Burunche’s Blog

Matthew 7: The House on the Rock (Luke 6:46–49)

24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

“TURN AROUND! DON’T DROWN!” If you’ve traveled through Texas or other states where flash floods are common, you might have seen these signs. In hill country, dry river beds can go from being full of sand to raging torrents within minutes. In West Virginia, where much of the landscape consists of short steep mountains with narrow mountain valleys, many of these valleys are just wide enough to accommodate a small stream, a road, and enough land for a strip of houses. Canny residents know that if it rains more than 30 minutes, they need to check their stream, and if the stream is rising, it’s time to get out quickly!

The landscape in Israel consists mostly of rock interspersed with sand in the lower areas. Here Jesus is likely referring to a recent disaster that everyone in his audience knows about. Someone in a nearby village probably chose a nice flat area for building a house, ignoring the fact that they were building on sand. Perhaps the building site was so far from a stream bed that the builder assumed he would never face a flood. But floods have a way of showing up wherever they want, and valleys can suddenly turn into stream beds with little notice. Meanwhile, a neighbor built a much more modest house on a rocky prominence. When torrential rains hit, the predictable happened, and the mansion on the sand floated off down the stream.

Here, Jesus is advising his listeners that they need to take everything he has been teaching to heart and apply his teachings, so they will be wise builders. The question Jesus is posing is simple: What is the basis for your life? Are you following God and trusting Him, or are you trying to be your own god?

Today, there are all kinds of phone apps that promise to help you manage everything from your personal habits to your home matters. It sounds simple, really; just download the app and follow all the prompts and everything will be fine…or will it? Sadly, experts are now warning that such apps can result in identity theft. Evidently, there’s a high price for checking your brains at the door! At the same time, we must ask ourselves if the advice we receive is godly or not? After all, the old computer adage still applies: GIGO-Garbage In, Garbage Out! Who’s programming the Artificial Intelligence? What kinds of morals do those people have? How trustworthy are they? Those of us who are grammar gurus find ourselves fighting regularly with automated corrections that want to sanitize even direct Bible quotes.

We should aim to live lives that will please God, not some computer model. Yes, seeking God’s face demands time and effort, but honest prayer is one of the few activities that is impossible to mess up. Of course, you must mean what you are praying, and you need to listen to God, not just lecture Him. Recently, a Christian comedian posting on Facebook made the point that many of us don’t want to follow Jesus; rather, we want Jesus to follow us and bless whatever we have already planned. Never mind that those plans might lead to disaster.

That crowd on the hillside knows Jesus is telling the truth and they are taking everything to heart. But why listen to Jesus? After all, there are scribes teaching in synagogues throughout Israel.

The Authority of Jesus

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, 29 because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

The difference between Jesus and the scribes is simple: Jesus obviously knows about the Kingdom of God because he has been anointed of God to bring that Kingdom to earth. When Jesus speaks, those people on the hillside know they are hearing directly from God. When the scribes speak, they go in for such long and complicated explanations that at the end, it’s obvious they doubt their own authority and are trying to mask their uncertainty with lots of words.

These verses end the teachings we know as “The Sermon on the Mount.” Never again will any of the Gospel writers record such extended teachings of Jesus, even though he will continue to teach the disciples throughout the rest of his three-year long ministry. There might be other times where Jesus will also teach for hours; however, God has allowed both Matthew and Luke to preserve these teachings because these form the foundations for our knowledge of the Kingdom of God.

What should you do with these verses? Simple. Pray and ask God to highlight those things He wants you to gain from them. God is a good Father and He does not play guessing games with His children. God will never steer you wrong, unlike AI, which is always artificial and sometimes not intelligent, and questionably moral.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to study Your Word, to meditate on Your Word, and to gain those things You want us to learn. Help us to trust You and not some computerized application, for You are the only Source of true knowledge. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 7:15-20 True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Fakery is as old as the human race. When Cain murdered Abel, he tried to lie to God about it, even though God already knew all the details. The showman P.T. Barnum used to say that “There’s a sucker born every minute,” and he once got people to leave his show promptly by posting a sign stating “This way to the Egress,” egress meaning exit. A more modern saying tells us that if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is just that. But yet, people desperately want to believe in fakery, as long as the fakery confirms what they already want to believe in the first place. And that’s where wolves in sheep’s clothing get their opportunity.

