May 20th, 2018
Devotional
“Life Together: The Day Alone” -Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21
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Monday: “To Draw Their Attention” - Matthew 6:1
Sometimes we get into the habit of selectively reading scripture. For example, we read the first part of Matthew 6, verse 1, “Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people” and we stop right there. We take it as a warning, if not permission to, avoid praying in public or witnessing to other people about Jesus. We fail to read on, in order to discover the true heart of what Jesus is getting at, “to draw their attention.”
Jesus was speaking to a group of people where most of their faith was practiced in front of other people - for the synagogue was the center of communal life. It wasn’t about not practicing faith in public, it was about why you were practicing your faith in public. Are you doing it to draw attention to God or to yourself?
The same could be asked of us today. If we practice our faith in public, is it to bring glory to ourselves or to God? If we make our faith an entirely private matter, is that to lift up God’s name or out of our own fear? What is the heart behind our actions and intents?
Think of a time you selectively read scripture - what was the result?
Why do you do what you do when it comes to living out your faith?
Prayer: Jesus, we confess that often it is out of our ambitions and desires that we choose whether to publicly practice our faith or not. We admit that at times we have twisted scripture to make it fit for our choices instead of looking at the context and intent of what you are truly saying. Forgive us, O Lord. Help us to live our lives more fully for you. Amen.
Tuesday: “Whenever” - Matthew 6:2-4
Another way that we can sometimes twist and abuse this passage of scripture is to claim that it is telling us not to give to the poor. Notice today, the first word of verse 2. I am writing this devotional using the Common English version of the Bible, which uses the word “Whenever.” Whenever you give to the poor. The automatic assumption is that you will give to the poor, because of your faith in. God. This scripture is not meant to be an excuse not to give.
Instead it invites us to look inside of our hearts and examine our intentions with giving. The inward state of our soul should inform our outward actions. In Bible studies before I have used the example of a teacup sitting on a saucer. As water is being poured into the cup (representing our souls) it over flows onto the saucer (how we live our lives).
If the state of our heart is centered on God, we will have a godly intent behind our actions. Returning to the example of giving to the poor - if we give because God has first blessed us, God’s name will be uplifted. But if we give because we want to bring someone down or because we want to be praised by people, then we have missed the point and our heart is not centered in the right place.
How do you know if your heart is in the right place when it comes to giving to the poor?
If you heart is not centered on God, what are some steps you can take to bring your attention and focus back to Christ?
Prayer: Lord, we want you to be the center of our world - the beginning and the end. Speak to us anew your message that invites us to be part of your Kingdom, first in our hearts and then in your world. Strengthen us by your word and draw us closer to your presence we pray. Amen.
Wednesday: “When You Pray” - Matthew 6: 5-6
When you pray. I love that as believers we are called to be a people of pray. We are called to give God thank and praise. Glory and honor. And we have the privilege of bringing our requite before a Holy God. Yet for the some of the disciples, they weren’t entirely sure how to pray. They had spent their lives watching others pray instead of engaging in this spiritual practice themselves.
If you read on in Matthew chapter 6, you find that Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Pray - a prayer that many of us pray both privately and publicly today. Sometimes this scripture is used as an excuse not to pray in public. But once again the question is of the heart - if you pray in publicly for the sake of looking good, we miss the point. This doesn’t mean we should never pray in public or with other people. Instead, Jesus is teaching his disciples a different way to pray then they had ever known - a way where they could come to God in the privacy of their own homes and lift their hearts up to God.
Why do you pray to God?
Prayer: Lord, we thank you that because of you and your sacrifice on the cross, where the veil separating us from a holy God was torn, we can be in relationship with God. We thank you that because of you, teaching your disciples how to pray, we know that we have the privilege to pray to God in all times and all place. Open up our hearts to be hearts of prayer, we pray. Amen.
Thursday: “Fasting” - Matthew 6: 16-18
Fasting is something that we don’t talk about much in our modern society. We shy away from the idea of giving something up - be it food, media, or something else that engages our time, in order to focus solely on God. But just as Jesus said when you give to the poor, he once again states when you fast - revealing the basic assumption that the disciples would fast.
However, the disciples were encouraged to fast a different way. Often folks would distinguish themselves as fasting by what they wore or how they looked. Instead, Jesus encourages his disciples to fast in a way that other people may not know, but in secret.
One of the big struggle with fasting is whether to tell other people or not. Different people interpret this Scripture differently. I once had a professor who fasted once a week, and during that time would not eat dinner with his family. However, I have friends who while fasting still engage in community around the dinner table, but simply drink water and tell others they are fasting, without any fan fair, in order to not draw attention to themselves by refusing food.
Have you ever fasted? What was the experience like?
Prayer: Lord, we know that not all spiritual disciplines are easy - especially those that ask us to change or to give something up. We confess that we sometimes rebuff at the idea of fasting because it seems too challenging, too much. Help us to embrace this spiritual discipline while figuring out how it fits into our lives in a way that draws us closer to you. Amen.
Friday: “Heavenly Treasures” - Matthew 6: 19-21
I think the fact that this passage of scripture is found in scripture points to the fact that the tug of war between generosity and self-preservation is age old. Part of us wants to save money “just in case” and buy things for ourselves because “we deserve it”. We get caught up in questions of what if: what if the harvest isn’t good this year? What if I get a pay cut? What if my bills increase? What if the stock market crashes? So we focus on self-preservation, letting the fear of the “what if?” block our generosity. Let me be clear - I am not telling us to be irresponsible with our money - going into debt for the Kingdom of God. Instead, I’m asking us to examine our lifestyle, live below our means, and look past the “what ifs” for the sake of the Kingdom.
If God has given us all that we have, including the money we get from our vocation, and the offering plate belongs to God, why are we still fearful? If all of our treasures belong to God, why do we invest so much time and money into protecting them? And do we offer the same level of care and money into the work of God among us?
How does the topic of heavenly treasures relate to the previous topics of prayer? Fasting? Giving to the poor?
How do our treasures reveal where our inward heart is through our outward actions?
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for this day and for the invitation to grow closer to you everyday. As we examine our inward lives, may it reveal to us where our treasures truly are, and may we trust you to move our treasure to where you desire it to be as we grow closer to you. Amen.
Saturday: Preparing for the Word
You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Life Together: Ministry” - 2 Corinthians 6: 3-10
Family Activity: Do you like to be by yourself or with other people? Why? Can we always be by ourselves or always be with others? Why do we need both in our lives?
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