Begin your time with God by reading this passage from Matthew…
Then one of the Twelve — the one called Judas Iscariot — went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. – Matthew 26:14-16
I cannot read about Judas’ betrayal without thinking, Why!? Why did he do it? Was it just greed? Was he planning this from the very beginning? Was he some kind of a misguided zealot who really didn’t understand who Jesus was? Why did he do it?
It is interesting that none of the Gospel accounts ever really answer this question. We never get a clear enough window into the mind and heart of Judas to let us know exactly why he did what he did. Perhaps there is an important lesson for us in this…
Does the motive for a sin make it any less a sin? Does our rationale or reasons for our disobedience justify it? (maybe it does in our own minds, but who are we kidding?) My kids are really good at this kind of rationalizing and justifying when they get caught doing something wrong…”It wasn’t my fault.” “He hit me first.” “But I didn’t know.” Of course it is not just kids that are good at this, we all habitually defend ourselves don’t we? We have reasons why it is different and the rules don’t apply for us. Our whole culture is convinced that it is always somebody else’s’ fault, and everybody is a victim.
The Bible teaches us that regardless of our motives or reasons, sin is still sin. Until we face the sobering reality of our own sinfulness and are willing to take responsibility for it, we cannot know the freedom and forgiveness of Christ!
Judas was the friend who was willing to act like an enemy: he was a traitor. The truth is so am I, and so are you. We are all friends who sometimes act like enemies of Jesus. One of the saddest side stories of Holy week is the fact that Judas Iscariot did not stick around long enough to experience the love and forgiveness of his master.
There is nothing we can do to justify ourselves before God – NOTHING! The only hope we have is to be justified by the redeeming love of Christ Himself, the very one we betrayed!
Oh Lord we call ourselves Your friends, but we have often acted as Your enemies. Forgive us for the countless ways we have betrayed you. Keep us from trying to justify ourselves and remind us that our only hope for justification is in Your love and mercy - Amen.
Jeff Frazier
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Begin your time with God by reading the following passage from Matthew…
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it into a den of robbers.”
- Matthew 21:12-13
A little historical background:
After His triumphal entry to the city of Jerusalem, Jesus heads straight for the temple. If Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish world, then the temple was the center of Jerusalem. This was the time of the Passover celebration, a week long festival during which tens of thousands of pilgrims traveled to the great city to worship and celebrate. This was also tax time for the Roman government (very convenient of the Romans huh?). In the outer temple courts, the money changers set up their booths to exploit those who need to pay the Roman tax. There were also those selling animals (doves, lambs, etc.) for sacrifice in the temple. The temple priests were required to inspect the animals being offered for sacrifice to be sure they were acceptable. They (the priests) would often reject animals brought in from the outside and force people to buy those being sold inside the temple courts, which were 10 times more expensive. The priests got a cut of the profits from the sellers and they both got rich off of the poor people trying to follow the rules.
Jesus saw all of this exploitation going on and He lost it. He was angry not just at the exploitation and corruption, but at the fact that those who were being exploited were people trying to obey the law and worship God. Worse still, it was the ones who were supposed to be leading the people to God who were doing the exploiting!
When you realize what was really going on, you can understand why Jesus was so upset. In fact it kind of makes you angry too doesn’t it?
Before you get too upset, consider this…
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed long ago, but the temple in which God lives by His Spirit is alive and well today, it is His people, it is you and I!
Let’s turn this story inward for a moment…Jesus comes to His temple today.
He comes to your heart and to mine, what will he find there?
What do you think Jesus wants to “overturn” in your life?
What does Jesus want to drive out of your heart?
What areas of your life are getting in the way of your desire to worship God with a pure heart?
Close your time by praying these words from Psalm 139:23-24…
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Jeff Frazier
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it into a den of robbers.”
- Matthew 21:12-13
A little historical background:
After His triumphal entry to the city of Jerusalem, Jesus heads straight for the temple. If Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish world, then the temple was the center of Jerusalem. This was the time of the Passover celebration, a week long festival during which tens of thousands of pilgrims traveled to the great city to worship and celebrate. This was also tax time for the Roman government (very convenient of the Romans huh?). In the outer temple courts, the money changers set up their booths to exploit those who need to pay the Roman tax. There were also those selling animals (doves, lambs, etc.) for sacrifice in the temple. The temple priests were required to inspect the animals being offered for sacrifice to be sure they were acceptable. They (the priests) would often reject animals brought in from the outside and force people to buy those being sold inside the temple courts, which were 10 times more expensive. The priests got a cut of the profits from the sellers and they both got rich off of the poor people trying to follow the rules.
