Do not Worry, A Choice to Make Before I can follow the command, “Do not worry” or “Take no thought for your life,” I must realign my thinking. Which takes time and is part of the daily walk of dying to self. Matthew 6:19-34 ESV – 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust …
Spiritual Blindness Incurable? Matthew 9:27-34
Spiritual blindness incurable? This section closes with a statement from the Pharisees that makes the reversibility of the condition improbable. Jesus healed two blind men. He said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’ Again as in the last scene, there is a desperation associated with this faith, a sense of ‘nowhere else to turn.’ For effective …
Counterfeit Christianity, How to Avoid: Matthew 7:21—29
Counterfeit Christianity might have an outward appearance of the real thing, but it is really just appearance or form theology. Counterfeit Christianity lacks the depth of a relationship with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. In this passage is the essential difference between religion and Christianity. Religious people stand before Jesus and point at the things they have …
Done in Secret: A Measure of Belief, Devotional Matthew 6:1-18
‘ Done in secret’ sometimes carries a seedy connotation. These three things done in secret express spirituality, Jesus says these things done in secret provide a measure of his reward. He emphasizes focus on my relationship with him, not on how others view me. Jesus wants me to focus on him, on depending on him to do the impossible, not …
Salt and Righteousness, Devotional Matthew 5:13-20
Salt and righteousness, seek that which is real instead of the appearance of it. If something loses the essence of what it is and only the appearance remains, it is useless. In Jesus’ day, salt had many impurities, and when the salt washed away, the impurities remained. Then as now, many people like the Pharisees are concerned about the outward …
Poor In Spirit: The Beginning, Devotional, Matthew 5:1-12
First of the beatitudes, Am I poor in spirit? Matthew 5:1-12 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. After he sat down his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them by saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will …
Come Follow Me, Matthew 4:12-25
‘ Come follow me,’ most probably the first disciples knew who Jesus was by reputation well before he called them. They also recognized the honor of a rabbi’s call and that it was no small event to be called by the most special of all rabbis. My call is to live for him daily instead of myself. I might not …
Temptation: It Depends on Your Direction, Devotional, Matthew 4:1-11
Temptation: Relevance? A discussion of temptation is only relevant when I seek a relationship with God. If my desire conforms to my own definition of good or to a casual, convenient, socially, postmodern, acceptable definition of good; a discussion of temptation remains relative. With no outside standard, I do essentially what I want as long as I don’t commit a …