Matthew 7 - 8.1.24

Matthew 7:24-27

S -  24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

O – Here we read about the parable of two builders. Jesus teaches the importance of building our house on solid ground.  We’re all building our lives on something. When everything is going well and life is great, a weak or shaky foundation won’t reveal itself. But how often is everything going great?! In MY world, and probably yours too..... stress, anxiety, problems, and struggles come at us almost daily, if not hourly. I’ve been working with the hourly the past couple months. Those are the times when the winds are really blowing and the rain is beating down on our houses. Those are also the times when we will become aware of just how firm our foundation is – or isn’t.

A - The “house” we are building is a metaphor for our whole lives. It represents our faith, our jobs, our relationships, our health, etc.  The entire house must rest on a solid foundation, not just a few parts.  It’s very easy for us to compartmentalize our lives without even being aware of it.  Instead of an organic whole, our lives look more like colorful pie charts with hard lines dividing the sections.

We go to church on Sundays, and we may even participate in a weekly Bible study or small group.  A daily quiet time of study and prayer is part of our routine.  We feel like that “slice of our pie” is strong.  We’ve checked the boxes, we are “doing fine” there.  And then we consciously or unconsciously leave Jesus in His pie slice. We move on to our vocational slice, our parenting slice, or our recreational slice, and leave our faith completely out.  It’s as though we don’t think Jesus has anything to do with those areas. But He has everything to do with them!

Some troubles are small, persistent and annoying. Some are more troublesome. And some storms are swift, unexpected, and overwhelming. How we pass through the storms is the difference between a life that stands on God’s foundation and one that collapses in on itself. There is no comparison between a life founded on the Word of God and a life floundering without it. (thewildolive.org)

Luke 6:48-49 (The Message) 48-49 “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”

One of my favorite songs and one I needed to hear today: https://youtu.be/noAVrvmZrUA?si=0X56rv4pfwsDvYpB

P – Jesus, as I have in recent months felt like a floundering idiot, I know that you are still with me and will keep me from sinking. Help me to continue to grow in my faith, to stay connected to You and Your Word, so that I do better than survive the daily frustrations and pains, and that I THRIVE under Your continued guidance. Help each of us to always reach for You, our anchor, our life vest, and our protector, in ALL storms of life. Thank you for reminding me that I am safe, that You are faithful, and You won’t fail me, and I AM going to make it through. May we have the foundation built that keeps us standing strong through anything so that we have the strength to lift up our brothers and sisters in need, as well as the ones who have yet to begin a relationship with you. As iron sharpens iron, help us to help others to begin to build their own foundation upon You.

- Crystal Flory

Matthew 6 - 7.31.24

Scripture

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Observation

This chapter is full of so much wisdom and instruction: the Lord’s Prayer, warnings about serving God with the right intentions, warnings about the love of money, and admonitions that worrying shows a lack of faith. But as I read the chapter over a number of times, I realized that the focus was ultimately on one thing – putting God first.

Application

Matthew 22:37-38

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the FIRST and greatest commandment.

Matthew 6:9-10

9  “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10  your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.”

The FIRST thing we should pray is for His will to be done – in all things. We learned on Sunday that the tithe is the FIRST of our income. If we are putting God FIRST, we won’t be tempted to perform in our serving, our giving, our fasting, our prayers because it is for Him rather than for us.

Jesus says if we put our focus and priority on Him, He will meet our needs.

We are to make God’s sovereign rule, and a right relationship with Him, the highest priority in life. Worry is inconsistent with this priority; it doubts the sovereignty or goodness of God and distracts from the true goals of life. God will meet all the needs of those who risk all for Him. ESV Reformation Study Bible

Prayer

Lord, thank you for this reminder today that my ONE job is to put my focus on You. You promise to guide me and direct me and make my paths straight when I follow You. You promise to love me and provide for me. Help me to remember to stand upon Your promises and focus my eyes on You in good times and in bad.

- Debbie Dunn

Matthew 5 - 7.30.24

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 5:14 – 16

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

OBSERVATION:

Jesus is speaking to his disciples in chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount. He begins with the qualities and experiences that bless the people who live their life in Christ. This section is famously called the Beatitudes. As a believer, the Beatitudes is a Godly roadmap of how He wants to bless us as we walk, talk, think, act and experience our day-to-day life. The Beatitudes show how believers receive blessings. The next section, verses 14 -16, show how believers impact the world.

Jesus begins in verse 14 with a statement: You are the light of the world. As a believer in this dark and dreary world, God’s light in us shines to others. This is especially true if we use the Beatitudes as our example of how God wants us to live – and how He will bless us, and ultimately how we can show God’s light to others. Jesus then makes a statement: “A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” If God’s light within us shines, when we do His deeds, it’s impossible for others to not see it.

Verse 15 is a challenge to those who might have ever hidden their faith or the light in their life. He uses the logical way we use light in a room. Someone would never light a lamp and then cover it with a bowl. That seems so silly to even imagine! He then said “Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Jesus used this contrast to explain the importance of not holding back our light to the world. It’s also an encouragement that our light will shine around to everyone we encounter – as long as we don’t intentionally hide it.

Jesus concludes, in verse 16, the whole reason for sharing our light and not hiding it: so our good deeds (see the Beatitudes) will cause others to give glory to God. Each time we help someone in need, lead someone to Christ, pray with someone, lend a hand, support those suffering, and all other good deeds, we are shining His light to a dark, lost, and hurting world.

APPLICATION

In hearing Jesus’ words that “you are the light of the world”, I am encouraged and empowered to be the light He wants me to be. When I read the part about hiding His light, I’m also convicted. Throughout my Christian life, it’s been easy to share how Jesus transformed my life, saved me, and is the light in my life, yet I’ve struggled with the individual process of leading people to Christ. It’s not that I’ve never led someone to Christ – just that it’s not been as often as there have been opportunities. I hid my light out of fear, embarrassment – you name it. I know that God highlighted this scripture to me as an encouragement and motivation to shine my light, in all circumstances, so God gets all the glory.

PRAYER

Lord, I’m so thankful for your saving grace. You have transformed my life from the pit of hell and darkness to being in the light. I want your light in my life to shine bright for all to see – and to give you all the glory. It is because of you that my life has been transformed. Help me, Lord, to be bold in sharing your saving grace with others, and to never hide your light to those around me. In Jesus mighty name I pray. Amen and Amen.

- Mary Oberg