God Speaks
Matthew Reports Jesus’ Teaching on the Kingdom of God
Verse of the Day: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prpphets. (Matthew 7:12 NIV 2011)
Read or listen on BibleGateway.com
Watch TBR Day 283
We Respond
Matthew 5
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 5.
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God blesses people who realize their need for Him and therefore search for Him and are faithful to Him regardless of difficulties.
2. The people God blesses will exhibit the following characteristics: contentment, humility, justice, mercy, purity, peacefulness, and righteous living.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 5?
Dear Father God, thank You for this Sermon on the Mount that gives us a record of what Jesus taught and what You expect. We human beings can never be blessed by You without Your mercy, grace, and love. Do whatever is necessary to make as many people as possible to realize our need for You, to mourn over our sinfulness, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful toward others, to have pure thoughts and motives, to make peace, and to do what is right even if we are persecuted for it. Then, You promise that we will possess the Kingdom of Heaven, be comforted, inherit the whole earth, be satisfied, be shown mercy, see Your face, be called Your children, and live in the Kingdom of Heaven forever. Please help me to truly be salt and light in my world. Jesus, You came not to abolish what we call the Old Testament but to fulfill it. Showing respect and having good interpersonal relations are more important to You than even the religious duties You prescribed, Father. You also highly value sexual intimacy and fidelity in marriage. You want me to be a person who keeps my word without needing an oath to prove I’m telling the truth. Instead of resistance or retaliation, You expect me to serve even my foes, beyond what is asked or demanded. I am to love, serve, and pray for my enemies and those who are persecuting me. I can only be that perfect (mature and complete) as I lean on and learn from You, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 5?
- I will ask the Lord which one of these characteristics of His children He wants to work on in me right now, then seek to obey Him in it.
- I will look in scripture for examples of how Jesus (and/or other godly people) modelled these traits.
- I will thank the Lord for all the ways I have benefitted from Him and/or others exercising these traits.
- I will pray for myself and other believers (by name) to exhibit these traits this week.
Matthew 6
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 6
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God is holy and dwells in heaven. He uses people, who rely on Him to provide for them, to bring His kingdom of righteousness on the earth.
2. People are to strive to please God alone when they fast, pray, and do acts of charity.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 6?
Dear Father God, thank You that Jesus not only rescued me from the penalty of my sins, but He also taught His followers how to live. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for superintending the process as this instruction was recorded in Scripture so that I can read and apply it in my life today. Jesus, You contrasted the right and wrong ways of how to do acts of charity, how to fast, how to pray, how to handle money and possessions, how to look at even the basic necessities of life (food and clothing). Jesus, You summed it up by saying, “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything You need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT). I shouldn’t worry or be anxious about tomorrow or anything else. Please help me to trust fervently and rigorously obey You out of grateful love. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 6?
- I will interact with Jesus (through prayer and scripture) to see what He wants to work on in my life right now, then seek to obey Him in it.
- I will seek godly counsel as to how to correct the problem area He shows me.
- I will look in scripture for at least five examples of how to rightly pray, fast, do acts of charity, etc.
- I will strive each day this week to seek the kingdom of God above all else and to live righteously.
Matthew 7
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 7.
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. The LORD God is the only just judge. Only He truly knows people’s hearts and minds.
2. People are not to judge others’ motives and intentions. They can only judge the consequences of the others’ actions. The one who would desire to judge must have their own faults dealt with before trying to help someone else.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 7?
Dear LORD God, thank You that You are the only true judge. Only You know all about the person and situation to be judged. Truly, Father (God) knows best. Only You know all of the facts and how to accurately interpret them. Therefore, I determine to bring every person and situation to You whenever I am tempted to judge or even just make a decision whether something is true or false or a person is good or bad, right or wrong, telling the truth or lying. Please help me to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking until You show me the truth, and then please help me to take correct action. Please help me proactively treat other people the way I want them to treat me. That way I will be fulfilling what the Bible teaches. You have said that the way I’ll know if something or someone is good or bad is to look at what they produce. What are the results of their words or actions? Only what is done according to Your will, our Father in Heaven, will have any eternal value. To have a happy, stable, and everlasting life, I need to not just hear these words, but to truly put them into practice. I must live by and under the authority of the LORD God as displayed by Christ Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 7?
- I will ask the LORD to show me where I have judged someone or something on my own, without seeking His perspective first, then ask Him how to correct the problem.
- I will pray that God’s truth will be revealed and correctly acted upon by the proper people regarding three news items today.
- I will take 15 minutes in quiet contemplation today to examine what my thoughts, words, and actions are producing now and for eternity.
- I will (in the week ahead) seek to put into practice at least one of the principles Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.