Seek First The Kingdom

(Matthew 6:26-34) (ESV) This passage of scripture is the one in which Jesus tells us not to be anxious about material things. He tells us that life is about more than food, drink, and clothing; or, material things. He goes on to tell us that our Heavenly Father knows we need those things, and will provide them. Here’s the key statement in this whole passage: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

If you look into the law(s) of the Kingdom of God, you’ll see, first, that a man reaps what he sows. (Gal. 6:7) Secondly, in (Gen. 3:17-19) God tells Adam, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”…. That tells us that we are going to have to work for our material things. We have to put forth some effort. (Isaiah 30:23) tells us that “ he (God) will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous.” Joseph was a carpenter. The time he invested in producing wooden items like tables, and working on construction projects was the seed that he sowed. (Proverbs 13:11) (Proverbs 14:23)–Tis one tells us that there is profit in all labor, or toil; but that mere talk ends only in poverty.

In (2Thess. 3:10-12) Paul says, “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”

(Deuteronomy 28:1-13) is the passage of scripture in which the LORD tells us that He will bless all the work of our hands if we will obey Him, and follow all His commandments. Since all scripture is inspired by God, and is profitable for us to live by, we need to sow time into knowing God’s Word, Will, and Ways, too. This is what Jesus means when He tells us to seek the Kingdom of God first. When we know the Word, Will, and Ways of God, we are sure to be much more successful in whatever we work at. So, you might sweat a little; maybe a lot. But you don’t sweat it; God’s going to bless it.

Don’t forget about that (Proverbs 31) woman. She is an awesome example to us.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Laying Up Treasures

(Matthew 6:19) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust^*(or worm) destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Those earthly treasures Jesus speaks of here are material “collections” of things that we just adore, or that we believe bring us some kind of special status; sometimes they’re things that we even believe we must have in order to be acceptable to certain people. There’s obviously nothing wrong with having things. (Psalm 112) tells us that wealth and riches are in the righteous man’s house. (Proverbs 21:20) tells us precious treasures and oil are in the wise man’s house.

So what’s Jesus talking about when He tells us to lay up treasure in Heaven, because our hearts will be where our treasure is? (Luke 17:20-21) “Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” *(or within you, within your grasp)

When we read this, we can see that what we hold as dear, precious, important, or even vital, in our hearts, becomes treasure that is much more important, because it endures for a lifetime. Righteousness is a treasure; and, Psalm 112 tells us a man’s righteousness endures forever. The things we give priority to, or should, are treasures. I set my heart on being healthy, active, at peace, and happy. When you set your heart on things, you begin to sow to them. So, I stay on top of my health with regular checkups, eating right, making sure I get enough rest, etc. When I have health, can be active, and at peace, I am happy. Here’s the great thing about that. You begin to sow into others’ lives out of those treasures. I love flowers and plants. Gardening brings me peace and happiness; and, I get to share flowers or plant clippings. Creating little treasures, bringing peace, joy, laughter, comfort, etc. to others is a great treasure. That love is always contagious!

Good memories are precious treasure! Some come from family gatherings, special events, etc. But there are also memories that come from accomplishments, from achieving that goal and realizing that dream. Then there’s that memory of how awesome you felt when you did what needed to done-even though you didn’t feel like it, and won that battle with the “blahs” that day. Seriously, that’s treasure! It gives you so much strength the next time! And, you’ll deal with that stumbling block the same way. Anyone who’s ever gone through depression can tell you, each day can be a battle. If you ever, and whenever, you feel like you’ve got nothing to smile about, stop and count some of your treasures. You won’t believe how rich you really are!

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Right Attitude & Mindset

(Matthew 6:1-18) addresses attention seeking, self-promotion, or glorification; a wrong attitude of heart and state of mind. Jesus talks about giving alms to be seen by people, and praised for one’s generosity. He also talks about praying to be seen and heard by others and praised for one’s piety, or devotion. Then, there are the “martyrs”, who love to have people see them suffering and sacrificing for the LORD, and for others. All of these behaviors are self-seeking, self-promoting, self-serving, and self-glorifying. Let me tell you this: The LORD God Almighty, and His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ deserve the glory. Nobody else does. Our Heavenly Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ are our glory. That you would come across eternity, leaving the splendor, peace, and joy of Heaven, to die for me so that I can be in Heaven with you for all eternity…that’s my glory. In (Isaiah 48:11) God says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”

