Day 18 – Matthew 16:13-20
Okay, now that you’ve read these verses …who do you say Jesus is? Do you have an answer? Do
you think he was just a good teacher? What about a nut-case who claimed to be God? Maybe just
another prophet who made a lot of noise and put himself in high-profile positions? A lot of opinions
are out there, but there is only one right answer to this test. Have you, like Peter, said “Jesus, you
are the son of God, the Messiah who is to save us and secure a place for us with God throughout
eternity!” If so…A+, ticket to heaven, salvation, hope for the future, and eternity with God.
If still need more proof, I want to encourage you to keep reading, develop your questions, watch the
lives of genuine Christians, and ask God to make himself clear to you. I can guarantee you he won’t
appear inside your bedroom in the middle of the night and say, “Psst, over here…hey pal it’s all
true.” God doesn’t work like that. That’s one of the reasons Jesus didn’t give the Pharisees a sign.
Jesus knew that miracles help those of faith feel more confidant, but they don’t lead skeptics to
desire salvation. Keep searching and you’ll find the answer.
Notice, Jesus specified his question to Peter only, “who do YOU say I am?” After he heard what
others thought, Jesus wanted a personalized confession. When it comes to your personalized
confession of faith, realize Jesus isn’t taking a poll and he isn’t looking for the majority opinion or
what others think. He wants your personal response. Your answer to that question is the basis for
salvation (see Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-3).
Today, take some time to write out your decision to follow Christ. Don’t worry about what others say
about Jesus. What do you say?
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Day 19 – Matthew 16:21-28
I’m amazed at how quickly Jesus’ words turn on Peter. A little earlier Jesus calls Peter “a rock”
because of his professed faith believing Jesus was the Messiah. Now, Jesus says to Peter, “get
behind me Satan.” Wow! Imagine how Peter must have felt after hearing those words from his Lord.
That must have been a painful moment for Peter going from a “rock” to a “stumbling block.”
Why did Jesus use those words? They seem kind of rough don’t they? Well, Jesus was laying out
God’s plan for the world and salvation. He had hinted about it before but now he was making it
public and clear. Death and resurrection. Pain and suffering. Ridicule and humiliation. These actions
were part of the plan for Jesus to endure and Peter was just thinking like a human—probably like
you and I would have thought. He didn’t realize that the plan of salvation included Jesus’ pain. Peter
didn’t like suffering (like who does?) and he sure didn’t want his best friend to go through it. To me,
Peter’s reaction seemed like an appropriate response to show his love, support, and protection for
Jesus. But for Jesus, Peter’s response was similar to the Devil. In chapter four the devil told Jesus
he could have greatness without suffering and Jesus knew this wasn’t his Father’s plan.
Jesus continued to make it clear that God’s way was very different from the world’s way. To follow
him means commitment—“pick up your cross and follow.” Basically, the was saying, “get ready for
pain because a commitment to me won’t be easy.” But the good news about being a Christian is
having the confidence that suffering leads to glory. They go hand-in-hand. Today, try to picture what
it might mean for you to suffer for Jesus’ sake.
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Day 20 – Matthew 17:1-27
Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah (Mt. 16) and now he got to see firsthand that Jesus
really was the Messiah, the Son of God. If Peter would have been asked that same question, after
the Transfiguration (17:1-13), it would have been a no-brain-needed answer to the question “who
do you say I am?” He would have said, “Without a doubt, you’re God. I saw it on the mountain while
you were with Moses and Elijah…that was awesome…can you do it again?” But that confession
wouldn’t have been as meaningful to Peter’s faith. Before he saw the glory of God, Peter believed,
confessed his belief, and received assurance from God on the mountain. I like the way that works;
believe, confess, receive assurance. Did it happen that way with you?
The Transfiguration is a powerful event in the walk with Christ and one you might want to further
study. The quick version can be understood when you realize Moses represented the Law (the
Old Testament) and Elijah the prophets. Both the law and the prophets point to Jesus and the Old
Testament and prophetic messages are fulfilled in Jesus. Basically, the Old Testament and prophets
painted a picture of the future that was missing THE key character…until Jesus came to earth.
