Matthew___16

Scripture

 

Matthew 16:24-25

 

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

 

Observation-What does it say?

 

Jesus was speaking with His disciples and predicted His death. He rebuked (corrected with sharp disapproval and criticism), Peter’s response to his death because Peter was concerned about what Jesus said at the human level, not on the God level.

 

(Reference: Oxford dictionary)

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

Jesus had to die to save ALL of mankind, including His disciples. That was the cross that Jesus had to bear. His life was His offering to God.

 

Peter didn’t understand the big picture and that’s why Jesus was frustrated with what he said. If Jesus didn’t die, Peter and the rest of the world would not live and would still be under the wrath of a just God. I also believe that Jesus’ words to Peter was a foretelling of how Peter would betray Jesus. Peter’s denial of Jesus was because he was more concerned about what others would think of him (human concerns) instead of what Jesus thought of him.

 

Life Application

 

What does taking up your cross look like?

 

In Biblical times, with taking up one’s cross, people literally had to die for their faith in Jesus. All the disciples were martyred, except for John.

 

Some of us may still be called to physical martyrdom, but more commonly in today’s times, taking up one’s cross daily means doing everything different than the world does it. It’s a struggle because although we are called to not live OF the world, we still live IN it and can easily be influenced by it. That’s the importance of staying close to Jesus daily. Here are personal examples of how I’ve had to take up my cross and lose myself completely to Jesus.

 

-Forgiving people who have hurt me deeply and responding in love and kindness instead of chewing their head off and hurting them back the way they’ve hurt me.

 

-Choosing to live a lifestyle different from everyone else in order to be more generous with time and money for Kingdom purposes.

 

-Setting up safeguards to protect my integrity and marriage. I had to do the same thing before marriage too.

 

-Choosing not to be part of the rat race and setting aside one day a week for Sabbath rest.

 

-Letting go of a higher paying job in order to live out God’s calling for my life.

 

-Looking at suffering as a blessing, instead of a curse.

 

-Being comfortable with having a reputation of being “weird.”

 

What are other examples you can think of of taking up your cross in your own life?

 

In John 17, before Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He prayed for His disciples and for ALL believers. If you’ve never read it, I recommend that you read it. It’s very encouraging to me because if God was to hear anyone’s prayer, it would be Jesus’ prayer. Jesus prayed in advance for us!

 

“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17:9-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

Thank you Lord! Amen.

 

-Michelle Gaddi

Matthew_15

Scripture

Matthew 15:28,32²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.…³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

Observation

This chapter encases just a few of Jesus’ many names – teacher, healer, provider.  He teaches that it’s what comes from within – what flows out of our hearts and our mouths – that defiles us, not that which comes from without – in this case, unclean hands.  He heals the Canaanite woman because of her bold faith, which brought her to His feet even after she had cried out and he did not respond.  He provides food to eat (and ample surplus) to the four thousand plus who had come to seek Him. Yet, what strikes me throughout, is the hunger of the people. 

Understanding

I’ve heard it said that a hungry heart stirs God to action.  Matthew 15 shows this to be true.  As we walk back through the chapter, we learn that where there is hunger, God moves. Let’s first look at the Pharisees.  There is no sense of hunger – not in their questions, not in their behavior.  They are focused on manmade rules…perhaps born out of something scriptural or made with good intentions, but they are missing the point!  They are too focused on rule abiding to even experience true abiding with God.  Yes, God wants obedience but obedience alone is not enough; He desires obedience that comes out of a deep love and longing for relationship with Him.  What was the end result?  Jesus taught, but there was no space for Him to move hearts. Now, let’s look at Jesus and the Canaanite woman.  She was hungry for change.  She didn’t wait until Jesus was ready for visitors, she sought Him out, even as He withdrew.  She “came to him, crying out” on behalf of her daughter.  “Jesus did not answer a word.”  At that point, how many of us would have said “Well, I tried my best.  I sought Him out and asked but He did not respond.  Perhaps it’s not His will.”  But no!  Miss Canaanite woman pursued the disciples and, when that didn’t work, she came and knelt before Him crying out again.  And, it was her hungry faith that brought healing to her daughter in that very moment!  Hunger stirred action.And, finally, the feeding of the four thousand.  The people were [physically] hungry and 7 loaves of bread and few small fish ultimately end up feeding thousands but did you catch the first hunger?  The spiritual one?  Once again, Jesus has withdrawn, this time to a mountainside.  But people were hungry for change, hungry for healing…³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.They sought Him out, abiding with Him for THREE FULL DAYS!  They were not going to miss an opportunity to be in His presence – whether for teaching or healing or just the way it made them feel.  And the result?  They were fed physically and spiritually.  Their hunger stirred Jesuss to compassion and, ultimately, to action. 

Life Application

I’m reminded of the Surge challenge to “get that bread.”  If you’re like me, you’re eating 3-5 times a day and getting some snacks in between.  But, if I’m honest, my spiritual appetite is not the same.  And, unlike our physical hunger that seems to just come naturally every few hours from the moment we are born, our spiritual hunger requires a bit of cultivating.  There’s a 3-10 ways to do nearly anything and I found this one to be one that spoke to my heart – 6 Ways You Can Stir Up Hunger for God.https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2010/02/11/hunger-for-god-6-ways-you-can-stir-it-up/The paraphrased version is this:

• Fast – cut stuff out (food, media, activity) to make space for abiding with God
• Pray – pray for spiritual hunger
• Remember – take time to remember your most intimate times with God
• Catch it – spend time with hungry people
• Hear it – spend time in worship, listen for His voice
• Act on it – respond to what God speaks to you

‘I have come to realise that the real tragedy in the church is not spiritual famine: it is famine without hunger, dryness without thirst.’May we get and stay hungry! PS Our 28 days of prayer and fasting is coming up soon, why not get a head start in cultivating that hunger now! JReiTo check out the discussion or to join in click here.

Psalm_92

Scripture  Psalm 92:1-2  It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;  To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night, Observation-What does it say?  A song of celebration for the Lord’s faithfulness.  This psalm may have been written by the king of Israel.  It is the first in a cluster of psalms centered around the Joy of God’s love and faithfulness.  Within this particular psalm, the outcome of choosing righteousness is placed in contrast to the result of choosing wickedness.  We are reminded of the everlasting joy that comes from choosing to live a righteous life and follow after God’s righteousness.   Understanding-What does it mean?  Almost four hundred years ago, the passengers of the Mayflower braved a treacherous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, suffered a fatal winter, and began the frameworks of a new world.  At the core of their journey was a desire to seek after the righteousness of God, without the constraints government. Of the first acts of a new found community, which included the native people, the practice of thanksgiving was the first. It’s not surprising that thanksgiving is the attitude which preceded God’s provision in this particular psalm.  It is a common statement that “pride comes before the fall,” simple wisdom that is timeless and warns everyone of the pitfalls associated with pride.  Conversely, it should be a common statement that “humility precedes prosperity.” It can be confusing in today’s world, which is filled with people who are constantly singing their own praises and we are taught that this is the path to success.  But God’s word paints us a different picture. Our measure of success, however, can’t be measured on FICO and bank roll.  We measure our success on the true blessings of faith in God and our redemption through Christ’s death.  Matthew 5 and Luke 6 give us a contrast to the world’s view of success in what are traditionally referred to as the beatitudes.  The word beatitude means “the greatest blessing.”   “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3-10 So as we gather through the holidays, let us not look to our phones, toys, and bank accounts to measure our blessing.  Rather, let us look to the blessings that separate us from the rest of the world, and the ways that God draws us closer to Him. Life application  Jesus, thank you for your provision.  Thank you for the tough times that help me rely on your faithfulness.  Thank you for the true joy, which is only found through the cross. Thank you for family, who shows us the true meaning of patience.  Thank you for your love.   -Tyler Galloway