Have you ever woken up so excited to spend time with Jesus that you could not get your shower and morning tea, or coffee, fast enough? That was me this morning. It wasn’t my doing. It was Jesus. He knows sometimes, that we need to be drawn to Him. Because He loves us, He beckons and draws and welcomes us into His presence by giving an unexplainable joy of what is to come. And He never disappoints!
He gets us excited about His plans, much like a coach does for an athlete. How so? Coaches motivate athletes by teaching them from experience, how to be successful. Jesus motivates us, in Matthew 6! But… we have to be “coachable.” Athletes are considered “coachable” when they are hungry for success, willing to do the hard work and they trust their coach. That begs the question…are we being good athletes for coach Jesus? Do we trust Him supremely? Do we follow His suggested regimen for a winning season? Does winning mean we get glory, or God does?
I found a regimen by coach Jesus! Matthew chapter 6 is like a playbook! Thank you, Lord! (I thought I could not be more excited this morning, but I was wrong.) What got me most excited is that I felt I was being coached by Jesus while I was reading it; He is the only one talking the whole chapter. You know how, when you go to the ocean, you are joyful because everything in your view is God-made and beautiful? That is how God made me see Matthew 6 today. All I see are His holy and beautiful words. Coach Jesus details His game plan to live a holy and beautiful life for God.
Here is part of the “playbook.” Jesus is coaching us:)
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4 NIV
Glory goal…because giving God glory is what we were meant to do…Try to read Matthew 6 a few times today and really soak up our Savior’s coaching. You will walk away motivated by the holiness of God.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the joy that You give to Your “athlete” down here. I want to please You, but life gets hard and I forget the little details of Your game plan that make a difference for You in our world. Help me to remember that Your way is best and that means glorifying God, not me. You glorified God, too, in Matthew 6.You brought no glory to Yourself. You are an awesome Savior and coach. I love being on Your team! Thank You for all You do. Amen
Glory in the Morning 