Category: QuietTimes

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light, but if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness!” Matthew 6:20-23 ->me: I have been chewing on these verses for 3 days now and here is the short version of what the Lord has revealed to me.  The translation of the Greek word used for ‘sound’ (Haplous) actually more closely translates to ‘Single’.  There is another variant of the that Greek word (Haplotes) that can also mean generosity.  This whole passage on the eye being the lamp of the body is about the undivided loyalty to God alone.  There seems to be a deliberate double-entendre here, with haplous taking up not only the theme of undivided loyalty (single focused) but also that of detachment from material concern, hence of generosity.  Now you pair this with verse 20 on ‘where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’ really drives home that my purpose must be to center my navigation reticle on Jesus, and through generosity of spirit be willing to let go of those things I call ‘my possessions’ and give them to the Lord’s work.  In doing this, my investments are being made in eternity; not in anything here on earth which will fade away.

“And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy and sour and dreary like the hypocrites, for they put on a dismal countenance, that their fasting may be apparent to and seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full already.  But when you fast, perfume your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may not be noticed by men but by your Father, Who sees in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.” Matthew 6:16-18 ->me: Happy Easter!! Our family had the wonderful opportunity to witness the baptism of my uncle along with what seemed like ~25 other people in the one service we went to at Northshore Community Church.  I can not think of a better way to usher in and remember the Risen Lord than to witness the burial and resurrection of so many people.  Additionally to understand what this means for my uncle is so precious.  This caution on fasting is the last of this section from Jesus on being careful in the state of my heart when exercising deeds through faith.  The one and only recipient of the glory in everything we do must be God alone.  When Jesus talks about storing up treasures in heaven (psst. this is next in my reading…) by doing His work, He is saying that no treasure is stored in heaven for effort expended here on earth when glory sought is for oneself; your treasure is already rewarded in the receipt of the glory.  It brings so much meaning to the phase ‘whoever makes much of Me before men, I will make much of him before My Father’.

“For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 ->me: These 2 verses follow the Lord’s prayer and it seems that Jesus is adding more detail to this section ‘and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors’.  This really drives home that none of us can escape guilt.  I would almost tend to read it this way ‘since your heavenly Father has so greatly forgiven you all of your sin, through the price of the shed blood of His Son on the cross, then there is no individual who does not deserve the same type of forgiveness from you’. The parable of the King forgiving the debts of the attendant in Matthew 18:23–35 gives the perfect picture of this.  If you remember the story, the King forgave one of his attendants of an obscene amount of money but then that attendant refused to forgive one of his own servants for a small amount of money they owed him (had him sent to jail until payment was remitted). The king having heard what happened, in turn chastised the attendant and had him tortured and thrown into jail himself.  There can be no question, of course, that my forgiving being in proportion to what I am forgiven.

“Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors.  And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13 ->me: Reading the Lord’s prayer today, I realized I missed some important aspects to think about from my QT yesterday.  1) When I ask for what I need, I only ask for that provision for ‘today’.  2) My debts can be translated ‘sins’, eg. ‘forgive my sins towards You God as I also for give people of their sins against me’.  3) The commentaries mostly point to the fact that the words used for ‘temptation’ in this case more closely translate to ‘testing’.  This would make sense because the disciples would want to be spared from testing in their most vulnerable areas.  4) ‘Protect us from’ is not the same as ‘deliver us from’ the evil one.  Jesus knew that I am in control of my own choices, so it stands to reason that I would fall into the snares of the evil one on occasion.  Thus, delivery from the evil one when this happens.  Finally, one additional thing that I would add to yesterday’s list of ‘When I pray’ items is ‘Thankfulness’.  There are many other passages (especially Paul) that talk about thankfulness being a part of our prayer life.  I believe that Jesus’ primary point is not the exact prayer He lays out but more as an example of brevity in response to verse 7.

“But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.  And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:6-8 ->me: Prayer is: Necessary, Deliberate, Selfless in perception, Worship – For God’s glory, an avenue to make requests, our confessional, concise, and private – between me and God.  When I pray -> I recognize Who God is and forget who I am.  When I pray -> I open up my heart in recognition of my filthiness and accept God’s grace in the Justification I have been given at the price of the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus.  When I pray -> I respectfully ask for God’s hand in the affairs and circumstances I am prayerful about.  I make requests based on my perceived needs but immediately reinforce that it is God’s will and purposes I desire to be completed fully.  When I pray -> I ask God for the strength to endure when the will of God causes me to persevere an earthly hardship.  When I pray -> I ask that the Lord would help me see His teaching in my trials; and then request the inner fortitude to adhere to what I have been taught.  When I pray -> I close with the knowledge and understanding that Jesus is right there representing me the to Father…being my Intercessor knowing personally the earthly struggles I am in.

