Take some time today to journal and reflect on the following questions:
In what ways have you seen God at work within you this week? Within your family? Within others you may interact with?
In what ways have you resisted God’s word within you this week?
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
Matthew 9:37-38 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Sometimes, churches will use this passage to encourage people to go out and share the gospel message with others. On the surface, this seems like an excellent passage for this purpose. But for those listening to Jesus teach, what He said had a much deeper meaning.
The CSB Study Bible notes that this passage occurs directly before Matthew 10:5, which is when Jesus sends out the twelve disciples. As such, it’s highly likely that Jesus was referring to Himself as “the Lord of the Harvest” when He said, “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Immediately after teaching this passage, Jesus Himself sent more workers into the fields.
This all ties in with the ongoing theme of the Kingdom of God throughout the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus was building His kingdom and sending workers out to participate in the process. He is continuing to invite you to join Him in His work.
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 9:18-38 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: What is one way God may be inviting you to participate in the building of His kingdom today?
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I know You have given me a purpose but sometimes I wonder what exactly it is You have called me to do. Today’s reading is a reminder that it’s not primarily about what You’ve called me to do, but is instead about who You have called me to be. You have called me to be a builder in Your kingdom. You have affirmed that I have something to contribute. Whether great or small, You have invited me to participate. Today, may You continue to reveal to me the countless invitations You provide for me to do so. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 9:11-12 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”
Chances are pretty high that Matthew wasn’t well-liked in many Jewish circles. Being a tax collector meant Matthew worked directly for the Roman Empire. As such, he was likely an outcast by Jewish standards.
But then Matthew did something even more profane – he held a large dinner gathering and invited many other disreputable sinners. What did Jesus do? Did he come along side Matthew and say, “You know, maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all?” Of course not! Jesus enjoyed the dinner party and took the opportunity to hang out with the sinners there. Why? Because they had rarely received mercy from others and Jesus desired to reflect the mercy of God upon them.
Living like Jesus means that you live with a strong desire to reflect the mercy of God upon others.
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 9:1-17 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: On a scale of 1-10, how strong is your desire to reflect the mercy of God upon others?
QUESTION: What steps can you take to increase this desire within the next week? Month? Year? (Be specific.)
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, every day I see aspects of the brokenness of our world. And I confess that sometimes when I see this lack of emotional and spiritual health in others, I’m quick to judge or criticize them for their uncleanliness instead of being quick to invite them to the table. Continue to help me become like You, quick to invite other disreputable sinners to the table. Quick to call them friends, not outcasts. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 8:20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
What are the things you turn to when you hope to decompress and not have to think for a while? For some, there’s the TV show or series of movies you can binge on some streaming network. For others, scrolling through social media may be what you turn to. Others still may turn to comfort foods.
In Jesus’ day, when some came to him saying they were willing to follow Him anywhere, He responded by indicating that following Him has a high cost. “I don’t even have a bed to lay my head on at night. Are you willing to give up your home in order to follow me?” Or, “I know you have a commitment to bury your close relatives. Are you willing to let go of that commitment to follow me?”
The principle He was teaching was clear to all who were listening: An essential step of discipleship is to identify the things we may not want to let go of, and then release them.
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 8:18-34(also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: What is at least one thing you know you would struggle to let go of in order to follow Jesus more closely?
QUESTION: What would it looks like for you to begin to release this area of your life over to Jesus?
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, if I take one minute to reflect I can probably identify something that would be difficult to let go of in order to follow You more closely. But I know that if I took 30 minutes, or hours, or days to reflect, I would probably identify dozens or hundreds of things that I gravitate to instead of gravitating toward You. May I continue to recognize the cost of what it takes to follow You, and may I continue to be willing to lay down what I need to lay down in order to follow You. In Jesus name. Amen.
Matthew 8:10b “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” — In our modern day in the United States, it’s difficult for us to fully grasp how the people of ancient Israel felt about the Roman Empire. We can only try to imagine what our lives would be like if another nation (China, Russia, etc.) overthrew the United States. Then, we’d have to try to imagine what it would be like seeing military guards on every street corner. Chances are high that the people of the U.S. would see those occupying our country with a great deal of contempt. But the people of Israel didn’t have to imagine such a scenario. They were living it out in real life.
So imagine their shock and awe when a leader of the occupying Empire’s military approaches Jesus and pleads for Him to heal one of his servants. Surely Jesus, the one who came to be King of Israel will set things straight, right?
Jesus responds in such a way that would’ve made the people of Israel gasp. Jesus turned to the crowd of pure-blooded Israelites and said, “This Roman Solider — I haven’t seen a faith like his in all of Israel!” For Jesus, love for others includes those we may see as unloveable.
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 8:1-17(also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: Do you currently have anybody in your life you see as unloveable? What is one way you can offer them real, genuine appreciation, encouragement, and love today?
Take a Step: This week, continue to utilize the One Minute Pause app at least twice daily to begin practicing being with God and resting in His presence. The app is free, and is available on iPhone and Android devices. See pauseapp.com for details.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, It’s easy for me to read, “For Jesus, love for others includes those who may see as unloveable,” but it’s very difficult to love those who live very differently than I do. In this passage, Jesus reflected the love of God to an military soldier who was occupying Jesus’ home nation of Israel. Continue to refine me to love so deeply that this becomes my natural instinct with all people who live with very different beliefs and ideologies. In Jesus name, Amen.