What does this have to do with generational curses? There are parents who play the martyr by holding everything they do for their children over their children’s heads. They use this to manipulate their children. There are also families who behave one way in public, and all hell breaks loose in private. Obviously, these behaviors are rooted in wrong heart attitudes, and a wrong state of mind. Jesus said we can’t serve two masters. (Matt. 6:24)

When we have the wrong attitudes, and engage in these kinds of self-serving behaviors, we teach our children that those behaviors are okay. We foster the same behaviors in our children. They play sick or hurt to get attention, they do things to manipulate people instead of doing them because they’re to be done. We also undermine their integrity, their self-confidence, or self-assurance; because we make them “people pleasers.” We essentially, rob them of the opportunity to, first, know their own heart; and, secondly, to grow their own heart according to, and after God’s heart. We stunt their spiritual growth, as well as their intellectual and emotional growth. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that if you have these attitudes and mindsets, and engage in these behaviors, you’re stunting your own spiritual growth.

Keeping our hearts right before the Lord is a daily chore. King David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51) We’re told to bring our children up in the admonition of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4) I’ll use the bed again. Making the bed is to be done every day. When we do that, the order, neatness, and peace are our reward; and; our glory. Peace is one of the rewards of Heaven; there is no chaos or dissention there any longer. When we do what is right because it’s right, and we do what we do because it’s to be done, we already have our reward. When we raise our children to do the same, we are building stronger individuals, who are much less prone to fall to temptation and manipulation by others.

Love you from Café du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, April 25, 2023, 11:07 a.m.

Exceeding The “Norm”

(Matthew 5:20-48) “ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Why is this important? The scribes and Pharisees had been doing the same things for years upon years; for generations. If you want a different life from the one your parents gave you, you may have to do things differently. You may have to think differently, develop different attitudes, and use different methods. Unless you exceed their beliefs and expectations, you won’t progress to a higher level of living.

The rest of the passage of scripture details what Jesus is talking about. He equates anger with murder on the danger scale. He also tells us that sin begins with us; even looking at a woman with lust in your heart is the same as committing a sexual sin with her. The same holds true for a woman looking at a man with lust in her heart.

Sin does begin, and end, with us. We are the ones who choose the beginning and the end. When you see that sin for what it is, see the temptation in that situation, and say “No,” to it, it’s over before it even has a chance to trip you up. Now, stop and think about it. Suppose your mother or father was a philanderer or adulterer/adulteress. Perhaps he/she was unable to control their inclinations and gave in to the temptations. Your seeing that situation truthfully, and for what it is, empowers you to say, “No;” thereby, exceeding their righteousness (Or upright-ness). You have the power to break that curse off; and, to live at a higher level than that.

Jesus also addresses divorce in this passage. The people had been taught that divorce was okay. According to Jesus, it’s not okay. The choice you make to leave that person behind, not only affects you. It affects them; and, if there are children, even they are affected by it. It isn’t just a simple matter of separating.

In Verses 33-37, we learn that exceeding what’s expected or required is not always a good thing. There is such a thing as giving too much information. We need to be discretionary. We need to discern the situation(s) correctly.

Retaliation and loving our enemies go hand in hand. Jesus is advocating peace; even when the whole world is advocating revenge. Jesus is pointing toward connecting on a human and humanitarian level, even when the world is pointing toward separatism and selfishness (under the guise of self-preservation). Jesus is telling us that we’re to reach out to those who consider themselves our enemies; even when the whole world is screaming for war. Bottom line is that we are to keep right on loving; because God is love. And, God is love in action. When we live with intent to exceed the “norm” in our world, we can progress to a higher level of community and human dignity. And, wouldn’t that be “Heaven on Earth?”

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Blessed Are They, Indeed!

Parenting According to the Beatitudes – Part Two

(Matt. 5:1-11) V6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” -1. When we seek, or look for what’s right, we will find it. Jesus said, “Seek and you will find.” God doesn’t impute wickedness to His children. (Matt. 9:2-5) (Philippians 4:8) –2. When we strive to build our children up in loving admonition, and teach them to do right, and to make things right when they’re wrong, we will raise righteous people. This has to do with sowing to what we want to reap, or harvest. (Gal. 6:7) (Heb. 4:16)

(Verse 7)“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” This makes me think of that humorous saying, “Be nice to your children; they’ll pick your nursing home.” LOL This goes right along with verse six; raising righteous and merciful people. (Luke 7:36-50) also comes to mind. This is the story of the sinful woman who wept at Jesus’ feet. The mercy on the part of the host Jesus was talking to, would have been to give him water to wash his feet, greet him with a welcome kiss or handshake, and anoint his head with oil (a mark of hospitality and a token of honor). The key statement in this passage of scripture is: “…But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Again, we’re sowing to what we want to reap. Obviously, our relationship with our children will be much better and happier. Lavish love on them, and they will lavish love on themselves, their loved ones and others. Hold grudges, scorn them, scourge them, and they will do the same with themselves, their loved ones and with others. Some of the ways we scourge ourselves is self-sabotaging behaviors, self-abusive behaviors, self-destructive habits, and destructive relationships.

