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 4:19 “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”…they left their nets at once and followed him.
Those who fish on a regular basis know that one of the most important principles of fishing has little to do with the type of bait or fishing gear used. These may help, but the most important principle is this: Go where the fish are!
On its surface, this makes a lot of sense. You can have the best of the best fishing gear, but it won’t do any good if the fish aren’t around. Throughout the remainder of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus doesn’t just show Peter and Andrew how to “fish for people,” He takes them to where the people are – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
When you set out to “fish for people,” you too will need to go where the people are. Not just their physical location, but where they are emotionally and spiritually. You’ll need to leave your world and enter theirs. This is a vital principle of what it looks like to love others: Find people and meet them where they are. Not where you think they should be. But where they are.
QUESTION: Think of a time when somebody met you where you were (not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually). There was no judgment. No condemnation. They simply, wanted to be with you. What was that experience like?
QUESTION: What would it look like for you to leave your world and enter somebody else’s, so you can be with them 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, today I confess that I don’t regularly leave my world to enter into the world of others, but instead I want to grab them by the arm and yank them into my world. I recognize that this isn’t love, but is instead arrogance and pride. Continue to help me love others in the same way You have loved me – through sacrifice and service. Amen.
Matthew 4:8 Next the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
At this point, the devil must have been grasping at straws. So he has one last go at tempting Jesus.
Temptation #3: You are what you have.
Once again, Jesus refuted the devil with Scripture from the Old Testament. God had confirmed Jesus was His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17) and Jesus was not going to find His identity in what he did, what others thought of Him, or in what He has.
Every day, we are tempted to believe this lie as well. We believe we’re not enough if we don’t have certain things. These things may be the right house, car, or clothing. It may be the right family, the best education, or the even the right body. We believe the lie, If I just had _______, then everything would be so much better. But our identity does not come in what we have. It comes from God. Again, you are a beloved son or daughter of God. You bring Him great joy! Rest in that.
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 4:1-11 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)
QUESTION: of the three temptations here (You are what you do, you are what others say/think about you, you are what you have) which of these three are you most often tempted to believe? Why do you think that is?
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 I am once again reminded of how often I give-in to the temptations Jesus was able to refute. Far too often I believe the lie that I am what I have, and that if I just have _______, then my life will be so much better. But today I’m recognizing that real peace and contentment doesn’t come from what I have, it comes from who You are. Today, may I experience peace not because of what I have, but because of who You are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 4:5 (NLT) Then the devil took him to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off!”
Once again, Henri Nouwen provides some tremendous insight into Jesus’ temptation.
Temptation #2: You are what others say or think about you.
Imagine for a moment that Jesus gave in to the devil’s temptation here. What would have occurred?
At its core, this temptation was about getting people to recognize Jesus as the Son of God. The devil’s temptation was another way of saying, “What people say about you is what really matters. If people see the angels rescue you, just imagine what the people will say!” Once again, Jesus did not give-in to this temptation.
Unfortunately, far too often, we do give-in to this temptation. We falsely believe the lie that what others say or think about us is what defines us. But again, God identifies us as His children and friends. What others say or think about you does not define who you are.
QUESTION: What are some ways in which you’ve been tempted to believe that your identity (your worth and value) comes from what others say or think about you? 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, once again I confess that far too often I believe the lie that what others say or think about me is what most defines me. I recognize that I regularly treat others with kindness and respect not because of who they are, but because I want them to like me more. I’m beginning to see the foolishness of this belief. Today, help me to love others not so they will like me, but instead as a reflection of Your love, grace, and mercy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 4:3 (NLT) “ …the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Biblical scholars of all backgrounds have studied out the devil’s temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4. Henri Nouwen, a catholic priest who ended his career caring for those who were unable to care for themselves, has one of the more memorable commentaries on this event.
Nouwen noted that the devil’s temptations of Jesus went to the heart of the three greatest temptations we experience in life as well.
Temptation #1: You are what you do.
The devil prodded Jesus to “tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” It was another way of saying, “What you do is important. It’s what proves to others who you really are.”
Jesus, of course, didn’t fall for this temptation. Unfortunately, we sometimes do give-in to this temptation. We falsely believe the lie that what we do is what defines us. But God already identifies us as His children. That’s an identity we can rest in.
QUESTION: What are some ways in which you’ve been tempted to believe that your identity (your worth and value) comes from what you do? Be specific.
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 confess that far too often I believe the lie that I am what I do. I believe that if I am just good enough of a spouse, parent, child, sibling, worker, or friend, then this will earn me favor with you and others. I’m beginning to recognize that believing this lie leads me down a path of self-centeredness and pride, which is a path away from what You desire for me. Help me to see all the areas in my life in which I may be believing this lie, and help me to instead trust in You and the work Jesus already accomplished. 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 3:17 (NLT) “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
The baptism of Jesus is remarkable for many reasons. But when we read that a voice from heaven called out, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy,” it would greatly benefit us to pause and deeply reflect on what God is saying.
