south ridge blog

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Matthew 18:15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense.”

As noted in yesterday’s reading, Matthew 18:15-20 provides a lot of wisdom in how to respond when another follower of Jesus sins against you. But there are still some challenges to apply the context of this passage well. For example, what if somebody says something to you which you believe to be disrespectful? Did they sin against you or were they just having a bad day? When exactly does a bad attitude cross the line from general crankiness to sin. 

It’s a good question. And unfortunately, the Scriptures aren’t always crystal clear as to when this line gets crossed. 

There are two principles to consider. First, this passage is intended for Christians. As such, if the other party isn’t a Christian, there may be a different process to follow. And second, if somebody treats you or talks to you in a manner that you find disrespectful and you allow it to go on, you’re educating them that’s it’s OK to speak to you disrespectfully. So even if you’re not 100% certain they’ve sinned against you, love yourself by teaching others how to speak well to you.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 18:15-20 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: What is your responsibility when it comes to teaching others how to speak to you in a way that is kind and respectful? How well are you currently following through on your responsibility? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Are you doing too much?Practice slowing down and living life at the pace of your soul by utilizing the One Minute Pause app at least twice daily. The app is free, and is available on iPhone and Android devices.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, today’s reading challenges me because I rarely think about what my responsibility is when it comes to ensuring others speak to me in a way that is kind and respectful. Today, I pray that I speak kindly and respectfully to others (and about others), and I pray for wisdom and discernment regarding what steps I can take to ensure others speak to me and about me with the same level of kindness and respect. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 18:15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense.”

Matthew 18:15-20 is a great passage to refer to when considering how to appropriately respond when another follower of Jesus sins against you. Unfortunately, there are at least two ways in which Christians fail to follow through on the correct application of this passage. 

First, some may read this passage and think that they need to confront another Christian who has a different perspective on a certain topic. I can’t believe he voted for _________ I need to tell him how wrong it was to do that! But just because somebody thinks differently about a certain topic doesn’t mean they’ve sinned against you. 

Second, some may read this passage and think that confronting another Christian who has sinned against them is too hard. So instead of brining the offense forward, they will gossip about them, plan retribution, give them the silent treatment, or do any other number of things short of actually having a conversation. To live like Jesus is to have hard conversations, but to do so in a healthy way.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 18:15-20 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Can you think of a time when you experienced this passage being lived out in a healthy way? One in which those involved practiced and experienced healthy conflict in a way that ultimately glorified God? What was that like? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Are you doing too much?Practice slowing down and living life at the pace of your soul by utilizing the One Minute Pause app at least twice daily. The app is free, and is available on iPhone and Android devices.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess there are times when I shy away from hard conversations. Instead of confronting somebody in a healthy way, I’m prone to avoid them. Thank You for the reminder that sweeping something under the rug isn’t being a peacemaker. Instead, a peace maker is about doing what’s necessary to experience real peace in a relationship. Continue to help me live a life that experiences real peace with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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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 work 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.

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John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us.

In the Old Testament, the very presence of God was within a Tabernacle. This was an enclosed, tent-like structure specifically made for the presence of God to dwell. 

In the New Testament, we see this occur in a very different way. The presence of God was not seen within a building, but within a person. The Gospel of John reveals that the Word [Jesus] became human and made his home among us. A much more literal translation from ancient Greek reads, “So the Word became flesh and he Tabernacled among us.” Though He was in human form, Jesus was the embodiment of God’s presence and He was on display for all to see.  

Today, far too many Christians live their day to lives failing to recognize that God not only lives among us, He lives within us! Romans 8:9 reads, But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. All who have professed faith in Christ have the Spirit of God within us. This is a profound life-changer!

READING & PRAYERS:

     JOHN 1:1-18, ROMANS 8:9 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: When is the last time you paused to dwell on the truth that God currently lives within you? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Continue to live your life at the pace of your soul. Slow down in order to catch up to the pace in which God created you to live. 

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: Today, write out your own prayer to God thanking Him for making Himself present among You and within You.

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1 Kings 18:39 “The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!”

Yesterday we read that Moses had a significant mountaintop experience in which the presence of God was made known. Later in the Old Testament, God reveals Himself in another mountain experience to another prophet named Elijah.

In this encounter, hundreds of other “Prophets” were encouraging the people to worship a different God – Baal. Elijah puts them to the test, telling them to pray for Baal to send fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice. As expected, nothing happens. But then Elijah has water poured all over the sacrifice and then asks God to send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. The fire burnt the sacrifice and the water which was poured over it. The people had nothing to say other than, “The LORD – he is God!”

While you may not ever have an encounter that mirrors Moses’s or Elijah’s, you have (and will) encounter profound experiences of the presence of God. Do not fear these moments, but embrace them. Open yourself to God as He works to transform you into the person He created you to be.

READING & PRAYERS:

     1 KINGS 18:21-39 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Can you think of a mountaintop experience in which you’ve experienced God do something amazing or miraculous? What was that like? How did you share about this experience with others? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Continue to live your life at the pace of your soul. Slow down in order to catch up to the pace in which God created you to live. 

