FEBRUARY 14 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#04 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

 FEBRUARY 14  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#04  “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Praise Your Holy Name for You Lord have given up more than anyone will ever give up and You did it out of Pure Obedience to the Father’s Will and Master Plan of Salvation for all mankind. Praise be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the Plan of Salvation.

 Let us not question why God chose Jesus as the Only Way to enter into Holy Fellowship with the Father, but let us instead be joyful and rejoice that God has prepared The Way for  sinners to be saved! Jesus is the Name and the Way to Eternal Life with the Father and the Way to live more abundantly on this earth. Lord, I choose to live with You in heaven and pray to be always focused on the Way to get there.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS has so far asked us with His first three Questions: (JQ#01) to consider that we have been made in the image of God and therefore in God’s Plan for mankind He has decided that we, through our daily lives are to represent Him as the “salt” and the “light” of the earth and (JQ#02) our attention is directed towards separating ourselves from the world, not to isolate ourselves but to let our “light” shine through the darkness in the world — our “light” is to be Powered by God’s Greatest Gift to mankind, His “Love” which He desires to bestow on the world. 

In order to make our “light” shine brightly we have to “Love others” like God “Loves” us. 

Then (JQ#03) Jesus asked us to look around at how God has taken care of His world and has provided so abundantly for His Creation and answer honestly, “Is not life more than bread, and the body more than clothing?” which if we do answer honestly we will see that the world is “physical” and in a “fallen” state but through God we can see the “Spiritual” world and the possibilities of “Hope” that exist through following God’s Plan for the “Spiritual” life which He offers freely to all that will “believe” and have “Faith in God and His Plan for Mankind”. 

That brings us to the next Question (JQ#04) Jesus places before us, and Jesus with JQ#04 does in the same manner with this 4th Question what He did in Teaching us about “Worry” in JQ#03 by starting out with an imperative statement of the 

Truth of God: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” 

(Matthew 7:1) 

Jesus is very clear on how He feels about us judging others, and it only takes 2 well placed words for Jesus to say all that needs to be said about “Judging” in this verse as He states “Judge not…” and then He uses 5 more words — “…that you be not judged…” for a total of just 7 words to Teach us all we need to know to pass a spiritual test on “Should we as Christians judge others?” If we stop and listen to what Jesus is Teaching on “judging” then we can also confidently answer “Why” we should refrain from “judging others”. 

Jesus continues this important section on “judging others” which boils down to adjusting our attitudes spiritually to promote a positive attitude from others in the next verse: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

 (Matthew 7:2) 

What may seem obvious on the “physical” surface to our worldly eyes may need to have the surface scratched “Spiritually” a little for that “digging deeper study” on “judging others” by our worldly viewpoint.  Jesus does make it clear what our initial action should be when He asks

 JQ#04: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3) 

Every time I read this section I get the impression that the Holy Spirit is telling me that if I observe something in someone else that makes me want to “judge them” then I should immediately run to a mirror and look to see what I am doing in my own life that generated that erroneous feeling? I always call this section “I” surgery because it is my personal belief that Jesus is telling us that 

we should operate on ourself 

to correct our “Spiritual Blindness” 

and to be acceptable in God’s eyes 

before we should operate on someone else 

so they are acceptable to us. 

Jesus is telling us that there may indeed be a “speck” in my brother’s eye but if I try to take God’s place and pass “judgment on” the “speck” in my brother’s eye that in “Reality” from God’s perspective I have effectively blinded myself by inserting a “plank” in my own “I” and just as we cannot save someone else from their sins

 (because only Jesus has that Power to Save) 

it is our responsibility to share the Gospel of Jesus with them — 

apply the principal of letting the “I” Surgeon do “I” Surgery” in this “speck removal operation” — we are not to perform the “I” Surgery operation on our brother, but we should refer them to Jesus and let the Great Physician do what only He can. 

This is a difficult Question/Lesson so we should look closely at what Lesson the Master Surgeon has to Teach us in this section on the subject of “I” surgery.  

