Good Morning, Meetpastor Readers…It’s 0-dark:30 and I’m already bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Glenn and Cliff are stretched out on the floor beside me and I have a cup of hot coffee, so the day if off to a great start!
I went to bed last night trying to decide on today’s topic, but when I awakened this morning the topic had pretty much taken shape. It is based on a Scriptural promise that is a pillar in my own platform of faith because I have experienced its truth time and time again. I also find it to be a source of peace and serenity because when my focus is on God rather than Me, life never fails to be immeasurably better.
When Jesus launched his ministry, he gave us God’s perspective on “Kingdom living” in what has been collectively labeled, “’The Sermon on the Mount.” This message shocked most who heard it because it was upside down from worldly thinking. In this message Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; Blessed are meek, for they shall inherit the earth; Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied; Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:3,5,6,9) Then he went on to talk about anger, adultery, the importance of keeping vows, the importance of loving our enemies, and God’s perspective on money and possessions.
Since we live in a world that is obsessed with power, money and possessions, I want to zero in on God’s wonderful promise to us in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew opens this section with the following three verses: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” (Matthew 6:19-21) The capstone of this section is found in verse 24: “No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve both God and money”.
In our culture we are conditioned to want to succeed. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, except the world’s yardstick for success is measured in what college degree we have; what job or job title we have; the size of our bank account; the size of our house; what car we drive; the size of our boat, etc. In fact, there is a bumper sticker that capsulizes the values of our culture: “He who dies with the most toys wins.” This statement is the antithesis of God’s promise found in James 4:10: “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”
Unfortunately there has developed a popular, new-age message that puts a different spin on Matthew 6:33. It is a prosperity message that is rooted in the law, and its premise is “give to get.” Remember…under the law we worked to earn God’s favor, so if we want to be more pleasing to God, we would go to church more often; we would become involved in the church business; we would contribute more to the church. In other words, if there is something you want or need from God, do more and/or give more.
Let me cite two examples of the fallacy inherent in this message. In the Old Testament the Israelites offered up sacrifices to cover their sins. But God made his desire abundantly clear when he spoke through the prophet Hosea in 6:6: “I want your steadfast love, not your sacrifices. I want you to know me, not your burnt offerings.” When our love for Him and our desire to know Him is our motivating force, we begin living the greatest of the commandments: “To love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
As followers of Jesus Christ, we no longer have to work become acceptable to God. When we accepted his Gift of Grace – Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins – we became “a new creation in Christ.” (2Corinthians 5;17) Now when God looks at us, he sees a Saint covered with the blood of his Son. At this point it is not about “doing or giving to get”, but instead it’s about living a different life through the power of the Holy Spirit to become the “masterpiece” God created us to be. (Ephesians 2:10) Simply stated, under the New Covenant, it is not about doing or giving anything to gain God’s favor, it’s about living a new life that brings honor and glory to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now let’s look at the parable of the Pharisee and the poor widow presenting their offering at the Temple. Jesus makes it crystal clear that in God’s eyes our motivation for what we do is paramount. While the rich man gave more, he gave it to gain favor with God. The poor widow gave all she had because of her love for God. It is the state of our heart that moves God. James 4:6-8 tells us that “God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble. So humble ourselves before God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.”
So back to our focus Scripture, Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” God wants our commitment and our love. He wants that from us because his plan is infinitely better for us than our own concoction. Step III of Alcoholics Anonymous states it beautifully. “We made a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God, as we understand Him.” Note the key word is “care” and not “control”.
We were designed for a relationship with God, and that was demonstrated in the Garden. When Adam and Eve were spiritually connected to God, it was paradise. They wanted for nothing. God was their “caregiver”, and he wants to be our caregiver. Why? So he can abundantly bless us. Jesus stated it this way, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
When we put Him first and humbly submit ourselves to his will for our lives, Psalm 37:4 tells us, “Delight yourselves with the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Nothing pleases God more than our desire to spend time with Him, and as the psalm promises, “he will give us the desires of our heart.” Not because we are “giving to get”, or trying to earn His favor, but because our heart is saying “Thank you God, for your Gift of Grace.” “Thank you Jesus for what you did for me”. This is the humble heart that God desires.
So…do you have a humble heart? Is your motivation in pleasing God to say “Thank you for what you did for me?”
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May God Bless ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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