Having a Kingdom Attitude 18a

Our next passage is Matthew 6:25-34, and our subject is worry. The cause of most of our stress in life is what we choose to worry about in life. When you look at all of God's creatures, who are the only ones that worship other gods, especially the gods of money and wealth? The lure of wealth and money has created a characteristic only seen in humans - worry and anxiety; and it is from worry and anxiety we have all sort of physical, mental, and emotional sickness. Jesus mentions the word "worry" six times in Matt. 6:25-34. The word worry or anxious speaks to the heart of self concern. The word in the Greek has implications of being pulled or drawn in different directions (very stressful). John MacAuther states, "Worry is a sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other."

In this passage, Jesus teaches us that Christians will not be overwhelmed by worry when they always seek to live according to God's kingdom rules. Let us look at this passage and note what worry does to our lives; or rather what worry takes away. First, worry steals our perspective of what God's best is for our lives (6:25,27). To God, our lives are more important that food and fashion; yet we fall into the sin of worry when we try to take control of our own lives. Second, worry steals our worth (6:26,28-30). The Bible states that we are more valuable to God than birds or flowers; in fact the Father values His children above any created thing. Worry distorts the way you understand your worth to God. Third, worry steals our faith (6:30b). Worry says of God, "I don't think I can trust you with this matter in my life." Worry also chokes out spiritual growth (Matt. 13:22) and is an enemy to humility. Peter writes, "Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God...casting all your anxiety on Him..." (1 Peter 5:6-7) We can learn to depend on Christ for all our needs, or we can choose to live a stressed-fill life. Next time we will look at two other areas of our life that worry tends to prey on. Until then, keep walking close with Christ.

Having a Kingdom Attitude 17

Our next step in this journey through the Beatitudes is Matthew 6:19-24. Jesus addresses the subject of money. I guess no other topic is the source of more stress than money. No one is surprise to hear that the number one reason for divorces and church splits is money. There are many "Christians" today who are moments away from walking away from family, friends, job, church, and maybe even God because of the stressors that arise from the misuse or lack of money. In this passage, Jesus will teach His disciples the proper way to view and use wealth and materialism without getting any ulcers. The key principle taught can only be lived out in a live of a mature Christian, and that lesson is: "One who values relationship with God over all material possession is genuinely committed to the Kingdom of God."

Money or material goods were given to us by God, not to be the cause of stress but rather to be used to bless our neighbors and our God. Yet in this passage Jesus points out the pitfalls that come from the pursuit of money and materialism in these following verses. First, materialism will enslave our heart (6:19-21). All earthy possessions are temporal while all heavenly investments are secure. Yet the issue at the heart of the matter is in what place is our heart's desire. The second pitfall to wealth is the fact that materialism will enslave our mind (6:22-23). If we have a "self-focused eye" with money, that will only bring us darkness; while a "God focused eye brings light." The third pitfall to wealth is that materialism will enslave our will (6:24). If our will is bent on accumulating wealth, we will be miserable. Yet if our will is given over to pleasing God, then we will experience great satisfaction and a less stressed life. Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.

Having a Kingdom Attitude 16

There is plenty of statistics found from secular university research that proves that prayers, chatting, yoga, and various forms of meditation can lower one's blood pressure and provide a person a less stressful life. While having a prayer life is note-worthy, I believe that for most who participate in religious activities, their prayer life has become a very stressful activity. If prayer is not properly understood and practiced, then the outcome can be more harmful to the body than good. In Matthew 6:9-15 & Luke 11:2-4, Jesus gives His disciples a glimpse of what a healthy prayer looks like. God has made prayer to be the "spiritual DNA" for the life of a Christian. Just as the composition of DNA consist of two long polymers called nucleotides, jointed together by smaller strains called ester bonds; so too prayer is main up of two main strains held together by six components. If these strains are missing, compromised, or not complete, then our prayer life will have major problems. In these verses we see that the two main strains of a healthy prayer are: Seeking only to Honor God (6:9-10) and Seeking only to Depend on God (6:11-15).