True pathologic liars can convince you that black is white and charm the birds right off the trees. Many of us are highly susceptible to such liars because they tell us what we already want to believe anyway. We are particularly open to deceit if we are straying away from the will of God and hope for someone or something to support our poor thinking.

James 1:13-15 says, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

I have worked for years in the medical profession, where egos can sometimes be gigantic. But some of the greatest surgeons I have known are those who have remained humble throughout their careers, recognizing that there is always more to learn and encouraging younger surgeons so that they will achieve even greater things in the future. Those who are truly giants in the field are the ones who try to raise others to even greater heights.

Sadly, I have also encountered toxic personalities, individuals who have tried to build themselves up by tearing others down. In the end, these people leave only a legacy of hurt. The same thing can happen on the mission field. Generally, local people will have a party for anyone going on retirement; however, in at least one instance, the local people waited until the missionary had left and then celebrated because he was gone!

True and False Disciples

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

What’s Jesus talking about here? If these people have been prophesying and casting out demons and doing miracles in His name, why won’t they make it into the Kingdom of Heaven? God has used these people to help innocent sufferers who want to hear from him or be free from demons or be delivered miraculously. Because God is merciful, He has allowed His grace to flow through these people because those coming to them truly believe. God is honoring the faith of the supplicants; however, the false disciples are simply using Jesus’ name as a charm. They themselves are faithless, employing Jesus’ name only to gain wealth or fame.

What about evangelists such as Oral Roberts or Katherine Kuhlman, who prophesied, cast out demons, and did miracles? These people and others like them are true disciples. Sometimes people attending a miracle service with Roberts or Kuhlman never even made it into the services but were healed as they approached. Make no mistake! God knows human hearts and God rewards those who truly honor Him. One of our friends once had the chance to ask Reverend Roberts what his ministry had cost him. Roberts was quite blunt, telling our friend that he had virtually no social life because his ministry required long hours of prayer and meditation so that he could be a channel of God’s love.

Want God’s approval? Remember Jesus’ teachings earlier: Seek God’s will. Keep knocking, keep seeking. And you will find God’s will and favor.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to seek You, not being confused by wolves in sheep’s clothing or by false prophets. Let us love You each day more than the day before. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

“If it were easy, everybody would do it.” Bruce Farrell, Cardiothoracic resident, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, NY, 1976

When I began surgery residency as a female resident in 1976, I was one of four females in a large unit. We had one female surgery professor, a distinguished lady who wound up her career covered with international honors. But those of us working at that time struggled. Many times, we were judged unfairly and we had to work twice as hard as the male residents to gain approval. Those were the days of open operations that are now performed using laparoscopy or robotic surgery. Tedious vascular procedures that used to take eight hours are now performed using minimally invasive techniques in the radiology suite with excellent results. I watched as some promising female junior residents diverted into easier fields such as radiology rather than endure the long hours, sleep deprivation, and physical hardships involved in operations lasting several hours. One morning after being awake all night, I nearly fell asleep while first assisting an attending on an emergency laparotomy. “Ah, standing by memory, I see!” the attending surgeon jovially observed.

Even though Jesus is teaching about the glories of the Kingdom of God, he refuses to sugar coat the requirements. One of the paradoxes of the Kingdom of God is that the rewards are glorious; however, following Jesus can mean sorrow, suffering, and sometimes even martyrdom. Luke 9:23-26 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Later on, Jesus is approached by three different men, each one of whom claims to desire to become his disciple. But it turns out that they are more in love with the idea than with the reality. Luke 9:2 3 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

While many people choose to believe that being a Christian means you will never suffer, that’s far from the case. Recently, social media posts have shown a photo of a Nigerian pastor whose congregation has been attacked twice, with increasing numbers of members slaughtered for their faith.

What happened to Jesus’ twelve disciples? Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and subsequently hanged himself. Saint John died of natural causes, reportedly the only apostle not martyred. (There are reports that John survived being boiled in oil.) But what about the other disciples?