FEBRUARY 13 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#03 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

 FEBRUARY 13  THE JESUS QUESTIONS    JQ#03  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer   

JESUS, Praise, Glory, Honor to the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and the Only Name by which man can be freed of his natural sin. 

Lord Jesus, every time we see a cross, our first thought should be of the Great Sacrifice of the Divine Innocence, and the second thought should be that 

the Cross is Empty!!   

The Empty Cross should remind us that God loved us enough to put His Only Begotten Son on the Cross but also that God loved His Son so much that He did not leave Him there!   The Empty Cross and the Empty Grave express the full measure of God’s Love for us and the Resurrection is God’s Eternal Covenant with sinful man. 

Praise you Lord, for “It is Finished!” (John 19:30)     

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS concludes His Lesson on “worry” (JQ#03 - Matthew 6:24-34) with His Advice that we should not seek “things” of this world

 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [God knows everything that we have need of] shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34)   

The answer to the  (8) “Why worry?” Jesus Questions in the JQ#03 section is simply to accept the fact that depending on “self” is useless but if we trust Jesus and follow His commands then we will quit worrying about useless things of this world and use all our mental facilities to grow our “Faith in Jesus” and accept what God has in store for our day-to-day lives and our eternal future. 

The Holy Spirit started me out on my personal Spiritual Journey to God in 2004 with Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” and whenever I feel I am being deprived of some worldly possession, the Holy Spirit uses Matthew 6:33 to turn my focus

 

AWAY FROM SELF AND PHYSICAL POSSESSIONS 

AND BACK ONTO THE SAVIOR — 

God’s Burning Love makes my physical worries melt away — it worked in 2004 and has worked every year since and remains TRUE today! There simply is no room in “Faith” for “worry” as the foundation of “Faith in God” is built upon “Trust in God” — “Worry” is simply wrong in the spiritual realm because “Worry” is constructed wholly on “Distrust” and there are NO reasons not to “Trust God” , therefore we should accept with full Faith in God what Jesus commands us: “Therefore, DO NOT WORRY…” (Matthew 6:34) 

The great thing about the Teachings of Jesus is that He always takes some worldly action or attitude and shows us how to put it into the “proper Spiritual perspective” and use the new perspective to grow in Jesus Himself! Jesus is the original author of “DO AS I DO” because everything He Taught, He Lived, and just like when at the Last Supper Jesus Himself “Broke the Bread” with His own hands and stated, 

“With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer…” 

(Luke 22:15)  

Jesus not only was stating by His actions that He was willing to “Suffer” for us, He was being our “Living Example” — “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14) If Jesus had not lived the Perfect Sinless Life there would have been plenty of people that would have pointed out to everyone that this Man claiming to “be God” was just a sinner like everyone else because even one small sin would have disqualified Jesus from being God! If Jesus had sinned even the smallest sin or been imperfect in even the slightest mis-step there would have been no way could Jesus have commanded us:

 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) 

This command can also be used as a “prophecy” as Jesus Teaches us that if we will become like Him, then we will be made Perfect like Him, “just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The point in learning from Jesus is to be like Jesus, and to abide forever with Jesus and our “Father in heaven” where finally, after all our earthly mistakes, we will at last achieve our “Spiritual” goal and be given the heavenly prize of an eternal “Worry Free” life. 

It is “Good News” to know that God knows all our sins and has provided a way that all our sins will be forgiven — it is in the knowledge that Jesus has Redeemed us from all our iniquities that we should listen to JESUS when He Lovingly Teaches us

 “Do Not Worry” for our “heavenly Father” God Himself has “Good Plans for all our tomorrows”!!!  

We all should take great comfort in knowing that God knows ALL for God is willing to FORGIVE all our sin for His Only Begotten Son died on a cross, was buried in a grave but was RAISED TO ETERNAL GLORY on the 3rd Day thereby completing God’s Plan of SALVATION for a lost and dying sin-filled world — we can never hide anything from God but remember GOD KNOWS ALL and if we simply ask for FORGIVENESS in the NAME OF JESUS that GOD FORGIVES us ALL our iniquities!!!

