THE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God’s riches are far greater than man’s riches
“There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”
Proverbs 13:7 (KJV)
See also Matthew 6:19-21
Matthew 6 Do Good to Please God – Not to please yourself
Matthew 6:1-4 (KJV), “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
How to pray
Prayer is meant to be between you and God
Matthew 6:5 (KJV), “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
All prayer must be offered in faith
James 1:6 (KJV), “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”
All prayer must be made in the name of the Lord
John 16:23 (KJV), “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.”
All prayer must be made with the power of the Holy Spirit
Romans 8:26 (KJV), “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Do not make your prayer a script where you basically repeat the same over and over
Matthew 6:7 (KJV), “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
John 14:13-14 (KJV), “13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
Jesus gave us the model prayer to follow as an example of the things that should go into a prayer
We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer talks about, using our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with God
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV), “6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
Matthew 6:16 (KJV), “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
Matthew 6:17-18 (KJV), “17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”
Ruth 3:3 (KJV), “Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.”
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
Just as ‘The thought of the Day’, God’s riches are far greater than man’s riches
Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV), “19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” [return]
Remember the bondservant and the master. If we are a bondservant to God there can be no other
Deuteronomy 15:16-17 (KJV), “16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; 17 Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant forever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.”
Matthew 6:24 (KJV), “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 [riches].”
Strong’s Concordance (3126) – mamónas: riches. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – riches.
Do Not Worry
Matthew 6:25 (KJV), “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?”
Matthew 6:31 (KJV), “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV), “6 Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:2 (KJV), “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Get the message?
Grow in the Word of the Lord 