(Verse 8) “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” First of all, this scripture goes along with the previous two. Being pure in heart involves not imputing wickedness, or assuming evil intent on the part of our child. It also has to do with being merciful (and gracious) when they do err, or when they’re not so lovable. (Psalm 103:6-14)

When we strive to be the kind of father, or mother, that God is in Psalm 103, we will be on target. We will see God growing in our children; and,we’ll see our children growing into the image of Christ Jesus and our Heavenly Father. (Gen. 1:26) (Romans 8:29)

(Verse 9) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This, obviously, reinforces all the previous verses. It sums up God’s whole intent, from the very beginning to eternity. When we create peaceful atmospheres for our children to live and learn in, they learn to create peace in their homes. When you grow up in stressful and unharmonious, even chaotic, homes, that’s what you create. –Or, it is what you struggle to overcome. When we create secure and peaceful environments and relationships for our children, we are not only giving them an advantage; we’re also helping ourselves, and our grandchildren.

Peace is the very first thing God does when He’s creating an environment for man. In Genesis, He created the Earth and everything else, before He created man. (Gen. 1:1-27) He provided everything they would need; beforehand. Security, feeling secure, is necessary for one to be at peace. Children who don’t know where the next meal’s coming from, or suffer upheaval constantly due to eviction, and children who don’t know when the other shoe is going to fall (anger, abuse, etc.), do not have peace. As a result, they struggle in school, and in life. And, they pass that on to their children.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Kings & Queens They’ll Be

Parenting According to the Beatitudes Part One (Matthew 5:2-11)

To be poor in spirit is to be humble. Jesus humbled Himself, taking on the form of humanity, a servant to both God and man through his life and his death on the cross. Yet, He was, and is, the King of kings.

There are two revelations in this scripture. First, A king doesn’t “lord” his position over others. That title is actually a job description. A king must lead his people, must see to it that his people have work, food, clothing, etc., can be educated, have healthcare available, etc., and are safe. As Husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers, we are kings and queens in the home. Our families are our people. Secondly, it takes humility to serve others. When we strive to serve our families well, our homes become Heaven; with everyone cooperating and working as a team.

2. What does mourning have to do with parenting? (2Cor. 7:10) “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” That godly grief is, first, your concern over that child’s well-being. Secondly, your “mourning” with that child over his/her misbehavior, or accident (failure to get it right). The goal is to help the child see his/her mistake, and help him/her to correct it. I was very fortunate to have had a grandmother who took time to explain things to me. She had the patience of a saint; she never yelled or berated and ridiculed me.

I’ve used the spilled milk example before. The first thing we do is make sure the child is alright. Then we reassure the child of our love; and, help clean up the mess. I, personally, do not believe in spanking, with or without a belt. And I do believe the “punishment needs to fit the crime” (for lack of better words) We must always keep in mind that we are raising, not only a body, but a mind, heart, and soul. Jesus came to make things right with God. He “paid the price” for our sin. As a result, the books were balanced; made right. We need to instill in our children the desire to do things right, and to make things right when we’ve done them wrong. (Isaiah 9:6) “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Those are all things that we are to be to our children. What we do has the power to shape the future for generations to come; good or bad.

3. The meek will inherit the earth. That’s a powerful statement when we look at it in the Spirit. First, meekness, is willingness to learn. When we are willing to learn from our children (what happened, how did you do that, what do you need, want, think, etc.), we are teaching them to communicate, even when they’ve erred. We’re also “judging correctly,” because we’re looking at all sides of an issue. Secondly, when we take time to learn about the earth, and work with nature, the whole of creation, including man, is much better off. But, the powerful spiritual statement here alludes to what Isaiah said. You will be called those things; by your children, grandchildren, by others. –Remember man is water and dirt; earth. We have to be willing to listen to our children. We have to be willing to learn new ways, better ways. We have to be willing to learn with our children. We have to be willing to learn for our children.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Saturday Silly-April 22, 2023

April is International Guitar Month. I mentioned this to a friend, and she said excitedly, “Ooh, you can play Spanish Guitar for me then. I had to laugh. I said, “I can hardly play the English chords!” I’m really, really out of practice.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

RAPE

I wrote this poem quite a few years ago. In honor of all rape and incest victims, I try to post it every April.

