Vince Deagler

hi all.  i don’t know about you, but i have gained a whole new appreciation for the sermon on the mount as we have been working through it these past few weeks.  sure some of what jesus taught was so familiar, that i really wasn’t excited by it (i am probably not supposed to say those kind of things but this is not the first time i have studied this section of scripture).  but as often happens, in a new study, with fresh eyes, certain things jump out that maybe you never quite saw it that way before, or maybe you appreciated it on a whole new level, or maybe your spiritual development has come to a place that allows you to grasp truth you could not grasp previously (i love how jesus says to his disciples that he had many more things to teach them, but they were not yet ready to receive them in john’s gospel).  maybe this is an all of the above thing, but i have really seen this teaching in a new light. 

our focus was on finding authentic christianity as defined by jesus.  it is easy to confuse cultural christianity and/or religion as being the equivalent of authentic christianity, but i think jesus would disagree and plainly says so.  seems to me he is clear that authentic christianity starts with a personal relationship with jesus.  from that relationship comes an inside out transformation (we are salt and light).  this view of christianity is completely different than religion (as defined by a belief system with an accompanying code of conduct.  jesus refutes the belief system in matthew 5 and the code of conduct in matthew 6.)

at this point in his teaching jesus turns to the culture of the day, and shows how distinct the believer is (matthew 6:19-34).  he begins with a clear command.  do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.  that is the exact opposite of what we are taught today in a materialistic/consumer driven society.  i grew up in pa and often heard the old proverb…get all you can, can all you get, then sit on the can!  that describes our culture perfectly.  but remember, we are salt and light.  we are distinctly different in christ.  so our values (remember the inside out transformation we experience in christ) are very different.  we treasure heavenly things.  we realize this world is a temporary residence.  that the treasures of this world are subject to all kinds of depreciation.  but heavenly treasure is eternal in nature.  so instead of getting entangled in and bound by the things of this world, we march to the beat of a different drummer.  that would be god and his will for our lives. 

after laying out this distinct mindset, jesus suggests some specific applications.  the first deals with worry.  since we are not chasing the things of this world, trying to get all we can and can all we get, we do not have to worry about those sorts of things.  that is not to say these things are unimportant.  no, we need food, shelter, clothing, the provisions for life.  but we do not need to be enslaved by them.  as christ followers we have a different value system that says the most important thing is god and his will.  our focus is to serve him, we do so in trust, believing he will take care of our needs.  thus, there is no need to worry.  jesus shares several wonderful examples of how god provides in nature and asks, are we not more important than say, birds?  he also points to the futility of worry.  the reality is, there are many things we have some degree of control over.  there are many more things where we do not have control, and worry won’t change that.  so jesus encourages us to stop worrying and develop our ability to trust him.  the benefit in this is, the more we do, the more we will experience his provision in our life.  i have often thought life can be as simplistic as being a choice between 2 things.  what i can get on my own vs. what he can give me.  i’ll go with what he can give me, because that has eternal value. 

the hard thing is, how and where do we draw the lines in our practical lives.  how much is enough.  we just had a clothes distribution for our community.  we received soooo many donations.  i noticed, some of the donated items still had tags on them  they were purchased and never even worn.  obviously, that may be indicative of an extreme.  and quite honestly, i do not think we have been called to wear worn out clothes, out of fashion clothes, eat unhealthy foods, drive clunkers, or live in run down shacks as a badge of spirituality (that is another extreme as far as i am concerned).  we have been tremendously blessed as americans.  we can choose to live to the very limit of our means…or even beyond.  i think the application here is stewardship.  where i recognize everything i have belongs to god.  that i manage it all for him.  where i deliberately and intentionally live beneath my means, so i can invest the rest in ministry.

i would encourage you to do some soul searching in this area.  look at your check book and see where your money is going…and not going.  ask the hard questions like…do i really need this________?  or how many ___________ do i really need?  let me close with another old proverb picked up along the way.  timely advice for those seeking to be good stewards.  use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.  love to hear your thoughts.  thanks for reading.  blessings.  vince