“[JESUS]TAKE CARE not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward with and from your Father Who is in heaven. Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.” Matthew 6:1-2 ->me: Before the Lord called me into this season in my life – I was one of these people who sought recognition from giving. Whether it was including my name on giving through work avenues or charitable giving through the church. I loved ‘knowing’ that I would be seen as an upstanding person in the eyes of the receiver and processor…and that was my reward paid in full. In these last 3 years that God has really taken ahold of my life I now see the pride and self idolatry in those acts. What is interesting is that this verse, on face value, seems to conflict with Matthew 5:16 – but the focus in this passage is on what follows -> Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. There is a world of difference between living a conspicuously good and godly life (5:13-16) and striving to gain reputation for piety. The difference is not only in the motive, but in the result; the former brings glory to God, the latter only to the performer. When I show-off I get what I have earned -> the approval of men. The quality of God’s reward in heaven is not even comparable to the earthly reward of the approval of men. When I give with a desire to be seen by men, what I am really showing is my lack of reverence, joy, and hope in an eternity with Jesus.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.” Matthew 5:13 ->me: I cannot recall the number of times that I have read these passages from the sermon on the mount. However, at this time in my spiritual walk, they are taking renewed meaning. I can see the power of these words in action when my heart is devoted to the glorification of God alone. Salt -> A seasoning used to increase the flavor of food and make it more palatable. The Greek word for ‘lost its taste’ is actually directly translated to ‘become foolish’. If I allow myself to fit in with the world around me to the point where I am not distinguishable in society through my faith, works, and walk, then I have lost my saltiness and am only good for de-icing sidewalks and roads. When I am confronted with a decision to operate as the world does, separate from the instruction of the One Who saved me, I must act in way that is obedient to His word. As a believer, I AM salt (“You ARE the salt of the earth”) -> so what does it mean to lose my ‘saltness’? I think it means to allow myself to become diluted by succumbing to the ways of the world and to ignore the influences of the Holy Spirit in my life. The moment we allow our flesh to accept something the world has to offer, that is counter to God’s word, the de-salinization process has begun. What I must do to stay salty -> 1) my delight must be in the law of the Lord, 2) I must be in all out war against the temptations of the flesh, 3) my mind must consistently be listening for God’s call to help others, 4) I must stop and pray for God’s wisdom and patience when the going gets tough, 5) I must remember that this is not my home; that I am an alien here. Finally, I must be on my knees in prayer (‘A Call to Prayer’ kind of prayer).

“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 ->me: What beautiful words are these?! The last 5 Beatitudes are all about the one thing…killing PRIDE. The merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, and the downtrodden. These are all attributes that require humility and self-control. I feel like I am growing in my self-control but my pride is the bane of my existence. It causes me not to run to the feet of my Lord when I am ashamed and guilty, it causes me to with hold grace from people who deserve it far more than I, and it drives me to self-sufficiency which God hates with a passion. BUT…what if I am able to get ahold of this through the power of God’s Spirit within me? Well, verse 12 tells me -> that the reward for the self-controlled, persevering, resolute in righteousness, peacemaker, pure in heart, and merciful will have their GREAT reward in heaven. I get so worked up over the things of this world: my job (pride), my reputation (pride), my comfort (pride), and accomplishments (pride). What if the same ‘worked up’ happened over my church, the lost, the poor, the hurting, the sick, and the people around me who need to hear of the redeeming Salvation of my Savior. What kind of change for the Kingdom might I have with the sole goal of glorifying YAHWEH, the God of all things.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 ->me: Today was all about the Beatitudes. What a great portion of scripture regarding the teaching of Jesus from the hillside where He sat to enlighten and encourage all who were there. In my bible this verse is boxed, highlighted, and has asterisks all around it. First though – “Blessed” is also how my life passage begins in Psalms 1:1-3 -> “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked [trimmed] but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” This is my daily plight…to commune with the Lord through His word. I have found my memorized scriptures to be a blessing on this trip and the Lord has rewarded me with a fellow brother in Christ who is here working for the Army. Today I was blessed to stand right there in the Tactical Operations Center of our project on Fort Pickett with this man of God discussing how God has used him in his life, trading POD cast channels, and discussing a little from yesterday’s quiet time. What a gift to be given in this time away from my family and support. Getting back to the verse…it is not enough to have momentary bursts of righteousness. I must hunger, crave, and thirst for what it means to be Christlike. When someone is hungry and thirsty, they do not stop until they have found the sustenance they need. I love how Jesus did not stop at “Blessed”, oh no, you will also be satisfied…I will find the nourishment I seek when I look to my Lord and Savior for it. He is the only one who can provide lasting and complete contentment.