Matthew 6: The Sermon on the Mount (32)
Pray Psalm 135.1-4.
Praise the LORD!
Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD!
You who stand in the house of the LORD,
In the courts of the house of our God,
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His special treasure.
Sing Psalm 135.1-4.
St. Gertrude: Onward, Christian Soldiers
Praise the Savior, praise Him, for His Name is good.
Sing, for it is pleasant, to our glorious God!
All whom He has chosen and redeemed by grace,
praise His Name together, praise Him in this holy place!
Refrain v. 1
Praise the Name of Jesus, you who serve His Word!
Raise your voice and praise our good and glorious LORD!
Read Matthew 6.16-24; meditate on verse 24.
Meditate on the word, “loyal”, and all it implies.
Prepare.
1. According to Jesus, what can we not do?
2. What is the consequence of trying to do that?
Meditate.
I’m convinced that, for many believers, the reason their Christian life is not more exciting, emboldening, adventurous, challenging, satisfying, and joyful is that they have never learned how to serve the Lord only. They believe in Jesus. They’re active in their church. But where is the joy? Where is the eager anticipation of seeing the Lord face to face? Where is the excitement and satisfaction that come from doing all things to the glory of God? Where is the ready witness for Christ at every opportunity?
These things are missing because we don’t think much about Jesus apart from our church activities. For the rest of our lives, we serve the god of making a living, or the god of just taking it easy, or the god of looking good to others, or the god of pursuing our own interests—fall of which are just different manifestations of the one great god served by most people in our day: Me.
Me may take the form of money, as Jesus indicated. It may also take the form of fun, power, vain appearances, being the center of attention, or any number of time-wasting self-indulgences. If we spend the bulk of our time trying to figure out how to satisfy the demands of Me, we won’t have much time or room for Jesus in our lives. If your idea of a meaningful life is to serve Me with the best of your time, energy, and effort, then you will find yourself ultimately being disloyal to God.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus could not have been clearer in His assessment:
“No one can serve two masters…
You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6.24).
No one. You cannot. Period.
“You cannot serve two masters: God and money.
For you will hate one and love the other,
or else the other way around” (Matt. 6.24 TLB).
“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit Who dwells in us yearns jealously’?” (Jms. 4.4, 5).
What we are loyal or devoted to, what we hold onto, is what determines the trajectory of our lives.
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Prov. 4.23).
“Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness.
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your words.
Establish Your Word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You” (Psa. 119.35-38).
Wholehearted devotion to fearing God weans us away from another master.
Our hearts become set on following Him to the very end (Ps. 119.112),
unincumbered by devotion to anyone or anything else.
“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty,
nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God,
Who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Let them do good, that they be rich in good works,
ready to give, willing to share,
storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come,
that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim. 6.17-19).
Loyal—faithful in allegiance to Him for Whom faithfulness is due.
“My eyes are ever toward the LORD…” (Ps. 25.15).
“Now therefore, fear the LORD,
serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and
put away the gods which your fathers served…and
Serve the LORD!” (Josh. 24.14).
Loyally, decidedly, determinedly, and hopefully devoted to God.
“Serve the LORD with gladness…
For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and
His truth endures to all generations” (Ps. 100.2, 5).
Reflect.
1. What are some things that could threaten your loyalty and devotion to God?
2. What are the keys to keeping devotion to God alone as the driving force of our lives?
3. How can we encourage one another in this? Whom will you encourage today?
Therefore, whoever wishes to love God and to beware of offending him, let such a one cleanse the upright intention of his heart from all duplicity. In this way, he will “think of the Lord in goodness and seek him in simplicity of heart.” Augustine (354-430), Sermon on the Mount 2.14.48
Pray Psalm 135.13-21.
Today, commit to the Lord that you will serve Him, and only Him, in everything that is before you.
Sing Psalm 135.13-21.
St. Gertrude: Onward, Christian Soldiers
Evermore Your Name, O Savior, shall endure!
Your renown throughout all ages is secure.
For You have compassion, vindicating all
those who serve Your Name and on Your saving mercy call.
Refrain, v. 1
Praise the Name of Jesus, you who serve His Word!
Raise your voice and praise our good and glorious LORD!
Vain the nations serve the idols of their hands;
mouths and ears they have but cannot understand.
Every idol vain is, lacking life or breath.
All who serve them, like them, shall be lost to lasting death.
Refrain
Bless the LORD you people, all who love the LORD!
Bless Him, you who trust His sovereign, holy Word!
Bless the LORD from Zion, Him Who in it dwells:
Praise Him! Lift your voices, all His grace and glory tell!
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column looks at people in ministry. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