During the Transfiguration Peter wanted to express his excitement by building a shrine to
commemorate the occasion. But, before he could take action, he was interrupted by God’s voice
booming His love for Jesus. Peter quickly dropped his idea of monument building and dropped to
his knees to worship God. Take note of Peter’s response. It’s the only appropriate action you should
have when you fully understand who Jesus is…worship. Total commitment to Christ isn’t seen by
wearing Christian clothing, getting a cross tattooed on yourself, or building a monument for your
faith. Commitment is seen through one’s desire to worship. When was the last time you dropped to
your knees in worship?
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Day 21 – Matthew 18:1-14
It appears that the disciples might have lost a little of their focus on what’s important when they
began to argue about positioning (the argument is more clear in Mark 9; Luke 9). Their pride had
become an issue. It may have been that they were jealous of Peter, James, and John for going to
the mountain with Jesus (chapter 17). They might have even arguing over high positions in the new
church that Jesus spoke of. It became such an issue that they even had the guts to ask, “which one
of us is the greatest?” I envision it like this, “Hey Jesus, we know you’re pretty special being God…
uh…but, we’re over here kind of wondering which one of us is the greatest...aside from you of
course.” It’s at this point Jesus steps in and teaches about the importance of humility.
Jesus didn’t even dignify their answer. Instead, he called a little child into his presence and said
the child was a picture of greatness. He told them to stop being childish with their meaningless
arguments and become childlike. That was a creative way to deal with tension and teach about
humility wasn’t it?
True humility is taking your eyes off yourself and putting them on someone else. Humility is a positive
consequence for becoming others’-centered. What keeps you from becoming others’ centered?
Pride. Pride has always been a struggle-point with people. The fall of humanity can be traced back
to pride. Look for it in your life. Notice it. Catch it action so you can recognize it. Name it. The hurdle
to growing spiritually is learning to navigate around the bumps of pride and clear away the mounds
of pride that have been building in your life.
Jesus tells his disciples to take drastic measures when evaluating themselves. He doesn’t intend for
them to literally cut off a hand or a foot since destroying the outside of your body will not affect the
condition of a heart. Do you need to take drastic measures to take care of your pride problem? If
you want to be great…the road to take is humility and it’s easier to get there being a servant than a
celebrity.
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Day 22 – Matthew 18:15-35
When we say “yes” to living God’s way we are also saying “yes” to living in harmony with others.
Healthy relationships are a strong theme in the Bible and God has made sure we have some
practical instruction on how to make relationships work, even in the midst of conflict. Most people
hate conflict! Do you? Conflict can produce feelings of hate, revenge, and withdrawal.
Jesus tells us that when we have conflict we need to talk face-to-face and try to work things out.
If the conflict is with another Christian, harmony should be the goal since it’s the goal of all Godcentered
relationships. Most of the time, conflict will require forgiveness and Jesus know a lot about
forgiveness…as a matter of fact, he died so we could experience forgiveness from our sins that
would otherwise keep us from God.
As Peter hears Jesus teach about conflict and forgiveness I believe Peter is anxious to impress
Jesus that he is finally getting the idea that followers of Christ are to be different. Because of his
growing understanding, Peter comes up with a number which probably sounded high to him—
seven (Jewish rabbis taught that you should forgive someone three times). He may have thought,
“for us, it should be different, more like seven.” (You got to love Peter!) But Jesus makes seven seem
insignificant when he says “7x70.” Jesus doesn’t want his followers to limit their forgiveness to a
countable number. Jesus wasn’t pushing for the actual number 490, instead, he was asking for a
spirit of forgiveness that wasn’t restricted.
Forgiveness is crucial for the believer. If you want to be forgiven you must forgive—that’s the point
of the parable Jesus told. If you’re anything like me, you’ve had a lot of sins forgiven and will need
future forgiveness. Your forgiveness of others is crucial to the forgiveness equation. As you continue
to grow in your relationship with Christ you will develop an attitude of humility, an appreciation for
God’s forgiveness, and a heart to forgive others. It doesn’t come overnight…but forgiveness will
begin to appear the more you become like Jesus. Is there anyone you need to forgive today?
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Day 23 – Matthew 19:1-12
The Pharisees couldn’t trap Jesus on other issues so they went after a biggie—divorce (isn’t it
interesting that divorce continues to be a controversial issue today?). The Pharisees didn’t seem
to care about the truth regarding marriage, they were eager to see Jesus fumble his words and
contradict himself regarding his interpretation of the Mosaic Law of Divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).
