Today’s chapter is Matthew 6.

Tom writes:

This reminds me of the game chubby bunnies - where you have to stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth as you can and then say “chubby bunnies”. Jesus has packed as much rip-snorting, life-flipping truth as possible into this ever-so-short sermon and then we, with our souls straining with the effort, try to apply it to our lives without our brains bursting out and sliding onto the floor. Even the greatest minds the world has ever known have found the Sermon on the Mount to exceed their abilities. What chance do we have? And yet I do think that this monstrous and intricate sermon has several fundamental principles which even a child could understand. Jesus seems to be building an argument on four basic convictions: 1) that God is real 2) that God acts as our Father 3) that God sees all we do and 4) God will ultimately determine how our life works out. Each one of these principles builds upon the other and, if we are honest, each of them is probably something we struggle with at times. And no wonder.

The God of this Age - Mammon, or whatever other form he chooses to appear in - screams in our faces that God is not real, that he does not want to nurture us, that what is secret is irrelevant and - perhaps most of all - that he (Mammon) has the keys to our fate. Do we really believe that our secret prayers and our unrecognised obedience and our quiet service are building our future? Do we value these above the comments of our bosses and the statements of friends and the £££s in our pay-packet and the looks we get on the street? It is a challenge. I find I am so much influenced by the latest fad or the latest meeting. I want to be where it is at and I want to be recognised there too. When earthly success (which generally revolves around numbers) is all around then I am happy as Larry but when it begins to fade I find myself scrabbling about for a quick fix. But God is real. God is my Father. He sees what I do in secret and he will ultimately decide my fate. I don’t need quick fixes. I need to trust Him. I don’t need earthly success, I just need to give Jesus my heart. For if I make Him my treasure and if I give him my prayers and if I seek Him first then I need to worry about nothing. For I may or may not be ‘successful’, my popularity and riches may wax and wane, but I know that with my Father I am safe and loved forever no matter what else is happening on this earth.

Question for reflection

How could you forge more of a secret life with your Father in heaven?

Matthew 6 - Monday 12th August