Mattthew 6:1 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. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you when you give to the needy in secret (6:3), when you pray in secret (6:5), when you fast in secret (6:18).
Though I may feel empty even this day, I am filled with His Spirit.
I will Give in secret from Trusted Fullness rather than
Grasping for visible Demanded Fullness.
No matter how I feel or what goes wrong today,
I can Live to Give in secret and Not to Grasp.
I can bring a taste of Heaven to Earth.
Paraphrased from 66 LL
I left a comment earlier but don't see it now. Blogger has been acting up. Others in my RSS feed have said they couldn't get on either. My daughter's husband called a little big ago. Blair's heartrate dropped way too low and she passed out at the basketball game arena. The paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital in Louisiana.Her veins collapsed. She's been having issues with her thyroid. Please pray for her. Thanks so much for praying! Anything going on with you all??
ReplyDeleteSigned:
Not Wanting to Live Grasping for Demanded Fullness
Bev, I am praying for Blair right now. As your mother's heart intercedes for your daughter's health, I pray for your strentgth, your will not to grasp for demanding fullness and your faith to grow even stronger this experience.
ReplyDelete"Our Father in heaven,(Q) hallowed be(R) your name.[a] 10(S) Your kingdom come,(T) your will be done,[b]
ReplyDelete(U) on earth as it is in heaven.
11(V) Give us(W) this day our daily bread,[c] 12and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And(X) lead us not into temptation,
but(Y) deliver us from(Z) evil."[
Praying for Blair.
ReplyDeleteFor 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.
I think it can be easy to skip the rest of the passage and ignore: if you do not forgive others their trespasses - your Father will not forgive your trespasses.
Through ministry I often pray w/ people who justify and rationalize not forgiving. It is clear - we are to forgive so we may receive forgiveness.
How we want to see it ("visible demanded fullness")or feel it, yet we stand at the edge of discovering a deeper faith when we trust/know that we are filled with His Spirit, despite what we feel like.
ReplyDeleteSome goes with forgiveness.
I want forgiveness. Back to entitlement. But we have to let others off the hook before we can be released. But somehow that feels like balancing on a tightrope without a safety net. Yes, that's exactly what it is. We are to release our tight-fisted grip to receive the open Arms of our generous and forgiving God.
My head can grasp that but I haven't a clue how to put it into action. So I just say "Here it all is, Lord. Make it more than enough. Make it generous. Make it forgiving. Make it love." Living to give and not grasp. . .those are some words to live by.
Matthew 6:14 ~ "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."
Bev, praying for Blair this morning for healing and for your peace. Hugs, my friend. Love, A
ReplyDelete16"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. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that 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.
ReplyDeleteChinese Christian Bro Yun, The Heavenly Man from Jan 25 - April 7, 1984 in prison in China fasted from all food and water for 74 days. The miracle is that Bro Yun is still alive and healthy today and many in prison came to know the LORD because of His faithfulness to God during his fast and the persecution he experienced. When he was tempted scriptures he had memorized earlier held strong for him and He was able to be obedient to the LORD.
The persecution this man has experienced in my lifetime puts me to shame. My point in this is not that I need to fast or be shamed, but that I need to spend more time meditating on scripture and memorizing for when the various temptations enter my daily life. Reading about His life encourages me to be more obedient.
This a song I must Sing. Grace and Peace, Sylvia
Bev, I am praying for Blair and that Jehovah Rophe would bring healing to her body and comfort and peace to you and the family. Praising God for quick medical service available to her at the time knowing this is all part of God's Plan A for her to know Him.
ReplyDeleteThis is a prayful Song I must Sing. Grace and Peace, Sylvia
Thank you all so much so much for praying for Blair. When your kids call and say they are in a Louisiana ambulance with a 30 heart rate ... and I can't get to the hospital. She's fine now and at home. Well, not really fine but she's back to a normal heart rate. She has some serious issues with her 1/2 thyroid way over-producing. Pray that they can get it straightened out. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteOh, Oh, Oh, I just love doing this with you all! For those of you peeking in, we are sharing the verse or two that lingers with us as we read the NT in one year. We are wanting God to speak to us about the Larger Story and how our smaller stories are lifted up. A Grand Story. And I just love what you all wrote today about forgiveness. It's not just that we need to hear it once and for all, but moment by moment. For I never know what moment ugliness creeps in, rears its head, to demand fullness for me. No. Our Father Who art in Heaven...are we trying to get the heavens in our head or our head in the heavens? That's a Crabb question.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much to each of you for posting. You offer me something. You make my heart hungry for Him.
Righteous acts need to be done for the right reason.
ReplyDeleteOur Father sees and knows our heart and loves us to live compassionate lives that serve Him out of love. He knows when we are faking our love.
Matt. 6:1
"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."
Matt. 6:17-18
"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."
Bev, I am thankful Blair was with all those people when she had her collapse. I can't even imagine what might have happened if she had been driving or home by herself.
ReplyDeleteThank You, Father, for what You are doing in Blair's life. I know this is for good and we trust You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
And, this tiny chapter is just so full of beautiful words to live by...I know, believe me, I know, how hard it is to forgive.
ReplyDeleteBut God does an amazing thing in a heart that is willing to forgive. He changes you from the inside out. Bitterness is the fruit of an unforgiving person. Love is the fruit of those who forgive.
Our Saviour was filled with compassion towards us in our worst condition.
Our enemy has never felt compassion.
Be like Jesus. Step into His holy footprints. It will change your life!
I was in a position last evening where I needed to seek forgiveness from someone and I didn't want to! The Holy Spirit was nudging me and I felt so childish because I did what was right and yet my attitude in my heart was so wrong (kinda like the prodigal son's brother). The Lord and I worked through it afterward regarding my heart attitude and needed His forgiveness as well.
ReplyDeleteI did receive forgiveness from the one I had wronged and am grateful for it. God's word is always timely! I did act in obedience and then the right feelings did follow but I hate to admit that I did not want to at the time.
Forgiven,
michele
Hey Friends!
ReplyDeletePlease forgive me for being so inconsistent on here. I was encouraged by one of you to keep at it even though my insecurity gets the best of me sometimes. I thought I'd give it another try and wouldn't you just know it. I had to laugh because today's reading was the same as my daily devotional...
"Give us this day our daily bread", When I wake up worrying in the middle of the night lately, I find that praying The Lord;s Prayer helps me fall back asleep. I am reminded to keep trusting Him one day at a time.
Wow Deborah. Something just clicked inside my heart when I read your comment on Matthew 6:1 that said: "Righteous acts need to be done for the right reason." I may be dead right about something like I was this very night at dinner at a great restaurant BUT if it is not coming from a good place in my heart, the right reason, and it wasn't...then it's not righteous. I was speaking out of total frustration of my situation and I was right on target with the truth of the situation. But God leaves us in the desert sometimes. So what will I do with this situation? John 5:39-40 comes to mind: searching and searching for truth, for answers, for deliverance, for freedom but am I going to Him for real life, to enjoy my Lord, no matter what. Am I drinking from the Living Water. Reminds me of 66 LL quote:
ReplyDelete"These parched souls [named Bev] endlessly analyze the composition of the water I've provided but never seem to realize it was meant for drinking." You've moved me a little further tonight, my dear! Thank you.
Angie, you are welcome all the time to walk with all of us clay feet people who deeply need to depend on the LORD for our next moment. Doesn't matter how much or little you comment or stop by, we just want you and your friendship. I can speak for all---we love hearing from you! Thanks for the humble honest comment.
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