Matthew 10

Matthew 10

Jesus gave his authority to his disciples to perform the same miracles that he was performing. When they went to a town, they earned their stay by the service they provided. Some towns did not listen to them. My mission is not to make anyone accept the message, but to boldly deliver it. There will be wolves that want to destroy the message, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved (verse 22) I pray that I have the perseverance to remain faithful to the end and have the boldness to proclaim the awesome message of God’s love, from the rooftops. 

Matthew 9 Proverbs 9 journal

I woke up this morning and thought “Why do I have a hard time reading and following directions?” (Proverbs 9:9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still) One word popped into my mind “Rebellion.” Wouldn’t my life be easier if I simply followed God’s laws? When Jesus approached Matthew and asked him to follow, there was no hesitation. The Bible does not say “Matthew pondered the decision. He considered the cost.” No. Matthew immediately did what Jesus asked.

The rest of this chapter is full of stories where people demonstrated faith in Jesus.  There was the paralyzed man, a dead woman, a demon-possessed man, the woman subjected to bleeding. Jesus knew who he was and the authority that he had. He knew God’s purpose for his life. Do you?

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. My prayer: God how can I show you respect today? Reveal the areas where I am rebelling against your ways. I submit to you.

Matthew 8, Proverbs 8 Journal

Matthew, Proverbs 8 journal

Prov 8:7 the lips of wisdom speaks truth and detests wickedness” Godly wisdom hates all that is harmful. How is Satan using me to harm others? How can I hear the truth and discern to detest wickedness?

After Jesus spends a lot of time in prayer and fasting he comes down from the mountainside and performs many miracles. It is interesting that Jesus tells the man healed of leprosy “Do not tell anyone.” Why? When does God want me to proclaim how he has healed me and when does he want me to remain silent? Are there times when I proclaim God’s healing that it opens the door to pride in my heart?

It is interesting that the centurion with great faith clearly demonstrates his understanding of authority. Is there a link between strong faith and submission to authority? How much authority have you given God in your life? When you have enough faith to believe that he will take care of you, is it easier to submit to his authority?

Why was Peter so committed to Jesus? Jesus healed his mother-in-law. (Ha Ha. Sometimes you have to laugh :)

Matthew 7 Journal

Matthew 7 Journal

In today’s world, many people use verse 1 to justify sin. “We don’t want to tell someone they are doing something wrong because that means we are judging them.”  Is this what the passage is telling us to do? If we continue to read, Jesus tells us that we will know false prophets by the fruit they bear. Clearly he wants us to identify false prophets by correctly judging their fruit. Also, he asks me to remove my plank first before trying to remove someone else’s. Why? When I am able to remove my plank, I have a testimony about how God healed or delivered me from a situation. I am no longer using a theory of how it works, I’m sharing my personal testimony.

In what areas do I have a plank in my eye? Is there an area where I need to take more responsibility? Am I being completely honest?

My prayer today is that God will remove my planks so my testimony can glorify him and prevent other people’s sawdust from turning into planks.

Matthew 6 journal

Matthew 6 journal

When we seek the reward of people instead of God, we get what we are looking for. What would you say is the greatest reward from God?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if God answered us when we pray the Lord’s prayer? Forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive others. I know I need a lot of forgiveness so I had better forgive others. Many times I’ve struggled with forgiving people who seem unforgivable. How do you come to a place where you can forgive people easily? Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul. Then love your neighbor. To me God is the source of infinite love. It’s like if I earned a large amount of money, how difficult would it be to give a small amount to someone else? My prayer today is that God will show me how I am living a life of abundance and not scarcity. I don’t have to hoard, I can give because my God is the God of abundance.

I never noticed verse 22. The eye is one of the most important parts of my body. I pray that I will be filled with light and not darkness. Are there areas of my life where the light needs to shine?

Verse 24 – I cannot serve two masters. Either I will serve God and value what is important to him or I will serve money. I know that people are important to God. He wants me to use money to reach people. The God of money wants me to use people to get more money.

I love the passage about the sparrows. They don’t sow or reap. God provides for them because he loves them, not because they sow and reap. The law of sowing and reaping still works, but it is not why God provides for us. Many times I really struggle with trying to earn God’s love. Are you trying to earn God’s love?

Matthew 5, Proverbs 5 Journal

Matthew 5, Proverbs 5 Journal

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus makes some powerful statements. Blessed are those who are pure in heart. The word pure means undivided. When I live my life for God all the time, my life will be blessed. I’ve realized it consumes a lot of energy to live two lives: one for God and the other for me. The example used in Proverbs 5 illustrates this. The man who lacks self discipline and falls prey to the adulterous woman. Because he has an impure divided heart (half of his heart towards his wife and the other half towards someone else’s) he looses his wealth, honor, energy, and life.

There is a secret to having a pure heart. It is found in verse 19 “. . . may you be intoxicated with her love.” Have you ever seen a couple that has just fallen in love? They are giggly and full of joy. Have you experienced the love of God in a way that leads your heart to be pure towards him? The bible says the blessing of a pure heart is that we will get to see him.

What causes a couple to lose that intoxicated love? Unmet expectations, grudges, bitterness, distractions?

My prayer today is to be able to have patience with my expectations, forgive to let go of the grudges and bitterness and focus on the God I love because I love being captivated by his beauty.

Matthew 4 Journal

Jesus’ identity was challenged by Satan. He said “If” you are the Son of Man. Then Satan challenged Jesus to take a short cut and test God. However, Jesus had a confidence that comes from having a close relationship with God. He knew that God would provide for his physical need of food in the right time. In this temptation, Satan was trying to get Jesus to focus on what he didn’t have, food. When I focus on what I don’t have, it usually leads me to feel empty and envious of others. Jesus focused on what he did have, the “Word of God.”

What gifts and abilities has God blessed you with? If you didn’t care what others thought, Who would you be? What would you do? Where would you work? Who would you love?

Is your identity being challenged?

When Jesus calls his disciples, he says “I will teach you to be fishers of men.” People are more important to God than money. I believe God’s #1 objective is to let people know that he loves them. He needs some folks who are willing to share this love.

Matthew 3 journal

Matthew 3 journal

John talked about the result of not repenting as experiencing unquenchable fire. It reminds me of the times I hold a grudge against a person. It is like an unquenchable fire burns away my energy. God please give me a heart that easily forgives and trusts you. I want to experience your life and share it with others.

John consents to Jesus’ request for baptism even when he understood that he was the one who needed to be baptized. I pray that I will have a submissive attitude towards God even when I don’t understand his way of thinking. As a result John got to see the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus. It’s always easier to see God when we are looking in the direction he is leading us, instead of the opposite direction or the rear view mirror.

God says to everyone, “This is my son, whom I am well pleased.” I long to hear those words from my God.

Proverbs 1 and Matthew 1

Proverbs 1 – Wisdom leads to a disciplined life. Last night I ate too much before I went to bed. I woke up at 3 and couldn’t go back to sleep because of heart burn. I wish I had more wisdom/discipline because I know I would have a better day today if I had made a wiser choice last night. I wonder how much better my life would be if I attained more wisdom?

Verse 7 – the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Lord I honor you as the one who knows all.

Matthew 1 Wow! Joseph had a lot of trust and faith to believe the angel and do what God asked. I’m trying to imagine how I would feel if I found out my wife was pregnant and I knew I was not the father. It’s interesting that he wanted to divorce her quietly. I’m thinking of the times when that people have hurt me and I go and tell others what they did to me. I see a connection between Proverbs 1 and having self control when it comes to dealing with hurtful situations.