• James (son of Zebedee): Executed by Herod Agrippa I around 44 AD.
• Peter: Traditionally believed to have been crucified upside down in Rome.
• Andrew: Said to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross.
• Philip: Believed to have been crucified or stoned.
• Bartholomew: Traditionally said to have been flayed alive.
• Matthew: Various accounts suggest he was martyred, possibly by sword or other means.
• Thomas: Traditionally believed to have been killed by a spear in India.
• James (son of Alphaeus): Accounts vary, with some suggesting he was stoned or beaten to death.
• Thaddeus (Jude): Believed to have been martyred, possibly by arrows or other means.
• Simon the Zealot: Various traditions suggest he was martyred, possibly by crucifixion.

Reflecting on Jesus’ teachings and the suffering many Christians have endured, Reginald Heber wrote the following hymn in 1812.

The Son of God Goes Forth to War

The Son of God goes forth to war, a kingly crown to gain;

His blood-red banner streams afar! Who follows in His train?

Who best can drink His cup of woe, triumphant over pain,
Who patient bears his cross below—He follows in His train.

That martyr first, whose eagle eye could pierce beyond the grave;
Who saw his Master in the sky, and called on Him to save.
Like Him, with pardon on his tongue in midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for them that did the wrong: Who follows in his train?

A glorious band, the chosen few on whom the Spirit came;
Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew, and mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant’s brandished steel, the lion’s gory mane;
They bowed their heads the death to feel: Who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys, the matron and the maid,
Around the Savior’s throne rejoice, in robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of Heav’n, through peril, toil and pain;
O God, to us may grace be giv’n, to follow in their train.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You, no matter the cost. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 7: Ask, Seek, Knock

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Why have all these people on that hillside listened for hours? By now, the sun is hot, the wind has died down, and those who have not brought food or water are getting thirsty and hungry; yet, they continue to raptly listen. But what Jesus is teaching is so compelling that hunger and thirst don’t matter. For years, these people have listened to religious experts quoting Scripture but living as if the very Scriptures they are quoting don’t matter. The Kingdom of God has seemed unreachable. Now Jesus is bringing the Kingdom of God within reach and people are so thrilled they are willing to endure a little suffering. Besides, Jesus is teaching as if he’s speaking to beloved friends. No religious leader has ever demonstrated so much as a shred of love or acceptance for them before this.

Until today, the Kingdom of God has seemed unreachable. Now Jesus is encouraging the crowd that if they keep asking God, if they keep seeking, and if they persist, they will receive grace from God, they will find acceptance and forgiveness, and God will open the door of His Kingdom to them. But many of these people are skeptical. After all, they know they are sinners. Why should God do such things for them?

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Those of us living in modern dwellings with good lighting cannot imagine how things were in Jesus’ day. In those days, people lit small oil lamps that only illumined a limited area. This means that it might be possible for someone to carelessly pick up a stone thinking it was a piece of bread, or to pick up a snake, thinking it was a dried fish. Jesus is pointing out that caring parents will make sure they are giving their children only good things. Now, if we as sinful people still want to give our children only those things that are beneficial, why won’t our Heavenly Father do even better?

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I once had an elderly friend who had been a highly successful newspaper editor, having climbed the ranks from being the girl who got all the local news tidbits to receiving national awards for her writing. Competition in the newsroom was cutthroat, and females had to be tough to survive. My friend succeeded in part because she steadfastly refused to engage in office politics, her motto being “What goes around, comes around.” Through the years, my friend witnessed many hotheaded young men who thought they could climb the corporate ladder by undermining others. But wise bosses soon recognized their machinations and quietly suggested they find employment elsewhere.

Jesus is not only introducing his audience to his Heavenly Father but also encouraging them to copy God, doing good to all those around them. Once more, Jesus is teaching that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. So treat others the way you want them to treat you. Or, as my friend would say, “What goes around, comes around!”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to recognize all the good things You give us and be grateful. Help us to care for others as You care for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

OCTOBER 26, 2026 WHO’S THAT GUY UP THERE ON THE HILLSIDE? WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN? #32 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THROW PEARLS TO SWINE?

Matthew 7:6 Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

These two statements appear quite puzzling until you consider the meaning of holiness. God is holy, righteous, just, and pure, dwelling in light so blinding that none of us can even glance upon His brightness and glory.