FEBRUARY 12 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#03 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

 FEBRUARY 12  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#03  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, I’m feeling pretty “rough” with this “cold” but I thank You for strengthening me enough spiritually for me to get out and finish my physical jobs. (Authors 2021 NOTE: Originally written in 2016 - I do NOT have the RONA!) Lord, I trust You in all things and certainly in physical sickness because You are the Great Physician! Lord, I place my “health” (both spiritual and physical) into Your Healing Hands, give me the courage to accept whatever TRUTH You have in store for me!    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS not only Teaches us the “obvious” and “immediate” Truth of God with each Question/Lesson, yet, if we are observant and trusting enough, Jesus will reveal simple everyday Truths of God associated with each Lesson — but we must slow down and meditate on the Question to see the Big Picture of the Truth of God that Jesus by His Lifestyle and choice of Questions and the order in which He asks them, Teaches us that Deeper Truth of God that is not seen by just rolling down your window as you drive by the Truth while you are hurrying to get to the next “physical” thing in our day-to-day world. 

For instance, while writing this blog installment on JQ#03 I am experiencing one of the worst colds I can remember and it struck me as very apropos that as I am “enduring” the worst cold I can ever remember having in my life that I would be studying a section on “worry”!?! Jesus makes it perfectly clear that all our needs will be supplied by Jehovah-jireh the Great Provider with everything we need to eat and to wear but also we will be supplied with every “need” we have in our day-to-day lives to endure the physical world and this is done through God adjusting our “perception” of the world which is a “Deeper Truth of God” that we often miss — by God adjusting our “perception” (spiritual) and leaving the physical world as is, God proves the superiority of the “Spiritual” over the “physical”!!! 

Jesus uses His “Teaching Questions” in this section to make us understand that God didn’t just make us and toss us out on our own but that He is able to feed all His Creation and if God provides for “the birds of the air” then God Almighty will take care of Mankind whom God Created after His Own Image!! Jesus asks three Questions in a row that leads to His fourth and all these Questions work together to place our “Faith in God” center stage. Follow these (3) Questions: 

(Question 1) JQ#3b “Are you not of more value than [a bird]” (Matthew 6:26b) — 

(Question 2) JQ#3c “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6:27) — 

(Question 3) JQ#3d “So why do you worry about clothing? (Matthew 6:28a) — Then Jesus wraps up the obvious by making us compare ourselves to the “wisest” man that ever lived, Solomon, who was given everything there was that could be possessed in the physical world and yet for all his wisdom and resources not even Solomon could array himself like God clothes the grass in the field! The scorching thing for me is that Jesus ends this section with 

(Question 4) JQ#3e “…will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30) 

Jesus wraps up with stating simply “do not worry” and especially “do not worry” over JQ#3 f, g, & h “what to eat”, “what to drink” or “what to wear” which are all physical things. Jesus then makes His Main Point for the Truth of God contained in this section with two statements: 

(TRUTH  OF GOD 1) 

“… the Heavenly Father KNOWS you need these things” 

(Matthew 6:32) and 

(TRUTH OF GOD 2) 

“But SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…” (Matthew 6:33-34a) 

So when I read this passage and answer the simple Questions I find myself worrying less about my physical needs and concentrate on growing my “Spiritual muscle” — which can only be strengthened by exercising our “Faith in Jesus”! 

FEBRUARY 11 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#03 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

 FEBRUARY 11  THE JESUS QUESTIONS    JQ#03  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Praise You for the Eternal Loving God You are! Lord help us to see how very short a time we have on earth and keep us from wasting these precious few opportunities to draw close to the Creator and author of Forever! It is hard to grasp the concept of eternity because we are so bound by “time” and cannot imagine life without time, but time itself is bounded by a “beginning” which in turn shall have its “ending”. 

