south ridge blog

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Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

Some may read this passage and immediately think of somebody who really qualifies as an enemy. But others may read this passage and struggle a bit. They may wonder, I disagree with this person, but I’m not sure I would consider them an enemy.

In his book Everybody Always, Bob Goff writes, “I think Jesus meant something different when He said ‘enemies.’ He meant we should love the people we don’t understand. The ones we disagree with. The ones who are flat wrong about more than a couple of things.”

This mixes up the passage a bit, doesn’t it? It indicates that Jesus is saying, “Love — I mean really love those who think differently than you. Those who look, live, behave, and vote differently. Those who have a different perspective on something you care deeply about. Don’t talk negatively about them when they’re not around. Love them and pray for them.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 5:38-48, LUKE 6:37-42

QUESTION: Who is somebody you don’t understand, disagree with, or is flat wrong about more than a couple of things? What can you do to love them and pray for them today? 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, I confess that today’s reading is difficult because I can think of many people who I disagree with or who are flat wrong about more than a couple of things. Continue to help me be more like Jesus. He lived with and loved those who were very, very different from Himself. Not only that, he invited them to the dinner table, a sign of true friendship. Help me become somebody who loves those different from myself, and lead me in Your ways so that I seek to experience true friendship with them as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 5:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

In the Old Testament, there were times when the people of God thought things like, “We’re the best! God is on our side!”It was essentially their way of saying, “God chose us, so we must be better than those other people over there.” 

Hundreds and hundreds of years in the future, this idea still existed in the minds of some of God’s people. Some believed that because God had given them the Old Testament law, they must be better than others. Similarly, they believed that if they could live out those laws well enough, God would love them and bless them even more.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus countered this belief within God’s people. Jesus came to demonstrate that the purpose of God’s laws was to get His people to trust and follow Him. The law wasn’t to provide rules and regulations to earn God’s love. It was provided to draw people closer to Him, to experience His love, and then reflect it upon others.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 5:17-37

QUESTION: Are there any current ways in which you’re trying to earn God’s love? Take some time to reflect: What is going on deep beneath the surface in your life that leads you to think you need to earn God’s love? 

QUESTION: Is there a step you can take today to rest and reflect on the truth that You are already deeply loved by God? When will you take the opportunity to do this? 

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 I shouldn’t fall into the trap of believing I need to earn Your love, but far too often I still live and behave as if I’m not enough. But the Gospel shows that I am worthy of the death of Christ. Jesus died for the whole world – and that also includes me! Help me to rest in this truth today. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.”

Have you ever eaten a perfectly seasoned steak? One in which the beef has just the right amount of seasoning, just the right amount of oil, cooks at just the right temperature and for just the right amount of time? Those who have experienced this know what it’s like. You don’t ask for steak sauce, because it isn’t needed. You don’t sprinkle on more salt, because it isn’t needed. Instead, you just cut the steak into small savory bites and enjoy the meal. 

Those in Jesus’ day may not have thought of steak in the same way we do, but the illustration for His followers to “…be the salt of the earth,” would’ve been easily understood. It’s His gracious invitation for us to bring life and wonder and creativity and laughter and peace and love into the lives of the people around us. The invitation for us to bring light into a world full of darkness. Not so that others get to see us, but so others have an opportunity to see and praise Him.  

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 5:13-16

QUESTION: What is one way God may be inviting you to bring life and wonder and creativity and laughter and peace and love into the life of somebody else 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’s reading was a great reminder that You have invited me to bring life and wonder and creativity and laughter and peace and love into the lives of the people around me. Wow, what a privilege it is to be invited to participate with You in bringing life into a broken and fragile world. May I accept Your invitation and be an encouragement to others today. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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Matthew 5:1-2 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) is perhaps the most studied sermon in world history. While the entirety of this teaching can be read in about 20-30 minutes, it’s highly likely that Jesus taught this sermon in small chunks over a period of several days. This would give the people listening time to ponder, pray, discuss, and digest the significance of the principles He was teaching. 

According to the NLT Life Application Study Bible commentary note on this passage, “Jesus taught people what God’s Kingdom is meant to be. Position, authority, and money are not important in his Kingdom—what matters is faithful obedience to God from the heart, which leads to genuine love for God and others and transforms lives, communities, and nations.” We may regularly look to power, position, money, and prestige. But these don’t really matter in the Kingdom of God. What matters is genuine love for God and others.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 5:1-12 (read this passage slowly, and if possible, read the commentary notes in your Study Bible of choice)

QUESTION: The beatitudes are not a list in which we get to pick one and leave the rest behind. As a whole, they reveal what it looks like to live in the Kingdom of God. In your own words, take some time to write down a summary of the main principles taught in the beatitudes (5:3-12). Practically speaking, how can you live out these principles 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, I confess there are many moments in which I’m more concerned about whether others are living out the beatitudes and godly principles instead of remaining focused on my own growth areas. Today, be with me as I lean into the principles You taught. Continue to mold me into the person You’ve made me to be. 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 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.

READING & PRAYERS:

 MATTHEW 4:12-25

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. 

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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. 

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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.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 4:1-11

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. 

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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.

READING & PRAYERS:

     MATTHEW 4:1-11

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.

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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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