Be a humble servant

​S-Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

‭‭O - Jesus is teaching his disciples how not to act like the Pharisees and religious leaders who exalt themselves above the people they are meant to serve.  His disciples are to be servants and humble themselves before the people and not exalt themselves.   They are to follow Jesus' example and seek the lost and sick and restore and heal them.  

A - The application for me is to seek to humble myself before the Lord and people.  I am to be a servant to all those God puts before me , especially my family.  I am to serve them through my words and actions so that I can't be accused of being double minded.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord you help me be humble in all my actions and deeds.   I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

​S-

“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Possible with God

​S-‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.””

O - The disciples were astounded at Jesus explanation to them how it was easier for a camel to go through the eye  of a needle than for a rich man to make it to the kingdom of heaven.  But we see here that what is impossible to be done by man, can be done by God.  It is through Jesus and only Jesus that we are able to come before God and enter His kingdom.

A - The application for me is not to focus on the things of this world that are valuable but to focus on the relationship with God through Jesus.  I am to count heavenly things as valuable and store up my treasures in heaven and not on earth.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's less may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord you help me to focus on the heavenly things in my life and maintain my relationship with Jesus.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen

​S-

“Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Out of a pure heart

​S-‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

““Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.””

O- Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisee's who were accussing his disciples of not washing their hands before eating which was their tradition.  He rebuked their tradition and said it is not what goes into your body that defiles you but the words that come out of your mouth that defiles the person.  It is what comes from your heart that is evil.  

A - The application for me is to be aware of the words that I speak and to make sure I maintain a pure heart.  I can do this by keeping Jesus in my heart and his spirit within me.  I must speak from the out pouring of Christ love that is in me. 

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord for a clean heart out of which my words and actions would come.   I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Blessed are those that see and hear

​S-‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT

““But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”

O  -  Jesus was speaking to those who would listen to him proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven is here.  He knew he was a fullfilment of many prophesies and promises that God had made through nation of Israel. What should have been an amazing revelation and experience these people were seeing for some it was a stumbling block.  This is not how some had envisioned the messiah would come and therefore had a hard time believing the things Jesus would say or even do.

A - The application for me is to by faith believe in these accounts of Jesus during his time on earth.  All of them happened that I might believe and receive Him as my Lord and savior.   I can trust in these accounts and the many miraclous healings and words of truth as witness to me to the power of the Messiah and the plan he had for all of us to be redeemed through Him.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would continue to reveal to me your truth in scripture and grow my faith in you and all you have done.  I pray the Holy Spirit would continue to guide me in my steps each day.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Jesus yoke

​S-Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””

O- Jesus is preaching to those who would listen that they have been carrying a heavy burden.  The burden of their sins and shortcomings.  They may try to make up for their sins with good works and strict religious behavior but the burden is just to much for anyone to carry.  God knows this and because he loves us and doesn't want us to be stuck in our sin sent his Son to take away our burdens and give us a much lighter yoke to bear.  Rest is needed by us all who toil in our sin, but thanks be to God he has washed us clean of our sins and now only wants our hearts to stay focused on him and to carry on the load he has set aside for us.

A - The application for me is to not pick up burdens that Jesus has already taken away.  I am to seek the Lord's yoke and not the yoke of the world.  I am to focus on the relationships and responsibilities that God has ordained for my life and pour out His love in these relationships, specifically with my wife and two girls.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would help me to lay down at your feat all of the burdens I am carrying that are not from you.  Help me to have the wisdom and discernment to wear your yoke and lift the burdens you have for me.   I pray this all in Jesus Christ name, Amen