Month: June 2013

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Consider the Birds

Keeping the Sermon on the Mount deal going this morning, I thought I would grab one more sentence with a powerful punch to share on this first Friday in June.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Yeah, that’s incredible.  Actually this is the way the start of the section that I shared the conclusion yesterday.

It sort of reminds me of some friend I have who sold their house without any idea of where they were going to move.  They just put it out there and sold.  For me, I think I would have a nervous breakdown in that situation.  But they just sold and boom, temporary housing appeared, and then boom, a house with a great price appeared.  Pretty awesome!

So, remember your place in the scheme of things today, and remember who is taking care of you.  That should help remove whatever it is that you find yourself anxious!

 

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Today

I have spent some more time in those same few chapters of Matthew as were I rediscovered the second mile verse.  There are so many nuggets of greatness there, it’s actually better than reading Proverbs.  Anyway, here is another one of those great teachings from the Christ that you can’t hear enough.  For some reason this is something that I think all of us struggle with.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:34

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Trust

There are some days when a simple little verse says more than my rambling could ever say.  Today’s one of those days.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Of course the trick is making this more than just words, but actually something of value and meaning in your life. Where’s you trust placed today?

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To Do List

A friend on mine emailed me yesterday after the post about the extra mile.  He mentioned in his email that on a recent trip to the Happiest Place on Earth he noticed a t-shirt with 4 lines on the front – get up, love god, love people, go to bed!  That’s a pretty awesome To Do list.

todo

So, I decided to quickly create a t-shirt or two (or three)myself – feel free to order yourself one!  Remember these designs were built in like 5 minutes each! 🙂  Anyway, see if you can accomplish that simple list each day.  It’s pretty much the first and second law!

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)

 

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The Second Mile

I grabbed a seldom used older Bible off my book shelf yesterday to get a different perspective on the section of scripture I was teaching.  I discovered several markings and notes in this collection and become quickly distracted from my original task as I flipped pages noting things of importance and discovery from a younger version of me.  Some of the markings I actually recalled, others where new again.  Several of them were verses or sections that I still go to often, embossed on my brain from years of meditation.  Then there were passages like this one, that you know, but seem to drift out of your consciousness as time passes.

41 Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Matthew 5:41 (NASB)

This particular sentence, spoken by the Christ as he encouraged his listeners to turn the other cheek when they meet head on with injustice has so many connotations.  It seems to be a call for persistence, a call to be exemplary, and a call to stand out from the crowd all in one.  It seems it could be taken slightly out of context and used as a rallying cry to overcome obstacles set in front of you.  As of course, as I runner, I can draw all sorts of meaning and application from it.  But in the end, it’s just a practical example of how those that follow the Christ should behave – naturally giving more, willingly giving more than asked – especially in the face of injustice and self-sacrifice.

What a simple statement, but what a great challenge it presents.  I think I can see why I would underline it in my text.  When mastery comes, so does all sorts of life change.

How about you, how’s that second mile looking?