2016 Day 16 – Matthew 6

16 Saturday Jan 2016

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By His example, Jesus took care of people without seeking glory. His acts received attention because of other people, not for the purpose of attention alone. In Matthew 6:1 Jesus says, Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Good and bad attention will come to you if you are doing what is commanded of you by God. But when we do things for the sake of attention itself, we miss the point, which is to bring glory to God the Father.

2016 Day 15 – Matthew 5

15 Friday Jan 2016

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I cannot imagine anyone who would happily be persecuted for most causes. But in Matthew 5:11-12 Jesus calls it a blessing, 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. When we are persecute for the cause of Christ, it should be taken as a badge of honor. When we stand up for truth and righteousness we are rewarded in the eyes of God. It is not easy, but few things worth fighting for ever are.

2016 Day 14 – Luke 6

14 Thursday Jan 2016

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It is easy to love people and be kind to them when they love you and are kind to you. But what happens when people are mean, unkind, and unloving? In Luke 6:32 Jesus answers that question, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.” Jesus is our example and we are supposed to be a reflection of Him. Loving others is not conditional.

2016 Day 13 – Mark 3

13 Wednesday Jan 2016

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Do you ever get the impression Jesus healed people on the Sabbath on purpose? It seems like Jesus took several opportunities to do this and it wasn’t an accident. Jesus begins to explain why in Mark 3:4, Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath:  to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?” But they remained silent. One of Jesus’ principle reasons for coming to earth was to fulfill the law. He makes it clear later on that He was not here to abolish it. The law had it’s purpose, and it’s purpose was to bring people to a point where they recognized their unrighteousness and their need for repentance. When Jesus came, there was no longer a need for rules to remind people of their sinful nature because now Jesus became our only way to salvation and eternal life with Him. From this point on we were no longer in competition with each other to see who could be more holy by following the rules. Our only task in life is to reflect who Jesus is. That is what is means to be “Christ-like”.

2016 Day 12 – John 5

12 Tuesday Jan 2016

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There are no rules around doing what is right and Jesus exemplified this at every opportunity. In John 5:17 Jesus makes it clear that rules do not supersede taking care of those in need, Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” Let us never hide behind traditions and liturgy in place of doing what is right. If we need to shut down the church on Sunday in order to feed and clothe the poor, then let’s do that.

2016 Day 11 – Mark 2

11 Monday Jan 2016

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It is difficult to understand that Jesus came for the salvation of everyone, including Jews and gentiles, but the message He brought was easier for the gentiles to accept than the Jews. I never really understood what Mark 2:22 meant until the last few years, And no one pours new wine into old wine skins. If he does, the wine bursts the skin, and both the wine and the wine skins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wine skins. Jesus is talking about His ministry and His message, which are radically different than the Jews expected of the Messiah and broke all their expectations (old wine skin). The new message was something the gentiles were more easily able to digest and accept (new wine skin).

2016 Day 10 – Decoy

10 Sunday Jan 2016

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This is a really interesting video. What struck me the most was the quote at the end where it says, “A Photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera, than by what is in front of it.” Aren’t you glad God is the one behind the camera? The way He looks at us is much more important than what we see in the mirror or how others see us.

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2016 Day 9 – John 4

09 Saturday Jan 2016

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In today’s reading we find Jesus declaring to the Samaritan woman that he is the Messiah in John 4:26, Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” This is one of the times in scripture where Jesus plainly reveals Himself to be the Christ. While there was some doubt, the woman recognizes Him as the one they have been waiting on. The sad part is many have heard the truth and do not believe and have rejected Him. We know the truth, we just need to accept it.

2016 Day 8 – John 3

08 Friday Jan 2016

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When we accept Christ we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And just like we cannot control our physical birth, we cannot control our spiritual birth. In John 3:8 Jesus explains to Nicodemus how the Holy Spirit works in us, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” The Spirit will move in us in ways we cannot predict or control. The secret is to allow it to happen and follow His guidance in our lives.

2016 Day 7 – John 2

07 Thursday Jan 2016

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I love the story of Jesus turning water into wine. The reason is because of His interaction with His mother Mary. When she told the servants to listen to Jesus, his reply was in John 2:4, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” While His time had not yet come He still obeyed His mother. This is kind of humorous to me and yet displayed the type of obedience that is expected of us. Even Jesus listened to His mom.