A speck of dust

A speck of dust

Scripture:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.“ Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces Matthew 7:1-6

Observation:

Coming to Chapter 7, our Lord now teaches us some very simple and logical lessons about judging others. Quite simply, He commands us not to judge, as in to condemn others in our minds because with the measure we judge others, we too will be judged the same way. This same vein is similar to how our Lord taught earlier:- forgive others that your Heavenly Father may forgive you.  

Our Lord then goes on to give us a very comical example of a man trying to take a speck of sawdust from his brother’s eye when he has a plank in his own eye. The Lord teaches us here to first look at our own shortcomings before rushing to judge others. It is only with the attitude of humility in knowing that we are all fallen sinners saved by grace that we can effectively help our others.

In concluding this subject, the Lord then gives us the curious illustration of being careful not to give dogs what is sacred or to throw pearls to pigs. Putting this in context, it seems to refer to situations where a person with some degree of maturity may genuinely try to correct the fault or misperception of another but his actions, instead of being gratefully received, is met with hostility and anger.

A great example of this was when Stephen the martyr taught wisdom and precious Word to the Jews but his listeners, instead of being repentant, turned on Stephen and stoned him to death. There is a time, place and method to impart wisdom and we need a spirit of discernment to adjudge whether our listeners will receive what we may tell them.

Application:

Some of us are too quick to judge others, in our family, in our workplace, and we even judge strangers in the restaurants and public places. The solution to curb a judgmental spirit is to in humility, considering others better than ourselves. In situations where we feel a calling to speak out, to share a word of correction perhaps, we need to be mindful of the Lord’s warning not to throw pearls to pigs or sacred things to dogs.

Prayer:

Praise thee, Lord Jesus, for the beauty and simplicity of Your teachings. Forgive me O Lord, for the many times I have been so quick to judge. Give me a humble spirit, to learn to reflect and know myself and my weaknesses that I may be able to help others gently yet effectively. In helping others, grant me, Heavenly Father, Thy spirit of discernment, that I may know the right person who will receive Your wisdom and the right time to speak. Bless thee, Heavenly Father. In Jesus name, Amen.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Worry not about tomorrow

Worry not about tomorrow

Scripture:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

Observation:

Straight after His teaching on storing treasures in Heaven, the Lord then moves on to a really lovely exposition on the important subject of worry. As human beings, we tend to worry a lot, about our lives, about what we will eat or drink or how healthy we are. Many, especially the fairer folk, pay a lot of attention to their clothes, how they will look, what others might think of them. The Lord tells us not to worry about these things but instead look around and observe the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.

If God in Heaven cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, even dressing them with great splendor, how much more will our Heavenly Father take care of our daily needs. Instead, daily, we are told to seek first our Father’s kingdom as well as His righteousness, and just entrust Him to take care of our needs. And the Lord closes this subject beautifully by telling us not to worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself, and each day has enough trouble of its own. We are to take life one day at a time, trusting God moment by moment, seeking His will, His righteousness.

Application:

Some of us may be currently plagued with great worries about the future. Let us remember that worrying can’t add a single hour to our lives. Instead, let us focus on today, this current moment. I have problems, yes. It could be health, it could be family, it could be work, finance, politics or a relationship. Let us choose to leave it to God day by day. Instead of worry, let us instead focus our mind and thoughts to our Heavenly Father. Let us ask God “What is Your will, Abba Father? Lead me in Your righteousness, precious Lord, this very moment.”

Prayer:

I praise thee,  Heavenly Father, for You hold all things in Your hands. I entrust my life to You, and all my worries I lay at Your feet. You are my Lord and God, and I will look to You for salvation. Day by day, let my heart depend on You, for You supply my every need, the food I eat, and the clothes I wear. I lack nothing because You, O Lord are with me. Help me focus always on Your will, Your kingdom, Your righteousness. Lead me Lord in Your eternal ways. In Jesus name, Amen.

Where your treasure is

Where your treasure is

Scripture:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

Observation:

After teaching on fasting, the Lord now focuses on the subject of riches. For many rich people, there is the strange paradox that the richer they become, the stingier they are. Now, there is nothing wrong with setting aside savings for a rainy day. That is good and prudent management of the resources that God gives us. However, in this passage, the imagery of storing up treasures on earth is more inclined towards someone who accumulates and accumulates as much wealth as he can, because of greed and pride. Later, our Lord tells us the parable of the rich man who stored up barns of wealth for himself and in his pride thought to himself how he had plenty for years and years to come, not knowing that his time was already up.

In just a few words, the Lord gives us the key lesson on wealth. Whatever wealth we accumulate on earth is only temporary, subject to destruction by moths and vermin, and to thieves who break in and steal. In today’s world, the thieves are not just the physical thieves of old, but high-level international thieves in the world financial market who manipulate governments, markets and economies using sophisticated plans, stealing quietly from the middle class and the poor whose every dollar become less and less valuable through inflation.

Instead, our Lord tells us to store up treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and thieves cannot break in and steal. We are taught here again that there are rewards and treasures in Heaven. Those who do good and serve the Lord earn treasures in Heaven. We cannot comprehend it here on earth now, but we can trust the Lord that whatever He has prepared for us in Heaven will be far more wonderful than whatever we could imagine on Earth. It is for us then to serve Him, to trust Him, to do good and give to the poor. Our part is to trust, and later, it is God’s part to reward according to His wisdom and justice.

Application: 

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This profound statement is relevant not only for money, but also everything in life. What is our treasure? For some, it could be “good” things like our health, our family, our hobbies. However, all those are also things that fade away. How do we know what our treasure is? It is by reflecting on how we spend our time, and on what we think about most of the time. That is where our heart is. If we shift our heart to be God-centered, we will find ourselves spending more and more time seeking to follow God’s will, and thinking about God’s will.

Reflect on the Scriptures read today, and see if we have become hoarders of treasures on earth while being stingy towards the poor, and towards God’s work. Reflect on the way we spend our time and what we think about. Ask God for a new heart to seek what truly matters, and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to set our hearts on God’s will rather than our own pleasures and ambitions.

Prayer:

Lord, so many times, my heart strays away, chasing after temporal and meaningless things. Forgive me O Lord, but lead me back to You always. Let my heart always be set before You, to put You first and let the other things of life recede in priority. May Your name alone be glorified first in my life I pray. In Jesus name, Amen.