F O O T H O L D
READING
35 DON'T BE ANXIOUS OR
LIVING GOD'S WAY
PRAY 'I praise you O Lord;
teach me your ways' (Psalm 119:12).
READ Matthew 6:1934.
THINK What is meant by
'treasures on earth' and 'treasures in heaven'?
List the differences between
them. What should be our attitude to
them?
FOCUS For many of us life is
very complex. In today's reading Jesus
tells us how to live in a
simpler, less anxious way.
SEEK TRUE RICHES (1921). In
every age, some people are chiefly
interested in making money
or gaining possessions. Jesus chose
poverty for himself. There
are two disadvantages, he says, about
aiming at riches. One is
that even when you've got them you can't
be sure of them. They get
damaged or stolen. Love, truth,
friendship with God, are the
things that last. The other problem
is that the more you think
about improving your life here, the
less you focus on heaven.
HAVE ONE MASTER (24). The
desire for money and possessions can
easily become the
controlling factor in a person's life. But
Christians have only one
Master the Lord Jesus. Why is it
impossible to love both God
and money? You can't put God first and
also go for the fattest pay
envelope.
AVOID ANXIETY (2434). Two
thousand years ago (just like today)
people worried about the
future. They had no welfare state either.
Of course they were anxious
as we often are. Jesus points out that
the spring flowers make a
fine show; the birds get by. Our
heavenly Father is no less
concerned about people than about wild
life. In fact Jesus forbids
his followers to worry about such
needs. He commands us to
concern ourselves with God's cause. God
will look after the rest.
PRAY Lord God, save us from
divided loyalties and from fears about the
future.
