Devotions from Matthew

Passage Read: Matthew 1-2 Meditation Verse: 1:5 Thought Boaz's mother was Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute/innkeeper who hid the Israelite spies and pleaded for her life and the life of her family. Surely she was held in honor by that generation, though it is possible some…

Passage Read: Matthew 3-4 Meditation Verses: 3:7-10 Thought Right out of the gate, John seems pretty hostile to the Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious people. It's as if he recognizes that they have a problem with appearances over substance. They're all about looking right, but…

Passage Read: Matthew 5-6 Meditation Verse: 5:7 Thought How do you show mercy? Because I want to be shown mercy. Surely it includes forgiving those who seek forgiveness from you. Mercy doesn't hammer someone who shows repentance and humility, but extends grace and kindness and…

Passage Read: Matthew 7-8 Meditation Verses: 7:1-5 Thought It seems the safest path is to never judge anyone, just speak truth without applying it specifically to anyone. But verses like Leviticus 19:17 imply that not rebuking your neighbor is to hate them and also to…

Passage Read: Matthew 9-10 Meditation Verses: 10:14-15 Thought If anyone doesn't listen to our Gospel message, we're under no further obligation to them. Even worse, they have chosen to reject the only chance at eternal life and are left with nothing but judgment. As tragic…

Passage Read: Matthew 11-12 Meditation Verses: 11:21-22 Thought Tyre and Sidon would have repented long ago if they had seen the miracles that Jesus was doing. But He didn't do them there. He didn't go where people would have repented, but went to the lost…

Passage Read: Matthew 13-14 Meditation Verse: 13:19 Thought We talk about sowing seeds in the heart of unbelievers, but according to Jesus, anyone who hears and doesn't believe, Satan snatched the seed from him. So there is no seed left in their heart to water…

Passage Read: Matthew 15-16 Meditation Verse: 16:12 Thought The teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees are both subtle and invasive. Only a little yeast is needed for a batch of dough, but it works its way throughout the whole loaf. The Pharisees loved to debate…

Passage Read: Matthew 17-18 Meditation Verses: 17:17,20 Thought Jesus sounds pretty frustrated with His disciples and the people, "O unbelieving and perverse generation!" He's frustrated and discouraged because they still don't believe. And it's not just believing in Him, it's because they still need Him…

Passage Read: Matthew 19-20 Meditation Verses: 20:26-28 Thought Jesus served everyone who came to Him, He healed everyone who came to Him, but He didn't grant every request. He served everyone, but not as their absolute slave. There were requests He denied, like to make…

Passage Read: Matthew 21-22 Meditation Verse: 21:43 Thought The Pharisees and Sadducees, the chief priests and teachers of the law, they were supposed to be caring for God's kingdom and leading the people into faith and obedience to the Lord. But instead, they muddied the…

Passage Read: Matthew 23-24 Meditation Verse: 24:45 Thought The faithful and wise servant will continue to feed and care for the master's other servants right up to the master's return. When the master returns and finds him so doing, he will put that servant in…

Passage Read: Matthew 25-26 Meditation Verse: 25:40 Thought Whatever we do for a believer in need, we do to Jesus. We're supposed to care for each other like family and long-lost relatives. Though we don't know a believer, we should help out as we're able.

Passage Read: Matthew 27-28 Meditation Verses: 28:18-20 Thought Jesus obeyed His Father to the very last, even unto death. Because of that, the Lord gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth. Because of that we should have confidence to go and tell all…

Passage Read: Matthew 1-4 Meditation Verses: 3:7-10 John and Jesus both preached the same message: "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." John pointed to Jesus; Jesus pointed to Himself and the work He would do to purchase our forgiveness and transformation. For…

Passage Read: Matthew 5-6 Meditation Verses: 5:44-48 There are those around me who are not exactly my enemies; it's not like they're trying to do me harm. But they don't care about me or do much good to me or think much of my interests…

Passage Read: Matthew 7-8 Meditation Verses: 8:18-23 Jesus doesn't wait around for people to come and learn from Him. He didn't open a school and stay put for years so that any one willing could come and learn from Him. Neither did He follow around…

Passage Read: Matthew 9-10 Meditation Verse: 10:4 Judas Iscariot received authority to cast out demons and to heal every kind of disease. He went in partnership with another apostle to preach the gospel of the kingdom and perform miraculous signs. Yet he became the one…

Passage Read: Matthew 11-12 Meditation Verses: 11:25-30 Repentance is evidently hidden from the wise and intelligent, but revealed to infants! The wise and learned see the things that Jesus says and does, but don't get that they need to change their ways and conform them…

Passage Read: Matthew 13-14 Meditation Verse: 13:19 When someone hears the Gospel, the Word of God, and doesn't understand it, it is because Satan has snatched away that Word. It's gone! It's not still there percolating, waiting to sprout. It's gone. People want to use…

Passage Read: Matthew 15-16 Meditation Verses: 16:22-25 Jesus foretells His suffering, death and resurrection, but Peter rebukes Him (still thinking the two are mostly equals, I suppose), sure that nothing like Jesus says will ever happen. As if he knew that God would never allow…

Passage Read: Matthew 17-18 Meditation Verses: 17:17-20 Jesus calls out His own disciples, not just the crowd or the father or the child! If they had faith as small as a mustard seed, they could move mountains! Casting out that demon would have been a…

Passage Read: Matthew 19-20 Meditation Verses: 20:22-23 The cup Jesus is about to drink is that of His suffering and death, as payment for our sins. James and John would both drink of that cup, suffering for Jesus and His Gospel. James would be killed…

Passage Read: Matthew 21-22 Meditation Verses: 21:25-27 The chief priests and elders couldn't answer Jesus's question, not because they didn't have an answer but because they weren't willing to go on record with their honest answer. They hadn't believed John; they were offended by John…

Passage Read: Matthew 23-24 Meditation Verses: 24:48-51 Many say the Lord could return at any moment, but do they live in such a way as to be found doing His will when He arrives? Are they diligently seeking to know and understand the Lord's desires…

Passage Read: Matthew 25-26 Meditation Verses: 26:62-64 The chief priests and elders bring in many "witnesses" who accuse Jesus of different evils, but Jesus doesn't answer a single charge. This amazes the priests and elders, because they would naturally fight any false charges against themselves.

Passage Read: Matthew 27-28 Meditation Verses: 27:63-64 The chief priests and the Pharisees understood that Jesus had promised to rise on the third day. Jesus' own disciples didn't get the message; they didn't understand, though Jesus had repeated it multiple times. Yet these unbelievers had…