Mt22

How confident are we in what we believe? Do we sometimes find ourselves questioning Jesus because we think we actually "know better"? 

The religious leaders of Jesus' day found themselves at odds with Jesus. They were always trying to get Him to stumble in something He would say or do. They would gather in groups and approach Him with "the question" that was going to cause Jesus to stumble. Every time they were disappointed. Every time they were wrong.

Are we like them? Jesus said they were deceived. He said, "You are deceived, because you don't understand the Scriptures or the power of God." Yet, they considered themselves "experts" when it came to the Scriptures. They considered themselves "authorities" when it came to knowing God. 

But what was Jesus looking for? What did He say evidenced the true knowledge of Scripture and the authentic power of God? John gives us this answer in his gospel. John 5:40 says, "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life." To reject Jesus is to miss the whole purpose of the Scriptures.

Follow Jesus today.

Mt21

"The disciples went and did just as Jesus had directed them." This should be our life verse!

If we call ourselves disciples of Jesus, we should do what He tells us to do. Period. Isn't that what it means to be a disciple? I think so.

Today we have many "christians" who feel the freedom to "do" whatever they want. We pick and choose which things about obeying Jesus fit into our lifestyle and circumstances. We want to be known as "disciples of Jesus" but we rarely actually obey Him.

We are not the ones in the parable that would actually "beat, kill and stone" other followers of Jesus, but we are often the ones who find ourselves in the category of saying "we will work in your field", but actually never following through.

The point of both parables is clear. Disciples actually "do" what Jesus tells them to do.

Mt20

Expectations and assumptions are hard to manage. How much more so, when our expectations and assumptions are rooted in wrong thinking about Jesus!

In this chapter Jesus makes two points about the kingdom of God that are counter to our thinking. First, God's generosityis not connected to how long we have been "working" in His "field". Everyone receives what was promised regardless of how long they had been working. The kingdom is rooted in faith not works. Our natural tendency is to say, "that's not fair!" Jesus would say, "God is driven by generosity not by parity."

Secondly, greatness in the kingdom in not in gaining authority to rule, but rather in humbling ourselves to serve. We work hard to become the one who gets served. In fact, many look down on those who make their living by serving others. Not Jesus. He said, greatness is in serving. He set the ultimate example by giving up everything so we could have eternal life.

Let's change our thinking today. Be grateful for God's generosity and choose to serve others. 

Mt19

What is impossible for men is easy for God! He can turn a heart of stone into flesh. He can heal broken relationships. He can change a greedy man to a generous one. He makes all things new.

Life is never hopeless when God is involved. I don't know what difficult thing you are going through today, but never lose hope. What is impossible for us is easy for God. Let's focus our attention on what He can do and not on what is typical in a given situation.

I want to live with the expectation that God still performs miracles…because He does.

Mt18

When someone wrongs us, do we talk to them? or ABOUT them to others?

We all sin against those we are in relationship with. Generally, our hurtful sins toward others is unintentional, but they feel the hurt the same. If the hurt person doesn't talk to the one who hurt them, but instead, talks to someone else about that hurt, the hurtful sin is multiplied into even greater damage.

If someone wrongs you…talk to them! Only bring others into the conversation AFTER things cannot be resolved with just the two of you. This is conflict resolution 101. It is not easy. It is right.

Make a habit of not making the sins of others a bigger deal by talking to others about their sin. Learn to talk to the person who has sinned against you.  Almost always, nothing further needs to happen. When we talk to others first, unreparable messes are made.

And notice how this chapter concludes with the story about forgiveness. There cannot be human relationships without forgiveness. Sin is unavoidable, forgiveness is necessary.

Mt17

Peter, James and John got to witness Jesus' time with His Father. Not only did it conclude with a powerful affirmation from heaven, it involved conversation with Moses and Elijah! Was this the "normal" experience of Jesus spending time "alone" with His Father?

We have seen the pattern of Jesus' life was to get away and be alone! This time he takes Peter, James and John along. What they witnessed was miraculous and amazing. They saw Jesus actually talking to saints who have been dead for centuries! They hear the voice of God booming from heaven. They were terrified!

We call this event the "transformation". Jesus was literally changed in form and appearance. In a sense, our transformation happens the same way. When we take time to "get away" from the busyness of the day, and spend time in the scriptures with Jesus, Moses, Elijah, etc., we too are transformed.

Mt16

When we concern ourselves with ourselves rather than the things of God, we are following the counsel of Satan. Who's desire do we want to fulfill today?

I am sure Peter felt the stiff rebuke of Jesus' words in this chapter! In one minute Peter was commended for speaking the words of God. In the next minute Jesus rebuked him and said, "Get behind me Satan! You are an offense to Me because you're not thinking about God's concerns, but man's." These are strong words!

