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Matthew 6:32-34, “For after all these things Gentiles seek.  For your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things (food, drink, clothing). But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”   Jesus

 

Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  Jesus

 

These verses go together.  I pray these every day over my daughters, sons-in-laws, and grandchildren, and our family in Iowa.  My greatest desire is for them to increase their faith by seeking the righteousness of God.  How does that happen?  In the last page of the blog, I discussed what “little faith” means.  But a little faith is not enough; we all need greater faith!

 

As Christians, Believers, we are to be different from unbelievers!  If you can get ahold of that it will inevitably lead to greater faith. Jesus called unbelievers Gentiles; Gentile really means heathen.  Heathens spend a lot of time thinking about food, drink, and clothing.  If you want to increase your faith don’t be like the Gentiles.  The heathen has knowledge of salvation, no knowledge of God.  So, they did not know about the view of life that is taught in the Bible; their view of life is limited to their own thoughts.   The unbeliever’s view toward life is one believes nothing can be done to change whatever is going to happen.  The result is to be anxious or worry about what is going to happen.

 

The Sermon on the Mount and the Bible tell us that life happens the way it does because we are in the hands of the Creator, the living God.  That view of life determines the way we react to what happens around us.  How do you react to the crisis that suddenly happens in your life?  What comes out of your mouth in the heat of the moment.  Before you think I’m pointing a finger, remember I have more fingers pointing back to me.  After all this time I’m still praying with the disciples “Lord, increase my faith!”  I continually must remember who I am in Jesus Christ and do my best to live accordingly.

 

I ask you to join with me to continue to perfecting my relationship with the Lord.  Join me as I SEEK first the kingdom of God and my relationship to Him.  Join me as I SEEK His righteousness knowing when I do, I will be filled.  To SEEK carries with it the thought that seeking is done with intensity.  We are to SEEK His Kingdom and His righteousness first, before everything else; it is a priority for every Believer.  Don’t think about other things and put them first. Don’t do that! You and I must come to the point where this is an absolute priority.  We must SEEK earnestly to have the rule and power of God demonstrated in our lives.  His righteousness comes through the power of the Holy Spirit as we SEEK to obey Christ’s commands and way of life, remaining separate from the world and showing His love toward all people.

 

Here is the bottom line.  The Christian is to SEEK the righteousness of Christ, seeking to grow more and more like Him.  That is the way to grow in faith.  Be different from unbelievers.  Place your absolute faith and reliance upon GOD as your heavenly Father.  Then concentrate on perfecting your relationship to Him.

 

My challenge to you is to join me in the new year as I SEEK first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  I am going to pray this for each of you as I pray this for my family.  I really believe doing so will change your life!  I am betting eternity on it.

 

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Matthew 6:30, “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you of little faith?”  Jesus

 

The italicized words in the verse above are italicized to emphasize where I am headed today.  “You of little faith” – the ultimate cause of our anxiety and worry is lack of faith.  Notice that the Lord does not say there is no faith.  The question needs to be: What does He mean by little faith? 

 

There is another thing that needs to be remembered.  Jesus is not speaking to every person in the world; He is speaking specifically to Christian people.  It makes sense then to talk about their insufficient faith not the absence of it when talking about God’s provision for them.  Christian people already have faith; faith in the salvation Jesus Christ accomplished at the cross and faith in His resurrection saved them.  The Lord is saying that your faith must not stop there.  The words of this sermon contain God’s promise to all His children to provide for the basic needs of our life – food, shelter, and clothing.  He also wants everyone of His children continue to walk in a deeper faith by listening to Him; in our case that would be through reading, studying and meditating on His Word.  It is because a deeper faith is lacking that people are prone to anxiety and worry about the cares of life.  We need not worry if we seek to allow God to reign in our lives. Consider the thought that Jesus is saying that worry in a Christian is due to the amount of faith he or she has.

 

 True faith extends to every aspect of one’s life.  The trouble with too many Christians is they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ but do not believe or trust in what He has said.  Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give your rest.” (Matthew 11:28).  Yet, we keep our fears, worries, and problems to ourselves.  Understand, He wants you to go to Him and tell Him these things.  Yes, He already knows; He wants you to tell Him and give these things to Him.  The person of little faith, when problems come, gets run over and becomes controlled by them.  If, instead, you seek God, you can be assured that He will assume full responsibility for those who fully yield to Him.  1 Peter 5:7 has been shared before but read it again.  “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  I want this verse to sink down deep into your spirit.  The Creator of the universe cares for you!

