I feel like I’ve just been pranked. I just sat here for twenty minutes journaling, and my computer decided to shut down and reconfigure. I was just about to type “Blessings to you”, when it all disappeared. Ugh! I didn’t worry too much because when it has happened before all my information just popped back up as if nothing had happened. Ha! Not this time. All the web pages were still open, and the verses were still even highlighted. But my twenty minutes of typing was gone. Gone! I wanted to cry. I did moan a couple of times, but then…it was as if God said, “Hey! You just typed about not worrying, so don’t.” Okay, God, you got me. A lesson learned before I even start my day.
In Matthew 6:25-7:12, Jesus tells us five simple, just often hard to do, rules to follow:
- Put God first! (Do this and everything else will fall into place.)
- Don’t worry! (God’s got this.)
- No judging of others! (Ouch! I know I don’t need anyone judging me, so I have no room to do the same.)
- Have an effective prayer life! (Ask, Seek, and Knock. He is waiting on you.)
- Follow the “Golden Rule”.
Oh, I’m quite sure that God will give me plenty more “life lessons” throughout the day regarding these rules. He’s off to a pretty good start. J I just hope that you’ll join me in practicing these rules, so we won’t have so many lessons to be learned. Imagine if we all practiced these rules how much “kinder and gentler” our world would be.
Prayer: “Dear Lord, I love you. Again, thank You for teaching me and making me apply Your word to my life. I pray that I will focus today, and every day, on putting You first, not worrying about “stuff”, not judging others, and practicing treating others the way I want to be treated. Amen.”
Blessings to you!
(Believe me….I pushed the “save” button this time. J)
Matthew 6:25-7:12
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Put God’s Kingdom First
25 “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? 27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. 29 But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 30 If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!
31 “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.
Be Careful About Criticizing Others
7 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. 2 If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others.
3 “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? 4 Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. 5 You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.
6 “Don’t give something that is holy to dogs. They will only turn and hurt you. And don’t throw your pearls to pigs. They will only step on them.
Ask God for What You Need
7 “Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.
9 “Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock? 10 Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not! 11 You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him.
A Very Important Rule
12 “Do for others what you would want them to do for you. This is the meaning of the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.
January 9