south ridge blog

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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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Luke 4:28 …the people in the synagogue were furious.

Luke 4:16-30 provides additional details to the account of Jesus being rejected by the people of Nazareth. This account more fully reveals that the people rejected Jesus because He did not live up to their beliefs as to who the Messiah would be and what the Messiah would do. 

Some in Jesus’ day believed the coming Messiah would be this great warrior-king who would annihilate the Roman Empire and make the people of God into a great nation. 

Some of them believed that the nation of Israel was the greatest nation in the world, and that when the Messiah came He would bring them back to their rightful status. 

Some believed that the Messiah would come primarily for the people of Israel and not for the other, much more sinful nations and people. 

But their understanding of the coming Messiah and what He would do was a cultural understanding. Not all of their beliefs were wrong, but they were incomplete. They didn’t reveal the full picture. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     LUKE 4:16-30, ACTS 17:11 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Where do your beliefs about Jesus come from? Is it primarily from the Scriptures, or from your culture? 

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, today’s reading is leading me to acknowledge that a lot of my beliefs about You come from my family and culture. As Acts 17:11 says, may I search the Scriptures and rely on them to see if what others say about You is true. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 13:57b-58 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. 

Those who have a close relationship with Jesus may struggle when reading the end of Matthew 13. After Jesus has been in the surrounding towns and communities teaching about the Kingdom of God and performing a number of miracles, He then returns to His hometown of Nazareth. But the people there not only resisted Jesus and His teaching, they outright rejected Him. 

Some may read this passage and feel some strong emotions toward the people of Nazareth. What were you thinking? You had an opportunity for a face to face encounter with Jesus and you blew it! But this may not be the best way to read this passage. Instead, we ought to spend time reflecting on it. The people of Nazareth resisted, and even rejected Jesus. In what ways may you be resisting (or rejecting) the work of God in your own life?

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 13:53-58 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: In what ways may you be resisting (or rejecting) the work of God in your own life?

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: 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 admit that it’s difficult for me to read this passage and to see myself in the people of Nazareth. But I know there are areas of my life in which I am resisting or even rejecting the work You desire to do within me. Today I simply pray that I will be remain open to You molding and shaping me according to Your will. 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 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.

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Matthew 13:52 “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

Think of a time when you heard a relative, friend, or colleague say something and you thought you were 100% sure what they meant by their comment. But then you later discovered that you wrong. What was it like to be angry with them, only to discover you really had no reason to be angry? 

Throughout our lives, we make up stories about other people in our minds far too often. We may hear a comment and assume the person who said it meant one thing when in actuality they meant something completely different. 

Jesus teaches this principle in Matthew 13:52. It’s His way of telling the religious leaders in His day that they have a pretty good understanding of the Old Testament, but their understanding is incomplete. However, if they were to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and review the Old Testament from a new perspective – the perspective of Jesus as the Messiah – they would discover even more value in the text. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 13:52 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: On a scale of 1-10, how regularly would you say you make up a story in your mind about somebody else (e.g., you heard a comment and made an assumption about what they meant by it)? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Consider what new perspective God may be inviting you to have regarding Him, His Word, and/or your relationships with others. 

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 don’t want to live like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day – those who had a good, yet incomplete understanding of the big picture. Help me to see You, Your word, and the importance of healthy relationships with others in the same way You see them. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 13:49b “The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous…”

Some of the most difficult decisions you will make throughout your life revolve around the topic of boundaries. It’s important to have healthy boundaries in place, especially in your relationships with others. You want to ensure you feel safe around others. As such, it’s important to recognize what (or who) may be unsafe, toxic, or even evil. 

But the reason these decisions are so difficult is that it’s easy to draw the boundary line too soon. That person seems unsafe, so I won’t go near them. That person seems toxic, so I’ll limit my time with them. When you draw these boundary lines too soon, you miss out on a tremendous opportunity to get to know others who look, think, live, believe, and may sometimes behave very differently than you. But different may not always be wrong or unrighteous, it may just be…different. 

