Worry.

Jesus seems to spend a lot of time in Matthew 6 on this topic.

But I think that he knows that we struggle with it a lot.

Take a look at the passage, Matthew 6:28-30.

Last week, Jesus specifically addressed worry. This is an area that I believe we all struggle with to some extent.

Why worry, Jesus asks. He will provide all of our needs. Especially over something as simple as the flowers of the field.

I’ve seen some beautiful flowers. And yet God promises to take care of my needs even better.

How incredible is that?

Do you worry about daily things, like what you will wear? What do you do to combat that? Let me know in the comments.

Like last week, this week’s passage speaks directly to American society.

Jesus addresses worry. And it’s something we meed to hear. We tend to worry about almost everything, it seems. But Jesus has a better idea.

Read it for yourself: Matthew 6:25-27.

I don’t know about you, but I find overcoming worry to be a difficult struggle.

I worry about my kids. I worry about our finances. I worry about my wife when she’s traveling. I worry about upcoming events and programming in my ministry.

I know I shouldn’t; but I do.

How do you not worry?

And so this passage speaks directly to my life. What about you?

Do you worry? What about? How do you not worry? Let me know in the comments.

Do you ever get the feeling that Jesus is speaking directly to our culture?

Even though this passage was penned two thousand years ago, it seems to apply directly to America in the twenty-first century.

It’s almost eerie.

Check out the passage: Matthew 6:24.

Does this hit you right where you live?

If not, it should.

Think about it. As Americans, we are wealthy. We have our homes, two cars, TVs in every room, mobile phones and increasingly advanced electronics.

We have our savings accounts, our IRAs and pensions, our insurances.

Just who do we serve?

Hmmm….

How do you avoid serving Money in an extremely materialistic society? Let me know in the comments.

The Sermon on the Mount is full of very vivid imagery. I love how Jesus paints a picture with words that you can so clearly see in your mind’s eye.

This weeks passage is a great example. Take a look at Matthew 6:22-23.

The dichotomy that Jesus describes is very black and white here.

Black and white.

Light and darkness.

Good and evil.

It’s a little ironic to me that these verses are surrounded by paragraphs about storing up treasures and serving God or money. That really helps you see this passage in a whole new light, doesn’t it?

This passage is in the middle of a section on material possessions and money. How does knowing that change how you understand this passage? Let me know in the comments.

This week’s passage is one of my all-time favorites.

I love Matthew 6:19-21, but it’s so hard to apply sometimes.

The truth is, we live in a very materialistic culture. I know that’s no excuse, but it’s very true. Sometimes it is extremely difficult not to store up treasures on earth. We all think about it: savings accounts, retirement accounts, the 401k or IRA, insurance…

It’s sometimes extremely difficult to store up treasures in heaven when we have so many safety nets here.

I’m not sure exactly what I think on this topic, but it’s been on my mind a lot recently.

What do you think? How do you prevent yourself from storing up treasures here, and instead build up your heavenly accounts? Let me know in the comments.

How often do you fast?

Do you ever?

Fasting is one discipline that modern Christians have almost completely forgotten. It is such a neglected discipline that we aren’t even sure what it is any longer.

I find that extremely sad. And I bet Jesus does as well.

In this week’s passage, he begins by stating “when you fast…” When. Not if.

It’s almost like this is expected of us.

Check out the entire passage in Matthew 6:16-18.

Fasting is not something we find easy to do. Most of the time, we don’t even think about it. But it is a discipline that we need to develop.

I know that I’ve seen God’s hand very clearly during times when I’ve fasted.

Maybe we need to relearn this discipline…

Do you fast? What benefits have you received from fasting in your life? Let me know in the comments.

Forgiveness. It’s a crucial aspect of the Christian life. In fact, it’s a crucial aspect for everyone. It is one of the keys to making any relationship work.

In this week’s passage, Jesus connects the forgiveness within our human relationships to the forgiveness found in our relationship with the Father.

It’s simple, really.

If we forgive, he forgives. If we don’t, he won’t.

Take a look at the passage. It’s found in Matthew 6:14-15.

I can name numerous instances in my own life where I’ve seen this principle in action. Fortunately, I can say that eventually I’ve come to a place of forgiveness in almost every one of them. Unfortunately, I can’t say that it always happened quickly or timely.

I just pray that I’m getting better at it. And the more I practice it, the easier it gets.

Do you find it easy or hard to forgive others? What do you do to help you overcome the temptation to not forgive? Let me know in the comments.