Matthew 7:24-27

April 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬-‭27‬)

These verses may evoke childhood memories for some. In your memory you may hear children’s voices singing, “The wise man built his house upon the rock.” And you may see in your mind’s eye, kids motioning the rains coming down and the floods coming up with their hands. But these words are more than a Sunday school song for kids. Adults need to heed them, too. (See this video if none of this is familiar.)

Jesus closed his Sermon on the Mount with this warning to be prepared for the hardships of life (the rains) that will surely come. The positioning of this warning should help us see its value.

Here, Jesus is imploring his audience to build their lives on him (He is the rock). And how would one do that? The quick answer is to embrace the teachings that preceded this closing. The payoff is great. Who wouldn’t want their life and faith to hold up through the storms of life? I don’t think anyone would desire that their own lives fall apart. But a core element in this sermon is discerning the heart. So, while no one would desire that their own life fall apart, their hearts might have a greater desire for something that will inevitably destroy their lives. In other words, they will build their house on sand. Building on the sand is choosing to follow any other voice than Jesus.

We have to be careful here. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬) The choice isn’t a religious voice versus a non-religious voice. It is Jesus versus every other voice.

This challenge of discernment is for believer and unbeliever alike. Christians can foolishly choose paths that lead to destruction. There are a lot of voices beckoning us down their particular path. WARNING: Not all paths lead to good places. Jesus’ sermon (Matthew 5-7) provides us tremendous guidance on how to build our house on the rock.

Father, I need wisdom and purity of heart. Please help me grow in both so that I may desire Jesus more than anything else in this world. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, discipleship, Jesus Said, Life in Christ, Matthew, New Testament Tagged With:

Matthew 6:1

April 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬)

The key words here are “in order to.” These words address motive. In this case, the motive is to be seen by men. Those who practice righteousness before men, in order to” be recognized by those people will not be rewarded by the Father. Wow!

This is not a warning to forgo righteousness before people. It is a warning about motives. I don’t know if the challenge is greater today than it was then. But in our age of social media and instant gratification, this is a tough challenge.

The desire to be recognized for our good deeds and clean living is strong. One YouTube genre I really enjoy features people surprising someone who’s fallen on hard times with a kind and generous gesture. While those videos often cause me to tear up, I’m conflicted because the person is filming themselves performing the kindness, then uploading the video for people to see.

If asked, I’m sure the person would say they post the video to encourage others to follow their example of kindness, not to get the applause of men. I know that I want my kids to see my faith in action as a way of passing it on to them. But do I want them to see how faith works in the real world more than I want them to think I’m a good Christian? At times, I’m afraid I want their recognition more than anything. That’s tough to discern.

Ultimately, we should express our faith before men, not for their applause but for the approval of our Father in heaven.

Father, please help me to shape my heart so that when I live a godly life in front of others, I do that for your glory, not mine. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, discipleship, Gospels, heart matters, Hope this Helps, humility, Jesus Said, Matthew, New Testament Tagged With:

Matthew 5:10-11

April 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬-‭11‬)

This is another Bible passage that doesn’t feel right. Who wants to be persecuted? Who wants to be reviled and have all kinds of evil uttered against them? Who would sign up for those things?

Yet, Jesus said those who experience those things because of their faithfulness to him are blessed. Interestingly, the Chicago Bulls recently released a recently acquired first-round draft pick because he was critical of the NBA’s promotion of Pride Month. Jaden Ivey’s complaint? He says the league is promoting unrighteousness. And he is correct!

Since his release, he has remained firm that all the fame and money are nothing compared to Christ. As one might imagine, the pressure against him has grown. Yet, he remains steadfast in his position. He is a contemporary example of what Jesus is talking about.

Father, please help me to be so satisfied with you that the affirmation of this world is meaningless in comparison. Amen.

Filed Under: courage, devotional thoughts, discipleship, Faith, fear, Gospels, Jesus Said, Life in Christ, Matthew, New Testament Tagged With:

Matthew 4:1

April 6, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬)

This verse stands out to me because it seems so counterintuitive. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? My natural thought would be that the Spirit would shield Jesus (and me, by extension) from the devil’s temptations. But a broader reading of the Bible reveals that God doesn’t completely shield us from the brokenness of the world. While He may, at times, shield us from the extremes of brokenness (though that wasn’t Job’s experience!), He doesn’t promise to completely eliminate our experience of the brokenness of this world. In fact, a thorough reading of Scripture should tell us that we will experience pain and temptation. But with a major caveat: The Lord will be with us during those times. Here’s what Paul told the Corinthians about this matter:

“Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬)

God will not allow believers to be tempted beyond our capacity to resist. My primary problem in this regard is a lack of desire to resist. Temptation hits at points of weakness. It strikes at our fleshly desires. The issue isn’t God’s protection; it is my desire. Do I want to feed the fleshly desire more than I want to be in fellowship with the Spirit to resist the temptations?

Father, help me to grow in my desire to fellowship with the Spirit rather than feed the desires of the flesh. Amen.

Filed Under: 1 Corinthians, devotional thoughts, discipleship, Gospels, Matthew, New Testament Tagged With:

Matthew 3:7-9

April 5, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬)

John the Baptist was not “seeker-friendly.” His words are relevanttoday: “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.’”

John is warning the Pharisees and Sadducees not to depend on their family tree for righteousness. While it is a mercy of God to be raised in a believing family, we must bring our own fruits of repentance. Too many times, I have heard a person mention their grandma’s or parents’ faith when asked about their faith. This is akin to the Pharisees or Sadducees saying, “We are children of Abraham.” We can not stand before the Lord with a basket of someone else’s faith; only ours.

Father, please help me to build my own faith and not depend on the faith of others. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Evangelism, Faith, Gospels, John the Baptist, New Testament Tagged With:
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