As You Live by Travis Sinks

Matthew 6 is a chapter FULL of assumptions. By assumptions, I mean that when Jesus is teaching, He is not saying that giving, praying, fasting, spending, and living are optional. Far from it! He is assuming that you will do all of these things, and then He tells you how to do them well.

The fifth, and last, of these assumptions is found in verses 25-34.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  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? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

It’s as if this last section is meant to be a summary of the other 4. Jesus has spoken on giving, praying, fasting, spending, and now He gets to His final point, which is telling us how to live life well. These other things are actions within our lives, but this final piece of instruction comes to be a guide for all of life in general.

Jesus tells us the secret to living life well by giving us one thing we should not do and then one thing we should do. Keep in mind that both of these things are in light of the other 4. We have been told to do everything for God, not for people, and to live a life surrendered to what God would have us do with our time and money. Now we will see in what manner we should live all of our life:

1 Thing To Avoid in Life: Anxiousness.

Jesus tells us clearly that to live life well we need to “not be anxious about our life.” He goes on to not only correct our anxiousness, but He even gives us valid reasons why anxiousness is useless. He reminds us that the things we are truly anxious about are outside of our control. But rather than leave us there, He gives us sympathy and comfort, reminding us that we are important to God.

Jesus paints a picture of God’s care for the animals and for fields of flowers, then reminds us: God loves us even more. And if God, Who takes care of so many of these things all over the world, loves us even more than they - why should we worry?

He comforts our worry by reminding us of the simplicity of life. God knows we need food, water, clothing, and He will always provide these things for us. Jesus strips away our superficial desires for the newest gadget or popular clothing style, and He reminds us that we shouldn't even be concerned about those things.

1 Mindset To Have in Life: The Kingdom of God.

To followup His rebuke of anxiousness, Jesus pushes us towards the good and opposite response: Pursuing the Kingdom of God. Here, Jesus is telling us that when you are willing to loose the anxiousness of your own life situations, you are then free to pursue the Kingdom of God. Simply put, the Kingdom of God is anywhere God’s rule and reign are played out in real life. Similar to how 'home is where the heart is', the Kingdom of God is found where God is King.

Think of it this way: Jesus said that when He was on earth that the Kingdom of God was drawing near, that God’s perfect rule and reign had come close. What did that look like? It looked like Jesus' perfect devotion to the love of God and the justice of God. Jesus had a perfect balance of both “grace and truth” (John 1:17). He condemned sin and yet brought grace and redemption to the repentant sinner. He sought the outcast and brought them in. He comforted the mourning and brought hope to the hopeless. This is Jesus' example to us of living out God’s perfect rule and reign.

So how does putting off anxiousness, and pursuing the Kingdom of God connect? If you are anxious in life over “what will we eat, what will we drink, what will we wear,” then you have two problems:

1) You don’t have the peace of God's perfect rule and reign in your life.

2) You are too consumed with your anxiousness to be about bringing God’s Kingdom to the rest of the world.

However, when we pursue the Kingdom of God for our lives and the lives of others, we will naturally be putting off anxiousness in our own lives because anxiousness is not part of God’s Kingdom. Furthermore, Jesus makes us a promise: that when we are following the Kingdom of God, we will have food, water, and clothing. He doesn’t promise great wealth, fame, or status, but He does promise things necessary to life so that we may enjoy today as it is.

And this is how He closes His teaching on the Kingdom of God:

“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

What a life Jesus offers us! One filled with peace and without anxiously wondering what dread tomorrow will bring. No amount of wealth, insurance, or status could ever bring such comfort. So let us ask God to remove our desires for those things that promise so much joy, yet leave us so distraught, and let us hold onto a life that is surrendered to Jesus and pursuing His Kingdom so that we might experience a life well lived.

As You Spend by Travis Sinks

Matthew 6 is a chapter FULL of assumptions. By assumptions, I mean that when Jesus is teaching, He is not saying that giving, praying, fasting, spending, and living are optional. Far from it! He is assuming that you will do all of these things, and then He tells you how to do them well.

