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:

Matthew 2:1-2

April 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭2‬)

One thing leapt off the page today. “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” I have two thoughts related to this sentence.

First, the growing disdain for Israel among American Christians of all stripes (Evangelical, Reformed, Catholic, and Orthodox) comes to mind. Interestingly, “Christ is King!” is being proclaimed from each quarter. On its face, “Christ is King” is a wonderful and accurate recognition of who Jesus is. After all, Revelation 19:16 says, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” However, I’m not hearing this declaration of Christ’s kingship in “normal” conversations; I am hearing it in the political sphere, used as a weapon against support for Israel. So, I find some irony in reading the wisemen’s inquiry: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”

Second, on this Saturday before Resurrection Sunday, my mind shifted from King of the Jews to Savior of the world! The Apostle John records these words: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” (‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬) John also reports on the Samaritans’ recognition of Jesus as the Savior of the world: “They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’” (‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭42)

So, on this Saturday, I worship and proclaim Jesus, the King of the Jews and Savior of the world.

Father, help me recognize Jesus for who he is, and not misuse his identity as an insult toward others. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, John, Matthew, New Testament, Politics, Supremacy of God Tagged With:
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