“Do not give dogs what is holy.” We need to be careful about what we say, what we do, and how we handle ourselves. There are some things we must consider before speaking about God and His holiness, for if you are speaking to someone with no more understanding than that of a dog, you are wasting your words. For such people, holiness is better lived out than spoken about. We should live holy lives, trusting that God who knows human hearts far better than we do will move in those around us if we remain true to Him.

But what about the swine? I grew up on a Midwestern hog farm, and I can speak from long experience that pigs are only one step away from being wild animals. I once watched my grandfather encounter an angry mother sow in a small pen. The sow tossed her head and went “WOOF!” and the right pant leg on my grandfather’s bib overalls was suddenly in shreds. Grandpa vaulted over the door to the pen, leaving the sow to stomp about in a high dudgeon.

Sadly, there are people who are just as unyielding as that sow, and if you try to explain the Kingdom of God to them, they may attack you physically or spiritually. Again, with such people, you can only live a life of holiness and service to God, trusting that God can move in their hearts.

Why does Jesus warn his followers about these problems? Many of us are problem-handlers and we feel that if we just try hard enough, we can fix anything. But many times, our foolish attempts at fixing other people resort in disaster. With the best of intentions, we might drive people further away from God.

May God help us to trust His timing and His working while we concentrate on remaining faithful to Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You to handle the dogs and the swine while we do our best to remain faithful to You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 7:1-5 1 “Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

(With apologies-I posted something short on this on the 23^rd, thinking I needed something for the 24^th. Now I am revising it in hopes of posting it in time for the 25^th.)

Recently, I was doing an online course in trauma when I saw one of the most gruesome pictures I’ve seen for a while. The photo showed a patient with a huge piece of wood sticking out of the left eye. Blessedly, the patient only suffered minor cosmetic damage, but it looked horrible! Perhaps something like that happened and Jesus was making use of it in his parable.

The obvious moral of this story is that we must not judge, for our faults may be far more glaring than the miniscule failings of others. It would be like some grossly obese person lecturing a mildly plump person on weight control.

What’s Jesus’ point? Once more, Jesus is hammering home the idea that the measure of anything we give out is the measure we’ll receive. One of the popular toys when I was a kid was a paddle with a bouncy ball attached by an elastic cord. But you had to watch carefully or the ball would return from a direction you weren’t expecting. Yet another toy that was popular was a boomerang, and boomerangs would come back, unless they struck a target. Again, you couldn’t always tell the direction from which a boomerang might come. That’s what happens when we judge.

In these days of widespread social media, many people feel emboldened to criticize freely anyone disagreeing with them in any fashion. And the name-calling has become ridiculous. But there’s a problem, for employers have also become sensitive to social media posts by their employees. Troll if you wish, but be aware that your employer may be watching. Post comments that are too insensitive or inappropriate and you might find yourself in danger of not only losing your current job but being unable to secure a new one. Schools are also becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of online bullying. Again, vicious posts might come back to bite you, for anyone writing recommendations for you for further education or for a job will hesitate to write fulsome recommendations, knowing that you have made a public nuisance of yourself in print.

There’s also a much more important spiritual problem. The Lord’s prayer says, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” If you criticize in any form, you are claiming that someone owes you some kind of debt. But do you really want to be castigated in the same fashion you employ when insulting others? How can God forgive you anything if you refuse to forgive others?

As we meditate on these verses, ask God to show you if you have been guilty of judging when you should have given someone else the benefit of the doubt.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have freely judged others while expecting them to give us the benefit of the doubt. Help us to stop judging others and love them instead. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 6:25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Now the crowd on the hillside is really scratching their heads. Many of these people live at barely above a subsistence level. One illness, one injury, or one business loss might easily result in their family being homeless and destitute. Now Jesus is advising radical beliefs, that they should trust God for their needs rather than worrying about those needs themselves. Somewhere in the crowd, there are people thinking, “Well, Jesus, that’s fine for you. You aren’t married, you don’t have a family to worry about, and you can always go back to Nazareth and resume working as a carpenter. Obviously, you don’t understand my situation!”

What is Jesus actually advising here? God wants us to focus on Him and not on all our problems. This does not mean that we should be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. God wants us to continue to work to support ourselves and our families, and God knows our concerns and our struggles even better than we do. But God wants us to remember that He can provide and that if we will seek the Kingdom of God above all else, trusting in Him, He will care for us.

