Matthew 6



SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1DEVOTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 29, 2019KEYS TO ETERNAL SUCCESSSCRIPTURE: JOSHUA 1: 7-9; JOHN 3:22-36MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 Read also Matthew 12:41-48 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him. To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. John 3:26, 27John the Baptist saw his ministry in terms of stewardship. A steward is someone who manages the owner’s property until the owner comes to take it back. John knew that the vast crowds that followed him did not belong to him in the first place. When the crowds began to go to Jesus, he was free to rejoice because the true owner had come to claim his own. John was secure in his calling and his purpose. So often we are more like John’s followers who were offended that somehow Jesus was taking away what was rightfully John’s. Our crowds are our lives, our jobs, our possessions, our health, etc. The question for us is: do we consider the things we have as owned or do we consider them as managed in the name of the One who gave them? The answer can make all the difference. Prayer: Lord, help me see my life and all that I have in terms of stewardship; that everything is yours and in knowing that and acting on it I can find true peace and lasting joy. Amen. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1 Read also Mark 1: 1-8You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ?but am sent ahead of him.’ John 3: 28Many people have trouble separating what they do from who they are. That is why people who have wielded great power find it difficult to give it up, and will fight tooth and nail to retain it. It is why retirement is so difficult for some, or why some women may suffer from depression when the last child leaves home. When the crowds began to go to Jesus, John could have become angry and disillusioned. Knowing exactly who we are (servants on a mission for the Master) and who we are not (any kind of Messiah), can help us weather changes in personal circumstances, temptations to do wrong, or assaults against our character. It gives us strength and courage to live well and have joy and peace in any circumstance. We do not need to find ourselves. We just need to let the Lord find us. Prayer: Lord, help me realize that I truly find myself when I surrender to you and your will for my life. Amen. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 Read also Isaiah 54: 1-5; Revelation 19: 4-9 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and is now complete. John 3: 29John also had an unwavering sense of purpose. To those who questioned him about the growing popularity of Jesus, he likened his purpose to that of the best man at a wedding. The purpose of a best man is to stand with the groom and make sure all attention is on him. The best man fulfills his purpose when he draws no attention to himself, but focuses all attention on the bride and groom. It was John’s sense of purpose that gave him the ability to relax. He knew God was in control and he knew his place in God’s scheme of things. We may not always know our specific purpose in every situation, but we can always know we belong to God, that He is in charge and our purpose is to point to Jesus. If we do this, our joy too can be complete. Prayer: Lord, help me know I belong to you always, without doubt or reservation, and in knowing this I can know what my true purpose is in life. Amen. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3 Read also Matthew 11: 7-15; John 15: 1-8He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30 John was an exceptionally humble man, though it could have been easily otherwise. The huge crowds, the adoring disciples, his own powerful persona, and the talk that he was Elijah himself come back to life, all could have led him to believe he was the greatest man of his day. And it would have been true to some degree. Jesus himself makes the remarkable statement that no one born of women was greater than John. But John was not great because of crowds or persona. He was great because he knew all that he had and was came from God. He knew that God was everything and he himself was nothing and in knowing these things he was truly great. This is a spiritual principle repeated over and over again in the Scriptures. If we want to be great for God, we must first accept the absolute fact that without God, we are nothing. If we accept it, we stay connected to the One who is everything, and then we really can become something.Prayer: Lord, forgive me for continually trying to make something of myself apart from you. Help me to remember that with you I can move mountains and only through you can I achieve eternal success. Amen.FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 Read also John 1: 19-26He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30 “Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should simply be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ. If my holiness is not drawing others to Him, it is not the right kind of holiness; it is only an influence which awakens undue emotions and evil desires in people and diverts them from heading in the right direction. A person who is a beautiful saint can be a hindrance in leading people to the Lord by presenting only what Christ has done for him, instead of presenting Jesus Christ Himself. Others will be left with this thought—‘What a fine person that man is!’ That is not being a true ‘friend of the bridegroom’—I am increasing all the time;?He is not.”(Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, March 25).Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I consciously or unconsciously draw attention to myself and not you. Help me to point others not toward who I am, but to who you are. Amen. ................
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