God Centered Life

Part of why we worry is thinking that we are defined by our material acquisitions. That's the message we hear over and over again: we are what we earn. But Jesus said our nature and worth are not defined by what we own.

Trying to satisfy yourself with things on earthcars, houses, money, ambition, careeris like trying to satisfy a dolphin in a bathtub. Just as dolphins were made to swim freely in an open ocean, people are made for God.

Many of us have seen our earthly treasures go through some precarious times. But there is a treasure store that thieves cannot break into, and you can choose to invest there.

Modern life constantly plays a trick on us and tells us that we are going to live forever, and if we worship the right gods of money, power, and sex, we will gain fame and freedom and success. But fasting reminds us of our dependence on God for everythingwe are not invincible, we're not unvunerable, and we need God.

The kind of fasting in this passage is not a diet or a way to get a handle on personal discipline or a way to clear the mind and bodyit is for spiritual purposes. Here Jesus teaches us what fasting really is.

We have a constant tendency to veer away from the freedom of the gospel. The price of real, spiritual freedom is to guard it and stand firm upon it.

It is good to be reminded that God cares about our daily breadour basic sustenance. We can go to Him and ask for help in that area of our lives. In this passage Jesus continues to teach us how to pray.

Sometimes we fall into a "works" mindset or a "magic" mindset about prayer, where we think if we get enough people praying, we can twist God's arm to do something. But Jesus says prayer is not like that. Join us for a deep dive into the Lord's Prayer.

If I really believe that God is real and that He rewards those who seek Him, and that His reward must be far greater than any reward I can get elsewhere, then I will not be tempted to do things to impress other people to get a reward from them. The more we know about God, the more we want to please Him, and the more everything else begins to fall into place.

"Therefore you must be perfect." That's a lot of pressure! We need to hear clearly what Jesus is saying here, and what he's not saying, and then we'll be better equipped to follow his moral advice as well as come to him for the forgiveness we need when we fail.