Having a Kingdom Attitude 14

The next passage we will look at is Matthew 6:1-4, as Jesus begins speak on the discipline of giving. Money and stress go together. I guess it could be argued that money is the cause of much of the stresses in our lives. Jesus does not use this passage or any passage to bash money, but rather it is the selfish use of money and wealth that brings great harm to one's self. In this passage we will learn that Christians must give, but only if their motives and attitudes promote God's glory and not their own good works. If we are not careful, we can become so focused on trying to please people or receiving praise from giving that we lose out on the true blessing that one will receive from God when they give. Jesus instructed His disciples, as well as you and I to do three things before we give. These three points of examination will greatly reduce our stress in giving, as well as motive our heart to have the right attitude when we give to God.

First, when we give, examine our motives (6:2,16;23:5-7). Most of the religious' groups gave to be seen and honored by men. Jesus states that if this is your single purpose for giving, then you have lost your reward in heaven. A hypocrite will seek man's approval over God's. Second, when we give, examine our manner of giving (Matt. 6:3). The religious crowd gave to be in the spotlight. They were self-righteous, self-centered, and self-serving in their giving. Giving just to make oneself feel good is not God's intent for giving. This leads to the last point, when we give, do it only for God's glory (6:2-4; 1 Cor. 10:31). Jesus tells us to give in secret, that way we avoid the glamor from men, we please our heavenly Father, and we are used to meet real needs. We should always give from a grateful heart and for the glory of God. When we have this attitude with all our possessions, then we will have a less stressed life. Until next time, keep walking closely with Christ.

Having a Kingdom Attitude 13

The next session is Matthew 5:33-37, in where Jesus teaches His children, "You shall not make false vows....but let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil." We have learned that Jesus will always side with life, scriptures, and marriage; next we will see that Jesus will always side with truthful talk. A few years back a book was published called The Day America Told the Truth. In this book we read about surveys taken in America about this cultures fascination with lying. In this book, 91% of those surveyed said that they lie on a regular basis. 86% said they lie to their parents regularly. 75% said they lie regularly to their friends. 69% said they lie to their spouses. Lying is glorified in our culture, and yet we wonder why we are such a stressed out society. Deception and lying only fosters an environment of stress and high blood pressure. In Matthew, Jesus commands His children to speak only the truth, because He is the author and source of Truth (John 14:6).

We see in this passage that Jesus is teaching us that the citizens of God's Kingdom hold truth to be sacred in every conversation, at all times. Why? First, because all oaths were sacred acts of truth (5:33). In O.T., all vows and oaths were entered into with sincerity and sacredness. When when Jephthah made a foolish vow, he fulfilled it (Judges 11:29-40). Numbers 30:2 reads, "If a man makes a vow to the LORD...he shall not violate his world...". Second, we learn that all oaths invite God into your situation. When one makes a promise, "pinky swears", or swears on God's name that what they are saying is truth, they automatically are calling God into that promise - because God is Truth. And if that oath was a lie, then you are directly assaulting God's truthful character. Last, Jesus instructs us that every oath should flow from a truthful heart (5:37, James 5:12). We should not manipulate the truth or mask the truth, Christians are to be men and woman of the Truth. And if we purpose to live this way, then you a guaranteeing yourself a less stressed life. Until next time, keep walking close with Christ.