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 there are times when I read about Moses, Elijah, or others who have a “mountaintop” experience with You, but I sometimes wonder why I’m not having a similar experience in my life. This week, I’m being reminded that I have had, can now, and will have more of these moments in the years to come. Help me to recognize them and embrace them. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Exodus 34:29 …Moses wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the LORD.

All throughout the Scriptures, we read about significant events occurring on top of mountains. One such event occurred in the Old Testament when Moses went to the top of Mount Sinai. While there, God Himself wrote out the Old Testament law into two stone tablets. When Moses came down from the mountain carrying these tablets, he was unaware that his face was radiant because He had spoken directly to the LORD. 

Once again, a principle we can glean from this passage is that being with God has an impact. The primary goal of the Christian life is one of ongoing, continual union with God. After experiencing this for an extended period of 40 days, Moses very appearance had changed. 

Throughout your lifetime, you will experience sacred moments with God in a number of ways. Some may be in a church or Group setting. But many, perhaps the majority, will come from you taking opportunities to be with God and enter into His presence. The more time you spend being with Him, the more others will see Him within you. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     EXODUS 34:29-35, EXODUS 40:34-38 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: While your appearance may not become radiant, the more time you spend being with God, the more others will see Him within you. What is one thing you can remove from your life today so you can have more time to be with God? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Continue to live your life at the pace of your soul. Slow down in order to catch up to the pace in which God created you to live. 

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 recognize there are dozens, if not hundreds of small decisions I make every day, many of which take time away from my ability to spend time with You. Once again, I pray that You will continue to help me slow down and embrace the moments I have with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Matthew 17:1 …Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone.

In the modern world, when a known leader is preparing to make a major pronouncement, he will take steps to ensure it will go out to as many people as possible. There will be cameras, microphones, television, media, social media, and more. Without a doubt, the message will go out to the masses.

But Jesus did things very differently than many “leaders” today. When the time came for a major pronouncement, Jesus didn’t have the religious leaders, the large crowds of ordinary citizens, or even the twelve disciples all circled together to hear and witness it. Instead, when the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9 occurred, Jesus chose only three people; Peter, James, and John to witness this sacred event. 

One principle we see repeated throughout Jesus’ ministry is that He spent a lot of time being with God so He would have clarity on what to do for God. Sometimes this meant speaking to a large crowd, and sometimes it meant revealing His true nature to just a few. But being with God was precious to Him.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 17:1-9 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: On a scale of 1-10, how important is it for you to spend time in the presence of God each day? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Continue to live your life at the pace of your soul. Slow down in order to catch up to the pace in which God created you to live. 

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 am more concerned about how much I am able to do for You instead of simply engaging in opportunities to be with You. Continue to help me to slow down and embrace the moments I have with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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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 work 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.

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Matthew 15:18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.

Think of a time when you heard somebody say something hurtful, only to quickly recognize it and say, “Where did that come from? Oh my, I didn’t mean that.” 

The unfortunate reality is that somewhere in their heart, they did mean it, or they wouldn’t have said it. The even more unfortunate reality is that we’ve all done it. We all have more ungodly darkness within our hearts than we may realize. And it isn’t until we ourselves say something hurtful that we’re left wondering, Where did that come from? 

Reading through this passage (Matthew 15:1-20), we get a sense of where the Pharisees are coming from. In our culture, there are often expectations to wash hands before and after a meal, after using the restroom, and more. In Jesus’ culture, washing hands before a meal had also become a common practice. But the Pharisees had made this custom a law. Jesus wasn’t against the washing of hands (He washed His disciples’ feet!), but He was primarily focused on the heart of a person.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 15:1-16:12 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: How often do you find yourself upset when you hear others make fooling comments, yet defending, justifying, or making excuses for yourself when you make foolish comments? What does the latter indicate about the condition of your heart? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Consider giving up watching national news, social media, and other distractions for at least one full week in order to slow down and spend time with 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, I confess there are times when I make excuses or justify my own foolish or hurtful comments. Change my heart, and break my heart for what breaks Yours. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 14:17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!”

When is the last time you read through the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with fresh eyes? Try it, read through it today slowly, like it’s the first time you’ve ever read it. 

On the one hand, you may sit in awe as you read that 5,000 men as well as their wives and children were able to fill their bellies from just a few loaves of bread and a few fish. (Not to mention the baskets of leftovers after the meal!) 

On the other hand, put yourself in the place of Jesus’ disciples in this passage. They’re imploring Jesus to let the crowds go so the people can go purchase food to eat. Jesus looks at them and says, “That isn’t necessary — you feed them.” 

Their response is something you may regularly experience in your own life. Me? But Jesus, I have so little to offer? And certainly not enough to help all these people!

But Jesus accepts the little we have and then uses it in profound ways. He ensures that a little can still go a long way. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 14:1-36 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: How regularly do you struggle with the thought that you have little to contribute? How may God be inviting you to offer what you do have so He can multiply it for His purposes? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Consider giving up watching national news, social media, and other distractions for at least one full week in order to slow down and spend time with 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, I confess there are times when I judge others, or am jealous or envious of them because they are able to contribute more than me. Thank You for the reminder that whatever I have to contribute, and however little it may be, You will use it for Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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