 

The Creator of all things is concerned about the birds of the air; how much more is He concerned about you?  For you that have hair, how many hairs on your head do you have?  God knows!  I believe that having little faith is ultimately due to our failure to apply what we know about God and walking with Him to our everyday circumstances and details in our life.  Throughout the Bible the Believer is pictured as one who rises above their circumstances, even rejoicing in tribulation.  That seems to me to be true faith.

 

The Gospels tell of Jesus sleeping in a boat while crossing the Sea of Galilee.  A storm comes up and water begins to come into the boat because the sea has become rough.  The disciples get anxious and worried that the boat will be overcome by the storm.  Jesus is asleep!  So, they wake Him up and ask if He even cares about whether they will perish or not.  His reply is exactly what we have been discussing in this blog – where is their faith.  It is not enough to say you have faith.  You must apply it.   I fear the days ahead will be a time when applying that faith will be of utmost importance.

 

Luke 17:5, And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”  Is that you’re desire?  Want to know how?  Read the next page of the blog.

 

 

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Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and your body more than clothing?”   Jesus

 

In the last page of the blog, we examined what Jesus said about worldliness and mammon (Matthew 6:19-24).  Today we want to examine Verses 25-34 where Jesus talked about worrying over what we have or do not have.  I find the timing of this verse in our study of the Sermon on the Mount interesting.  There are many who are certainly concerned about where life is headed after the past presidential election.  There are many voices offering different scenarios regarding people’s savings, retirement accounts, and the future of “things”.  Here is the subtlety of Satan and sin.  He wants nothing more than to get us to worry about earthly things and to get our mind off God.  He wants to cause anxiety about our life, our health, our strength, our clothing, our success, and everything that “could” happen to us.

 

This is what Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote about this.  “Life is a gift, a gift from God.  Man does not create life: man does not give being to himself.  Not one of us decided to come into this world.  The fact that we are alive at this moment is entirely because God willed it and decided it.  If God gave you life, do you think He is suddenly going to deny Himself and His methods, and not see to it that life is sustained and able to continue?  God has His own way of doing that and the argument is that we never need to become anxious about it.  Of course, we are doing things that God has ordained us to do like sowing and reaping, earning money and so on.  But He says that we are never to be concerned or worried or anxious that suddenly there will be insufficient ability to keep our life going.  If God has given us the gift of life, He will see to it that life is kept going.  He is not saying how this will be done; He is saying that it will be done.  The Giver of Life will see that the sustenance and supply of life will be provided.  That is what God does for the birds of the air.  He provides the food; they just have to find it.  God will provide the means by which our body will be covered and clothed.  It is a gift from God.  How often do you thank God for the gift of life itself?  There really should never be a day when we fail to thank God for the gift of life and food and existence He gives us.”

 

I enjoy putting bird seed out for the birds.  I have even started getting seed that the squirrels will not eat.  But, I would never provide for them and not provide for my children or grandchildren.  Neither would God.  We must always remember as children of God through Jesus Christ, God is our Father and He will provide for us.  When we decide that, our anxiety and worry go away.

 

Matthew 6:27 asks a key question.  “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”  A cubit is about eighteen inches long.  The Lord is asking those who are so worried about their bodily needs and their desire to extend their life if they are able to do so by even a few moments.  Obviously, the answer is no!  God determines such things.  Our lives are in God’s hand and we do what we can and trust Him. Why worry about that which we cannot control?

 

Does this mean we do not make plans for our future physical needs?  Not at all.  It is wise to make provision for events of life that will take place because of age or the unknown.  Jesus is saying not to be anxious or worry about such things because it shows a lack of faith in God’s fatherly care and love.  1 Peter 5:7 tells us, “casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.”  God’s love for us is a truth emphasized throughout the Bible.  All our fears, anxieties, and concerns must be given to God.

 

 

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Matthew 6:22-23, “The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness now, how great is that darkness!”  Jesus

 

Jesus is giving us both a warning and teaching doctrine in Matthew 6: 19-27.  He is telling about sin and its effect upon us.  Each of us is attacked by sin each day; we are defeated by it more often than any of us want to admit. 

