Category Archives: Matthew

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:24-25

Dear God, some translation separate these two verses from each other and act like Jesus is starting a new thought in His sermon. For example, the NIV puts a heading between them that says, “Do Not Worry.” But they need to go together. The worship of money becomes worrying about money. The worship of relationship becomes worrying about relationship, becomes co-dependency, becomes jealousy, etc. Substitute whatever god you want for money and the result is the same. Worship of your god becomes worry in how to keep your god.

All of this is true except when it comes to my real God. I never worry about losing you. Sure, a perverted view of you might make someone get angry if they perceive you are doing more for someone else than you are for them, but, overall, a life spent truly worshiping you will give peace.

Father, as I examine the things in my life that worry me, I guess the first thing I should ask myself is if I am worshiping them. Now the answer isn’t always yes. There are legitimate things that should concern me like caring for relatives or neighbors in need. But I need to be careful to not become codependent with those things. I have a relative going through an extremely difficult situation right now. It would be easy to deep dive into their problems at an unhealthy level, but I think my wife and I are keeping each other healthy and balanced through the process. But help me to recognize when I turn my worship from you and place it on something or someone else. You are the only God who truly loves me and can bring me peace.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Matthew 7:7-11

Dear God, this has always been one of this problematic passages. It can be misinterpreted or misused. But I think the thing it does, on a macro level, is set up the parameters of our relationship with you. I would imagine the people listening to this never really saw you as their father. They probably saw you as the big God in the sky who didn’t really care about them as individuals, but who expected worship from them. But this talk set up something different. It set up a new paradigm for relationship with their God.

I guess in some ways, maybe the people then didn’t understand that they could have a personal relationship with you. I wonder how many people around me feel that way even now. I have been praying to you on a personal level for so long, I think I forget that others don’t see you like I see you. Or I forget that the idea of seeing you as being like their father is a bad thing.

So, my Father, please help me to be more sensitive to the people around me and express your love for them as individuals. Help me to be courageous and insert myself into situations that need your presence. Help me to be a catalyst for the Holy Spirit to intervene in precious lives around me. Help me to not sin in the things I fail to do.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

Matthew 7:12

Dear God, this is one of those verses that we see all day of the time, but it is hard to know the depths of what it really means or asks us to do.

I think that one misconception stems from the word “do.” “Do to others…” can be misinterpreted as acting upon someone else. But it can also be receiving from others as well. Sometimes someone else needs me to get over my pride and receive help when I am in a tough situation. They watch me struggle, try to help, and then I reject it. It would frustrate me greatly if I were in their place, trying to help in the midst of a storm and not being allowed. But there I go with my pride, rejecting help.

One of the interesting things about fundraising for a nonprofit is the idea that my livelihood and the livelihoods of my coworkers and the healthcare of our patients relies on me being willing to ask for and receive help from others. When I was younger, I had missionary friends who raised support. I used to be (and still am) a donor to them. But I swore I’d never do that myself. Well, look at me now.

Father, help me to be willing to accept the help that you send to me. If I’m praying for your solution to something, help me to embrace it when it arrives. Help me to do to that person who is trying to help me what I would want them to do to me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 6:19-21

Dear God, this is one of those verses we talk about a lot as humans. Even if we don’t know these particular verses we will try to teach our children that there are more important things than money. But do we really believe that?

If you read stories of lottery winners, it seems an overwhelming majority end up worse off after winning millions of dollars than they were before when they had little. And yet, a lot of people but lottery tickets hoping to be the one. A lot of people will completely judge how our country is doing based on the stock market’s performance even though there are so many other aspects to a society (crime, Healthcare, foreign relations, etc.) that directly impact people as opposed to this one measure. Even everyday people like me tend to compare ourselves to others financially and try to figure out how we measure up to the person next door. We even cover their money, not realizing that their spiritual life is nonexistent and that they have no peace (I’m not saying rich people can’t have fulfilled lives—I’m saying that we tend to only use their money as our basis for comparing ourselves with them).