In the first strain we have three components: We pray in order to honor God's name, His kingdom, and His will. If your prayer request is missing one or all three, then you are praying a prayer that is not pleasing to God; simply put, it is a sick prayer. Every time we get on our face before God, our desire should be that every petition and request bring only honor to God's name, His kingdom, and be in line with His will for our lives. In the second strain, we too have three more components: We depend on God for our physical needs, for His forgiveness of personal sin, and His protection from prevailing evil. A healthy prayer is one that focuses on our dependence on God, not on what I can get out of God. My desire as a Christians should be to rely completely on God to take care of my personal needs. Humble myself to always seek God's forgiveness for my sin. Recognize my frailty and God's sovereignty over all, and call God's attention to keep my heart always focus on His way for my life. As a Christian, if my prayer life is healthy, then I will live a less stressed life in this world. Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.

Having a Kingdom Attitude 15

As we journey with Jesus through the sermon on the Mt., we are reminded that walking in God's Word is a sure way of having a less-stressed life. I am not saying that our obedience to God's Word eliminates all our problems in this world, but rather it provides peace of mind. When your relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit is right, then your life is in the best possible position. In Matthew 5:5-8;16-18, Jesus will teach his children how they are to pray and fast. Again, we are reminded that if these actions are done with the right motives, then the blessings received will be great. Jesus teaches us that we must pray and fast, but only if our motives and attitudes promote God's glory and not our own flesh. The example used by Jesus is the religious crowd themselves who did all these "spiritual acts" only to be seen and heard by men. We ought to learn that when we pray, it is not about "repetition" but rather about the condition of our hearts that matter to God. Christians are expected to give, pray, and fast; but the question we ought to ask ourselves is "Why are we doing what we are doing?"

Jesus goes on to instruct us that the proper way of praying and fasting is to first, do it in secret before praying in public. This means we have no right to pray out loud in public if we do not have a private, prayer-closet life. Second, we should pray with sincerity. It is not about the quantity of words we use, like the hypocrites, but rather the quality of those words. Third, when we fast, act normal. The religious crowd wanted the lights, camera, and news media nearby to watch their religious acts. Christ teaches us to fast for God's eyes only. It is His opinion of us that matters most. With these three fundamental acts of worship, we will be tempted to promote self over glorifying Christ. Let us all be on guard that the things we do to worship Christ are done in a matter that bring glory to Him alone. And if this is our motivation, then our life will be less stressful. Until next time, keep walking close with Christ.

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.

Having a Kingdom Attitude 12

One of the most stressful situations of life is when a couple goes through a divorce. While there are some who leave their marriage with an attitude of "good riddance", most leave with great stress, almost equal to a death in the family. Stress is not confined to the individual alone, the shock waves of divorce can devastate parents, family and friends, and especially the children. Yet, every hundreds of couple each day choose to walk down this path - a path of great stress.

Well, Jesus talks about marriage and divorce in Matthew 5:31-32 & Matthew 19:1-9. As we read these verses it is clear that Jesus is opposed to divorce, why? Because just like life and Scripture, Jesus will always chose the side of marriage over divorce. In Jesus' days, the religious leaders treated divorce as common as drinking water, but Jesus taught marriage to be an institution ordained by God, and its purpose was to last till death separates one spouse from the other (19:6). As we look at these passages we see three things about divorce and marriage. First, divorce was never God's plan for man (Matt. 19:4-6). God's plan was for husband and wife to live in a relationship guided by Him and fueled by their self-denial and self-giving to each other. Second, divorce is always sinful for man (Matt. 19:7-8). There has not been one divorce where sin was not the underlying reason for it. Whether, selfishness, adultery, abuse, or neglect...all those reasons point to a sinful heart. Third, divorce is allowed only by God's grace (Matt. 19:9, 1 Cor. 7:12-15). Because of certain sins (sexual immorality & desertion) that severely break the one-union marriage covenant, God does allow divorce & remarriage to be granted. Notice, the exceptions are not reasons to quickly get a divorce, but a Christian is commanded to make every effort to forgive and seek restoration of their marriage. It is when the offending spouse continues to engage in constant, unrepeated behavior in which permission is granted. I would also argue that "unfaithfulness to the marriage covenant" includes sexual and physical abuse in the relationship. Scripture is clear that God expects us to choose life above any moral law.
In closing, let me make five points about marriage & divorce: 1. The church should defend Christian marriage at all cost. 2. Christians should not search Scripture trying to find an "out" for marriage, but rather seek forgiveness and restoration. 3. Divorce should always be the last resort. 4. God hates all divorce; He also hates abusive, manipulative, self-centered, and unholy marriages. 5. Christians should never trivialize marriage or divorce. They should strive to strength marriages as well as minister to those who are going through the grieving and stressful outcome of divorce. Until next time, keep walking close with Christ.