Fasting? Fasting? Why? Do I desire a close personal connection with God? Do I desire a relationship with my Lord like no other I experience? A fasting day dedicated to seeking a close connection with God and a greater understanding of my need for Him provides a perfect time to reflect upon my calling and the condition of our relationship. …
Do Not Worry – Devotional, Matthew 6:19-34
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 …
A Real Life Not a Patched Up Religion: Matthew 9:14-17
A real life promised by Jesus, in this section, he compares reasons for fasting. He implies to his disciples that he will give them a deeper relational purpose for fasting in the future. In contrast, he will not impose fasting on them as an ascetic, traditional, religious practice. Again his focus in on the inner life, not on adhering to …
Follow Me: Matthew 9:9-13
‘ Follow me’, Jesus says to Matthew. Matthew immediately follows him without excuse or delay, and with no indications of regret. It is likely Matthew already knew of Jesus by reputation. Jesus knew his heart, and knew he was ready to give up the life he had known. Unlike fishing, tax collecting was not a profession to which he could …
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 …
Miracles Part of the Journey Not the End: June 3, Devotional Readings
This post Miracles Part of the Journey Not the End and the previous two are an experiment to make the blog more relevant and useful to readers. Starting with tomorrow’s post, I will narrow the discussion to one chapter from the New Testament. Miracles part of the spiritual journey, not the end, in other words, the purpose of miracles was …