To make it personal, what was it that made Jesus say this to Peter? Would this be the most likely thing Jesus would say to me? Peter was wanting Jesus to fulfill his desire. Peter's words seemed righteous but they were rooted in his own personal agenda. I hate to admit it, but generally my words spoken to Jesus are often like that.

We should be looking to do what Jesus would want rather than asking Jesus to do what we want. He is the One who is God…not us.

Mt15

God cares greatly about WHAT we do. He cares even more about WHY we do what we do.

What we think, say and do reveals the condition of our heart. Who we are flows from within. We can work to change our behavior, but without heart change there will be no lasting results.

We can only see the outside and often what we see is deceiving. The pharisees were masters of conditioning behavior without asking the question of motive. They did "all the right stuff", not for God's glory, but for their own self righteousness. They were the group that most frustrated Jesus. They were the ones who were often "offended" by the teaching of Jesus.

Jesus said that our job is not to figure out "who" the pharisees are. He told his disciples to leave that to God. Time will ultimately tell who has been planted by God. As we have seen earlier, God plants His seeds into our hearts. Those seeds bear fruit, 30, 60 and 100 times what was planted.

Let God's life flow from our hearts today.

Mt14

Our response to tragedy reveals the deep roots of our faith! John the Baptist was brutally murdered by Herod because of Herod's foolish pride and perverted mind. When Jesus heard the news what did He do? The "forerunner", the prophet, "Elijah", His cousin, His friend was gone!

Jesus withdrew! He went up to a lonely place to be alone. And later, after ministering to over 5000, He went up to the mountain by Himself to be alone and pray! He needed time alone with His Father. He needed time to think and pray. He needed to be alone. He needed to be surrounded by the presence of God and the beauty of creation.

When tragedy strikes our life what is our response? Do we take the time to seek God? Do we get away from the business of the world and reconnect with God? Is He the One we go to in time of need and crisis? I am challenged by this.

Notice that Jesus didn't even mention John's death in the following paragraphs. Nothing was said of John's brutal death or Herod's wicked heart.  Not yet anyway. That will come.

Mt13

What value doe we place on the "kingdom of God"? This was Jesus' most talked about subject.

Those who understand this kingdom live differently. With joy they pursue the things of God without reservation.

Examining what gives us joy will help us know what we truly value.

Live for the kingdom today.

Mt12

Changing our vocabulary won't change our heart, but changing our heart will change our vocabulary. The Pharisees were focused on the external things like the sabbath, eating certain foods and participation in certain events. Jesus' was focused on the inside! He said that good fruit comes from good trees. 

There is no more telling thing about a person's heart than the words that come out of their mouth! We will give an account for every word we speak! Jesus said, "from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks (33)." What is on the inside is what will come out.

Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6, "I desire mercy not sacrifice" for the second time in this gospel. (12:7; 9:13). Basically He is saying that if one gets their heart right, right actions will follow. Love mercy today. Legalism brings bondage. Mercy is fruit bearing.

Mt11

Don't be discouraged in times of doubt. Even John the Baptist struggled at times! Use doubt to drive your faith deeper by seeking truth.

All of us struggle at times with doubt. It is a common and unavoidable struggle. Most let doubt overwhelm and discourage them. Not John the Baptist. He used doubt to pursue truth. He sent his disciples out to ask Jesus questions. Jesus' response would have totally emboldened John's faith.

Scripture is filled with hard things! God's ways are not our ways. God's ideas are not our ideas. This is why even our faith is initiated by God. Jesus concludes this chapter with these words, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves."

Learn to take everything to Jesus. Even doubt.

Mt10

How much do we value God's approval? Do we do what we do to please God or others?

Proverbs 29:25 says, "The fear of man is a snare, but the one who fears the Lord will be protected." We all want the approval of others. In fact, most of us work way too hard to get it. We do too much to garner the affection and attention of those we want to "like" us. We continually judge ourselves based on the opinion of others. This is a bad idea.

We should live to have God's approval! We should say and do the things that will bring Him joy. We should do what we do because we value His opinion of us! This chapter teaches us that God alone is the one we should fear. Because He loves us and cares for us, we should know that living for Him will be of great benefit in the end. Even a cup of water given in His name will not go unrewarded!

Live for God's approval today.

Mt9

Having courage or being encouraged is all about what we choose to focus our attention on. Twice in this chapter Jesus said, "have courage."

In the first incident, some friends brought a man to be healed by Jesus. When Jesus saw the faith of the man's friends, he healed him and told him to have courage. In the second event Jesus told a woman, who was healed from 12 years of bleeding, to have courage. In both cases faith was required!

Faith enables courage. Faith allows us to focus on the things of God. When we are focused on the things of God, we will be courageous.

