It Starts With Me
It Begins With Me
Matthew 6:24-34
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.
Reread that again but this time think about what you allow to occupy your thoughts and cloud your mind. Things that you worry about or constantly thinking about like: people you are holding a grudge over, bills, depression, oppression, selfesteem issues, loneliness, and the list goes on. Yes these kind of things very well can be your master. To be honest I am a surviver of abuse and self destruction and malfunctioning disorder. Meaning I was tearing myself up from the inside out. This is my story: I lived my life from age 12 to 47 in uncertanty of what or who I was really, I felt that I didn't deserve to be loved or cared for without the verbal abuse. Not that I felt that someone had to love me because they verbally abused me, but lived in a made up happy state. Yes I served ME by tearing myself up from the inside believing the negative cancerous stuff that other people said about me to my face. Although some of the stuff hurt so much that I cried, but yet I learned to smile inspite of the tears. My family and I moved to Texas and I asked God to show me and to help me. To be honest I have been really going through realizing that everything Starts with ME! I also realize that there are many people like me asking "why does everything have to start with me?" Let me say this I set the way people see and treat me, by how I serve and honor God! Matthew 6:24-34 Let's examine this "Why it starts with me."
Matthew 6:24-34King James Version (KJV)
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.
Master hum; it is what you put before God! You can put yourself, people, objects and things whatever you pretend to to put after God. With me it was my hurts from my pastthat I disliked about myself. I spent more time and effort striving on my past and dout that my children and huspand really love me. Yeah I have been living in depression (not even diagnosed but by God revealing this to me)
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? 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? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take hought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Hold up let me say this; NO matter how hard you try can not add years to your life but you can certaintly make better healthy choices that may improve your life and some choices may even shorten it. I learned frommy childhood that no matter what your money situation is you do not have to dress like you are rich (believe most of them shop the same places you do) or well to do. I must confess that I used to go to church on Sunday morning to check out the Sunday's best fashion show. Now I find myself praying for them (some are just showing off their value and money status and others others just want to out do the other yep fashion show) In that who get's the glory? NOT Godbut much goes into the pretending huh.
Everything In life Does Begin With You.
Mark 10:17-23King James Version (KJV)
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
There is much to say about this rich young ruler; I was rich in time but would never volunteer at church even though at that time I was a stay at home mom; how are/were you like this rich young ruler?
There Is More Proof That It Does Begin With Me
Ephesians 4:25-27King James Version (KJV)
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.
I'll throw myself under the buss here; At some point everyone lies to either pertect the other person or someone else. No matter if it may hurt someone or yourself. Please find a gentle way to tell them or say what is on your mind. It is okay to be angry but be sure to make up before the sun goes down because it becomes a grudge after that.
Matthew 5:21-26King James Version (KJV)
21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
{Raca- Comes from the Aramaic term raqa. It was derogatory expression meaning empty headed, insinualting a person's stupidity or inferiority. It was an offensive name utter contempt for another person.}
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Did you get verses 23-26? People today are sueing over everything and we are being instructed to agree and try to settle our differences without ending up in court peacefully.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20King James Version (KJV)
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Matthew 7:24-27King James Version (KJV)
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Romans 12:2King James Version (KJV)
2 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.
This has been a lesson for myself and I pray that this life lesson has also helped you to become a better person.