Caught Me Offguard

(Personal blog post)

Just had the weirdest occurrence. I was at a nearby shopping centre, walking to the bus stop, when suddenly this guy smoking at one corner stopped me & offered me a lift home.

I guess I couldn't hide my bafflement, so he told me my block number & said he stayed at the same block as me. So that's how I got a lift home & a new friend at the same time!

On the way back he told me he noticed me one day at the lift at my floor when my dad passed Jessiah a picture (one of those old, large ones) and he then passed it to me. He couldn't remember what I told my son, (neither could I) but he said it showed I was a good dad, at least better than the one he had...

And that made quite an impression on him as he had just become a dad himself. His baby is 4 months old!

Personally, my first inner reaction was cynicism. “I wonder what would he have thought of me if he caught me yelling at Jessiah?” Later on, however, it dawned on me that people notice me even when I am too caught up with my own world (happens very often).  Sometimes what seems like no big deal to us may actually leave a favorable impression on onlookers.

And of course, since we don’t always see things the way God does, maybe God is really impressed or very touched by what we do also? Just a thought…

Foundations of God's Provision

One major fascination I have is with divine provision. To have all you need, when you need it, so that everything you need to have and get done is settled, sounds good to me! But just a week ago, something interesting just struck me.

Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV) - So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

This can be called the cornerstone of living in God’s provision. It covers both the attitude (confident trust) and actions (seeking the Kingdom) necessary for enjoying God’s supply in every area of our lives.

But, for me at least, it did not always work. I thought I did what I was supposed to do, but didn’t get the promised supply. And I suspect I’m not the only one who ran into problems with it. Well, a week ago, I realized that there was some necessary groundwork that needed to be done first, before people are actually able to live in the fullness of this passage of Scripture.

Let’s start from the very start of the chapter:

Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV) - “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

One thing that sets Matthew 6 apart from Matthew 5 and 7 is the emphasis on reward. Jesus contrasts rewards from God and rewards from Man. We can summarize Matthew 6:1-18 simply as give, pray and fast unto God, and trust in him to reward us.

Matthew 6:19-24 (NIV) - “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

This is the turning point in the chapter, when Jesus talks about our inner vision. Are spiritual realities important to us? We have to make the conscious decision to lay up treasures in heaven, in order that our hearts will be set on heavenly things.

Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV) - Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

And by the way, Jesus has also already told us how to lay up treasures in heaven: give to the poor, pray and fast. And with God’s reward as our motivation.

We also see what can cloud our spiritual vision: trying to serve both God and Money. It just won’t work. Either God or Money will be your master, who do you choose? This is very important, because Jesus taught this first before he told us not to worry about provision. 

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) - “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In my personal experience, people who have difficulties with receiving God’s provision usually miss out on some of the earlier points within this chapter. The question of lordship, do you live for God or Man? And the heart, is it set on things above or things below?

Finally, how real is the Fatherhood of God to you? Is God some distant deity, a harsh taskmaster, or a loving Father? Within this chapter, as Jesus is laying the groundwork for his teaching, he refers to God as Father eleven times, and as God only twice. This is significant to me. Jesus already taught that prayer is one of the ways of laying up treasures in heaven, and prayer (as Jesus taught it) requires us to acknowledge God as Father.

And over time, as our personal relationship with God deepens in intimacy and understanding, we will find that our faith (attitudes) and actions will place us in the place where we can enjoy the exciting and satisfying life of walking in God’s provision in every aspect of our lives.

Conclusion:
Ever since I noticed the details I shared here, I started to evaluate my life in the light of Matthew 6. Of course there’s so much more to consider within Matthew 6, because it has far-ranging implications in our daily lives. But I hope that you will find this sharing a useful self-check tool to see if there are any areas you need to work on a bit in order to enjoy God’s provision to an even greater degree!

Be blessed!