The Christian Wallet: The Joy of Simplicity Devo

November 3rd, 2019

Devotional

“The Christian Wallet: The Joy of Simplicity” -

    Matthew 6: 19-21 

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Treasure” - Matthew 6: 19-21

What is your treasure? The truth is, what we treasure the most in this world may not be money or things or busyness. It may be something else entirely. But it still could be holding us back from following Jesus. If we examine our hearts, asking God to reveal to us what our treasure truly is, we may be just as surprised.

  What would you say that you treasure the most?

Prayer: God, you are the source of all love and truth. Yet, we confess that sometimes we keep areas of our lives from you - secret treasures that we cling to. This day, O Lord, we firmly proclaim that we no longer want to do that. Break the power that material things have over our lives. Break the power of the things that we hold so tight to, Lord, that we don’t present them to you. Instead, we present our whole selves and what we treasure to you for examination. Trusting that you will lead us in the way of truth and grace. Amen. 

Tuesday: “For Us” - Mark 2:27

The Sabbath was a gift from God for us, human beings, yet all too often we forsake this gift, seeing it as a burden instead of a blessing. The Sabbath should a time of thanksgiving. A time to tell us who we are and whose we are.

In some Jewish traditions, one way to remember that the Sabbath is a gift is to have beautiful special things - candles, tablecloths, plates, etc. - that are only used on the Sabbath. Sabbath is also a time to feed our very souls, not simply to step away from work and stressors but to do things differently in a way that gives us renewed meaning and hope. 

How do you live into Sabbath in your life?

Prayer: Lord, we are slow to change our ways. We say we want rest and restoration, but we don’t change any of our circumstances to make it so. We say that we want to celebrate the Sabbath, but all too often act as if it is a burden. Let us live into what you have for us, on the Sabbath and always, and embrace it as a blessing. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Rested” - Genesis 2:2

  Sometimes it is hard imaging that God needed to rest. That God created the entire world and then needed a break. The notion of God resting seems to go against our notion of God being all powerful, but we need to remember that God was modeling for humanity, the need to stop. 

All too often we try to live our lives like we are all powerful, like we can be on the go all the time and that it won’t effect us, but in truth this is not how we were made. We were made to rest. We need not only a day off, but a day to cease trying to live up to mounting expectations placed on us by ourselves and others. 

How are Sabbath and rest related for you?

Prayer: God, we confess that we try to keep ourselves busy so that we do not need to rest - stop and think. We confess that somewhere deep inside of us, we think if we can just keep going we are more powerful or more important. Forgive us, O Lord, and free us to find rest in you. Amen. 

Thursday: “Sabbath” -Exodus 20: 8-10

  The command to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy is number four of the ten commandments. In many ways it speaks both to our worship of God and the way we interact with other people. This particular commandment has deep roots, tracing back to the creation story when God ceased or abstained from activity on the seventh day.

  When we stop working we are following the loving example of our creator God, who made the very act of rest holy. Remember that the Israelites are receiving this commandment because they are God’s chosen people, they are the beloved of God and therefore they incorporated both God’s commands and example in their way of living. 

  What do you value the most about the celebration of Sabbath?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that we have become a workaholic people. We focus more on what we can get done, then the meaning what do has in our lives. Set us free from the chains of addiction that bind us to work and free us to live more fully in your presence. Amen. 

Friday: “Heart” - Matthew 6: 19-21

  There are a lot of studies that have been conducted around material things and happiness. But most have found the same results - that things cannot make us happy. Even though we live in a world with more goods to consume, our overall satisfaction and self-reported happiness have decreased? Why?

Because we put our treasure in the wrong place. 

There is a string that connects our treasure and our heart. Sometimes we know what that is, other times we do not. Something that we forget is truly God’s in the first place. May we take time today to be in silent prayer, asking for God to examine our hearts anew.

What is the connection between our treasure and our heart?

Prayer: Lord, free our hearts to serve you. Free our whole selves to worship you. Remind us anew of the path of righteousness that leads to your life. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “The Rise and Fall of Judges” - Judges 2: 6-3:31.