Father, I want to turn loose of any love of Money that remains me me. Usually, a good cure for that is to give it away, but what I’m talking about is a little different. I’m not talking about trying to put the stockpiling of money my priority. I’m talking about not letting Money be part of my evaluation regarding how someone or our society is doing. I want to see the world with your eyes. I want to have your wisdom and vision. I want to love with your love.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ”

Matthew 3:1-2

Dear God, I saw a video this morning from an advent series that I’ve been watching when I wake up. This one talked about a John the Baptist, how he was preparing the way, and if we shouldn’t be asking ourselves how we can help others prepare for the coming of Jesus this Christmas season. I thought that was a pretty good question/thought, so I decided to talk to you about it.

I went to Target last night to purchase a Christmas ornament for an ornament exchange my wife and I are doing with our church group today. I was looking for something with a spiritual flavor (since this was my church group and all), but the ONLY ornament that had even slight spiritual overtones was a boxy-looking church. Everything else was elves, toys, and Star Wars characters. I was stunned.

Movies I enjoy, like Elf and The Santa Clause, for a few years now (and it didn’t start there because Miracle on 34th Street had the same message) have focused on people believing in the Christmas Spirit and Santa. There is probably a role for all Christians to play in preparing the way for Christ this Christmas.

Father, show me what to do about this in each moment. Show me how to be an encouragement to others and how to do my part to usher in the Christmas season. Help me to be your ambassador for light, holiness, peace, love, and repentance.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

Matthew 2:1-3

Dear God, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the part of the story where not only Herod was bothered by the news of Jesus’ birth, but everyone else in Jerusalem was also. I wonder how they would have felt if they had know how the next 33 years would unfold.

That’s one of my problems. I take what I see happening in my present and I allow myself to layer on top of it my incorrect suppositions about the future. It goes back to the lesson I am still learning from the 15th letter in C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, when Screwtape tells Wormwood, in essence, whatever you do keep your human preoccupied with the future. Whether he thinks it will be heaven on earth of hell on earth, make him think about that instead of thinking about the present because the present is the one point in time that interfaces with eternity and The Enemy (God).” In the case of this Bible story, Herod’s response was to see a threat and try to overcome prophecy. What are my responses.

Father, help me to handle each thing that comes across my life today well. Help me to handle it in the moment and not try to layer my own expectations on it. Help me to seek your presence and counsel as I work to do what is within your will to bring you glory and invite your kingdom to come and your will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

Matthew 25:14-30 NIV

[14] “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. [15] To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. [16] The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. [17] So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. [18] But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. [19] “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. [20] The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ [21] “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ [22] “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ [23] “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ [24] “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. [25] So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ [26] “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? [27] Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. [28] “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. [29] For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. [30] And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Dear God, I have to confess that I’ve never liked this story. I guess that, on the face of it, I do not like the master and I think the guy with one talent was treated unfairly. What if he didn’t have the ability or knowledge to double the talent? Yes, he could have simply banked it for some interest, but I still don’t think he deserved to be booted outside where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then there’s the master. He harvests where he has not sown and gathers sheer he has not planted seeds. What is that about? I just don’t like this at all.

But then I try to consider this within the context of a spiritual life. Applying the metaphor to my life, do I bury myself, take myself out of circulation and only worry about my own survival until your return, or do I invest myself in the lives of others? Do you only seek those who are your children, or do you harvest and gather among the gentiles too? Maybe this story isn’t so bad after all if I change the example of money to be lives instead.

Father, I don’t know how much you think you’ve given me, but I do want to be faithful with it. Help me to be what you need me to be for everyone my life touches so that I might bring you as much glory as possible.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

Matthew 5:11-12 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Dear God, I think that 21st century Americans misinterpret the meaning of blessing. This passage, for example, says that you will bless me if people persecute me and lie about me for my faith. We’d like to think that means, Oh boy! Someone is picking on me for my faith. It’s present time!! But that’s not the blessing you give and it’s not the present we should want. 

The presents you give are love, joy, peace, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, patience, and self control. When we are pressed, that enables you to manifest the fruits of the Spirit in us. Without struggling to submit ourselves to you it is hard to ever develop these gifts. 

Father, I am about to meet a group of people with whom I am about to spend the next 6 days. I have no idea what is in store for me socially with them or physically on this tour we are about to do. But I simply ask that you help me turn loose of my neediness to be liked and help me to simply represent you in the absolute most loving way that I can. 

In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen