Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had a billion dollars? Think of all the things that you could buy from exotic cars to ludicrous mansions to all the twinkies in the world. For most billionaires, there are a lot of people that know them and what they do. Think of Jeff Bezos of Amazon or Bill Gates of Microsoft. But I’m sure that there are some billionaires or even multi millionaires that you’ve never even heard of. Why is that? Well they don’t make themselves known. Now where am I going with this? Jesus in verses one and two is talking about giving to the needy. As Christians, I think there are a couple things we should know. One, we shouldn’t be looking for attention and should make sure that if we give, that it should be almost anonymous. Two, we really shouldn’t be searching for fame and fortune because then what is our focus on? Is Jesus really the center of your life if that is what you're looking for? Some people may want that fame and may also want all that attention, but we as Christians should not be serving people, and instead serve God. So next time we feel obligated to give, let’s give anonymously and verse four says that God will reward us.
Would you consider yourself a thinker? Someone who is constantly thinking about the world, the surroundings, your job, your family, your friends, your debt, and much, much more. It just so happens that some of the most successful business owners are these thinkers, but not just business owners, but regular individuals as well. However, sometimes thinking too much is not a good thing. Some people dwell on the past too much, others dwell on the future too much, but we must always look to today and understand what we need to do and accomplish. Thinking about the past really should only be looked at to see the mistakes you’ve made and how to improve yourself and become better. Looking to the past also allows you to become more grateful for all the things that God has done in your life. Looking to the future is good too, but if we lose sight of today, then how do we expect to accomplish our goals. Always ask God for assistance in all things and take everything day by day. Let’s not be worriers.
I am sure at some point in life everyone would have judged others over a million times. I mean think about it. I’m pretty sure just today I was judging others either aloud or in my mind about 100 times or more. Maybe just what a person is wearing or maybe the color of their shoes. The sad part is when we make a joke about it. A joke that could really hurt that person’s feelings. Oftentimes, I find that I say or think something about someone too quickly. I put them in a box and that box is either bigger or smaller based on my expectations of that person. Maybe someone like Einstein would have a massive box because of his intelligence, but putting someone in any box instantly limits their potential. Just because someone isn’t as smart or doesn’t catch on to things quickly doesn’t mean that you give them a small box and weak expectations. When I read the Bible, I am constantly reminded of all the things I should do, but how many times do I act on it? Not as much as I’d like. So with judgement, let’s be careful, cautious and think about others. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes and remember that God loves everyone.
Have you ever felt weak and pressured? Maybe you were just so tired after a long day or maybe you just have so much stress about the future and your current situation. I find these verses in Matthew to be not only comforting, but very relaxing and easing. For non-believers, they will never achieve peace until they believe and accept Jesus in their lives. But even for believers, we need to always return to God to gain understanding which in turn leads to peace. For me personally, there have been times where I have been troubled and often confused so I came to the Bible for understanding. Every single time I was amazed because I got an answer either that day or later on. Now this doesn’t always mean that you will get your answer right away, but for me, I find peace when I read God's Word and it is very comforting. Jesus says to learn from Him and you will find rest and what better way to learn then read the Word. Jesus also says in verse 30 that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Now I find that a lot of times I can overthink a lot of these verses in the Bible when really it is so simple and that was by God’s design so that everyone can understand it. There’s a couple takeaways from this. We always need to come to Jesus, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. From there, we need to open God’s Word and learn from it, but not just learn, we need to apply it to our lives and move forward. There’s a quote from the movie “Meet the Robinsons” and I believe it sums up how everyone should be living. That is to “keep moving forward”. No matter what struggles we face, and no matter whatever else we deal with, we just need to humble ourselves before God. From there we will get a peace like no other and as we continue learning and continue our walk with Him, we get to keep moving forward one step at a time.