Matthew 7

When I was n college I attended a small Bible Study on Tuesday nights.The teacher often said,”whenever u read a “therefore”,ask “what’s the “therefore” there for?”N Matthew7:24 there is a “therefore” that is 1 of the most important “therefore’s” n the Bible,because it follows what Jesus says about those that truly know Him & those that do not(Matt7:15-23).Jesus is warning us about false teachers,& our living religiously&piously.The people of the day were seeking out teachers&preachers that sounded good,& challenged them personally 2 “be better human beings”by getting involved w their “programs for improvement”.Many of these claimed 2 “know the truth&the way”.They were inspiring,& motivating.But they were not inspiring&motivating their followers 2 personally “dig in to know God’s Word”...to personally know God’s Heart.They taught their interpretations of God’s Word,but not the Person of Christ revealed through God’s Word-God’s personal expression of His Love revealed through The Holy Scriptures.They did not inspire their followers 2 personally know;value;& follow the precepts&principles revealed through God’s Word n a way that would lead their followers 2 have hearts/minds/lives that would b more&more like the heart/mind/life of Christ.Today we have the same dangers,and more.N addition 2 an overwhelming number of “Teachers&Preachers”,we have an overload of books/videos/audios/blogs/programs,etc.Most teach good morals;& good life lessons/habits/disciplines about being “religious”.Jesus tells us 2 b careful about all of these n Matt7:21-23 when he says,”Not everyone who says 2 me,’Lord,Lord’,will enter the kingdom of Heaven,but only he who does the will of my Father who is n Heaven.Many will say 2 me on that day,’Lord,Lord,did we not prophesy n your name,& n your name drive out demons & perform many miracles?’Then I will tell them plainly,’I never knew you.Away from me,u evildoers!’”Whatever we may DO,however good/“religious” it may be,is essentially “no good” unless we KNOW Jesus & HE KNOWS us!Jesus calls us 2 a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP w Him!This is “all that matters!”Without a personal relationship w Jesus,nothing we DO “matters”...Jesus doesn’t leave us “high&dry” at the end of vs23 though!Now comes the “Therefore”!Jesus is telling us that He wants us 2 NOT b fooled by false teachers/preachers...books/blogs/videos/programs,etc.He says,”Therefore” 2 all of these(Matt7:24-27)-“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine & puts them n2 practice is a wise man who built his house on the rock....”Jesus pleas w us 2 seek 2 “not just know” His Words,but 2 weave them n2 our hearts/minds/lives,so THEY become the foundation/bedrock of our entire life...our thinking...our heartbeat...!He is not telling us to “throw away” all the books/blogs/videos,etc.Nor is he telling us 2 steer away from church.He IS telling us 2 make it “THE PRIORITY” that we personally seek 2 know Him through His Word’s,& that we apply His Words(His Wisdom&Discernment) 2 all we let shape our heart/mind/life.Dear Jesus,my heart/mind/life has so many areas that have been “misshaped”.Grant me a new enthusiasm 2 seek You through Your Holy Scripture,& the needed attributes from You,so my heart/mind/life r “reshaped” by You!

Matthew 6

Matthew 6 begins w Jesus describing those who are BLESSED!& all of these blessings r ETERNAL-they transcend all time,& all worldly means of measure!So,unless I have an eternal perspective,I will fall short of “appreciating” what Jesus is saying...& not know “what to look for” as blessings!Even worse,I will MISS the ETERNAL BLESSINGS that Jesus describes,& I will b misled n my life by searching for/seeking the wrong things.I will also have many “misunderstandings” about God & His Word!N Matthew6:19-24,Jesus tells me how 2 correct my  “focus&perspective”,so I do not miss these blessings,nor have these misunderstandings.Jesus says,”Do not lay up 4 yourselves treasures on earth....,but lay up 4 ur selves treasures n Heaven...For where ur treasure is,there will b ur heart also.”Where our heart is”,can b very difficult 2 b aware of as we live through each day.BUT,WHERE my heart is,has ETERNAL significance!AND,WHERE my heart is(what I am desiring)will determine my perspective&focus 4 what I am looking for...what is defining my life.Verses22-23 say this,”The eye is the lamp of the body.So if ur eye is healthy,ur whole body will b healthy,ur body will b full of light,but if ur eye is bad ur whole body will b full of darkness....”We will eventually see what we desire 2 see,through the perspective/lens we choose 2 have!N The Beatitudes,Jesus is describing/defining the perspective&lens we need 2 have 4 our life,if we r 2 know HIS Blessings,& Know HIS Voice/His Word!N HIS Great Love&Concern for us,HE is telling us how 2 NOT MISS Eternal Blessings,& how 2 not b MISLED by looking 4 the wrong things n life.What I am “looking 4 n life” could even steer me away from truly knowing HIM!So! I must know what 2 look 4...what IT is that is “ETERNALLY WORTH” looking 4!If not,I will become “full of darkness”.N v 24,Jesus says that “No one can serve 2 masters.Either he will hate the one & love the others, he will b devoted to one & despise the other.U cannot serve both God & Money”.Unless I have the RIGHT PERSPECTIVE 4 life & what matters n life,I could very well end up ETERNALLY BANKRUPT,& far away from truly knowing The Lord,& His Ways...His Blessings!Dear Lord,many times my vision has been impaired as U describe n these verses....,I need UR help n changing this.Thank You for the loving ways U encourage me/correct me...& the Grace U offer to help me.Please correct my perspective and change what I look for n all circumstances&situations around me,so I see what U see!

