Painting a Moment

Ruth Kennedy June 28, 2024 3 1

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Matthew 6: 24-34 (MSG)

24 “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.

25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

I have watched friends build technical jumps on a bike course and there comes a point where they step back and get someone to try it on their bike. A test run. And then they fix or adjust some part or another with it. It’s repeated, repeatedly. Until all the refining has achieved its aim and the jump of beauty — their masterpiece — is there for all to use, enjoy and give shrieks of delight as they fly through the air! The refining involves pausing and looking in real detail at what is going on right there and then, they are fully involved and focused. Distraction could be disastrous for the riders who were going to use the jump!

Painters do the same-ish! Stop to review, adjust, enjoy.

These times of Daily Worship let us pause and look in real detail at what God is doing in our lives, just right now. What is God doing in our churches and communities? Not what is going to come, but, just, right, now. In this moment.

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions”

Be utterly absorbed by God in this moment.

Prayer:

I am here God.