One of the laws of the Kingdom of Heaven is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. As long as you receive God’s gifts with open hands, realizing He might want you to pass them on at any point, you will be all right. In the course of our missionary careers, we have given away vehicles, clothing, books, and money. We have provided funds for indigent patients and have sometimes sheltered people in our homes. In a few cases, we have helped families build homes for themselves. We can honestly say that God has returned everything we have done, providing places to stay, feeding, vehicles, and even my tuition at Tulane University. There’s a slogan that says, “You can’t out-give God,” and it’s absolutely true.

What about worry? Jeremiah 32:27 says, “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” Nothing is too difficult, no problem is too unmanageable, for God. A friend used to have a sign on his desk that read,” Before you go to bed, give your troubles to God. He will be up all night anyway.”  Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Psalm 37:8 says, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.“ Worry doesn’t help anything so STOP!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust that You will care for all the details of our lives, even things about which we are unaware. Thank You for Your divine provision. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Teaching about Money and Possessions Matthew 6:19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

When Jesus is speaking on that hillside, he is describing the worst fears of many in the crowd, for some of them have already suffered at the hands of thieves, particularly the poor living in houses that are easily broken into. The housewives in the crowd are fully aware of the dangers posed by moths that might consume stored material, even if it is in a trunk. And of course, metal might rust and fall apart. Today, we still have thieves and moths and rust; however, now we have even more dangerous problems. There’s a new scam targeting seniors on social security. Hackers get a name and a social security number and create an online profile, sending the money that should go to struggling seniors to their own bank accounts. (One wonders what happens to seniors who are not computer-literate and who do not have an online presence. How can these people protect themselves?)

Why does Jesus teach on this point at this time in his sermon? Everything Jesus has already taught about the Kingdom of God has led up to this matter. Jesus has already spoken about the character of those who will inherit the Kingdom of God, refusing to take revenge, forgiving those who persecute them and praying for them. Jesus has also taught on prayer and fasting. Now Jesus is bringing his teaching to something close to everyone’s hearts, namely, possessions. Years ago, there was a ridiculous slogan stating that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But what good are possessions to a dead person? Even King Solomon, the richest man who ever lived, lamented, “Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)

Jesus’ point is simple: Where is your treasure? If you are only concerned about earthly things, you will certainly take every means possible to protect your wealth and your possessions. You will obsess about security systems, secret bank accounts, and other means of protecting your wealth. But what about heavenly treasures-what is Jesus talking about? Proverbs 13:7 tells us, “There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; and one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.”

Heavenly treasures belong to those Jesus has already described in the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, those who treasure God and His presence more than anything else, those who give freely, blessing others without thought of reward or recompense. God is the One who keeps the heavenly books, and He knows those who are trying to follow Him, trusting that as they pray and give, God will continue to provide so that they can do even more. One of the many blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven is that it is hacker-proof. Nobody can steal heavenly treasures. And now Jesus turns to a closely related matter, the things on which we focus our attention.

Matthew 6:22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

As long as we are following God and trying to do His perfect will, we are safe. But it’s easy to become distracted. Years ago, a Christian couple came to me, asking me to spend time with them so they could share something. I agreed, assuming we were going to talk about Jesus. Little did I realize that their aim was to enlist me in an Amway sales pyramid scheme! For my friends, Amway had virtually become a second religion and was in danger of displacing Jesus in their affections. Recently, I saw an ad for an AI app that will direct as much of your life as you are willing to give to it. What’s the danger? A phone app developed by unknown workers might potentially take the place of God’s guidance and minimize your developing self-control, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. After all, if you can merely consult a phone app, why worry about being quiet before God and listening for His voice? The light in you doesn’t change to darkness at once but gradually, so gradually that you don’t even realize what is happening.

Only now are we beginning to glimpse the horrors posed by AI apps such as ChatGPT. ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group. The Associated Press reviewed more than three hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerable teens. The chatbot typically provided warnings against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets or self-injury. (https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118565/documents/HHRG-119-JU00-20250903-SD013-U13.pdf)

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

The matter is simple: whatever we love and whatever becomes the object of our attentions will rule us. If we are focused on becoming as rich as possible as quickly as possible, we will become enslaved to money. One phenomenally wealthy businessman from Singapore told an interviewer that he intended to begin funding charitable outreaches just as soon as he had accumulated sufficient funds. But when the interviewer asked how much more this billionaire might need, the man could not answer. His money was controlling him.