Once again, Jesus masterfully backs his accusers up by taking them to a time prior to the Mosaic
Law, in Genesis, where God’s intention for marriage was that it would be permanent. Jesus changed
their focus from divorce to the importance of a lasting marriage—God’s design from the beginning.
In verses 4-6 we can learn some solid truths about marriage:
1. Marriage is God’s idea. This doesn’t take much explanation. Basically, it wasn’t some guy name
Randy who discovered marriage during the cave-man era.
2. Marriage is a physical oneness. The reference to “two becoming one” points to sexual
intercourse. God created sex so that husband and wife would become one flesh, which is a physical
image of marriage. That’s why God intended sex to be for marriage only.
3. Marriage is intended to last. God’s idea of oneness is that it will last as long as one of them is
alive. The words, “let no one separate them” don’t give room for options.
4. Marriage is male and female. Other variations to man and wife are unacceptable in God’s design
for marriage. They may become more acceptable in our courts and liberal society but not in God’s
eyes.
Divorce is going to happen, but that doesn’t make it right. It’s been happening since the beginning
of our time. That’s why Moses made a law that required some steps to be taken before divorce
could happen. Moses saw woman being thrown out of homes when the husband was frustrated or
“done” with them. Divorce was too easy and the sinful people were destroying each other. Divorce
brings pain and God hates it.
About half the students I know come from broken families. There’s a lot of suffering in their lives
and they would be the first to tell you that divorce hurts. As you think and pray about your future,
keep in mind that God’s plan for your future marriage doesn’t include divorce. His plan is that it will
last. Don’t loose sight of that standard as you continue to live your life hungering and thirsting for
righteousness. Here’s something worth remembering, “marriage is one of God’s most wonderful
designs!”
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Day 24 – Matthew 19:13-30
The first time I read this passage I thought all Christians had to sell everything they owned in order to
follow Christ and make it to heaven. Jesus told the young man those very words, and the disciples
left everything they had follow Jesus so poverty seemed like a natural consequence to obedience. I
began to wonder if the Christians I knew who had money weren’t really “true” believers. I lived with
this confusion for some time. Maybe you’re confused also…if so, let me help that misunderstanding.
As you read the Bible, it’s important not to confuse eternal truths Jesus taught with specific actions
of those truths. For example, when Jesus said, “cut off your hand if it’s causing you to sin,” he
wasn’t expecting literal mutilation, he was requesting them to get drastic with their sin. He knew one
less hand wouldn’t change someone’s heart.
In today’s reading, Jesus’ point is to put God before anything else. He knew this man had a
problem with money and he wanted to attack the problem and get at his heart. Earlier, you read in
Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom . . .” Jesus wants to be first—even before money. Another
example, the first two of the ten commandments are, (1) “You shall have no other gods before me . .
.” and (2)”You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything” (Exodus 20:3-4). The point
is loud and clear…loving God must come before everything else in a person’s life.
Jesus knew the spiritual condition of this rich man: on the outside he obeyed God’s rules, but on
the inside (his heart) he obeyed his possessions. Jesus said, “it is hard for the rich to enter the
kingdom…” and the disciples understood him completely. Essentially, everyone who lives separated
from God is “rich” because they think they don’t need anything, when in reality, the opposite is true.
I was “poor” without Christ and now I’m “rich” with blessings because I have a relationship with
Christ. True wealth is knowing you’re poor enough to need God. Take a moment today and write
about your personal need for Him.
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Day 25 – Matthew 20:1-34
My mom is a great lady and one of my biggest fans. I’ll never forget when she gave my baseball
coach a hard time because she thought I deserved to bat higher in the lineup than he did. They
discussed my batting average, she reasoned, he countered, and my mom came out victorious.
While I may have batted higher in the following games (from 8th spot to 9th) , I lost respect from my
teammates because my mom whined.
Because of that experience, I can relate to how James and John must have felt when the mother
mom petitioned Jesus for a higher place of greatness. She was just doing her job—being a good
Jewish mom. Just like my teammates, the other disciples were ticked—they also wanted positions
of greatness with Jesus. Imagine their thoughts, Jesus just said he was going to be put to death,
and their minds started to roll… “hmm, if he’s going to be in heaven first, maybe he can talk to God
about a better spot in the heavenly line up.” That was all they knew about greatness—a higher
position. Once again we see human meeting divine and conflict emerging.
