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The Bling Melts

AUGUST 19

MATTHEW 6:31_saying, what shall ye eat or, what shall ye drink, or wherewithal shall ye be clothed?

Remember how Jesus referred to Himself as Bread and Water? This is spiritual bread and water: feeds the spirit and satisfies the soul. The spirit can overpower the body, but it must be yielded to Jesus. Just because you are a spiritual being does not automatically make you a salty-lit-up disciple of Jesus. You either yield your spirit to Jesus or yield it to the devil.

The devil also has power to meet needs, but his supplies are temporary. The devil’s temptations sparkle and dazzle with an abundance of bling. They offer a way out of suffering. Who doesn’t want a way out?

The devil can satisfy your physical but never your spiritual. A spirit yielded to the devil can never be satisfied.

Your spirit was created with a yearning to know and be in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Once the devil has you in his trap—nothing satisfies. All his bling melts away and cravings are worse than they were before you yielded.

Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, met his needs the easy way. Their son, Abel, chose God’s way.  Genesis 4:7 (KJV), “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door…”

Cain committed the first murder. His easy way cost the life of his brother.

PRAYER

Lord Who Cares, Help me to be strong and choose Your way. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ can make me strong—I ask Him to!

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Nobody Ever Said It Is Easy

AUGUST 18

MATTHEW 6:31_Therefore take no thought…

Remember when the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for a time of testing? There was nothing easy about it. Jesus was called to fast, and the devil tempted Him to break the fast and eat. If you recall, Jesus used the same weapon against the devil that we should use: the words of truth. In this instance Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 (KJV), “… man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” 

If your family is going through some kind of a struggle, the devil’s temptation is for you to worry. Nobody ever said it is easy not to worry when you are struggling. Use this time to shout out the Joshua chapter 1 cheer: “Be strong and of a good courage.”

This is the time to defy thoughts of worry about where your next meal is coming from, or some other need. This is a time to quote the entire verse of Joshua 1:9 (KJV), “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

You’re not in this alone: Whithersoever covers everywhere. Thou goest doesn’t necessarily mean a certain place. It could mean where you are in the circumstances of your life.

You don’t have strength to just not worry.

Overpower worry with the truth of Scripture.

PRAYER

Mighty Warrior, You know my circumstances and are with me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is a warrior for me—wherever I am in life!

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As Many Times As It Takes

AUGUST 17

MATTHEW 6:31_Therefore take no thought…

How many times will Jesus teach to stop worrying? How many times will He point out it begins in your thought process? 

As many times as a parent teaches a child to tie a shoe, or ride a bike. As many times as it takes.  

Jesus’ repetitiveness is for you to follow. The longer you follow, the more you understand the heart of God—which increases faith. Eventually, it will make sense that God takes care of you! You begin to see that when you go through tough struggles, not only is Jesus with you, but a host of other believers have followed the same path. (Study George Washington at Valley Forge for one example).

Rather than allowing the deceiver to fill your thoughts with doubts and fear, begin to take Jesus at His word.  Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV), “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Simon Peter caught on to how to deal with worry: 1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV), “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

PRAYER

Loving Jesus, Please teach me how to wear Your yoke and not worry. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ gives His followers rest—He will give it to me

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Doubts

AUGUST 16

MATTHEW 6:30_shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

The basic purpose of Bible study is to get to know God: to learn how He thinks, to learn His heart. The last part of verse 30 teaches something about God. Another part of the I AM. The words much more describe God’s heart perfectly. A heart which not only sends grass what it needs to survive, but dresses it up as well. Wouldn’t that heart care much more for a human—created in His own image? This is a heart you feel safe to trust. A heart that makes you feel more than just loved, but special.

You can gain understanding of God’s love and provision for His creation right from the get-go – in the very beginning. Genesis 1:28 (KJV), “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

God loved all of His creation and considered it good. He set people above anything else. Just like with the animals, God had already created what people would need to live and enjoy the earth. 

Life brings confusing days of doubts. Doubts come from the devil. Don’t listen, don’t be of little faith. 

PRAYER

Omnipresent God, Thank You that if You care for nature, You care more for me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ gave people dominion on earth—He cares for me!

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Can You Trust God?

AUGUST 15

MATTHEW 6:30_which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven…

The life span of grass sounds pretty brief—maybe it is. Regardless of how brief, during its time on earth, God gave it soil, rain, and sun. And beyond the basic needs, God added beauty. This is not to say a field of grass does not have beauty of its own—it surely does. But, God loves to add beauty in life. This kind of beauty is a fringe benefit of a life of faith. Faith in the true God—not just a god.

This is the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The God who gives provisions. God’s supplies to His creation include beauty—amazing beauty. Even the wealthy, resplendent King Solomon had no match for God’s beauty in nature. 

Jesus wants you to see how much God cares for and about you. Jesus helps with trust. Can you trust that the God who takes care of grass is concerned about every aspect of your life? Psalm 16:11 (KJV), “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

God wants you to stay on His path. He wants to fill you with joy. God wants to stretch forth His hand and give you pleasure.        

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I praise You that only You can give me fullness of joy. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is the fulfillment of joy—He fills me with it!