Listen on YouTube: Lauren Daigle Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (Lyrics)
Now my heart’s desire is to know you more, to be found in you and known as yours.
To possess by faith what I could not earn, all-surpassing gift of righteousness
Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you, there is no greater thing.
You're my all, you're the best, you're my joy, my righteousness, and I love you Lord.
Graham Kendrick © 1993 Make Way Music
Pray the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ reading the words from Matthew 6: 9-13
We continue to read ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ and in today’s scripture reading we see that Jesus is still asking us to think about what priority our relation with God has in our lives. Read Matthew 6: 25-34
Once again we read familiar phrases, and once more I want to point out a phrase which to me summarises what Jesus is saying. Verse 33 in the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) says: What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all the other things you need.
Many of us are more familiar with Jesus’ instruction being phrased as ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God’. No matter what translation we use, Jesus is telling us to make pleasing God our top priority – to let God reign in our lives, by letting him set the rules by which we will live our lives.
We might not know much history, but most people are familiar with the reign of Henry 8th. Living in his kingdom meant living by his rules. When he suddenly changed his mind about what his rules were, then everyone in his kingdom had to start living differently, obeying the king’s new rules. When we ask God to be king in our lives (when we enter his kingdom), we need never fear that he will suddenly change the rules – God is consistent, reliable and trustworthy. His rules, like him, are perfect, good and wise and as we implement his rules they will bring us happiness (Blessed are… Matthew 6: 3-10).
On Sunday I challenged us to ‘fast’ from ‘screen-time’ for two periods of 30 minutes. I gave suggestions of what to do in those periods on time.
I am ‘fasting’ at 7:00pm tonight when I will read from the Living Bible, Matthew chapters 5, 6 & 7 (the sermon in the mount), which will cause me to Pause and Rejoice, before I Ask and Yield. I will then look at the BMS website and read some of their news causing me to Ask Father God to bring help and hope into those situations before drawing my 30 minutes to a close by Yielding - saying ‘Yes’ to whatever God thinks is the best way of answering my prayers.
On Thursday at 8:30pm I will do a similar 30 minute ‘screen-fast.’ I will read what happens next after ‘The sermon on the mount,’ in Matthew chapters 8 and 9 from the Good News Bible. Once again that will cause me to me to Pause and Rejoice, before I Ask and Yield. I will read some news from the Open Doors Website particularly about the persecution Christians face in North Korea, then I will Ask God to bless those Christians and bring change to that country, before once more Yielding (saying ‘Yes’) to God’s superior love and wisdom and praying:
Your kingdom Come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…
For yours in the kingdom, the power and the glory – for ever and ever!
Listen on YouTube to: Guvna B the Kingdom Choir Cast your cares
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you - Allelu, Alleluia
We cannot live by bread alone but by every word
That proceeds from the mouth of God - Allelu, Alleluia
Ask and it shall be given unto you - Seek and ye shall find
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you - Allelu, Alleluia
Karen Lafferty © 1972 Word Music
Some people have already told me about their experience of ‘screen-fasting’, but before Sunday I would really appreciate hearing your experience of doing this.
Sunday –if you want to physically come to church at either 10:30am or 6:30pm (both events are identical) you need to have booked a place, or on Facebook you can watch a live-streaming of the 10:30am gathering or you can read a summary of it on the Church website - Stephen