Matthew 25-27, 33-34 the cure for anxiety

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the^] air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; because tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jesus does not suggest that we not worry, he commands it! Worrying is the outward sign of a heart that doesn't trust God. Jesus explains to us that if our father takes care of the birds of the air, it is not unreasonable to think that he would care for his children. Instead if we are seekers of God instead of seekers for food and money, all these material things he will give to the heart that doesn't covet them.

Daily Prayer: Father, we are all guilty of taking our eyes off of you and turning them to our self and own daily needs. Forgive us. Let us begin today by making an intentional trust in you and allowing you to demonstrate your faithfulness to a trusting heart. In your holy name I pray Amen.

Matthew 6: 7-13 the Lord's Prayer

⁷"When you are praying do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do. They suppose that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. ⁹ “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

The Lord goes on to say that if you do not forgive others, then God will not forgive you. It is similar to the command not to judge. There is says whatever measure you judge others by, that measure will be used on you. The Lord's Prayer, and its petitions are based on the Ten Commandments. This is especially when it comes to not putting anything before the Lord your God. And it covers all avenues of our life from our daily bread to the need to be forgiven and protected against the powers and temptations of the Evil One. This is because Jesus does not want people to be called out of the world, only protected against the wiles of the devil.

Daily Prayer: Father, teach me to be particularly true to the love of God and the love of my neighbor. When I do this, I don't offend anyone. Yet this requires that I abide by your spirit, so that I can overcome the powers of this world. In your holy name I pray Amen.

Matthew 5: 2-12 the Sermon on the Mount

² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This portion of the Sermon on the Mount is the beatitudes. The purpose of this message is it is Jesus' evaluation of man based on the desires of their hearts. Motivation is the key to this message and this is why the Law of Christ is higher than the Law of Moses, because Moses concerned the Law with the actions of men, and Jesus concerns the Law to our intentions.

Daily Prayer: It is a comfort to know that you care for my motivations. So often I have wished that I can serve you in ways greater than what are beyond me. In your evaluation of me, you credit me not for what I do, but on what I want to do. Praise the Lord! Amen.

Matthew 4: 3-10 the Temptation of Jesus

³ And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You is the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” ⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

⁵ Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and

‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

⁸ Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; ⁹and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”

After Jesus had fasted, building up his spiritual strength, he was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the Evil One. It was necessary for Jesus to confront Satin in his flesh, so that by overcoming him, he can win back all of the saints who were stained by the sin of Adam. It was imperative that Jesus both be born into perfection and live according to it. Whoever Satan cannot win over, he kills which the action was taken against the Son of God.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, by your obedience and by the will of the father, I have been saved. Now send me into the world to tell of the good news in the form of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Matthew 3: 13-17 the Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

The importance of this event is that it is God's election and disclosure of Jesus as his anointed one. Jesus was baptized as a means of submission to the father and the landing of the dove in the person of the Holy Spirit is the physical election of Jesus. This is followed by God speaking to his witnesses who is John the Baptist, the disciples, and other observers.

Daily Prayer: We need to know and believe these important events. To many persons, no amount of evidence brings belief into their heart. But to those who believe, it is edifying to us as we imagine these events in our own mind which builds our faith and inner man. We thank you for this word. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Matthew 1:18-23 Conception and Birth of Jesus

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus ^[a] Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been ^[b]betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned ^[c]to send her away secretly. ²⁰ But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for^[d]the Child who has been ^[e]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for ^[f] He will save His people from their sins.” ²² Now all this ^[g]took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME ^[h]IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

The emphasis in the Gospel according to Matthew is Jesus' fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Earlier in chapter 1, Matthew records a genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. His point was to show his rightful place as the expected Savior, beginning with Abraham who is the father of Israel. He then goes on to show that his birth was from the outworking of the Holy Spirit and the natural birth from Mary who is the mother of the human nature of the Christ. He concludes that in this birth, he fulfilled what what was written about him.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, even now the numbers of believers in you as the Son of Man and the Son of God increases. Now, more than six billion claim you as their Savior, so praise God! Let this Christmas message empower its readers into a stronger faith and a stronger walk as they depend on you for their physical and spiritual life. In your name I pray Amen.