Matthew 5

N Matthew5:13-6,Jesus says that we r 2 b “salt”&”light” 2 those around us.N addition 2 bing a condiment,salt has at least 2 primary properties! It can make us thirsty,& it can been used as a preservative/protector!Jesus’ words here make me ask myself questions!What is my life making the people around me thirsty for?And,what r the words of my mouth and my life “preserving/protecting” 4 those around me?This cannot b;”what do the words I speak make people thirsty for”?,without my life giving authenticity to my words.That is what Jesus refers 2 as salt losing its saltiness!The reverse is true as well;the words out of my mouth being very different from the “religious”things I do!Both cause the salt of my life 2 lose its saltiness.The saltiness Jesus is describing is that which is meant 2 PRESERVE/Protect the evidence of God’s Mercy&Grace&Truth n the lives of those who know HIM/trust HIM.And THIS is what Jesus is saying that our lives&words should b making people around us “thirst for”,& what our lives&words should b “preserving/protecting”4 those around us!The light Jesus refers 2 is from the LAMP(Matt5:15)that is lit n us when we trust Christ as our Savior;the Holy Spirit that HE places n our heart & lights w HIS Love/Mercy/Grace.The “oil/fuel” that keeps the LAMP glowing is God’s Word,&what fans the glowing flame is our obedience 2 God’s Word.When I am not regularly “filling up w OIL”,nor seeking His care/instructions 4 this LAMP,HIS LIGHT n my life fades.Just as a Lighthouse Keeper is responsible 2 keep a lighthouse cared for & effectively lit,so those needing it’s guidance will have it,we r 2 b a “Holy Spirit Keeper” 4 those around us.Dear Jesus,Your words here remind me of the times I have made others thirsty 4 the wrong things,& how my life has not been a means of preserving/protecting the Awesome Mercies&Grace that You have given me.Additionally,many times,& seasons n my life,I have not been a “Holy Spirit Keeper”! Forgive me,& remind me of what You r calling me 2 n these verses!May my life b Salted&Fueled by Your Word & Glowing from Your Holy Spirit.

