INTERESTING FACTS : Thomas Jefferson, Draftsman of the Declaration of Independence of the United States and the nation's first secretary of state (1789-94), second vice president (1797-1801), and, as the third president (1801-09), the statesman responsible for the Louisiana Purchase.

 

"Should things go wrong at any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable exercise of their elective rights."[1]

 

Daily Reading : MATTHEW 5 - 6

 

TEXT : Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 

Mat 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Mat 6:29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Mat 6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 

THEME : PEACE

 

Matthew 6:19-24

 

"Worldly-mindedness is a common and fatal symptom of hypocrisy, for by no sin can Satan have a surer and faster hold of the soul, under the cloak of a profession of religion. Something the soul will have, which it looks upon as the best thing; in which it has pleasure and confidence above other things. Christ counsels to make our best things the joys and glories of the other world, those things not seen which are eternal, and to place our happiness in them. There are treasures in heaven. It is our wisdom to give all diligence to make our title to eternal life sure through Jesus Christ, and to look on all things here below, as not worthy to be compared with it, and to be content with nothing short of it. It is happiness above and beyond the changes and chances of time, an inheritance incorruptible. The worldly man is wrong in his first principle; therefore all his reasonings and actions therefrom must be wrong. It is equally to be applied to false religion; that which is deemed light is thick darkness. This is an awful, but a common case; we should therefore carefully examine our leading principles by the word of God, with earnest prayer for the teaching of his Spirit. A man may do some service to two masters, but he can devote himself to the service of no more than one. God requires the whole heart, and will not share it with the world. When two masters oppose each other, no man can serve both. He who holds to the world and loves it, must despise God; he who loves God, must give up the friendship of the world." [Matthew Henry][2]

 

Matthew 6:25

 

"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life,.... Since ye cannot serve both God and "mammon", obey one, and neglect the other. Christ does not forbid labour to maintain, support, and preserve, this animal life; nor does he forbid all thought and care about it, but all anxious, immoderate, perplexing, and distressing thoughts and cares; such as arise from diffidence and unbelief, and tend to despair; which are dishonourable to God, as the God of nature and providence, and uncomfortable to men: what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. The several and the only things, which are necessary for the support and comfort of human life, are mentioned; as meat, drink, and clothing; Eating and drinking are necessary to preserve life; and raiment, to cover and defend the body, from the injuries of the heavens: and having these, men have everything necessary, and ought herewith to be content; nor should they be anxiously thoughtful about these: for is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? And yet, God has given these without man's thought: and since these are better, and much more excellent, than food and raiment, as all must and will acknowledge; and God has given these the greater gifts, it may be depended upon, that he will give the lesser; that he will give meat and drink; to uphold that valuable life, which he is the author of; and raiment to clothe that body, which he, with so much wisdom and power, has accurately and wonderfully made." [John Gill][3]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "TODAY IS WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS MAKE OF TOMORROW!"

 

Everyone lives in the future. Just think of your day today. What will you be doing at noon? What are your plans for later in the afternoon, in the evening? How about tomorrow or the day after - what time will your rise, eat, shower, etc.? You see, everyone lives in the future by the conduit of his or her thoughts. That is, you plan, prepare, and think about the most trivial events as well as the momentous - all in the future, some soon and some far off. Further, all of this is accomplished by the mind. For you know intellectually and intuitively, that things can change - for better or worse, at any time. Therefore, today and how you feel - that is, either anxious or relaxed, depends on what your thoughts make of tomorrow.

 

Jesus in His famous "Sermon on the Mount," addresses the subject of anxiety [we can include depression as well] and tells you not to be anxious about tomorrow. This includes worrying about the necessities of life - what you will eat, drink, or wear - and tells you not to be concerned. More accurately, life's basic needs are all that Jesus mentions here, telling you not to be apprehensive or fearful. Therefore, if Jesus instructs you not to have care about the necessities of life, you must conclude how much more He would incorporate the items of leisure and the objects of luxury in this message.

 

When Jesus says - "take no thought for your life," He uses a word that means "anxious care."[4] He is not saying you should not plan or prepare once you have an idea or design for your life. In fact, the Bible speaks on the subject of planning, which should be done with wisdom found in the Word of God. Anxiety is another matter. In other words, it is good in the sight of God to plan, but never to do so with anxiety. You should not think about tomorrow with dread or trepidation. Perhaps, you may argue - "today's troubles will only get worse [by] tomorrow." Yet, this is exactly to the point.

 

Tomorrow is not here, today is. Therefore, since there is enough to contend with today, do not think about tomorrow - fretting and agonizing. Today and how it goes in the inner man [your mind, your soul - this includes your feelings, emotions, sensations and impulses], depends to a great degree on how you think, or what you think about tomorrow. Are you thinking of the future with fear and apprehension, or with trust and dependence on God and His Word? This is the defining question, and your answer is most critical to your time on earth.

 

Jesus reasons with you when He says - "contemplate the birds and the flowers." He goes on to say the Father, your Father, is taking care of all of them. In "Introduction to Bird Species and Ornithology," the estimate given is there are 10,000 species of birds in the world - most of them outside the USA.[5] I am unsure if anyone has attempted to predict the number birds' - en toto, on planet earth, but we know their numbers are greater than humans are. Further, if there are over 7,000,000,000 people on earth, [6] imagine how many birds there must be! Hence, the magnitude of Jesus statement when He said -

 

Mat_10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 

 

Then again -

 

Luk_12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

 

With such vast numbers of birds in the earth, and not one of them will die, not one of them is "forgotten" without the knowledge of God or according to His will, indeed He will take care of you! Thus, since the Father has His eye on every bird and every flower - feeding and dressing them respectively, and knowing we are more important to Him than birds and flowers being made in His image, you can rest in the fact, the truth that the Father will take care of you.

 

"Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience." [Civilla Martin][7][8]

 

Let today take care of itself, and think of tomorrow with rest, trust, and reassurance. His Eye is on the sparrow, and you [know] He is watching over you!

 

Joseph Thayer, D.D. Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Coded with Strong's Concordance Numbers . Public Domain, 1828 - 1901

[5] "Introduction to Bird Species and Ornithology," Number of Bird Species in the World:

 

There are over 10,000 species of birds in the world. About 925 have been seen in the U.S. and Canada. About 1,000 have been seen in Europe. By far the largest concentration of bird species are found in South America. Over 3,200 species have been seen there. In Colombia, Bolivia and Peru the species count for each country tops 1,700.  Here are some very general figures for the species count for each continent:

 

3,200  South America

2,900  Asia

2,300  Africa

2,000  North America (from Panama north + Caribbean)

1,700  Australia + surrounding islands

1,000  Europe

65  Antarctica

 

Taken from - Introduction to Bird Species and Ornithology, Birding.com, http://www.birding.com/species.asp , Accessed October 2, 2012

[6] http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Eye_Is_On_The_Sparrow

[8] Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav'n and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 

Refrain:

I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free,

For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 

"Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I hear,

And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;

Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 

Refrain:

I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free,

For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 

His Eye Is on the Sparrow, Civilla D. Martin, 1905, Copyright: Public Domain, http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/His_Eye_Is_on_the_Sparrow/ , accessed October 2, 2012