Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Matthew 6 and Psalm 6

It seems to me that the theme of all Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 is captured right at the end when He instructs us, His disciples, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Whether it’s the way we handle our material possessions, our finances, our fasting, our relationships, our prayer lives, the secret is to absolutely prioritise the will of God for our lives and pursue His pleasure above all else. True life is found when we stop trying so hard to find our own fulfilment, to impress others or to control our own destinies, and we hand ourselves over completely to the Lord, with faith in His plan and His provision.

So we are called not to fast or pray in order to impress others, but in order to genuinely seek the Lord. We are called not to store up riches for our selfish ends, but to use whatever riches we might have to further the Lord’s purposes. The disciple of Jesus sees everything we are and everything we have as being an opportunity to glorify God, please Him and further His Kingdom’s cause.

Life Application: One very clear application today is this: “But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private … “(Matthew 6:3-4a). Be intentional today about giving something to someone in need, for the sole purpose of being a blessing to them on behalf of the Lord who has blessed you so richly in so many ways. Don’t tell anyone. Try your best to avoid them finding out that it was you who gave it. And simply bless them for Jesus’ sake.