One beloved pastor friend began life with the idea of becoming a millionaire by age thirty and succeeded. Our friend owned a variety of businesses as well as a small private plane. He was an elder in a local Methodist church, admired in his community. Then came the Sunday a team of lay witness missionaries testified in that church. Standing at the back watching the team, our friend suddenly became convicted that he had been faking a faith he did not possess. Our friend’s life changed dramatically that day, for not only did he commit his life to Christ, but soon afterwards, God called him into the ministry. Our friend sold the businesses and the plane and moved, entering seminary and service to God that would last several decades. During the short time our friend pastored our church, eight couples entered ministries of various kinds, and he was instrumental in our going to the mission field. Only in eternity will we know what kind of blessings God poured out through the ministry of this man and his family.

The questions these verses pose for us today are simple: Where is your treasure? Are you worried about amassing wealth here on earth or serving God, trusting that He will give you treasures in heaven? What is controlling you? Are you a slave to money, fame, popularity, or are you dedicated to serving God? Choose carefully, for you are choosing for eternity.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to keep our eyes on You, trusting You to bring about the changes and the guidance we need. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,

12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

The teaching known as the Lord’s Prayer is so short that you can recite this prayer in a few minutes; yet, of all the prayers mentioned in the Bible, this prayer is most widely known. Through the years, numerous books and teaching series have been based on this prayer because it contains so much wisdom and because it is easily memorized.

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.” Sadly, many of us don’t keep God’s name holy. We use God’s name carelessly or even as a cuss word. So, what if we have potty mouths and have failed to honor God’s name? We can use this simple petition to apologize for misusing God’s name, begging Him to help us regard His name as holy and special. We are not merely recognizing God’s name as holy, we are also asking forgiveness for all the times we have failed to keep it holy.

“May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Some writers refer to these sentences as “the prayer that never fails.” Many times, we have no idea how we should pray for a situation. We are totally perplexed. But we can always ask God that His kingdom should come and His perfect will be fully done. By praying in this fashion, we are acknowledging our helplessness and handing the matter over to God completely. We are also indicating that we are willing to accept God’s outcome rather than trying to dictate to Him how we think things should go. We are promising to obey God, even if things look difficult.

“Give us today the food we need” By this petition, we are demonstrating that we know God is our only Source and that He is the One who can supply our needs. We are also trusting that the same God who supplies our needs today will be able to do so tomorrow.

“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Once more, the laws of the Kingdom of God come into play. The measure of forgiveness we give out is the measure we will receive from God, not because He is incapable of giving more but because our unforgiveness blocks God from doing anything more. Jesus makes this quite clear when he says, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

“And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” God does not tempt anyone; however, Satan does. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

For many of us, our problem is not temptation but that we don’t ask God to help us overcome it and we also put ourselves in situations where the temptation will be worse. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, all you can eat buffets are not your friend. Even if you are not facing such extreme temptation, you can still ask God to help you to control your appetite and also to desire healthy foods. If you are battling lust, avoid anything that will inflame that lust.

Now Jesus turns his attention to a related topic: fasting. Many times, prayer and fasting may go together, particularly if we are facing some unusual challenge. Again, Jesus begins by criticizing those who make a show of their fasting in hopes of begin admired for their piety.

16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Evidently, in Jesus’ day, some ultra-religious people would walk around with messy hair and unwashed faces to demonstrate that THEY WERE FASTING AND SUFFERING FOR THEIR FAITH. Once more, Jesus points out the fact that worshipers can get applauded for their efforts here on earth or they can wait for a heavenly reward. Make a show of fasting, and a few people will compliment you on how spiritual you are. But fast in secret, and God will abundantly reward you in heaven. God’s rewards are eternal and not to be compared with momentary acclaim here on earth.

Throughout all these teachings, Jesus is trying to educate us on the workings of the Kingdom of God. As you study these Scriptures, ask God to highlight those things He most wants you to learn. You might find God stops you on one particular point. Don’t try to force your way past but ask God to show You why He’s stopped you there. And remember that quiet secret prayer accomplishes what shouting will never do.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to honor You in everything we say and do, knowing that You are the One who can truly reward us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.