Take some time today to journal and reflect on the following questions:
In what ways have you seen God at work within you this week? Within your family? Within others you may interact with?
In what ways have you resisted God’s word within you this week?
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
Matthew 7:24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”
Far too often we read the Scriptures through the lens of our culture instead of seeing our culture through the lens of Scripture. Matthew 7:24-27 is a passage in which the context and the geography of Israel is very helpful.
In Israel there are dry riverbeds, each referred to as a wadi. A wadi is, in essence, a small canyon which has been shaped by water and still serves as an occasional riverbed. Rains which fall on nearby mountains slowly flow down the mountains into the wadi. The base of the wadi is the riverbed, full of nothing but sand and silt. The top of the wadi is solid rock, safe from pending floodwaters.
This is the image Jesus is referring to about building on rock vs. sand. Those who ignore Jesus’ teachings are like those who build a home at the base of a wadi on the sand. The floodwaters and torrents will come. Their home and all possessions will be destroyed. But those who listen to Jesus’ teachings are like those who build on rock.
QUESTION: Your life is like a wadi. Floodwaters (trials, challenges, and traumas) will come whether you want them to or not. What are some ways God has already picked you up out of the muck and mire and put you on solid ground? Be specific.
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, my life reflects the truth that floodwaters will come whether I want them to or not. Nevertheless, I recognize that there are countless ways in which You have already picked me up out of the muck and mire and have set me upon solid ground. Today, I simply want to rejoice in what You have done for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
The Golden Rule was a principle which had been taught prior to Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount. But the earliest recordings of this principle are in the negative (e.g., “Whatever you do not want others to do to you, do not do to them.”)
As He has done all throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes the teachings and principles many in the crowd were familiar with and tweaks them to make them even more profound. With the golden rule, it isn’t too difficult to live in such a way that you’re not intentionally harming others (the former teaching). But to intentionally live in such a way that you are offering good to people no matter the circumstances (Jesus’ teaching) is much more challenging to apply.
Like the people in Jesus’ day, you may be tempted to live out the Golden Rule as it was known in that day and age. Today, think about intentional ways you may be able to apply this rule with everybody (whether one on one, email, text, etc.)
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 7:12-23 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: What are some specific ways you can apply the Golden Rule with everybody you interact with today (whether one on one, via email, texts, etc.)?
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, today’s reading was a good reminder that I am tempted to live out the Golden Rule as it was taught prior to Jesus rather than living it out the way He taught it on the Sermon on the Mount. Today, may I seek to speak to others (and about others) and treat them with the same level of respect, grace, kindness and love in which I would want them to speak to me. In Jesus name. Amen.
Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
In his book The Good & Beautiful Life, James Bryan Smith notes that we need to be very specific in our prayers. “Why? Most of our prayers are so vague that we would not even know if God had answered them.”
Yet there’s another layer to this as well. Yes, our prayers need to be specific, but they also need to specifically be open-handed to God’s will and us living in His Kingdom.
The interesting thing about prayer is that it ought not be a one-sided conversation. A contemplative prayer life is one in which an individual listens to God, prays, then listens to God some more, and then listens to God even more. We may lose sight of exactly how God has answered our prayers because we’re listening to other voices in the world. Today, take some time to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. Also take time to keep on listening, and keep on listening, and keep on listening some more.
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 7:7-11, MARK 1:35 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: Jesus often went to a solitary place to pray. Where is a solitary place in which you can escape the demands of pressures of life so you can explore daily times of intimate prayer with Jesus?
QUESTION: Can you structure your life in such a way that you’re able to go to this solitary place four to five days a week (or more)? If not, why not?
Take a Step: Remember to continue utilizing the One Minute Pause app throughout the week. If possible, begin to explore and practice the 3, 5 or 10 minute pause to more deeply root yourself in Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, while I believe I’m growing in my prayer life, I recognize that I still pray a lot more about my own life circumstances than I pray about Your will being done. Similarly, I struggle to slow down and really listen to You. Today, may my prayer life reflect more of your desires than my own wants. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 7:2b “The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”
It’s not too difficult to identify a judgmental spirit in others. (We all know the person who is critical of everyone and everything.) However, we do ourselves a serious disservice when we compare ourselves to others. Thoughts such as, “Well, yeah, I guess I occasionally judge others. But at least I’m not nearly as critical as that person over there.”
But this too is a judgmental attitude. As Peter Scazzero writes in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, “…we often turn our differences into moral superiority or virtues.”
In other words, criticizing or judging somebody else for their weight, clothing, the music they like, the car they drive, the amount of money they have, the way they spend their money, the way they worship God, the way they criticize others, or any other number of things, it may be a underlying way for you to believe you are somehow morally superior to them. A wise question to remember is this: If you lived their life and experienced everything they have, would you make a different decision than the one they made?
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 7:1-6(also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: Thinking back over the previous two or three days, who is somebody you criticized, even if only in your mind? Be honest: Is there any possibility that your criticism was a way for you to think of yourself as morally superior (e.g., better than) them?
Take a Step: This week, continue to utilize the One Minute Pause app at least twice daily to begin practicing being with God and resting in His presence. The app is free, and is available on iPhone and Android devices. See pauseapp.com for details.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I may not think of myself as a judgmental person but I probably compare myself with others much more often than I realize. Bring to light any areas in life in which I may judge others, think less of them, or think that I am somehow morally superior compared to them. Refine these areas from my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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