In this discourse with James and John’s mother, Jesus lays out a formula that, to this day,
challenges our view of leadership. He said if you want to be a leader you must be a servant. His
design for greatness begins at the bottom. If you want to be first, you must be last. If you want to be
great, you must serve. Pretty different than, “claw your way to the top at any cost.”
Following Christ isn’t like following other leaders of the world who love to show off their power and
authority. Christians show power when they are weak, humble, and others’ centered. Through
weakness, God comes alive and becomes strong in the life of the believer. Through humility, Christ
can be seen. When you become others’ centered, you become God-centered. It’s a life long journey
that begins when you say “yes” to God’s way.
How’s your journey with serving others going? This is one biblical paradox that you may never truly
understand (I don’t!).
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Day 26 – Matthew 21:1-27
While Jesus was trying to teach the religious leaders that they didn’t understand true religion (that it
was heart not actions), he also was trying to teach his disciples about true faith. He wanted them to
understand the importance of faith. Jesus knew that the only way to please God was through faith.
The backbone to one’s relationship with God is faith. To the Christian, faith is everything! We have
faith that God became human in Jesus. We express faith in trying to live God’s way. We have faith
in the unseen future. Faith is what is needed to last. The Christian hall of fame (Hebrews 11) is lined
with people of faith. These people of faith trusted God’s way as THE way and set their life on a
course that reflected faith.
How’s your faith today? Do you have faith that God forgives you? Do you have faith that God’s plan
is a good plan for you? Does your faith really believe that God can use you to do wonderful things?
Are you willing to step out in faith and risk being a Christian in today’s non-Christian world? Faith…
it’s a big deal!
I want to challenge you to try something new today. Read Hebrews 11:1 and paraphrase that
verse…in other words, write out how you would define faith. Then, list two faith stoppers in your life.
What are two things that keep you from living a life of faith? If you have time, write out how the story
of the fig tree might relate to you today. Keep the faith…you are loved.
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Day 27 – Matthew 21:28-22:14
God doesn’t show favoritism. That’s good news! The doors to his Kingdom are wide open to
any race, color, language, or painful past. God wants the banquet of heaven to be full…but,
unfortunately, some will refuse the invitation. Just think about all the different types of people that
have said “yes” to God’s invitation...
Druggies, Killers, Child abusers, Rapists, Thieves, Pastors, Accountants, Teachers, Students, Etc.
If you’re anything like me, you might look at a person and say “no way” when you try to picture them
in heaven. I hate this about myself. I often have to stop and say, “Doug, who made you the grace
cop?” These passages that you read don’t put limitations on people, other than their belief. Jesus
died once to save all. He didn’t die to save those I think are worthy. No one is worthy, and that’s why
salvation is called “the good news.”
God wants his house to be full. He wants the party to be filled. He wants to see people saved.
Thank him today that his eyesight isn’t as limited as yours and ask Him to help you look at people
the way he does. Cover your eyes and begin to see people like Jesus… open the doors and let the
party begin!
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Day 28 – Matthew 22:15-46
I’m a pretty simple thinker and I love simple answers! The religious leaders thought they were asking
Jesus tricky questions, but Jesus immediately gave simple, straightforward answers. When they
asked the question about marriage after the resurrection it sounded as confusing as a present day
word problem from math class. But, instead of showing frustration, Jesus communicated in a clear,
concise fashion.
In verses 37-38 we find a strong theme for the Christian life. Jesus summarizes the Old Testament
with what we call the “great commandment”. His simple answer is (1)love God, (2)love others. That’s
it! He didn’t say the most important commandment was not to keep from lying, cussing, having sex
outside of marriage, or stealing. Much simpler, right to the point--love God and love others. He knew
that if these two were in place, the others wouldn’t be issues.
If you spend some time thinking about this answer, you’ll find that loving others is going to be a
lot easier once you focus on loving God. Actually, everything is a lot easier when you direct your
thoughts on loving God. It’s not easy to show love to others but that’s a commandment that’s
important to Jesus.
Some say that the Bible can be wrapped up in one word—“don’t.” But those who understand what
it means to walk in God’s way find out that “don’t” isn’t the greatest commandment. Actually, it’s
“do.” For those on the outside of the faith, looking in can be illustrated in a positive way…by doing.
You want to follow God’s command…DO. DO love God. If you do this, focus your life on loving God,
it will result in naturally love others.