The parable of the fishing net helps us to see that we are woefully unqualified to determine who may be righteous and who may be unrighteous. This is God’s role, and not ours. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 13:47-51 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Consider the previous 48 hours. On how many occasions did you determine that somebody else was unrighteous? What is the danger in living with these kinds of thoughts? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: As you continue to slow down to be with Jesus a few times daily, pay attention to how this practice decreases your judgmental thoughts towards others.

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 don’t like to see myself as a judgmental person but I recognize I probably see others as either righteous or unrighteous far too often. Today, I’m grateful for the reminder that I am woefully unqualified to determine who is righteous and who is not. May I rest in the truth that this decision is outside of my control. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 13:45-46 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”

In the previous parable (Matthew 13:44), a man just happened to stumble upon a treasure hidden in a field. In this parable, a man was searching diligently for something of great value. It’s possible Jesus was teaching something here — whether we are looking for it or not, the Kingdom of God can be discovered.

But the main point of both parables is that nothing is more precious or valuable than the Kingdom of God. In a culture that defines success by one’s Job Title, Income, Neighborhood, or even the clothes she wears, these parables emphasize that our cultural understanding of success is a monstrous lie. Simply living in the Kingdom of God is superior than any Job Title, level of Income, or the Neighborhood in which we may live. To live like Jesus is to see everything we own and possess as worthless when compared to the Kingdom He has for us. 

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 13:44-46 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: How do you define success? Do you see that living in the Kingdom of God is better than any amount of other success you may experience in life? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Spend some time in prayer listening to God. Invite Him to speak His understanding of success to your heart.  

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 there are times when I want to be seen as “successful” but I recognize that my understanding of success may be very different from Yours. Continue to help me see that success is living the life You have called me to live, in Your ways, and according to Your timetable. This is the true measure of success. Amen. 

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Matthew 13:44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.”

Western Culture today regularly communicates subtle messages and ideas through everything – television, music, podcasts, books, and more. Over time, these ideas become commonplace. One message which is common among people today is, “Never give up! Never surrender!” 

The idea of surrenderingis completely counter-cultural. We think we’re too strong, too powerful, even too smart to need to surrender. When struggles come our way, our pride kicks into overdrive. We may think, I can figure this out. I don’t need to ask for help. When we’re backed into a corner and have an opportunity to wave the white flag of surrender, we may think, I’m still not going to surrender! I’ll just fight harder! 

But living in the Kingdom of God requires we surrender everything. In this parable, the man was actually excited to surrender everything he owned, knowing that what he would receive would be of even greater value.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 13:44-46 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Do you currently see the Kingdom of God as something of such immense value you are excited to surrender everything you have in order to live in the Kingdom? What may be one thing you struggle to fully surrender to God?

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: Continue to practice a slowed-down spirituality. 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, my prayer for the week is that I would recognize that You have called me to surrender everything in order to live in the Kingdom of God, but you haven’t called me to give up what You created to be good (friendship, joy, nature, and much more.) Help me to identify things I’m holding onto that are not life-giving and surrender them to 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 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.

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Matthew 13:33 ““The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

This short parable is yet another powerful illustration of the impact the Kingdom of God has on the world. “Three measures of flour” would be approximately 50 pounds of flour. As such, the little bit of yeast used would ensure that enough bread is being made for 100-150 people. 

The meaning of the parable would’ve been easily understood by the crowd. The Kingdom of God may appear small or barely visible, but it’s having a major impact on the world. In the same way a mustard seed is small but grows into a large garden plant to provide shade and protection, a small amount of yeast permeates a large batch of dough. 

God is always at work in the world around us. There may be times when we question why certain things happen (e.g., why is there evil in the world, why did this happen to me, why…?) but the power of God is ever-present and is having an impact! 

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 13:31-33 (also read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice.)

QUESTION: Within the previous 48 hours, what are some small simple ways you’ve seen God work in your life and/or the lives of others? 

REAL LIFE PRACTICE: As you continue to slow down to be with Jesus a few times daily, pay attention to how this practice decreases your judgmental thoughts towards others.

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 is a great reminder that You are always present and are always having an impact in the world and within Your people. Today, help me to slow down and to give up my desire for control so that I can continue to see the countless ways in which You are already at work around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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