Matthew 6:24-34

Good Morning,

Matthew 6:24-34 (The Message)
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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 don't often read much in The Message version of the Bible. I guess, I'm still among the "Old Folks" who favor the translations along the lines of New King James, New International Version, King James, and some of the more "established" versions. Having said that, I was led to these verses...familiar to most, if not all, of us...in The Message today. As I read them, I seemed to gain new insight, meaning, and a fuller understanding of what Jesus was talking about...as if He was here today and talking directly to us. After reading these verses a couple of times, it became apparent that they should be sent along just on the outside chance that someone may not have seen them in this particular translation. I think they speak to us clearly...and even MORE clearly...when we read this translation along side one of the more popular and more well used translations.

Also, and this is why I do what I do, I feel that God wanted these verses sent along for our enlightenment and, perhaps, to speak more clearly to a few of us who haven't fully garnered the meaning and intention of them. So, I'm being obedient today and just sending them along. Allow them to speak to you. Allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in you through these verses that God given us.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David