Devotional Song: Go to this link – again today to hear Michael W Smith singing the old, old hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, … reminding Christians where our focus should be … not worrying about self but seeking and seeing the will and ways of the Savior.
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Highlight Passage #1 – NLT: Matthew 6: 25, … 31-34 …
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? …
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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Highlight Context - NKJV: Matthew, Chapter 6… GO TO THIS LINK …
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Reference Passage #1: Isaiah 26: 3 … [NKJV] … [Worry produces almost nothing but more worry.] …
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Reference Passage #2: 1st Peter 5: 7 … [NKJV] … [Our cares – His caring. ] …
7 … casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you..
Reference Passage #3: Philippians 4: 6-7 … [NKJV] … [Focus from self to the Savior. ] …
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Reference Passage #4: Matthew 11: 28-30 … [NKJV] … [Jesus’ “don’t sweat the small stuff” sermon. ] …
28 “… Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Reference Passage #5: Revelation 3: 20 … [NKJV] … [The Lord’s invitation to dine with Him every day. ] …
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
My Journal for Today: Back in the 60s, when we were programming computers with “MS-Dos” language, computer output would occasionally get in a repetitive loop – we called it a “GO-loop” - much like an old vinyl record would when the needle kept skipping back and playing one phrase over and over again. Well, if you’ve followed along with my journaling the past few days, you might swear that my devotional blogging from Our Daily Bread had gotten me locked into one of those “Go-Loops.” And today I repeat many of the same scriptural truths which I used even yesterday as I discussed finding God’s peace and clarity in the midst of our very murky world.
Today the focus is on focus; and I write about how our human focus can often get turned inward, driving us to focus on the many, unimportant selfish elements of life, leading to my blog title for today – “Don’t sweat the small stuff!” And some may recognize that phrase taken from a self-help book written by a pop-culture psychiatrist and motivational speaker, Richard Carlson, who, in 1997, published his hit pop-psych book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – It’s All Small Stuff! From that book we got the famous two rules we supposedly need to live our lives by: …
Rule #1 – Don’t sweat the small stuff! …
Rule #2 – It’s all small stuff!!
The thing that the millions who bought into Carlson’s pop-psychology in those days didn’t realize was that Dr. Carlson ripped his rules for life from Jesus, who had delivered Carlson’s premise for sound living on a hillside near Capernaum a little over 2000 years ago. And you can read Jesus’ original version from his rather famous “Sermon on the Mount” in the highlight passages which are sited and linked above.
And when it comes right down to it, first Jesus, in his sermon, and then Carlson in his book, nailed some advice, which, if followed, would save us a ton of worry in life and lead us to a much more productive and fruitful life … IF … we were to but follow these biblically-based truths. So, perhaps you might want to go back at least one day and read my blog from 1/14/14; and then take in the truths above for this date; and follow me today by praying that we don’t sweat the small stuff and we focus on the “big stuff,” … which is always focusing on Jesus.
And if we do, we’ll find what Michael W Smith sung in the song to which I’ve linked any reading here today … "Turn your eyes upon Jesus; … look full in His wonderful face; … and the things of this world will grow strangely dim … in the light of His glory and grace.”
My Prayer for Today … Yes, Lord, … I get it. Just focus on You; and all will be well. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread [TGIF], distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read the Our Daily Bread blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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