 

In verses 19-21, we are being told that our heart is attacked first and verse 22-23 speaks of our mind and will following the heart.  It is interesting how strongly earthly treasures and possessions tend to control our personality – the heart, the mind, and the will.  Man was meant to understand and be controlled by that understanding.  But due to the Fall and sin, man is no longer controlled by his mind and understanding; he is controlled by his desires, his affections, and his lusts.  Man finds himself in a great predicament!

 

Read John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”  This is not to say men should not have a heart or should not have feelings.  As a Christian, you are not to be controlled by them.  Man likes to think of himself as a gigantic intellect!  Sin and its effects upset the order and balance God created.  “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” 

 

Sin also blinds a person to things and their relative value.  Think of the importance we place on things that are important for a short time and never stop to consider the things that are eternal and endless.  Or consider we attempt to mix light with darkness.  Think about the deeds done in darkness.  There is nothing more wonderful than the light.  Yet, we are slow to appreciate the value of light over darkness.  “Men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.”  I only see more and more being drawn to darkness, away from the light.

 

One cannot mix God with mammon; you cannot love two opposites at the same time.  You cannot mix light and darkness.  As Christians, we try.  Too many live as close to the line drawn between Christian and non-Christian – one foot in the Christian worldview and one foot in worldly view.  Others say, “I’ll just wait until I’m on my deathbed, then I will ask Jesus into my heart.  Right now I am going to live for myself.”  That is just blindness and stupidity!  It’s coveting wealth, earthly riches, position and status before becoming a child of God.

 

Take a moment and make a list of all the things you are living for at this moment, the things that matter to you the most.  Here is the test.  Are you ready?  Go back to the list and circle all that you will be able to take with you when you die.  If you are like me, I circled nothing.

 

The world is filled with people who laugh at Christianity, who denounce a Christian worldview.  They are living for the moment; the present is all that matters.  To do so is the only rational way to live their life because they do not believe in life after death.  They do not realize they love the darkness more than the light.  My advice to them – be careful.  All darkness will be made light someday.  I cannot think of anything more terrible than to have placed all my trust in the things done in the dark only to see how great the darkness is.  The one who has not served God will see all he lived for is gone and he is without hope.

 

Love God.  Love the things of God and serve Him alone.

 

 

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Matthew 2:12, Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.  About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?  We have seen His star as it arose, and we have come to worship Him.

 

Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem.  He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of the religious law.  “Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?” he asked them.

 

“In Bethlehem, “they said, “for this is what the prophets wrote:

 

‘O Bethlehem of Judah, you are a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

 

Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him.  At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star.  Then he told them, Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child.  And when you find Him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship Him, too!”

 

After this interview the wise men went their way.  Once again, the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem.  It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  They entered the house where the child and His mother, Mary, were, and they fell and worshipped Him.  Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  But when it came time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.  (New Living Translation)

 

These men were probably members of an educated religious class from the region of what is now known as Iran.  Because of the time the star first appeared to them, it is thought the child was around two years old when they found Him.  The importance of the wise men’s visit is that Jesus is worthy of royal honor from all mankind.  It is also significant showing that Gentiles as well as Jews are included in God’s redemptive plan.  As the saying goes, “Wise men still seek Jesus!” 

 

From my family to all of you and your family may this be a very Merry Christmas. Even in these difficult times enjoy family and celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ!

 

 

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Luke 2:1-20, At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.  (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  All returned to their own towns to register for this census.  And because Joseph was a descendent of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.  He took with him Mary, his fiancée who was obviously pregnant by this time.

 

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.  She gave birth to her first child, a son.  She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

 

That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.  They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them.  “Don’t be afraid!” he said.  “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!  The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And this is how you will recognize Him.  You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”

 

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God:

 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”

 

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem!  Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.

 

They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph.  Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about the child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her head and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angels had said.” (New Living Translation)

 

The birth of the Savior occurred in the most humble of circumstances.  Jesus was the King of kings, but He was neither born nor lived like it in this life.  As Savior, He has come to deliver us from sin, Satan’s control, fear, and death.  He has been anointed as the Messiah of God and the Lord who rules over His people.  No person can have Jesus as Savior without submitting to His lordship. 

 

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Matthew 1:18-25, Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born.  His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.  But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  Joseph, her fiancé, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so not to disgrace her publicly.

 

As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.  “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary.  For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus.  For He will save His people from their sins.”  All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through the prophet:

 

“Look!  The virgin will conceive a child!  She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us).” 

