2012 Day 24 – Matthew 7

24 Tuesday Jan 2012

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Today we complete the Sermon on the Mount. This is such a powerful section of teaching coming directly out of the mouth of Jesus and shows a very clear blueprint for how we should live our lives in order to be truly Christ-like. There is nowhere in this teaching that says anything about following the law or specific rules, but it does talk a lot about our attitude and our willingness to serve and sacrifice for others. Specifically in today’s reading I love the way verses 7 and 8 paint a picture, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Jesus is the key in what He teaches us. He is the missing piece that allows us to be all that He wants us to be. It is a guarantee that Jesus will be there if we just knock. He will answer us if we ask. He will never leave us alone no matter what. When I look back at all the times I’ve felt alone it is never because He left me, it’s because I turned from Him. But every time I’ve turned to Him, He was right there waiting for me and asked me, “where have you been??“.

2012 Day 23 – Matthew 6

23 Monday Jan 2012

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For me, there are two main areas in today’s reading. The first area was a great reminder that it is so easy to get caught up in wanting to be recognized for the good we do. Especially in the world we live in today where everyone loves to point out the flaws in others. So, when we get the chance to do something good, we want others to know about it. The problem is that Jesus is saying if we seek out recognition from those around us for the good we do, we receive our reward in full from them and not from the Father. Further, by seeking recognition here on earth, our motivation makes us hypocrites because we are doing it for the recognition and not for the love or service of others.

The second part of today’s reading deals with worry. I love verse 27 where it say “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” It’s a great question. If I worry about every aspect of my future, does it add anything to it? It is an act of obedience to trust in God and in His perfect plan for our lives. That does not mean we need to sit on the couch and wait, it means we need to get up and move and trust that He is at work in guiding us. The other great passage in today’s reading is verse 34 where it says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” We need to deal with the present and be in the present. I am so guilty of this! I tend to do things based on where I see the future state of a situation. I need to be in the present and act based on the current state of the issue at hand and trust that God is guiding me towards tomorrow.

2012 Day 22 – Matthew 5

22 Sunday Jan 2012

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We have arrived at one of the most precious sections of the New Testament, “The Sermon on the Mount”. I love reading Jesus’ words because they flow from one thought to the other guiding us to know how He views us and what are His expectations. The key lessons in the Sermon are found in the Beatitudes which basically tell us how to be blessed and many times are in direct contrast to how the world wants us to be.

Poor in spirit contrasts with pride and personal achievement, but God’s reward is that we will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mourning contrasts with having happiness at all cost, but God’s reward is that He will comfort us.

Meekness contrasts with the desire for power, but God’s reward is that we will inherit the earth.

Thirst for Righteousness contrasts with pursuing our own selfish desires, but God’s reward is that He will be the one to fill us with all our needs and we will be satisfied.

Mercy contrasts with the need to show strength without caring for others, but God’s reward is that He will show us mercy.

Pure in Heart contrasts with a desire to deceive in order to get what we want, but God’s reward is that we will truly be able to see and feel God’s presence.

Peacemaker contrasts with our desire for personal peace while shutting out the chaos of the world around us, but God’s reward is that we will be “called sons of God” (daughters implied).

And finally, Persecuted which contrasts with a weak commitment to avoid persecution, but God’s reward is that we will inherit the “kingdom of heaven”.

There is so much promise and so much truth in this sermon. Hearing it directly from Jesus’ mouth allows me to know what is truly important to him and what is expected of me.

2012 Day 21 – Luke 6

21 Saturday Jan 2012

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There is so much great stuff in today’s reading. I want to focus in on an area that always made me wonder because I always found it interesting that Jesus seemed to pick the Sabbath as the day He wanted to push the Pharisee’s buttons. Jesus must have known that healing someone on the Sabbath would annoy them, yet He did it anyway. I think some of the reasons are obvious, like wanting them to focus on what is really important rather than simply following the rules. However, I think one of the main things He wanted to show to them was simply that He is the creator of everything, including the Sabbath. If all they cared about was the Sabbath, then they were missing God’s entire reason for creating us in the first place. How many times do I miss God’s reason for doing something in my life because I simply focus in on the thing He has allowed to happen to me instead of learning to pull myself away from the individual incident and learn to see the big picture and His plan for it all.