Have courage today!

Mt8

Other than the pig farmers, can you explain to me why anyone would have begged Jesus to leave their town? 

Jesus has always been controversial! Even his own disciples were afraid of His power at times. It seems that everyone wanted something for themselves, but no one stopped to ask Jesus what He wanted. 

Even today, most of us will "follow" Jesus to get something for ourselves. But who will truly "follow" Jesus? Being a true "follower" is about doing what Jesus would want us to do.

This is a thought that should change our day!

Mt7

According to Jesus, many people who claim to know him actually don't! When they actually see Him they will hear the most horrible sentence ever…"depart from Me, I never knew you."

There is a big difference in "knowing about" someone and "knowing" someone. Most of the time the people I "know about" but don't actually "know", are nothing like what I thought! For most people not actually knowing them is inconsequential. To not know Jesus has unforgivable consequences.

Jesus wants us to actually "know" Him. Make it your life's ambition to actually know Him.

Mt6

What is the one thing you will definitely do today? I pray it will be to seek for God. 

Verse 33 is a verse we should all memorize; "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." We should make seeking God a daily priority. Let it be the one thing we don't neglect in any day.

Much of Jesus' sermon was is about gaining a "reward" from God rather than people. Jesus challenges us to make sure our motives and intentions are to seek something greater than man's approval and temporary reward. 

The focus of our lives is to be the life that is to come.

Mt5

The greatest sermon ever preached only takes minutes to read, but it takes a lifetime to digest. These next three chapters are packed with rich insight into life and living. Its content is not difficult to understand, just difficult to apply.

For example, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." In other words, desire the best for everyone! It's not hard to understand, but very difficult to apply. Jesus says it's easy to love people who love you. Try loving those who want to kill you. Now that is a different thing completely.

He even wants us to pray for them! Most of us struggle to pray for those we love. And, if we pray for our enemies, it would be that God would hurt them! Have you ever prayed for someone you hate? Have you prayed that they would come to know Jesus and that their life would be radically changed? Or would you simply pray that they stop being your enemy.

Tons to think about.

Mt4

Being tempted to sin is a sure thing. To sin or not is our choice! Choosing sin never works out. Follow Jesus, choose to not sin!

I am always challenged by this text. What was it like for Jesus to be tempted? Was it the same for Him as it is for me? We know He was a man. We know what it is like to be men! Because we still fall to temptation and sin, means we still need Jesus!

Grateful for Jesus today. His sinless life made it possible for me to be free from my sinfulness.

Mt3

Have you been baptized since you have believed? Jesus modeled and commanded his followers to be baptized. Baptism does not save anyone from sin. Baptism is a powerful testimony that one has been saved from sin and is choosing to follow Jesus.

If you haven't been baptized. Why? Do you consider yourself a follower of Jesus. Is He truly the One you follow? If yes, then I would strongly encourage you to take this step of obedience. For New Testament believers, baptism was step one of their faith. Make 2015 the year you to took this step.

If you have been baptized. Why? Notice there were many Pharisees and Sadducees who were coming out to John to be baptized by him. They wanted another "religious experience" without the faith and pursuit of Christ. I know many "christians" who cling to their baptism as though it was the act that saved them. Notice John words, "Bring forth fruit consistent with repentance." He actually refused to baptize them.

I pray we are among those who are following Jesus with true repentance and our whole lives.

Mt2

What has happened to worship in our culture? The "wise men" of the east sought out leadership because they wanted to "worship the King of the Jews". Herod tried to deceive others by saying he wanted to "worship" the messiah as well. Outside of the church, I have never heard of al leader that either honestly or dishonestly expressed a desire to worship!

We all worship something. God is so devalued in our culture that we rarely hear a conversation about worship outside of the church. In fact, most christians rarely talk about worship even inside the church. Often the conversations among God's people when they gather to worship are about the other things. Things we actually worship.

What would happen if we decided to truly "worship" God in spirit and in truth? What if we actually talked about our need to worship God and to make Him great to our friends and family. I believe the next generation will worship what we worship. Unfortunately, I believe the next generation will continue to have "true worship of God" as a low value.

Convicted by reality.

troy

Mt1

God uses broken people because that is the only kind of people available to be used. We are all broken.

The New Testament opens with a genealogy that is packed with the story of forgiveness and redemption! The four women named, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Uriah's wife (Bathsheba), would have been the most likely women to "not" be named. Yet, they are the only ones named!

To know all of their stories is to see God's grace. God uses broken people because that is the only kind of person available to be used. From Tamar to Rahab to Ruth to Bathsheba His grace changed and transformed their lives. Not only were these women broken, much of their brokenness was associated with their husbands (or the men who slept with them).

I love the Bible. It is true. God uses broken people. This means God can use me.