The fourth of these assumptions is found in verses 19-24.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[e] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

In these few verses Jesus reveals one of our greatest threats to having God be the Lord of our life: the love of money. It’s in this section that Jesus reminds us that money is to be used, not worshiped.

We love money for a variety of reasons. Some people like the security it brings, others, the pleasure, status symbol, or other benefits it promises. However, Jesus reminds us in the very beginning: it won’t last.

Jesus gives us a sober reminder that thieves and time destroy all wealth. Even today we see people laying down thousands in order to insure that their wealth is protected. Yet even with physical protection, Jesus reminds us that one day we will die and our money will no longer be ours.

After pointing out our desperate situation in regards to our relationship with money, Jesus takes it a step further. He says that not only is your physical relationship to wealth eventually going to deteriorate, but that having your eyes focused on anything other than God will only bring darkness into our lives. He tells us that where we place our desires will be reflected in the rest of our lives and heart. If we place our hearts (our “eyes”, as He says) on money rather than God, then our lives will reflect that darkness rather than God’s light.

As dismal as our situation can appear with Jesus’ harsh reminder of our situation, He brings us hope. He tells us that there is another way. Jesus says in verse 24 that “No one can serve two masters”, and later He rephrases it as “You cannot serve God and money.” In this statement He’s bringing us another option. He’s giving us the choice to repent of our past ways, to repent of our love of money, security, status, pride, etc - and to turn to God as our Master instead.

He alludes to this earlier when He encourages His listeners to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (verse 20). What a hope that we are not constrained to the ongoing problem of accumulating wealth on earth, only to live in constant fear of it being lost, and then to have it all be taken away at our death. Jesus gives us a new story to live by, one where God is our Master, not money. This story may involve riches on earth, but it may not. Regardlessly, God is our goal, our treasure, and our reward, not money.

So how do you lay up treasures in heaven? How do we turn to God as our master?

The first step would be to consider what Jesus has to say about giving. If you haven’t already, go read Part 1 in this series which talks about this subject. After learning more about what Jesus has for us in this area, obey Him in it.

The second step would be to continue to learn more about the character of God and pray that He would put that same Spirit and character into your life. Remember that money is not the only problem we have. Jesus said that "no one can serve TWO masters.” This includes money, however, it also includes the rest of life. So as you continue to learn more about God and become more sensitive to His Spirit and leading, follow Him. When you believe He wants you to give more than what is standard, do so. When you believe He wants you to serve others, talk to a stranger, give someone a ride, get a new job, or anything else - go do it.

In summary, make Jesus be your Lord in every area of your life and in doing so you’ll be storing up treasures in heaven.

As You Fast by Travis Sinks

Matthew 6 is a chapter FULL of assumptions. By assumptions, I mean that when Jesus is teaching, He is not saying that giving, praying, fasting, spending, and living are optional. Far from it! He is assuming that you will do all of these things, and then He tells you how to do them well.

The third of these assumptions is found in verses 16-18.

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

“…When you fast…”

Jesus assumes that we will fast. That we will have frequent occasions when we will give up food, pleasure, comforts, tv, video games, etc in what we call “fasting”.

He confirms this expectation in Matthew 9:14-15 when He explains that His disciples aren’t fasting because He is physically present, but that once He goes away for a time (being the time we’re currently in), that His disciples (you and I) will fast.

There’s so much to be learned about fasting, but only so much that is covered in this section by Jesus. If you want to study more on fasting, there is a book by John Piper called “A Hunger for God” that speaks on fasting in more depth. You can download the PDF for free on his website (at this link), or you can buy it there as well.

As far as Matthew 6 is concerned, there is only one thing we need to be sure to know about fasting, and that is the state of our heart. Like the rest of these teachings by Jesus in Matthew 6, we see that fasting can be used to glorify and bring attention to ourselves, or it can be used to worship God.