2012 Day 20 – Mark 3

20 Friday Jan 2012

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There is a lot to take in with today’s reading. I focused in on final verse of the chapter, verse 35 where it says, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” In this simple verse Jesus places all of us exactly where He wants us to be, which is in perfect relationship with Him. Jesus readily calls us His “bother and sister and mother”. I sometimes have to remind myself just how much He loves me and how much He wants to have a real and personal relationship with me.

2012 Day 19 – Matthew 12:1-21

19 Thursday Jan 2012

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I think today’s message is pretty straight forward. The Pharisees were so concerned with keeping religious rituals, that they missed the whole point of Jesus’ purpose here on earth. They were more concerned with the disruption Jesus caused to their way of thinking and refused to see the good that Jesus brought to the people around them. I know there are times I miss the good that people bring because I get stuck on the method or the fact that I would have done it differently. But I need to accept that ultimately God wants us to serve Him and honor Him by serving and accepting people right where they are and not where I want them to be. In verse 7 where it says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”, it jams me right through the heart and reminds me that I fail when I am more concerned with the amount of sacrifice someone does than the amount of mercy they receive. And one final point; the mercy and sacrifice is all from God, He doesn’t really need mine.

2012 Day 18 – John 5

18 Wednesday Jan 2012

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The lame man being healed at the pool is a story that has always bothered me. Ever since I was a little boy I remember how troubled I was that it took him 38 years to be healed. For 38 years no one helped this man get into the “healing pool” and it took Jesus to come along to finally heal him. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that this man’s life was put into place to ultimately glorify Jesus. He was asked by God, unknowingly I’m sure, to live out his life for the sole purpose of helping to shine a light on the Messiah. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand suffering for more that 5 minutes, much less 38 years. I was reflecting with someone today about how easy it is to be an American. We have everything at our fingertips and when we suffer just a little it seems like the whole world is coming down on us. We must accept the life He has given us and know that all circumstances are for His purpose and not ours. I think it is also important to remember that our lives, whether in prosperity or in suffering, is put in place for the sole purpose of glorifying God.

2012 Day 17 – Mark 2

17 Tuesday Jan 2012

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Mark 2:17 is a verse that always stands out to me, “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”” Jesus did not come for the healthy, He came for the sick. The biggest obstacle we face is recognizing we are sick in the first place. Most people, myself included, wait until they can’t take the suffering anymore before they go to the doctor. It is why a lot of people have to be broken to come to Jesus in the first place. The really sad part is that even believers sometimes need to be broken in order to come closer to God. For this reason, it is important we realize it’s about having a relationship with God. The closer I am to God and the more I include Him in my daily life, the less I will feel like I need to get closer to Him when crisis strikes because I will already feel His arms of protection.

UPDATED: Bible Reading List

16 Monday Jan 2012

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Just a quick FYI… I had to update the reading list to fix a couple of discrepancies. If you want to download it and have it handy so you know what’s coming, you will find a link to the left and one at the bottom of the page called 2012 Bible Reading List. Let me know if there are any questions. Thanks again for joining us this year!

2012 Day 16 – John 4

16 Monday Jan 2012

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One of the notes in my Bible really made me think about verse 34, ““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”” Jesus makes a very good point about where He has gotten His nourishment. He got it from giving. How many times have I short changed myself from God’s blessing by simply receiving and not giving of myself to others. How much more fulfilled would I be if I gave as much as I received?

The other passage that got me thinking is the story of the government official and his faith in Jesus’ promise. When Jesus said, “You may go. Your son will live.” the man did not hesitate. He simply left and took Jesus at His word. I need to be more like that. I need to be the one who takes Jesus at his word, knowing He will always be with me.