Relationship with the World (Matthew 6 P14)

In the first half of Matthew 6, Jesus' words revolve around religious practice ... and our motives for religious activity and ritual.  The behaviors in and of themselves are good and Jesus even assumes that they will be done ... the giving, the praying, the fasting.  However, our motives for the behaviors are critical ... they make or break the deal!  So we want to stay aware of and sensitive to our own motives.

The second half of Matthew 6 is about our attitudes toward wealth and stuff.

Read Matthew 6: 19 - 34.  

Most of us are "hoarders" to some degree.  Few of us take it as far as the folks that make the TV show about the syndrome ... but we know the edges of the disease!  Our tendency is to stock up ... to pile up ... to keep the "just in case" things.  Is it wrong to do that?  Is it foolish to buy at the warehouse stores in bulk because it's cheaper?  I don't believe that is the point that Jesus is making.  Yes, simplicity has its place and is actually one of the spiritual disciplines ... but Jesus is talking here about a heart attitude ... a priority issue.  It does not seem to me that "storing up" is the problem ... it seems to me that we "store up" the wrong things in the wrong places.  We "store up" with nothing but worldly eyes.

Jesus steps into our lives to remind us of three great truths ...

1. things of this world can wear out
2. things of this world can erode away
3. things of this world can so easily be stolen

William Barclay said:  "Jesus never said that this world was unimportant; but he said and implied  over and over again that its importance is not in itself, but in that to which it leads.  This world is not the end of life, it is a stage on the way; and therefore we should never lose our hearts to this world and to the things of this world.  Our eyes ought to be forever fixed on the goal beyond."

So Jesus wants all of his hearers to understand that we cannot be devoted to both God and this world with its material stuff.  We CANNOT.  Not "may not" ... "cannot".  That means it is impossible.  Why do we keep trying to serve both?  Do we  not believe that Jesus knew what he was talking about?  Do we really think we will be the exception?  

The second problem with wealth and stuff is that they cause anxiety.  Jesus is not advocating a careless, shiftless, cavalier attitude toward life.  He is forbidding a worried fear which takes the joy out of life.  He is forbidding an anxious fear toward clothes and food that has no place for faith and trust.  

Again, Jesus steps into our lives to remind us of three great truths ...

1. anxiety is futile and useless - not to mention unhealthy
2. anxiety is blind - it completely disregards the lessons from nature itself
3. anxiety is a sign of 'little faith' - it walks without trust in God

In a time of recession and high jobless rates and presidential elections and political posturing and international terrorism and ... and ... and ... we need to hear these words from Jesus loud and clear!  We are one week away from the presidential elections, 2012, in my country.  You and I may need to intentionally choose to believe Jesus when he tells us - 

Therefore I tell you,

do not worry about your life ...

May we be faithful with our day ... today.  May we be faithful with our attitudes today.  May we trust God today.  May we believe in the sovereignty of God's hand over the affairs of men today.  And may we sleep well tonight!