Jesus launches directly into the issue. He says that you should not look “gloomy” or “disfigure their faces” so that others may know that they are on a spiritual quest of fasting. He actually goes to the other extreme and says that you should be “anointing your head” and “washing your face” so that you are taking every effort to hide your fasting from others. He claims that those who have a practice of purposely revealing that they are fasting have already gained their reward from others (praise, and admiration), but that those who hide their fasting are storing up a reward from God Who "sees in secret."

However, as mentioned in the “As You Give” post, we can take this too far. We can  avoid contact with others for fear of them realizing that we are fasting. In reality, someone will almost always find out that we are fasting. A coworker noticing that we haven’t been eating lunch, or a spouse who knows you didn’t eat breakfast or lunch. These are not the situations that Jesus is condemning, but rather the heart that chooses to fast in order to have these people realize just how “spiritual” we are for fasting.

Fasting, at it’s heart, is meant to bring a question to the forefront of our minds: “Do I desire God more than these things?” I encourage you, if you have not fasted in the past month, or maybe even ever, to fast for 2 meals. Obviously there are medical things to consider if you are diabetic or have similar life-threatening considerations, but for the majority of us, we skip meals all the time. Jesus is asking us to take pause in our lives and to consider how important and forefront He is in our lives.

This will most likely be a time of repentance of issues in our hearts, but that’s the point. Fasting is not to attain a higher state of spirituality, but rather to show us how lowly and needy we are of God’s grace.

Two things to consider:

1. In Luke 18:12-14, Jesus tells a story:

"There once were two men. One said, 'I fast twice a week'; the other said, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' Only one went down to his house justified.” (abbreviated)

Let’s learn from the first man’s mistake. He fasted, but in order to gain recognition. The second man had humility and was given mercy.

2. Richard Foster described fasting in this way:

“More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. David said, “I humbled my soul with fasting” [Psalm 35:13]. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first, we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger. And then, we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ."

As you take time to fast, let it be used by God for your personal humbling, and His supernatural healing. God is our good physician, but only those who realize their need get to receive His healing.

As You Pray by Travis Sinks

Matthew 6 is a chapter FULL of assumptions. By assumptions, I mean that when Jesus is teaching, He is not saying that giving, praying, fasting, spending, and living are optional. Far from it! He is assuming that you will do all of these things, and then He tells you how to do them well.

The second of these assumptions is found in verses 5-15.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

When you pray...

When you pray, pray like this...

The “Lord’s Prayer” (found in Matthew 6:5-15) has received much attention and rightfully so. It has so much to say, yet this will be just a few thoughts on two highlights that I hope will bless you.

Do not pray hypocritically

Hypocritically literally means "behaving in a way that suggests one has higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case”.

The example Jesus gave of praying hypocritically was of people who prayed publicly in the synagogues and on street corners. By calling them hypocrites, He was implying that this was their ONLY and PRIMARY prayer time - when others could see.

Praying publicly is not the problem here; the problem is a heart that prays only to be seen by others. We desire affirmation from people, but Jesus tells us to have our motivation be one that values God’s opinion and not people’s.

Pray as a child of God

“Do not heap up empty phrases… for they think they’ll be heard for their many words.” Jesus was saying that other people think they’ll be heard by God if they pray long… or loud… or eloquently.

Jesus says that you are not heard because of any of these things, but because you are God’s child. God hears us because, by the blood of Jesus taking our sinful state and replacing it with His rightful Sonship, we are now children of God - and a good parent listens to their child. Jesus' “example prayer” for us begins with “Our Father”, and this is in direct reference to why we even get to finish our prayer before God. It is because we are His children.

Go Pray!

Please don’t merely read about prayer, but take some time to pray. Go to God and pray - He wants you to. And as you pray, do so for God, to enjoy the relationship you have with Him.

Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the prayer to help outline your own. Don’t worry about how you say it, just say it. God wants to hear His child (you) and doesn’t want you to merely repeat another child’s “ideal” prayer. He wants YOU to come before Him and talk.