Ripped apart, body, mind, and soul…

Acutely aware of humanity’s degradation…

Present in body only, for spirit must flee…

Experiencing what it must be like to be buried alive.

I Never Saw That Before…

Remember that suitcase I talked about? Isn’t it amazing how a little distance sometimes helps us to see things a little more clearly? That’s what it’s about. Seeing the truth(s) so we can change them.

Jesus, Himself, needed to be baptized. He was in the form of God (Spirit), incarnate (in the flesh/become flesh) through his Mother, Mary. (Philippians 2:5-8) (Matthew 3:13-15) This is why we must be baptized into Christ. Baptism is an act of repentance and surrender to God’s will and His authority. Through it, we are symbolically washed and cleansed from our sins and sinful nature. We must be born again. That’s why Jesus said to John the Baptist, “Let it be so now; it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” (John 3:1-15) (Romans 5 &6) tell us how this reconciles us to God.

(Matt. 4:4) is confirmation to us that Jesus’ teachings are to be followed. He is the “bread come down from Heaven.” (John 6:49-51) (Rev. 2:17) Jesus is the Word made flesh, who dwells among men. (John 1:1-4, 14)

(Matt. 6:22-24) are two key points in overcoming generational curses, as well as dysfunctional fallout of our own bad choices. 1.“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” -The way we perceive things/understand things, and believe things, influences how much “power” we give them in our lives. If you think it’s okay to molest someone, you won’t try to stop yourself. You won’t even be alarmed when you get the urge to do that. That sin will rule over you.

2. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” *(possessions) -The same holds true for doing things one way one day, and another way another day. You won’t get anywhere except confused and stuck going round in circles this way. You can’t change your life by doing things the same old way, by doing the same old things. You have to do new things, or do things in new ways.

God’s Word sheds light on everything we contend with in the world. Through it, we can see truth, we can find peace and power to overcome, we can find strength to walk it out by hanging in there and persevering.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Find Out Who You Are…

(Romans 8:28-30) (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,* for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. *(Or works in all things for the good) (Psalm 33:13-15)

What does this have to do with who and whose you are? Believe me, it has everything to do with it. First, of course, you are God’s. Secondly, you are entrusted to your father, mother, siblings, and other family members. Here’s the key: Always, ultimately, first, last, and always, you are God’s. (Psalm 139:1-16) *Pay special attention to verses 13-14. Your inward parts are not just your organs. Your inward parts are your heart (emotional) and mind (cognition and reasoning), and your soul (spiritual). I believe the soul, just like heart and mind, is imprinted by life’s events and learning, and grows all throughout our lives. (Psalm 68:6) (Psalm 10:14)

We can see that we are predestined to certain purposes. The people (families) we find ourselves with are really no accidental occurrence. Have you ever heard someone talking about someone, and they say, “Oh, that boy comes from a long line of soldiers.”? We see generation passing down knowledge to generation, and then handing the reins to that generation all the time. It’s really easy to see in farming and ranching communities. This is one of the reasons knowing our ancestry is important. We get a better picture of who we are. We also learn something about what beliefs, standards, and boundaries were in place, and why. This isn’t accidental either. You can’t give someone something you don’t have; or, teach something you don’t know anything about. You can only pass on the knowledge you have-good, and bad stuff, if we’re not careful. That’s where generational curses come from. Thankfully, we get to choose what stuff we’ll keep. I once likened it to starting out on a trip (your own, adult life) and opening your suitcase to find all kinds of stuff in there that you don’t even remember packing. The good stuff makes you say, “Oh, now I know what Mom was talking about then.” The bad stuff makes you cringe; because mom or dad was just like that-and you swore you’d never be. Like I said, the great news is we get to choose!

This is where those “sin” lists come in. Remember, the three kinds of sin: sin that’s in the world, sin that we commit, and sin that others commit against us. When we use these lists to identify who, or what has hurt us, or angered us, and how, we can begin to connect with our feelings, attitudes, and actions resulting from those things.

Love you from Café du Mondieu