls short of producing.
 
Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace of surrendering my heart to your will sothat my treasure will be in the eternal kingdom. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message: God doesn’t care what things you have, but he is very concerned about what things have your heart. He wants us to have treasure, but the treasure he has for us is the treasures in the kingdom of God.
 
Affirmation:  I am careful to be certain the things I have do not have me. Rather, my hope is in the kingdom of God and his righteousness rather than in the earthly things I can accumulate.
 
Reflection: Do you think God is concerned about the extra things we have like boats and video games? What was the point he was trying to make when he said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth?"
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Daily  God Walk - Sermon On The Mount 2 : Deliver Us From The Evil One

2/18/2022

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                                                          Deliver Us From The Evil One
 
This, then, is how you should pray… Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. – Matthew 6:9,13
 
Do you remember the comedian who used to say, “The Devil made  me do it”? That line was always good for a laugh, but God wasn’t laughing. We cannot justify our actions by passing the blame on to someone, or something, else. That is called denial.

Temptation is a very real part of the human experience, but we often do not realize the source of our temptation. James writes, “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:14). It really wasn’t the devil – it was our own desires.

Remember the comic strip Pogo? This comic character was an alligator in the everglades swamp and every week he would impart his brand of wisdom to all who read it. In one episode he was standing in the swamp ready to do battle and he was saying, “We have found the enemy and he is us.”

The only way we can be tempted is when something we desire comes to our attention and demands that we respond to it. The only way to effectively deal with this temptation is to deal with the desire.

When we destroy the desire we destroy the temptation. God created systems in man that releases into our consciousness a sense of calm and well being giving us a generally pleasurable experience as humans. When we walk in his way these systems produce harmony and a balanced life, but when we pursue the pleasurable sensation that comes from these systems then our life gets out of balance and our desire for pleasure overrides our desire for righteousness and we sin.

At this point our inner desires becomes the evil one. We must agree with Pogo – the enemy is us. God delivers us from our evil by living his righteousness through us. For that to happen we must be submitted to his will and committed to his kingdom. If the enemy is us then we should seek deliverance from ourselves.
 
Prayer: Lord, deliver me from the evil desire that rises up within me so that I am free to serve you in righteousness. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message: The only way we can be tempted is when something we desire comes to our attention and demands that we respond to it. The only way to effectively deal with this temptation is to deal with the desire.
 
Affirmation:  When I am tempted I examine my desires and deal with wrong desires by submitting them to God.
 
Reflection: How does the example of Pogo declaring, "We have found the enemy and he is us," relate to how we are tempted. Think of some ways you can effectively deal with the temptations you face.

To get your complimentary copy of the devotional titled Sermon on the Mount Volume Two  JUST CLICK HERE 
  


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Daily God Walk Devotional - Sermon On The Mount 2

2/16/2022

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Devotion for Today: Forgive Our Debts

                                    Forgive Our Debts
 
This, then, is how you should pray… Forgive us our debts.
– Matthew 6:9,12
 
We used to sing a chorus some years ago that went like this, “I owed a debt I could not pay and he paid a debt he did not owe.” That is the case for all of us who have come to faith in Christ.

I like the way Luke recorded this part of the prayer. He writes, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4). He clarifies the point that the debt for which we are asking forgiveness is our sins and the debts we forgive are the sins, or offences, others have committed against us.

Most of us have never robbed or caused great bodily harm to come to another, but we have all sinned. Sin is a part of the human condition and God has made a way for us to deal with our sinfulness through faith in Christ.

The following is excerpted from “The Lord’s Prayer Directive,” an examination of this prayer:
 “Forgive us our debts...”We have sinned, and if we say we haven’t we are lying. Before you become upset with me for saying that, take note; it wasn’t me who said it. 1 John 1:8 says that very thing. But verse 9 of that same chapter ys, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
 
God has made provision in Jesus Christ to forgive all our sins, but we have to ask him. In fact, every day when we pray through this prayer we should spend some time thinking through the previous  day and ask God to bring to our mind anything we did, or thought about doing that we need to be cleansed of.

 
Then we should ask God to forgive us of those things. And he      will because, “He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.”
 
