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Monday Meditation-My Stuff or God’s Kingdom

It is so easy for us to get caught up in our own stuff. We have much going on that requires our focus—families, jobs, health challenges, to-do lists, managing details, helping others, etc. I could go on an on and not list all the necessary, even good things that draw our attention. I’m afraid that too often though we get so distracted by our stuff that we miss what is most important.

Jesus taught us to pray in the model prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In other words, life is not ultimately about us or for us. There are bigger, more important things going on than our stuff—God’s kingdom and will being accomplished here on earth. What does that look like in our daily lives? I think simply it looks like us focusing on spreading the good news of the kingdom of God (God’s reign through Jesus in our lives) and pursuing his purposes of love and holiness in the world around us.

The beauty of Jesus’ request in Matthew 6 is that we can pursue the will and kingdom of God in the everyday things of life. God has a place for you to expand the influence of his kingdom—your family, your job, your to-do lists, your stuff. He doesn’t necessarily want us to do away with all the things that get our attention. Rather, he wants to be central in the way we relate to all of these things. Here are some questions that will get us started in evaluating how we are at focusing on the kingdom of God in the midst of all our details:

  • Do I use my influence in my home to help my family know and live the good news?
  • Does my character and conduct at work exhibit the integrity Jesus expects of me?
  • Am I relational as I go through the day? Do I see the people around me as individuals who might need compassion, grace, kindness, or encouragement or am I so busy that I don’t even notice them?
  • Do I pray for the things God is most interested in (salvation of others, spread of his gospel, provision for missionaries, spiritual growth for others) or the things I’m most interested in?

Bottom line—let’s participate in God’s plans and purposes today.

Monday Meditation-“Blessed are the Merciful”

Jesus taught much in the Sermon on the Mount that is difficult to apply and sometimes hard to understand. If you haven’t lately, give it a read. You can find it in Matthew’s Gospel, chapters 5-7. One of the more poignant sections is the Beatitudes where Jesus teaches us how to experience heavenly blessings and genuine happiness. Matthew 5:7 reads, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Jesus himself is the embodiment of mercy. He doesn’t give us what we deserve—judgment and immediate punishment. Rather, Jesus gives us grace and kindness.  

I’m disappointed by what I perceive to be a lack of mercy among some believers in conversations and on social media the last several months. We exhibit mercy when we do not give people what they deserve, but show them grace or cut them slack. We exhibit mercy when we give people a chance. We exhibit mercy when the tone of our public and private conversations is salted with kindness and compassion. I’ve read and heard over the last several months people unmercifully criticize and slam presidential candidates, athletes, television personalities, and artists (Lady Gaga at the Superbowl halftime performance) as well as anyone who would speak kindly about anyone they deem wrong.

Do not read this as an affirmation of all of the above persons. We have both the right and responsibility to critique and speak the truth. But we also have the responsibility to manage the tone of our critique (speak the truth in love). When you respond in person or on social media, make sure you are merciful. Use the following questions to help frame your responses in mercy.

  • Do I care more about being right than I care about the people I’m referring to or responding to?  
  • Does my tone exhibit compassion and mercy as well as accuracy and truth?  
  • Am I mindful that the person I’m critiquing is made in the image of God?  
  • Would Jesus say/post what I’m about to say/post?  
  •  Is what I’m about to say/post/share full of truth and grace?  
  • Is what I’m about to say/post/share consistent with the truth of Scripture and the tone of mercy in Scripture?