We think in terms of birth and death as markers in our earthly existence but help us O Lord to see ourselves in terms of Life Eternal which never ends! Lord, there is so much more to life and living than death and the grave, teach us about your Unending Love and Abundant Life Eternal.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS went through great lengths to Teach us Lessons about paying attention to life and we should observe not only the Divine Effort invested in our Spiritual Education but we should also pay close attention to the subjects that He is Teaching. All Lessons that Jesus is Teaching us starts out with a Question about our “physical” perception of the world and then Christ guides us with His Lessons to achieve a “spiritual” perception of our life eternal. 

Far to many of us, and I certainly count myself as the leading contender for the prize of being a slave to my earthly viewpoint, cannot make the transition from the “physical” to the “spiritual” without a special push from the Master and that “push” is in the form of engaging our mental capacities by asking Questions about our physical viewpoint. 

In this section of Matthew 6:24-33 where Jesus is Teaching us about “worry”, we should note the obvious that ““worry” is a “spiritual” entity and “food” and “clothing” are physical entities. Jesus weaves these two viewpoints (spiritual and physical) together in a special Question in Matthew 6:25b that Teaches us the deeper Truth of God that we view our lives simply as the physical entities we have been programmed by our society to pay attention to like “food” and “clothing” but from a spiritual viewpoint “life IS more than food” and the “body IS more than clothing” — but the only way we can get to that reality is that we have to see our “life” and “body” from a “spiritual” viewpoint! 

 As long as we stay enslaved to the “physical” world we are bound by “death” but when we transition into our “Spiritual Eternal Future”, which from time to time is afforded the believer, we will see that in the “spiritual” world that there is “more” to life than the “physical” and this “more abundant Spiritual life” Taught by Jesus is not limited by “time” or threatened by “death”. Once we behold the “spiritual” realm we shift from our “physical” body bounded by time into our “spiritual soul” which exists in the “eternal life” given as an expression of God’s Love in the form of an “Eternal Spiritual Gift”: “For God so loved the world that He gave” … and when we accept God’s Gift of “…His only begotten Son…” by exercising our spiritual muscle then “…whosoever believes (belief is totally spiritual) in [JESUS] shall not perish (perish is totally 100% physical) but have eternal (eternity is 100% spiritual) life.” (John 3:16) 

So it is through “belief” that is “spiritual” which frees us from the “physical” — 

Jesus is Teaching us how to be free from our physical bonds but we must look at our life through the “spiritual lens” Jesus is pointing us to —

 “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” 

(John 8:36) 

When reading this passage in Matthew on “worry” it helps to develop your answer by reading John 8:30-36 and John 3:3-6 and you will see Jesus is always Teaching “freedom from the physical” world and the “spiritual” path always leads through the “Spiritual Door” that is JESUS and He is Leading Believers into the “[Spiritual] kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)!!!  Indeed, “…Is not [spiritual] life more than [physical] food and the [spiritual] body more than [physical] clothing?” (Matthew 6:25).  

Jesus was always Teaching everyone who would listen that this physical world is temporary, “But [Jesus] said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about.” (John 4:32) and that He was sent from heaven by God to show the way to God’s Spiritual Kingdom; and Jesus demonstrated by His Lifestyle that He was willing to do whatever it takes!!! 

“For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin [though Jesus] knew no sin, so that in [Jesus] we might become the [spiritual] righteousness of God.” 

(2 Corinthians 5:21) 

Revelation states clearly that those that believe in Jesus will be given “robes of righteousness” and Jesus Himself proclaimed:

 “I AM the bread of life (manna from heaven) and he who believes in Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst!” (John 6:35)  

“Never” equates to “Spiritual Eternity” and “hunger” and “thirst” are “physical” entities that enslave the “physical body” with chains of “death and time” — and only by belief in Jesus can we transition from “physical death” to “spiritual life” — 

as Jesus Taught Nicodemus,

 “…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)