Matthew 4

Jesus had gone n2 the wilderness 2 face every temptation that Satan could throw at him(Matt4:1-11).N God’s great wisdom HE tells us of only 3 temptations.These 3 might represent Satan’s most effective “weapons/temptations” n his battle 4 our hearts/lives.Each one of these temptations has an “IF” that challenges what we think/believe about the God of the Bible/God of Creation,the ONE TRUE GOD!It might b that during the previous 39 days,Satan threw all the temptations at Jesus that r common 2 all people,then after Jesus had fasted a full 40 days Satan tempts Jesus w the most effective “weapons” he also uses on “believers”.N each of these 3 temptations of Christ,Satan uses an “IF” that challenges God’s Promises,God’s Word,God’s Character,&God’s Sovereignty!N the 2nd temptation Satan even “atTEMPTS” 2 misuse God’s Word by taking scripture out of context.During each of these 3 temptations,Jesus confronts the “IF” w God’s Word-“it is written...”!N our lives,when stressed,hungry,envious,tired,etc.,we who desire 2 follow Christ r “prime targets” 4 Satan 2 use these same tactics on us!Satan has done his “reconnaissance” of our lives,& knows when&how 2 most effectively attack our faith,&our walk w Christ.Satan will make us question God &His Word by throwing “IF’s” at us when we r “fatigued”;”hungry”;or “battle warn”.All of these “IF’s” will boil down 2 our hearts&minds asking,”does God really say?”!When we don’t address these “IF’s” w the RIGHT answers,we begin down a slippery slope that leads away from God’s True Expressions of Love,& HIS desires 4 our lives(desires for our GOOD).This is why it is critically & “strategically” important for us 2 be regularly digging n 2 know God’s Word,so we can TRULY know HIS HEART,&HIS instructions 4 our GOOD!So we can definitively know what God would really say about a circumstance or situation n our lives!Satan’s great desire is 2 lure us away from what God Truly Says,so he can also lure us away from God’s Heart & what only God knows r the best plans 4 our lives(Jeremiah 29:11,”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”).We must dig n2 God’s Word so we will know HIS Voice/What HE says about all things.Then,when we “know”,we must “do” as HE “leads”(James1:22-25,”Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror,and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do”).Satan does NOT want us 2 b blessed n any good way(The Ways of God!).We must always b prepared 4 the sneaky clever ways of Satan,by “digging n2 God’s Word”,& following HIS Word/His Voice n our lives.Lord,I have been misled many times bcuz of letting my heart/life b lured away by the question “did God really say”?!Please help me 2 b motivated 2 earnestly seek 2 TRULY know Your Word&Your Voice,& then by Your Grace&Power help me 2 follow only You!

Matthew 1-2

Whenever God uses a man or woman n any way,we should dig n2 their “character&heart traits” 2 discover what may separate them from others.The 1st question 2 ask is whether the person is used because of certain traits,or in spite of certain traits...or both?The book of Matthew begins w the lineage of Christ.God is totally transparent with the lineage of Christ,4 our edification.Each one of these men&women r named so we can “dig in” 2 learn about the kind of heart&character we should seek,& that which we should learn 2 turn away from.So,when God chooses Joseph 2 b the step father 4 HIS Son,it is imperative that we “dig n2” learn what “makes” this young man “different” from many others.The 1st characteristic of Joseph is that he “was a righteous man”(Matt1:19b).1 dictionary defines righteous this way-“concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles; "moral sense"; "a moral scrutiny"; "a moral lesson"; "a moral quandary"; "moral convictions"; "a moral life"”.Joseph was “concerned” about right&wrong,& seeking TRUTH!Next,when the Lord appears 2 Joseph n a dream,he knows n his heart&mind this was the Lord!Matt1:22 states that “All this took place 2 fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet...which means,”God with us””!Joseph knew the “voice of the Lord” bcuz he had been seeking TRUTH n the Holy Scriptures-the Old Testament! So when the angel refers 2 OT prophecies, GOD uses HIS Word 2 confirm HIS instructions 4 Joseph!Joseph has no doubt this was from the Lord!We know Joseph had no doubt becuz when he woke up he didn’t go 2 seek counsel 2 confirm the dream,nor did he “put off doing” so he could “think about it” 4 a while!He was so convinced that he “did” what the angel of the Lord instructed the moment he woke up!This means that Joseph KNEW the voice of the Lord!He KNEW the Old Testament so well, that these verses quoted by the angel of the Lord,& other prophecies n the OT “rolling around” n Joseph’s heart&mind,were used by God 2 seal the TRUTH n Joseph’s life decisions.Next,Joseph is no different from any young man, w dreams & aspirations that all young men,ncluding getting married & looking 4ward 2 all the gifts of marriage.But,Joseph TRUSTS God w all these dreams&aspirations,& turns them over 2 the Lord.Joseph decided 2 b obedient 2 the Lords instructions 4 his life-“immediate following/obedience”!This characteristic of “immediate following/obedience” n Joseph’s life would prove critically important,eventually saving the life of the baby Jesus from the baby slaughter of Herod.Joseph was righteous!Joseph was concerned about TRUTH,& sought TRUTH n the Holy Scriptures he had at the time-the OT!Joseph KNEW the voice of the Lord bcuz of his SEEKING TRUTH!Joseph TRUSTED the Lord w his life,demonstrated “real time”by his unwavering commitment 2 follow&obey The Lord!O Lord,make my heart so concerned about righteousness that I seek to know TRUTH fervently n Your Word so I will know Your Voice as Joseph did!Develop n me the same TRUST that Joseph had;& grant me the same commitment 2 follow/obey You as Joseph had.