Matthew 18:1-3

April 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18‬:‭1‬-‭3‬)

The disciples seemed to regularly struggle over the title of “Greatest in the Kingdom.” In other words, they struggled with pride. This can be hard to process because many of us have a distorted view of the disciples as already sanctified and wearing their saintly crowns. After all, they were sitting at Jesus’ feet. They had dropped everything to follow him. They were doing it!

All of that is true. But they were normal people like us. They didn’t immediately “get it.” They had to process Jesus’ teaching about pride (and everything else!), and grow in their understanding and sanctification. This story about their pride shows they didn’t immediately get it. And it reminds me that too frequently I don’t get it, either!

It is so easy to allow pride to eat us alive. And this lesson for the disciples lands on me … heavily.

Pride is an interesting sin because it can present itself in very different ways. The loud, boisterous braggart or a shy, timid person can both be infected with pride. One just seems more obvious than the other. The organizational leader who somehow makes every employee recognition celebration about himself is filled with pride. The world-class pianist who quietly assures onlookers that he can hardly play the piano may surely be letting his pride show through false humility.

Jesus’ antidote to the sin of pride is almost funny. One of the last things a proud adult would choose to be is a child. Yet, Jesus said that the disciples would miss the kingdom of heaven if they didn’t “turn and become like children.” Jesus didn’t mean to be childish; he meant to be humble and dependent on God in the sense of Psalm 20:17 – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

So much more could be said about pride, but absorbing the above is probably plenty for today.

Father, please help me recognize and then eradicate the pride that is buried deep in my heart. Help me to be humble and recognize my dependence on you. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, humility, Jesus Said, Matthew, New Testament, pride

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:

John 1:22-23

March 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“So they said to him [John the Baptist], “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

What stands out to me is John’s clarity of his calling or purpose in life. We see here and elsewhere that John was completely settled in his role as the forerunner to Jesus. He shows no jealousy that he was not the light, but called to bear witness of the light.

This reminds me of a frustration I have at weddings. Often, the groomsmen intend to prank the groom and intentionally or unintentionally draw attention to themselves. Thus, rather than honoring the bride and groom, whose day it is, the groomsmen become the focal point.

John is a great model of humility, a model I want to embrace. He knows his role and plays it well.

Father, help me to be comfortable in the roles that you place me in, regardless of the role. Help me never – even unintentionally – to take your place or anyone else’s. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, humility, John, New Testament, pride

Luke 23:39-43

March 11, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:39-43)

This scene is instructive about how people receive or reject Christ, and how Christ receives or rejects people.

First, we have three people. Jesus and two criminals. While we should not assume they were identical, we can conclude the two men’s offenses were similar in severity since they were receiving the same punishment.

Second, we should notice the different interactions with Jesus. The first, with no appreciation of Jesus, he demands that Jesus act on his behalf. The second, fully acknowledging his guilt and expressing appreciation for Jesus, humbly requested that Jesus remember him.

These two demonstrate the strangeness of this world. Two people in similar circumstances may respond very differently.

The second criminal does the footwork for us. Let’s notice what he says.

  1. He rebuked criminal 1, reminding him that all three were in the same situation.
  2. He acknowledged that the two criminals’ punishment is just.
  3. He recognized that Jesus was innocent.
  4. He humbly requested that Jesus remember him in his kingdom.

These steps resulted in his salvation: Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The absence of response to the first criminal’s demands suggests to me that he was not redeemed because he did not demonstrate humility or repentance.

Two people. Two responses. Two outcomes.

Father, please help me be humble before your son. Help me have a repentant heart. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, humility, Jesus Said, Life in Christ, Luke, New Testament

Luke 21:3-4

March 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:3-4)

In these verses, Jesus focuses on the heart when he says, the “poor widow has put in more than all of them.” Clearly, an accountant would take exception to Jesus’ claim, unless he allowed Jesus to mean what he meant.

Jesus qualified his comparison by evaluating her heart as demonstrated by her level of personal sacrifice. Presumably, the rich put significantly more money into the offering than she did. Yet Jesus said, “They all contributed out of their abundance.” Now, I don’t think this was necessarily a blanket criticism of the wealthy. Rather, I think Jesus was elevating the widow’s sacrifice to the level of appreciation it deserved…in Jesus’ paradigm.

In Jesus’ evaluation of our actions, He considers the heart more than we might. In fact, we are unable to accurately measure the hearts of others. But in this story, Jesus gives some guidance on how to measure a person’s heart. Sacrifice. What is the personal cost (or risk) in our effort for the Lord? As for the widow, “she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.”

Father, please help me to have a greater heart of sacrifice for your causes. Help me to risk more for your name’s sake. Please grow my faith in you and help me to have a decreasing faith in the things of this world. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, good enough, humility, Jesus Said, John, Life in Christ, New Testament
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