Why? Well, God is speaking favorably of His Son, Jesus. Very favorably. But elsewhere in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes that we are all adopted sons and daughters of God.
So imagine for a moment that what God spoke about Jesus, He is also speaking about you. “This is my dearly loved daughter, who brings me great joy.” “This is my dearly loved son, who brings me great joy.”
If you’re thinking this is stretching the Scriptures too far, allow me to disagree. All who have professed faith and trust in Jesus are now dearly loved sons and daughters of God. Your very existence brings delight and joy and laughter and wonder to your Creator. Rest in this truth today.
QUESTION: What emotions do you feel when you pause to reflect on the truth that you are a dearly loved son or daughter of God, and that you bring Him great joy? Be specific, and write down as many as you can.
QUESTION: Think back to yesterday’s reading – do you find yourself easily able to see the face of God in others? To recognize that they are a son or daughter of God, someone who brings Him great joy?
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, thank You, thank You, thank You, for inviting me to be part of the new family of Jesus. Words cannot express my gratitude. May I rejoice in the presence of my God throughout this day! Amen.
Matthew 3:8 (NLT) Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
In his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, Ron Sider notes that “…church members divorce their spouses as often as their secular neighbors, beat their wives as often as their neighbors, and white evangelicals are the most likely people to object to neighbors of another race.” Statistics like these are difficult to read, but they cannot be denied.
Unfortunately, too many Christians read these kinds of statistics and preach moralism as a way to counteract it. There’s this thought of, “If we just live moral lives, we can change these stats.”
But the reality is that we live in a broken and fragile world. We cannot, in our own power, just go out and live better, stronger, moral lives. Similarly, identifying the ways in which others are living immoral lives won’t help them to live morally.
The solution isn’t simple, but maintaining a daily focus on the work God is doing within you is the best place to start.
QUESTION: Do you find yourself spending more time focusing on how others are living their lives, or on how well you’re living yours?
QUESTION: What is one godly principle you struggle to live out well? What steps can you take to grow in this area?
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 confess that it’s often easy for me to recognize behaviors and attitudes within others that bother me, but I struggle to take steps to improve my own ungodly behaviors and attitudes. Today, help me to not look down on others, nor look negatively upon myself. Instead, help me to better know You and live in Your presence. Lead me to live a life of real transformation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 3:4-6 (NLT) John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
When reading the Gospels, it’s easy to look down on the Pharisees. But as we’re reading it’s important to remember that the Pharisees, in general, were not looked down upon by many in their culture. They were well educated and had memorized the first five books of the Old Testament word for word. They knew the Old Testament Jewish laws really, really well. They most likely dressed well, and performed marriage and funeral ceremonies often.
John the Baptist, however, was very different. He didn’t have fine clothing or quality foods. Nor was he as well educated as the Pharisees. He was an unlikely messenger, yet was somebody people traveled for miles and miles on foot to see and hear the message he proclaimed.
READING & PRAYERS:
MATTHEW 3:1-6 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice)
QUESTION: Is there an unlikely messenger in your life? Somebody who God may be working and speaking through yet you hesitate to listen?
QUESTION: Have you considered the possibility that God may be inviting you to be an unlikely messenger in the life of somebody else?
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, the life of John the Baptist is very interesting. He was not at all concerned with power or authority, but was instead concerned with understanding and teaching Your word. He did not study the Old Testament law to teach it, but to live it out. Today, may I live as he did – living out Your principles in Your power. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Matthew 3:2-3 (NLT) In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
The topic of repentance is one that is said out loud in Christian churches often. Not only was it a topic John the Baptist wanted to be sure to communicate, but it was also the very first line of the very first sermon Jesus taught (see Matthew 4:17). But, what does the word repent really mean?
The Greek word translated as repent is metanoia. It most specifically refers to the changing of one’s mind. James Bryan Smith notes in his book The Good and Beautiful God, “Jesus understood that transformation begins in the mind.” Another understanding of what it means to repent is to do an about face, having a complete change of thought and attitude.
As you read today, consider this: What is one belief you currently have in which you may need to repent, having a complete change of thought and attitude? (Some possibilities include, finances, race, nationality, loving others, etc.)
QUESTION: What is one belief (or mindset) you currently have in which you may need to repent, having a complete change of thought and attitude? (Some possibilities include, finances, race, nationality, loving others, etc.)
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, as I begin a new week I humbly pray that I would recognize Your presence within me and throughout my surroundings this week. May I take nothing for granted and give You the glory, honor, and praise You are due. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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