Matthew 6:9–13

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

Praise God for the good God that He is. He is holy (far different and set apart from us) and is to be acknowledged as so.

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

His kingdom. His rule. His reign. His way. Pray that God’s will would be done. One beautiful way to imagine this is to imagine heaven. Heaven is where God’s rule and reign is perfect. No more wars, sickness, sadness, pain, etc. God is glorified by all people’s and we enjoy His light and love perfectly. Pray for that to be here on earth as much as it can be until we reach heaven.

"Give us this day our daily bread,"

It is good to ask God for things, however so often we ask for things that would feed our flesh and not our souls. We are told to be content with today’s blessings and provision and to not be anxious about tomorrow.

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

We need to have repentance to be a part of our prayers! As Martin Luther wrote: “A Christian’s life is one of daily repentance.” However, Jesus takes this opportunity to remind us that we too are meant to forgive. He emphasizes that point to the extreme of telling us to pray that God would forgive us just as we’ve forgiven others. Do you want to be forgiven only to the measure with which you forgive?

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Pray for strength and guidance against temptation. Jesus told His disciples to “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” And to Peter, Jesus said that Satan desired to sift him like wheat, but to not fear for He had prayed for him. We are to actively pray against future situations, ones we expect to encounter, and we are to pray that we will be free from temptation and evil in our hearts during the many surprises of life as well.

As You Give by Travis Sinks

Matthew 6 is a chapter FULL of assumptions. By assumptions, I mean that when Jesus is teaching, He is not saying that giving, praying, fasting, spending, and living are optional. Far from it! He is assuming that you will do all of these things, and then He tells you how to do them well.

The first of these assumptions is found in verses 1-4.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Jesus ASSUMES that you will give. He assumes that you will give generously. He assumes that you will give to the church, to family, to friends, and to complete strangers. The question isn’t if you should, but HOW you should. Jesus starts with a summary of the problem:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” -Matthew 6:1

Jesus does not condemn us for wanting a reward for our giving. However, He is saying that you only get a reward from either God or man, but not both.

So often people think that doing something for the reward or result is wrong, but Jesus doesn’t say that. When His disciples argued over who was the greatest, He didn’t rebuke them for desiring to be great. Far from it! He instead told them how to be great in God’s Kingdom. (Luke 22:24-30).

We see the same concept here: Jesus isn’t upset at our desire for reward, but He warns us that to gain a heavenly reward, we need to remove our desire for early ones.

When we give, we need to have the mindset of showing God’s love to others. When we give, we need the priority of doing God’s work on earth. When we give, we need a heart of gratitude for all that God has first given to us.

On the flip side, an extreme view of "giving in secret" can be damaging to many Christians. They take this passage to mean that if anyone finds out you gave, then all rewards from God are gone. This leads to people who are constantly in fear of their reward being stolen away and are trying to cover up their tracks in order to preserve their reward. Was this the kind of obsession Jesus meant to create?

I think not.

Jesus emphasized that the problem comes when people give in order that “they may be praised by others.” People in His day, and ours as well, would give with trumpets sounding before them and with other large demonstrations. This was all to gain the praise of men.

The issue isn't if someone finds out, but what the motivation is. You could have a heart of desiring someone to catch you putting money in the tithe box, but then no one does. The Bible teaches that your reward in heaven can be taken away even if no one sees you give, because it’s a matter of the heart.

So what do we need to take away from this?

1) We are expected to give.

2) We only get a reward in heaven if our motives and desires reflect the heart of God.

3) With all of these expectations we are given by Jesus, we need to remember that they all require the power and working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Money is naturally a snare because it feeds our sinful hearts in whatever way we desire. Power. Pleasure. Security. Fame. Popularity. Etc. When reflecting on what God would desire you to do with the money He’s given you and how He would desire you to use it, make sure you leave time to pray and seek God’s wisdom, guidance, and power to act in a way that will glorify Him.