Matthew 6:19-34 KJV 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

In this world we live in everyone almost needs credit. Poor man needs a car he has to buy on credit. A poor man reputation on paying his bills is based on credited. Does a rich man need credit, the answer is unless it a very large hospital bill. No one can serve two masters. He either serves God or money. Somedays one feels they are working to pay debt more then they working to serve God. One gift to another if in debt may be more spent in time, then material items. Rich provide clothing for the poor, food for the destitute and then turns around and looks to only see the poor get poorer and themselves richer. Why is that, one might wonder,because it is the amount of debt that is continually owed. A rich man can live month to month and never increase is debt for he pays cash for everything. Jesus said do not worry about what you will eat and drink or what you will wear. God knows you have need. People look at pictures of starving children and ask where is God? I have seen picture on the internet of starving children where their bones are almost through their skin. There ability to crawl and move is limited by their health. People wonder why our nation gives to country where their poor is starving when their are those hungry in the United States. Hunger in the USA is not as sever as in some places. Yet in truth the starving is not how thin the skin is on the rib cage but how long since the last meal. How is starvation defined. Disasters happen and people go without food and water for too many days, never thinking they would need food or water. Who are people unprepared but mainly the poor. No one thinks of need for food or water beyond day to day, for to think ahead would be futile, no it is necessary to think ahead. Yet we say God provides for the needs of the hungry, and he does through people like you and me who care. Yet we have to ask does manna rain down from heaven or quail come in abundance. Deer population is on the rise in my area, and I keep thinking should I get a hunting license only to see the hunting license is almost as much as the cost of meat in the store for the year. Where does it end. Where does it begin. A woman praying for food living on the streets with her children is given a meal. A person whose cupboard is bare is given can goods. A person who living payday to payday in debt looking at how can they cut their bill and finds they can stretch their grocery a little further then they though possible. All an act of God, or generousity of people with money? You decide. Some people see only the wealth of those giving and others see a hand extrended by the power of God. The power of the love of God. How we view what one receives in poverty is often seen has either God or people of wealth helping. When was it last a church said this is God that is providing for you, for our members are in need too. People of the world see the richness of our country that gives and the gifts that come with our missionaries to foreign soil. One claiming they can help the economony and the other helping by the power of God to the immediate needs of the people. Many religious groups help. All religious groups claiming the power of God. Ever needed bread, a bag sugar, butter or a nice piece of meat? Until you do, one will go anywhere they are giving these items out, even to idol temple. Is the food from stranger despite religion any less appreciated among the starving. The answer is no. It is the mindset of the receiver whether it is from God or money/mammon. It is Christian church that has responsibility to say it is from God. Yet do the believers declare it. Non believers in God declare it from their deity. Will a starving christian refuse the meal from a idol temple or will the church world look at their wealth and give more. Will poor church look and take from what they have and give. Will five loaves of bread and two fish still feed five thousand. Will there be leftovers. Our challenge is beyond most people's faith. The challenge of faith in Christ Jesus is often beyond our human reasoning. Christ says take only garment you have and not worry about your meal. How many today will at least pack a picnic lunch. I went to do some volunteer work and I was feed, despite I did not carry my lunch. Did I plan to eat that day, yes later. But the meals were good. Peter had a home and a family as he traveled with Jesus. Yet we know he knew how to fish for his supper and also knew what it was to enter a house and bless it and receive and eat at a table of a stranger. There been times i did not know in my life where my meal was coming from and in truth I was not concern about it. A family took me in and feed me, that I met. They were people with a heart of gold and self sacrifice. One could guarantee at that families house a meal of food and meal of God's word. Where is faith arising? Where is faith growing. When is faith going to be stretched. It is stretched when one is hungry or needing things such as clothes. When is faith more important then money. When money is no longer providing clothes and food. In truth which giving did I remember more that with God's word or that which was given by wealth. It is a hard choice, no not in the least, because that which was given by the love of God will be forever etch in my mind, because it was at a time I had need but was unaware of my situation. To be that young and carefree is sometimes the best time in life to learn about faith and God's covering of his faithful to Him. Dear Heavenly Father, remind us that each individual is responsible of how they receive and give, whether it be from as a hand extended or not. In Jesus precious name, Amen. Continual Scripture Study for Devotion:Luke 9:10-17 KJV 10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. 12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. 13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. 14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. http://www.turtle30cshell.com