Prayer: I know I have sinned, and I need your forgiveness. Grant me repentance for all my sins and wash me clean of every wrong desire. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

To get your complimentary copy of the devotional titled Sermon on the Mount Volume Two  JUST CLICK HERE          


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Sermon On The Mount Volume Two - "Pray... Our Father in Heaven

2/4/2022

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                                Pray… Our Father in Heaven
 
This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” – Matthew 6:9-13
 
Jesus gave us this concise prayer in rebuttal to the babbling of many words like pagans who think they will be heard because of their many words (v7).
  • He did not expect his followers to just recite this prayer, but he was giving them a pattern by which to pray.
  • We will look at this pattern over the next few days.
 
He begins this prayer, which I call “the Lord’s prayer directive,” with “Our Father who is in heaven.”
  • Now, if you want to be proper, using the King James version, you would say, “Our Father which art in heaven.”
  • Personally, I like the more friendly tone of the NIV.
 
We aren’t too sure where, or what, heaven is, but most of us believe it is the spirit realm where God, our Father, dwells.
  • We recognize him as the Father of creation and the initiator of relationship with man.
  • It is he who has planned from the beginning to show himself to be our Father who is in heaven.
 
 
Our Father in heaven is truly father to us in ways that no one else can be.
Many of us had good and healthy relationship with our father, but others of us do not have pleasant memories of that personage.
  • Whatever our memory of father in our past, our Lord, as our heavenly Father, is good to us beyond what any human could be.
  •  He will comfort us when we are hurting, forgive us when we are in disobedience, console us when we are mourning and deliver us when we are in bondage.
  • He is everything to us that a father is supposed to be, but more.
 
The fact that he is our "Heavenly Father" puts him in a realm that no earthly father could reach.
  • When we pray it is right to give homage to He who is the father of fathers and worship him.
 
Prayer: Thank you for being my eternal Father in heaven. And thank you for being more than any other father could be. Amen.
 
Message: Jesus gave us this concise prayer in rebuttal to the babbling of many words like pagans who think they will be heard because of their many words (v7). He did not expect his followers to just recite this prayer, but he was giving them a pattern by which to pray.
 
Affirmation:  I have learned to use this prayer Jesus gave us as a pattern to use when approaching God.
 
Reflection: Give some thought to the pattern Jesus gives us in this prayer. First, adoration of the Father and the revelation of himself through his name. Then committing to do his will followed by petitioning him for our daily needs and seeking his strength and courage to resist temptation. The conclusion of the prayer is praise and worship. Follow this pattern in prayer and you will be blessed.

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Devotion for Today: Attitudes in Prayer

2/3/2022

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Jesus said, "When you pray do not be like the Hypocrites" - Who are the hypocrites and how can we guard against being like them?
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Daily God Walk - Sermon On The Mount Two: Doing Acts of Righteousness

2/1/2022

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                                   Doing Acts of Righteousness
 
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. – Matthew 6:1-2
 
Jesus wasn’t calling them hypocrites because they gave to the poor, but because of the manner in which they gave. Too much of what the Pharisees and other religious leaders did was to impress and influence the common people. It could be that they didn’t feel righteous so to compensate they continually tried to prove their righteousness.

It seems that in every group of believers there is that one person who, in his heart of hearts, does not feel accepted so he often tries to prove his righteousness by volunteering for every job in the church and giving to every cause. His works of righteousness are good and worthy works, but his motivation is not faith based; it is approval based.

The situation with the Pharisees was a bit more severe than that. They actually did not have benevolence in their heart which is shown by the way they extract everything they can from the poor requiring them to live by the law as they interpreted it.
Jesus called them hypocrites, actors, showmen. The good works they did was to demonstrate their righteousness and establish their authority as religious leaders – it was not done to benefit the needy.

Jesus was certainly not wanting to discourage us from giving gifts to the poor, but he is calling us to a righteousness which exceeds that of the Pharisees. He is calling us to respond to the needs of others with compassion, not with piety.
​

Yes, there are rewards for having compassion for those in need, but the focus is not to be on the blessing but the opportunity to serve another who has a need. Jesus is again speaking to the condition of our heart and asking if we truly love the world as he loves the world.
 
Prayer: Lord, grant me a compassionate heart. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message:  Jesus was certainly not wanting to discourage us from giving gifts to the poor, but he is calling us to a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees. He is calling us to respond to the needs of others with compassion, not with piety.
 
Affirmation:  I am committed to sharing my life with others because I am constrained by the love of God. I give of all my resources; my time, talent and finances.
 
Reflection:  Can you think of some of the reasons people do things to appear religious or spiritual? It would be good to examine your own life to see what motivates you to give of yourself to others.




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