Shaniqua Rischer

God sees. God hears. God sends.

For a long time, the Israelites suffered in Egypt. They cried out, and God heard them. He saw their suffering.

Then He sent Moses.

We see it throughout Scripture. God saw Hagar in the wilderness. He sent provision. He saw Elijah in despair. He sent provision and His Spirit. He sent Daniel, Rahab, Esther, Peter, and Paul when His people needed someone to move.

God has not stopped working.

So never doubt that He sees your suffering or hears your crying.

As you head into the weekend, take a breath. Relax. Believe that God sees you. Believe that He hears you. And be open to the possibility that He may send someone, or even send you.

Who will He send next?

The Revolutionary Teachings of Jesus Christ: The Kingdom of God and ALL Things

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33 NIRV

Last week in our The Revolutionary Teachings of Jesus Christ series, we talked about worry, provision, and trusting God. Jesus gave us a simple reminder: if God takes care of the birds in the air and the lilies in the field, why do we worry that He won’t take care of us?

The birds don’t toil, store up, or worry about tomorrow. The lilies don’t work for their beauty. Yet God provides for them.

Then Jesus asks, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

If God provides for the birds and clothes the flowers, how much more will He provide for you?

You are not forgotten. God knows what you need. Seek Him first and trust Him. (Matthew 6:31-33)

There is a difference between being a follower of Christ and a disciple of Christ.

One follows and observes Him and one becomes His student, emulating Him, modeling Him, and becoming like Him so much so that when they see the student, they see the Master. (John 13:34)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they
neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not
clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more
clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we
eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles
who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need
all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well. “So do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for
today.” - Matthew 6:25-34 NRSVUE

Do you know how hard it is not to worry? Especially about Money, and yet Jesus would reply, “Do not worry.”

So let’s talk about money.

Most people don’t realize that money is a tool. It’s a tool to be used. But somewhere along the way, money can become your master.

So I’ll ask you: Is money your God?

Well, if you don’t know, let’s look at your heart. What emotions come up when it comes to money? Fear? Anxiety? Greed? Control? Peace? Generosity?

Jesus made it plain in Matthew 6:24. You cannot serve both God and money. Read that again.

Remember, money is a tool. It was never meant to take God’s place.