More From Jesus

A few weeks ago I simply shared the 5th chapter of Matthew. Chapters 5, 6, & 7 of Matthew contain the Sermon on the Mount. A great deal of Jesus' teachings are given in what has been called "the greatest sermon ever preached." These 3 chapters have been the focus of my personal time of scripture that I try to engage in daily. Here is Chapter 6.
Be Blessed!
Michael

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
"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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 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, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Weekly Grind - Thunder Rolls

Twelve years ago, I needed a car with good mileage for a 104-mile round trip commute to work. Knowing that I would be putting a lot of miles on this car, I really considered it to be disposable. I'm also pretty cheap anyway, so I was looking for something inexpensive. No bells and whistles, just basic transportation. What I found has become "Blue Thunder."

After years of high mileage daily trips for me and then Sherri, our daughter Brooke drove it during high school. That's where the name came from. It is blue and it has quite a few and shakes as well. Then I got Thunder back. Then Alex drove it for a while. Then Sherri again. And then me again. A couple of years ago, the mileage rolled over 200,000. Through all this, we have never had to do any major mechanical repairs. Now there are plenty of things that don't work, most notably the air conditioner for the last couple of years, but it just keeps rolling. I may sound like I'm joking when I say I'll drive it until the wheels fall off. But I'm serious. Then I'll put the wheels back on and see how far it goes after that.

I don't drive it nearly as much as I used to since I got a motorcycle. But when it is really rainy, really cold, or the dreaded combination of the two, I roll in Thunder. If I need to haul some stuff around or take my bicycle or kayak somewhere, Thunder is ready. Not very pretty, not all that comfortable, but ready to take me and my stuff where I want to go.

In the last few years, Thunder has taken on some ministry work. For a few individuals and a couple of families, Thunder was a way to get around when they were in a bind. She just started a new gig this week. I heard a friend's car had quit on him. When I offered Thunder, his reaction was, "Are you SERIOUS?" I assured him I was. This little car of mine, which could be accurately called a "pile of junk." is making someone's life closer to normal right now.

This has been a response to groups of Christians I know who live in shared community. They share a house and living expenses with each other and their neighborhood, trying to live closer to the ideas that Jesus taught and the early Christians attempted of "holding all things in common, that none would be in need." One said, "when somebody shows up with a car, we're like 'Woo! Hoo! We've got a car!"

I've had Blue Thunder appraised to see what its worth. It is technically worthless in the automotive market. The few hundred bucks I might be able to get for it is nothing compared to what it means to someone who needs it, including me. I'm not interested in ever having another car payment or a full coverage insurance bill. Many of the things that we consider necessities are simply earthly desires. These desires take a toll on our ability to lead a life as Christ taught. Blue Thunder actually fills many worthwhile roles while also being somewhat of an inspiration in my opinion.

Find your way to serve. You may feel small, weak, or worn out, but you have a purpose that is exactly what someone else needs. Make some choices that make you uncomfortable. Not for the sake of discomfort, but for the sake of others.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Weekly Grind - Schedules & Deep Roots

Between my phone alarm and Google Calendar (which sends me text reminders) I have a lot of reminders to stay connected to my personal spiritual practices throughout the day, week, month, and year. These include prayer, reading scripture, meditation, devotionals, worship, fellowship, retreat, and fasting. I'm not a stickler for specific times, but I do notice when I'm trying to do too much or not getting enough.

My buddy Steve Heyduck posted a blog in which he shares that watering your lawn is best done with occasional deep watering. This encourages deep roots and the ability to survive times of drought. He then asks how we might use this in regard to our spirituality.

Tying into that: we've got an ivy that I gave to Sherri over a decade ago. She has killed many plants over the years and this was the hardiest one I could find. It survived our initial neglect and eventually I started making clippings to spread to other pots. The original plant has now been spread to at least 12 different planters in various states of health. I've got them spread all around the house, my office, and the youth room at church. I've over-watered several of them, killed several along the way, and have some that just keep thriving in the right combination of light & watering. The occasional watering seems to be the most successful. Whenever I see them wilting, I water, & they bounce back; seemingly even stronger. The vine thickens and the leaves are broader. So apparently a little thirst does them some good.

In whatever ministry we find ourselves connected to, we do need to find a balance between doing too much and doing too little. Neither properly serves those we seek to serve. And if our own spiritual depth is lacking, we must change. Initially for ourselves, but further to have the strength to serve those to whom we are called. Serving is not a substitute for minding our own spiritual health, though it can be part of the process. And personal spiritual strength is not fully realized if we don't serve.

Be Blessed!
Michael