Posts with the tag “matthew”

Daily Devotional from Matthew 26--Verses 7-9A woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”An unnamed woman, perhaps someone just like you or me, came up to Jesus while he...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 24--Verse 42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.When I was a young believer, I would read this verse and think, 'What, are we supposed to stay awake 24 hours a day???' No! Jesus is not speaking literally here; he is saying STAY AWAKE SPIRITUALLY.The enemy of our souls tries to sing us a song that will lull us to sleep spiritually...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 28--Verses 18-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.The Great Commission - Jesus charged His disciples with a task to reach the world with the Good News! This Commis...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 27--Verse 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”Sometimes things happen in life that make us feel as if God has abandoned us. Here in Matthew 27, Jesus is on the cross, the sin of the world is on his shoulders and for the first time—he felt as if God had aba...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 26--Verse 50Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.We have all sinned and betrayed God. We are each responsible for the suffering and death of Jesus. But even at the time Judas was betraying Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus called Judas “friend”.  And I don’t believe this was sarcasm.Even tho...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 25--Verse 40As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Jesus stands in solidarity with the down and outs. He has a special affinity with the needy. I find it interesting that he doesn’t come and personally fix the problem himself but waits for his representatives (the church) to do something about it. He wants the church to see them. He ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 24--Verse 31And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. How do you feel when you read passages about Jesus’s return, and the time before that happens? As a child, I was always afraid. My parents would have gone on a walk and my immediate response was, “Oh no! They’ve...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 23--Verse 37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!Jerusalem has been known for killing prophets and treating them horribly. But God kept sending them. God out of his great love sent more peo...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 22--Verse 3[The King] sent his servants to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn’t want to come.Getting an invitation to an important event is so exciting (and an incredible honor). In this parable, a King was throwing an extravagant wedding banquet and those invited didn’t want to come! Can you believe it?  Some had more important things to do. Some were...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 21--Verse 18In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.Jesus was God and man! When we hear or read about Jesus, we often think of His Godly attributes - like His ability to heal disease, forgive sin, raise the dead, or love unconditionally. But the verse above reminds us that He was human as well. He got hungry! Jesus was conceived by the Holy S...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 20--Verse 15Do you begrudge my generosity? When somebody else – less deserving – gets blessed just as much as you, it’s a bit distasteful. We cry, “That’s not fair!” And you’re right. It’s not. And praise God it isn’t. Because if it was, we’d all be punished for eternity. Lost and without hope. That’s fair. So, we don’t want fair. We want grace. So, next time you’re t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 19—Verse 21Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”Salvation is a freely given gift, but following Jesus requires that we die to our flesh. The Bible says, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” One thing we must die to is the love of money, wh...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 18--Verses 19-20Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.You might be familiar with this passage, but have you taken it to heart? If we can unite together with desires to see God’s Kingdom come, we’ll see souls saved, ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 17--Verse 7Jesus came up, touched them, and said, ‘Get up; don’t be afraid.’It seems that fear is at the forefront of everything these days. We’re all afraid of so many things in our world today, and it seems as if we learn that there is something new to be feared every day. It breeds so many other issues like anxiety and discontentment. Jesus says: Don’t be afraid. T...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 16--Verse 1And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.Jesus had been working miracles throughout the land - healing cripples, casting out demons, cleansing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and fish (twice!), even raising the dead. Yet the Pharisees sti...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 15--Verse 27 Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table. This has to be the greatest comeback line in all the Bible. This Canaanite woman was on her game, wasn’t she? She gets ignored, scorned, slighted, overlooked, and then downright insulted. And yet she still fires back the sharpest response ever. Essentially saying, “I’m here, an...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 14--Verse 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”In many sermons I’ve heard about this passage, Peter gets a bad rap. But the fact is that Peter was the only one who stepped out in faith. In his encounter with Jesus, he models what we should also do when we are afraid—cry out to Him. Jesus saved Peter immediately...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 13--Verse 17For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.The prophets and the people who served God long awaited the coming of the Messiah. He was here standing in front of many and some believed and knew Jesus was really the Messiah. Now for us today we know ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 12--Verse 21The nations will put their hope in his name.We live in a world that struggles to find a place for hope. We see this every day with the rise of depression, anxiety, and suicide rates all over the world. At the moment, everything seems….hopeless. Yet, Jesus is the fulfillment of hope. In Jesus, all nations will find their HOPE! Isaiah 9:1 & 2 says this… “Nev...  Read More

Daily devotional from Matthew 11--Verse 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.How do we get to know God?The more Jesus discloses Himself, the more we will know about the Father. He becomes more real in our lives. Our faith grows. Our head knowledg...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 10--Verses 5-6Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Sometimes Jesus will put restrictions on our life for a certain time. He closes the door. He tells us “No.” In the moment, we may think he’s being harsh or unfair. He prohibits and he withholds. Why? Well, at least in this situation,...  Read More

