Wednesday 31 December 2014
Tuesday 30 December 2014
KINGDOM STRATEGY THINKING-PLAYING THE LONG GAME
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
This passage prompts me to ask the following questions.
-Who is my master?
-Which master am I really serving?
-Self?
-The pride of life?
-My ..this, my...that?
-What exactly is in my heart?
-What am I dwelling on consciously or subconsciously?
This red letter word in Matthew 6:19-24 is saying, I have to choose who to serve, and that what I choose may not be serving God as I ought to. The one who created me, expects me to make choices that serve His purpose. My choices may find me in direct conflict with the will of God for me.
I am to store up eternal treasures that are imperishable as opposed to earthly, physical treasures that are subject to destruction . It is important what kind of treasures I store up, because that will determine where my heart will be focussed.
My 'eye' as a lamp to my body determines whether or not my perceptions and belief system will lead me to the inflowing of God's light, or the absence of it, which is darkness.
In meditating on this word, my thoughts are that God's light seeks to illuminate the darkness of my inner man, and this process is ushered in by the choices I make.
Therefore, I must be intentional and deliberate about what I seek, what I allow my eye to see. i.e the 'eyes' of my understanding. I must guard jealously, what I expose myself to in thought , word and deed, as these actions lead me along particular paths. Which paths am I on as evidenced by my thoughts , my words and my deeds?
Later on in this chapter, there is a powerfully compelling command.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33 | NIV
This is an instruction that implores me to seek the things with a heavenly kingdom oriented mind. This may appear to be counter intuitive and may not come naturally, due to the power of the flesh and its desires. I need to self check so that I am not motivated by all sorts of internal pressures, promptings and things that are limited by the here and now. This is the kind of sight that will not usher in the light of God.
Seeking His kingdom first requires dying to self, this is an often painful process that demands
God is saying that I should not be satisfied with plucking the low hanging fruit because I must invest in Kingdom currency which is His will for me, it pleases God, and is my purpose here on earth.
This is consistent with other words of Jesus which speak to His desire that we 'die to self' and that we live for the benefit of others. In summary, I am to yield myself to the things of God that He has predestined for me .
Then and only then will ' the other things be added unto me as well'
Micah 6:8 says
He has shown you, O mortal , what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Prayer for myself and the readers of this blog:
May we listen to Our God the awesome teacher!
He shows, He speaks, He demonstrates, He encourages, He commands, He instructs.
As we move towards the close of the year, I pray that we will listen to what God is teaching us in this passage. May Kingdom oriented thinking be our portion in Jesus name!
Amen!
This passage prompts me to ask the following questions.
-Who is my master?
-Which master am I really serving?
-Self?
-The pride of life?
-My ..this, my...that?
-What exactly is in my heart?
-What am I dwelling on consciously or subconsciously?
This red letter word in Matthew 6:19-24 is saying, I have to choose who to serve, and that what I choose may not be serving God as I ought to. The one who created me, expects me to make choices that serve His purpose. My choices may find me in direct conflict with the will of God for me.
I am to store up eternal treasures that are imperishable as opposed to earthly, physical treasures that are subject to destruction . It is important what kind of treasures I store up, because that will determine where my heart will be focussed.
My 'eye' as a lamp to my body determines whether or not my perceptions and belief system will lead me to the inflowing of God's light, or the absence of it, which is darkness.
In meditating on this word, my thoughts are that God's light seeks to illuminate the darkness of my inner man, and this process is ushered in by the choices I make.
Therefore, I must be intentional and deliberate about what I seek, what I allow my eye to see. i.e the 'eyes' of my understanding. I must guard jealously, what I expose myself to in thought , word and deed, as these actions lead me along particular paths. Which paths am I on as evidenced by my thoughts , my words and my deeds?
Later on in this chapter, there is a powerfully compelling command.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33 | NIV
This is an instruction that implores me to seek the things with a heavenly kingdom oriented mind. This may appear to be counter intuitive and may not come naturally, due to the power of the flesh and its desires. I need to self check so that I am not motivated by all sorts of internal pressures, promptings and things that are limited by the here and now. This is the kind of sight that will not usher in the light of God.
Seeking His kingdom first requires dying to self, this is an often painful process that demands
submission of my self will.
God is saying that I should not be satisfied with plucking the low hanging fruit because I must invest in Kingdom currency which is His will for me, it pleases God, and is my purpose here on earth.
This is consistent with other words of Jesus which speak to His desire that we 'die to self' and that we live for the benefit of others. In summary, I am to yield myself to the things of God that He has predestined for me .
Then and only then will ' the other things be added unto me as well'
Micah 6:8 says
He has shown you, O mortal , what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Prayer for myself and the readers of this blog:
May we listen to Our God the awesome teacher!
He shows, He speaks, He demonstrates, He encourages, He commands, He instructs.
As we move towards the close of the year, I pray that we will listen to what God is teaching us in this passage. May Kingdom oriented thinking be our portion in Jesus name!
Amen!
Tuesday 23 December 2014
Saturday 6 December 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)