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Day 29 – Matthew 23:1-39
I’m not sure it’s possible to read this chapter and not think, “wow, Jesus sounded mad!” We’ve seen
all throughout the Book of Matthew that Jesus attacked the hypocritical attitudes and lifestyles of
the religious leaders and it seems to come to a moving crescendo in this chapter. Religious frauds
did upset Jesus 2000 years ago and it can’t be any different today.
It’s safe to assume that Jesus wanted to make sure his disciples understood that holiness was
much more important than looking and/or acting holy. This is a great lesson for us. It’s so easy to act
spiritual, to wear Christian clothing or jewelry, attend Christian events, and talk a Christian language
without being a man or woman of God. Faking it isn’t that tough. It becomes even easier as you
take your eyes off of the basics (like fairness, compassion, faith, etc…) and put your eyes on the
acceptance of others.
Verse 26 is a good one to memorize… “First wash the inside of the cup and then the outside will
become clean to.” It’s a safe bet that if you take care of your heart that you will bear fruit with your
life. A clean heart, forgiven and refreshed by God’s presence, will produce a real and authentic
Christian life. This type of life would never be characterized by the term “painted tombstone” (verse
27)…and that’s good news!
If you’re wearing a Christian mask ask God to give you the desire and the strength to drop it today.
This is one acting job that won’t bring fame..
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Day 30 – Matthew 24:1-51
Any discussion of the end-of-the-world gets a little spooky at times. Even though you might think
it’s weird and try to avoid talking about it, Jesus taught on it. The disciples asked for a sign of his
coming again and Jesus told them there will be a day when he returns (known as the second
coming) No one knows when this time will be—Jesus didn’t even know (v. 36).
Ever since I’ve been a Christian (over 20 years) I’ve heard different preachers and television
evangelists predict a date for the second coming. They’ve all been wrong. I’ve learned, over these
years, that Christians shouldn’t be on the time and date committee trying to predict His return. We
should be on preparation committee and communicate, with urgency, that Jesus IS coming again.
Jesus told us that the end wouldn’t come until the gospel had been preached throughout the world.
That’s our job, as believers, to spread God’s plan of salvation—which is the good news.
During this waiting time on earth we can be assured of persecution for our faith, false teaching
surrounding our faith, and false prophets professing a different faith. But in the midst of these trials,
Jesus encourages us to keep from panic (v.6) and to be on guard with our lives by living responsibly
(v. 42, 44). He also gives us some good news that our survival will result in reward (v. 46).
Although we don’t know the time and date, we do know it’s going to be sudden and it will catch
a lot of people off guard just like the flood of Noah’s day (v. 39). Like Noah, be ready. Build your
“ark” of faith and obey God’s Word. God chose Noah because he found him to be a righteous man
whose heart was right. Noah is a good picture of the type of person I want to be…how about you?
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Day 31 – Matthew 25:1-46
In this chapter, we not only find more teaching on the end times but also on the responsibility of the
believer to do something with his or her life. We’ve read enough by now to know that the arrival of
Jesus (the second coming) is going to be sudden and many won’t be ready (vs. 1-13). But the rest
of this chapter is a solid wake up call that our life is meant to account for something.
I must write very carefully because I don’t want you to think that you are saved by works (what you
do for God), because you are saved by your faith in Jesus Christ (what He did for you). But what you
do is a result of your faith and salvation. These two stories show us that we aren’t to waste our lives
but to invest them in God’s service.
What is God’s service? It may be as simple as giving a cup of water, food to the hungry, clothes
to the naked, visitation to the prisons… When you help someone in need you are helping Jesus.
Christians are “Christ’s one” and are to try to follow Christ’s actions while on earth.
Sometimes I think of being one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and how I would have responded to
the pain and lack of justice he experienced on the cross. I think of what I would have said and
how I would have acted. When I put myself in that situation I become quite the superhero, in my
imagination. But, in the reality of the everyday situations that Jesus refers to (vs.31-46), I’m not
super at all. You see, when I see Jesus in need everyday (when I see others in need) I often miss the
opportunity to serve him. I see him in need when I drive by the hungry, pass by the homeless, read
about the prisoners, and don’t think about offering a drink to the thirsty.
I know I’m saved by faith, but there is an incredible opportunity to do—in the name of Jesus—that
demonstrates that my faith is real. Take a look at your life today and think about how you can show
someone needy Christ’s love in a very real and practical manner. How could you do that today?
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