Daily Devotionals from Matthew 9--Verse 12But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick."It’s tempting, and even easy, to avoid those who aren’t like us. Sometimes we find it more comforting to surround ourselves with those who believe like we do. Eventually, we can even start to view those different than us, like non-believers, as a threat,...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 8--Verses 2 and 3And a man with leprosy came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.Isn’t it awesome that Jesus was willing to dirty himself by touching this leper? Leprosy was infectious...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 7--Verses 13-14Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.In our lives today, we strive to make things easy for ourselves. We do things that require the least amount of effort. We like convenienc...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 6--Verse 10Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.As part of an example prayer the Lord provided his disciples, we are to pray that things on earth will become the way they are now in heaven.While it may seem things are going in the opposite direction, it is God’s will circumstances on earth improve.By asking us to pray for improvement, God ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 5--Verse 25First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. As you can see, right relationships are one of Jesus’s highest priorities. He says don’t even finish what you’re doing. First, go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come back and finish what you were doing. In other words, don’t let the grass grow under your feet. T...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 4--Verse 1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus faced temptation just like every human on earth does. We don’t have a Savior who doesn’t relate to us—He understands! But we can learn so much from He Who Never Sinned about how to respond to temptation—with the Truth of the Word!This is why it’s so important that we ar...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 3--Verse 8Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.John knew what was up. He was proclaiming God’s Kingdom and calling the people to repent. I am so very thankful that we still get the opportunity to repent today. God is gracious because really His wrath is what we all deserve. God has always sent prophets to tell the people to repent. But now the Kingdom is here,...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 2--Verses 1-2After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”The wise men in this story were not part of God’s covenant people. They were, though, men who paid attention to God’s wor...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Matthew 1--Verse 21She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.God had been silent. It had been about 400 years since God had spoken to His chosen people through Malachi’s Old Testament book of prophecy.But then an angel came to Joseph to announce good news of the virgin-birth arrival of a savior to be named Jesus. All t...  Read More

Matthew 28:5Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen. What?!! Who is this strange man? White and shining as the sun? And what does he mean: ‘He is risen’? We saw his body go in. We saw the men roll the great stone against the mouth of the tomb. He is risen? Can it be? Oh, that would be just like Jesus! Wait until Peter and the rest hear a...  Read More

Matthew 27:50Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. There’s a lot going on in this chapter. Jesus is bound, led away, accused by the priests, condemned by the mob, abandoned by the governor, mocked by men, forsaken by God, and swallowed by death. What a colossal chapter this is. And he submitted to it all. But it’s, perhaps, this last step that I find most remarkable – ...  Read More

Matthew 26:52a, 53Put your sword back into its place… Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? During this time a Roman legion consisted of nearly 7,000 men. Can you imagine opening your front door to a legion of soldiers? It would be quite breathtaking to behold such an enormous force, let alone be attacked by one. Therefore, ...  Read More

Matthew 25:40As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Jesus stands in solidarity with the down and outs. He has a special affinity with the needy. I find it interesting that he doesn’t come and personally fix the problem himself but waits for his representatives (the church) to do something about it. He wants the church to see them. He wants the church to know he s...  Read More

Matthew 24:2You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. Getting the news of Kobe Bryant’s passing last week was a shock. Here one day and gone the next. Seems surreal. But that’s the way of the world. Nothing in this life remains forever. Kingdoms will pass, dynasties will fall, cities will topple, statues wil...  Read More

Matthew 23:37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Can you feel the tug? The weighted down heart? If you are a parent, or a caring friend, you know the feeling. If your loved one is wayward or just being difficult then you know how Jesus sometimes feels regarding us. He loves us. And that love doesn’t make his life easy. But, just as you know, you don’t give up. Your love keeps you in the game. No questions ask...  Read More

Matthew 22:33They were astonished at his teaching.It’s interesting that the gospels never say the crowds were astonished by his miracles, but they were by his teaching. We think of Jesus’s miracles as mind blowing, but apparently his teaching was out of this world. So, it would seem, his miracles were simply a means to an end, and that end was his Word. So isn’t it a blessing to actually have insc...  Read More

Matthew 21:42The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Isn’t that just like God? He takes what others consider to be trash and makes it his treasure. Maybe you’ve never been good enough. Others don’t seem to notice you’re there. You’ve been rejected all your life. Maybe you’ve been fired? Or maybe you’ve even been divorced? But no matter what level of rejection you have suff...  Read More

Matthew 20:15Do you begrudge my generosity? Grace is scandalous business. Especially when someone else gets it when you think you’re the one that deserved it. Oh, you get blessed alright, but somebody else gets blessed just as much as you. But it’s a scandal when they didn’t earn it like you. Why should they get the same treatment? If that’s our attitude, then we have yet to understand grace. We c...  Read More

Matthew 19:14Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. If we’re not careful, we can become like the disciples. They got a little impatient and testy with kids. Because kids are great at ruining a serious moment, and, as you know, spiritual matters are serious business. The disciples were trying to guard the moment and remove distractions....  Read More