 

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded.  He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her son was born.  And Joseph named Him Jesus. (New Living Translation)

 

The importance of the virgin birth cannot be overemphasized.  In order for the Redeemer to be qualified to pay for our sins and bring salvation, He must be fully human, and also sinless and fully God.  The virgin birth satisfies these requirements.  The only way Jesus could be born as a human was to be born of a woman.  The only way He could be sinless was to be conceived by the Holy Spirit.  The only way He could be divine was to have God as His Father.  As a result, conception was not by natural means but by supernatural means.  Jesus Christ is revealed to us as one divine person with two natures – divine and sinless human. 

 

By living and suffering as a human person, Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses.  But, as the divine Son of God, He has the power to deliver us from the bondage of sin and Satan’s power.  As both divine and sinless human, He qualifies to serve as a sacrifice for the sins of every person.  As the Son of God, He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven interceding for all who come to Him.

 

 

 

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Luke 1:26-38, In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman!  The Lord is with you!” 

 

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.  “Don’t be frightened, Mary, “the angel told her, “for God has decided to bless you!  You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  And the Lord God will give the throne of His ancestor David.  And He will reign over Israel forever; His kingdom will never end!”

 

Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby?  I am a virgin.”

 

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you.  So the baby born to you will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God.  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age!  People used to say she was barren, but she’s already in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God.” 

 

Mary was astounded.  “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever He wants.  May everything you said come true.”  And then the angel left.  (New Living Translation)

 

Mary was about the age of my granddaughter – 14 or 15 years old.  Try to imagine coming face to face with an angel!  Then try to imagine hearing that you are about to become pregnant with the Son of God!  Mary was chosen because she found favor with God; her humble and godly life pleased God to such an extent that He chose her for this important task.  While Mary was favored above all women to be chosen as the mother of Jesus, the gospel Luke and Matthew never indicated that she is to be worshipped, prayed to, or given a special title.  Mary is given our respect, but only her son, Jesus, earns our worship! 

 

How would you react to such a task given to you?  Would you call it impossible? Dr. Ed Newton stated, “Impossible does not exist with God!”  Mary’s response is one that all Believer’s should respond when given a task by God.

 

 

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Another find as I was looking through “stuff” I have collected over the years was the meaning behind the song A Partridge in a Pear Tree.  I have done a little more research on the song because I had always thought it had interesting lyrics even somewhat monotonous.  I found there was a lot more significance than I imagined.  

 

Between 1558 and 1829, Roman Catholics were forbidden to openly practice their religious beliefs.  In order to remind their children of their Roman Catholic worldview and teachings, they created this song.  Christmas, in the church calendar was a season, not just a day.  Christmas lasted - you guessed it – for twelve days. The twelve days of Christmas lasted from December 25 until January 5.  January 5 was the beginning of Epiphany.  I learned that church traditions celebrated the Epiphany as the “coming out of Jesus” or the day that Jesus was revealed to the world.  I do not know if this tradition is celebrated in this country.  The Epiphany was a feast associated with the Magi coming to Jesus, presenting their gifts.  I do not want to cause any confusion about the time the Magi found Jesus; I am presenting the history behind the song. 

 

If you enjoy the song, here is what the gifts that presented each day represent.  I have taken the following from material found on Crosswalk.com.  The partridge in the pear tree is Jesus Christ.  He is symbolic of the mother partridge who will sacrifice her life to save the lives of its children.

 

 The two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments which provide a biblical presentation of God’s plan for redemption through Jesus Christ. 

 

The three French hens stand for faith, hope, and love written in 1 Corinthians 13 by the Apostle Paul. 

 

The four calling birds represent the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 

 

The five golden rings represent the first five books of the Old Testament known as the Law or the Torah. 

 

The six geese-a-laying stood for each of the six days when God created the world and everything in it. 

 

The seven swans a swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit – prophesy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy or compassion. 

 

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.  Think back to what past pages of the blog discussed about the beatitudes.  This gift would be those who receive God’s word and accept His grace.

 

The nine ladies dancing are the nine fruit of the Holy Spirit.  The fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

 

The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments

 

The eleven pipers piping were the eleven disciples that carried the gospel message to the world.  Remember Judas betrayed Jesus and hung himself.

 

And the twelve drummers drumming are the twelve points of the Apostle’s Creed.  “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.”

 

So that’s the meaning behind the song.  Do your own research. It provided a pretty good  skeleton to explore Biblical teachings and hide the teaching from those who did not want the Catholics practicing their beliefs. 

 

 

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