Lesson 1511

(Lesson 1511)(11-23-15) Matthew 6:22-34

"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Today's lesson is pretty much a continuation of yesterday's in that within it Jesus instructed us to place our faith in God and rely on Him for all the things we need.

The essence of the lesson is that if we truly believe in God we will never have need of anything else. He will provide for those of us who believe under every circumstance.~

Lesson 1510

(Lesson 1510)(11-22-15) Matthew 6:19-21

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

This lesson is aimed directly at those who strive to save up great fortunes. In this quote, Jesus made it very clear that we are not to store our wealth such that it is no benefit to anyone.

We are far better served both spiritually and physically to spread our excess wealth around so that it benefits everyone.

God has promised His people that they will want for nothing so long as they have faith enough to ask Him to provide their needs. "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:8 in part) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." (John 16:23 in part) With that promise in hand, there is never a need for a Christian to save up for that "rainy day".~

Lesson 1509

(Lesson 1509)(11-21-15) Matthew 6:16-18

"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."

Today's lesson tells us that if we fast or deprive ourselves for the Lord's sake, we are to do it secretly. Allowing others to know about our suffering would draw attention to ourselves and would negate the desired affect of the fast. ~

Lesson 1508

(Lesson 1508)(11-20-15) Matthew 6:14-15

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Today's lesson is another very short one but is nonetheless very important. As is made clear in this quote, If Christian people expect God to forgive us, we should always be faithful to forgive those who would spitefully use us or those who would do us harm.

To hold a grudge against another person allows that person to have permanent control over a part of the life of the one harboring the grudge. Therefore, it is in the best interest of all of us to, first obey the instructions of Jesus to obtain the God's forgiveness, but then also to forgive those who offend us for our own personal benefit

Lesson 1507

(Lesson 1507)(11-19-15) Matthew 6:5-13

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Today's lesson contains another one of the most misunderstood and abused passages of scripture that is to be found anywhere in the New Testament. In today's quote, Jesus makes it glaringly clear that we are NOT to pray in public, yet in every denomination, type, or form of "church" I've ever heard of, public prayer is a part of the "worship" program. As this lesson so clearly demonstrates, to rise in the midst of a crowd and "lead" prayer stands in blatant contradiction to what Jesus directly instructed His followers to do.

The practice of public prayer gains no more for the one offering the prayer, or for those for whom the prayer is offered, than does a correctly offered private prayer. Public prayer can only draw undue attention to the person "leading" the prayer just as Jesus warned against; "thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men."

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." as stated in James 5:16 in part, should be our motivation to pray only in the manner that Jesus authorized and so clearly instructed us to do in today's lesson.~

Lesson 1506

(Lesson 1506)(11-18-15) Matthew 6:1-4

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."

This fourth chapter of Matthew contains some of the most misunderstood and abused lessons that are to be found anywhere in the New Testament.

Today's quote teaches us how we are to correctly do our charitable giving. It very clearly demands that any time we extend the helping hand of giving to someone in need, we are to do it is such a way that assures no one else will ever know about it.

The act of giving is a spiritually fulfilling experience for which God has promised great rewards that will also be given in secret. However, if giving is done in such a way as to publicly demonstrate the "goodness" of the giver, purely for the sake of one's own ego, in the eyes of God it is not considered giving at all.

True Christian giving should never be made known until such a time as the one who has the need might choose to reveal it.~

Lesson 1505

(Lesson 1505)(11-17-15) Matthew 5:38-48

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

The first part of today's quote relates how Old Testament law required equally fitting the punishment to the crime, "eye for an eye" etc. The demands Jesus makes in the new law of faith, require even more of us than that. He said we are to replace punishments of vengeance, "eye for and eye" etc, with love and forgiveness, even in the most extreme of circumstances.

The new method is much harder for mankind to accomplish than was the old because of the inherent sin nature of humanity.

If we have been wronged, or offended, instead of lashing out at our offenders as would be the natural human way to respond, we are to give our opressors whatever they want, always treating them with the same love and respect that we desire of them.

In the last sentence of today's quote, Jesus placed a seemingly impossible demand on His followers, He said; "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

You should make note that I said it is a "seemingly" impossible demand. It is, in fact, a very easy demand to obey. All one need do to be "perfect" before God is to accept the perfection of Jesus Christ through absolute faith in His soul cleansing sacrifice by receiving the perfect righteousness that is imputed into those of us whom have placed our faith in Him.~