Devotionals

“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). Do you feel like your prayers are powerless and that God is not listening? This is not the experience God intended for prayer. He wants us to find joy and fellowship with Him, not frustration and loneliness. Jesus opened the communication lines between us and the Father; however, our sinfulness can affect our prayer lives. We must remain on guard against potential pitfalls so that we can maintain open lines of communication with our Lord. The first hindrance to prayer is a marriage relationship that is off kilter. Scripture warns us, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7). God has given us a balanced formula for a […]

“For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord” (Psalm 117:2). Do you sometimes struggle with the right words in prayer? Or do you wonder exactly what to pray for? You are not alone. But God will empower you for meaningful prayer as you begin to praise Him. Praise reflects our acknowledgment of all that God is and all that He has done, is doing, and has promised to do. Praise sets the stage for prayer that is focused, specific, and powerful. And the more we praise God, the more we realize that He not only knows about our needs but also desires to provide all that we need. God wants us to ask Him to meet our needs, not so that He’ll become better informed about them but so that we will become more aware of what is truly burdening us and tugging at our hearts. By praising God for […]

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).   Read Matthew 6:19-34. In the Christian life, we face endless decisions every day. We need heavenly wisdom to choose wisely. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers us four choices that have the power to shape our life here on earth. How we handle them today will echo throughout eternity.   First, He gives us a choice between two investment banks. We can either store up treasure on earth, “where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,” or store our treasures in heaven (see Matthew 6:19-20). Where will you ultimately invest—in the local bank, where they give a fraction of a percent interest, or in the bank of heaven, where you’ll earn a hundred-fold harvest?   Second, Jesus gives us a choice between stumbling around in the darkness or walking in the light. He says, “If your eyes are healthy, your […]

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).   Read Matthew 5:27-30. Though sin is at the root of the problems in our world today, God is most concerned with the source of that sin—for He knows that true holiness means stopping sin at its source: within the heart. Take, for example, sexual sin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “[A]nyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). As Bible-believing Christians, we are not against sex. Rather, we believe that sexuality is a gift from God. We believe that God created sex as a beautiful gift to be shared by a husband and wife within the bounds of marriage. And yet, man perverted the good gift of sex, just as he […]

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22). Read Matthew 5:21-26. Though it may not seem like it at first, the Torah or Law, which is comprised of the first five books of the Bible, was a precious gift to the people of Israel. God’s law teaches us how to live in a manner pleasing to God—a manner that is also for our good. It also points us to our need for a Savior since none of us can keep His commands perfectly. But the law also reveals something else: the very heart of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus brought the Truth home, clarifying the heart of God. Beginning with the commandment not to murder, Jesus shocked His listeners by declaring that the sin of selfish anger is tantamount to murder. How can that be? Because that’s where murder starts—in a person’s heart. Murder […]

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Read Matthew 5:17-20. Many people today want to believe that morality can be democratized, that if enough people believe some perverse action is acceptable that it will no longer be immoral. But that is not how the universe works. In the end, there is only one opinion that matters. There is only one Judge. His name is the Lord God Almighty. And He requires nothing short of perfect obedience to His laws and commandments. Friends, this is why Jesus came. He came to authenticate, to fulfill, and to complete the Commandments (see Matthew 5:17). Jesus is the only man who was able to keep all of the Ten Commandments all of the time. He came to show us that the Law actually points to Him. In fact, the entire Old Testament directs our […]

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Read Matthew 5:14-16. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). What did He mean by that? He meant: Your light should shatter the darkness. Your light should lead others to Christ. Your light should expose error and lead people to the Truth. Someone may say, “My faith is very private,” but that is not Biblical faith. True faith in Jesus is visible. It’s meant to be a light—and it’s meant to be a light for the world. Your light must shine in the marketplace, on the factory floor, in the boardroom, at the office, on your school campus. Wherever you go, there goes the light—because you are the light. When people see someone who is loving and forgiving, joyful and generous, they take notice. When they see someone who is […]

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13). Read Matthew 5:13. When Jesus declared to the gathered crowds, “You are the salt of the earth,” it was a shocking statement. He was telling His followers—common people like fishermen and day laborers—that they were of supreme value. You see, Jesus had just finished delivering the beatitudes—eight steps to spiritual blessing (see Matthew 5:3-12). And so, when he started talking about salt, He was talking about people who embodied the beatitudes. Though the world could not see it, these people were incredibly valuable. Their greatest asset was their spiritual bankruptcy. Their greatest passion was mourning over their sin. Their greatest accomplishment was their meekness. Their best response to evil was to be merciful and make peace. Their appetite was for righteousness. Their […]

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). As we read through the last words of Jesus on the cross and discover His heart, His character, and His love for each of us—how are we to be changed? First, we should be encouraged to approach Him in bold assurance that His grace is sufficient to cover and forgive your sins. There is no debt you could owe that Jesus, the once-for-all sacrifice, has not paid in full. Second, we do not wait to “feel” like forgiving others when we have been wronged. Forgiveness is a decision of the will. When we honor God with our will, He will bring our emotions into line accordingly. Finally, the Bible teaches us that to whom much is given, much is required. We have received forgiveness from God, and He requires us to forgive others. “Bear with each other and forgive one […]

“Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God” (Psalm 31:5). “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46). This prayer is profound in its simplicity because it indicates a willingness to deposit the most precious thing, the most prized possession, in the safest place of all. This sixth statement from the cross is an example of Christ’s complete confidence in His Father. The word commit in this verse literally means to go and leave something somewhere and walk away from it, knowing full well, with absolute confidence and trust, that when you come back, it will be there. When Jesus cried out, “[I]nto your hands I commit my spirit,” His hands were fastened to that rugged wooden cross. The hands of wicked, evil men nailed Him to that cross. In Matthew 17:22, Jesus warned His disciples, “The […]

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13-14). With his last breath, Thomas Hobbes, the self-confessed atheist, said, “I am taking a fearful leap in the dark.” On his deathbed the French agnostic Voltaire sadly spoke these words: “I am abandoned by God and man! . . . I shall go to hell.” In contrast to these two men, who died without Christ, is Christian evangelist Dwight L. Moody, whose last words were: “Is this dying? Why this is bliss. There is no valley. I have been within the gates. Earth is receding; heaven is opening; God is calling; I must go.” For believers, the moment we take our last breath is the first moment we will draw in the heavenly air of our new […]

“Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep’” (Luke 15:6). In Luke 15:1-7, Jesus shares the parable of the lost sheep to further reveal the heart of God to us. In it we see that God’s love is so merciful and personal that He notices and pursues even one erring sheep. How amazing that our God is intimately concerned with those who have strayed from His fold. In the parable, when the shepherd finds his sheep in Luke 15:5, “he joyfully puts it on his shoulders” and carries the sheep all the way home. The shepherd never sets the sheep down but carries the entire burden on his strong shoulders. Likewise, Christ stands ready to take on all our burdens, whether physical infirmities, heartbreaks, or worries. He has shoulders capable of bearing any weight we are willing to give up to Him. Your burdens become His burdens as you rest in Him. Christ pursues us, saves us, carries […]