It’s just Monday

Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Some days, especially some mornings, I have trouble praying. My mind is racing on usually work related pressure, and I just can’t seem to focus. I stumble around trying to get a clear train of thought, and sometimes the pressures of the morning sneak in to steal my joy of my early time with God. Satan even uses the ruse of writing this blog to pull me from prayer, or even to pull me from scripture to pen what I think, and not what God said. This morning I pled for God to just feed me, to help me just for today, to help me see something in his Word; I prayed for wisdom. I just continued reading in Matthew where my Bible was open. I continued reading through the parables of heaven, reading into how Jesus explained them to his disciples. I then read of how Jesus questioned the disciples of who everyone thought he was. The outspoken Peter, you can almost hear him shouting his response, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16.) It encouraged Jesus greatly to see and know that God had revealed this to Peter. Jesus encouraged Peter greatly and told him that he was the rock on which His church would be built. Then Jesus told them all how hard it was about to get for Him, and them as his followers. Peter was quick to be outspoken again, and received from Jesus a rebuke that stirs our souls. 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. If Satan can use Peter at the feet of Jesus, never underestimate Satan using anyone close to you. Those closest, can do the greatest harm to our eternal focus. Jesus speaks of that eternal focus after Peter’s rebuke. 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

It is Monday, and likely the pressures of the week and the world are commanding your attention also. How will you face the pressures; how will you face the week; how will you face the day? Concentrate on facing just the day alone, and pray for God to guide you through the day alone. We are told in Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Just seek to live for today, and not to miss God’s blessing for today. Seek to live your life for Him today; pray and find time to open God’s Word to you. There is nothing in this world that can provide you a taste of what is to come in heaven. That heavenly focus will enable you to let some of the pressures of the day not get to you as they once did. The way you handle the pressures of life with the strength of God is a witness to God; those around you cracking under the world’s pressures want to know more; there is your door opening to share your faith. Don’t let Satan, don’t let Monday, don’t let the pressures of a temporal world steal your eternal focus and joy. It is just Monday, and Jesus may return before the next one.