Jesus saw all of this exploitation going on and He lost it. He was angry not just at the exploitation and corruption, but at the fact that those who were being exploited were people trying to obey the law and worship God. Worse still, it was the ones who were supposed to be leading the people to God who were doing the exploiting!
When you realize what was really going on, you can understand why Jesus was so upset. In fact it kind of makes you angry too doesn’t it?
Before you get too upset, consider this…
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed long ago, but the temple in which God lives by His Spirit is alive and well today, it is His people, it is you and I!
Let’s turn this story inward for a moment…Jesus comes to His temple today.
He comes to your heart and to mine, what will he find there?
What do you think Jesus wants to “overturn” in your life?
What does Jesus want to drive out of your heart?
What areas of your life are getting in the way of your desire to worship God with a pure heart?
Close your time by praying these words from Psalm 139:23-24…
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Jeff Frazier
Monday, March 29, 2010
This week is Holy Week, sometimes called Passion Week. It is the week leading up to Easter. It is the week in which Christians all over the world remember the passion and sacrifice of their Lord and Savior. It is the most significant week in our faith as it commemorates the events leading up to the most significant event in history, the Resurrection!
Begin your time with God with the following readings…
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matthew 21:10-11
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.” - Mark 14:1-2
There is a sense in which the story of Christ’s passion begins right here. Can you feel the tension in the Gospel story rising? Jesus is coming to the holy city, Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the religious, social and economic center of Jewish life. Jesus is coming into the very center, the heart of things, and Matthew tells us that the whole city is stirred. Not only is the city stirred and excited, but the religious leaders are also worked up about Him. Jesus has not exactly been on good terms with the religious leaders of His day before this point, but at least they weren’t trying to kill him! Now the story turns and things really begin to heat up.
It is as if everything that has come before has been almost preliminary to the events of the coming week in Jesus’ life. In reading the Gospels up to this point we know of Jesus’ virgin birth. We know Jesus as a great Rabbi through his teachings. We know Jesus as a divine agent through His miracles. We even have some hints of who He really is and what His real purpose is (although eve those closest to Him were still confused about these things). But it is not until this week that our picture of Jesus truly becomes clear. It is through this week that all of the pieces of God’s redemptive plan finally come together in the person of Jesus Christ.
For too many of us, Holy week is really just another week. Oh sure, we celebrate Easter on Sunday by going to church and then to brunch and eating way too much and feeling guilty about it on Monday. However, very few of us take the time to meditate and reflect on the events of this week and their significance for our lives as Christ followers today.
But today just as more than two thousand years ago, Jesus is coming! He is coming into the very center of our lives. His arrival stirs people. Some are stirred to fear and anger towards Him. Some are stirred to curiosity and questions about Him. Some are stirred to humility and repentance because of Him. Some are stirred by love and adoration for Him.
Take a few moments on this Monday at the beginning of Holy week to let the Spirit of God stir your heart about the coming of Jesus.
Oh Lord, may your arrival in my heart stir me to greater love and adoration of you and, may your arrival in our world stir many to repentance and humility.
Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
Jeff Frazier
Begin your time with God with the following readings…
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matthew 21:10-11
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.” - Mark 14:1-2
There is a sense in which the story of Christ’s passion begins right here. Can you feel the tension in the Gospel story rising? Jesus is coming to the holy city, Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the religious, social and economic center of Jewish life. Jesus is coming into the very center, the heart of things, and Matthew tells us that the whole city is stirred. Not only is the city stirred and excited, but the religious leaders are also worked up about Him. Jesus has not exactly been on good terms with the religious leaders of His day before this point, but at least they weren’t trying to kill him! Now the story turns and things really begin to heat up.
It is as if everything that has come before has been almost preliminary to the events of the coming week in Jesus’ life. In reading the Gospels up to this point we know of Jesus’ virgin birth. We know Jesus as a great Rabbi through his teachings. We know Jesus as a divine agent through His miracles. We even have some hints of who He really is and what His real purpose is (although eve those closest to Him were still confused about these things). But it is not until this week that our picture of Jesus truly becomes clear. It is through this week that all of the pieces of God’s redemptive plan finally come together in the person of Jesus Christ.
For too many of us, Holy week is really just another week. Oh sure, we celebrate Easter on Sunday by going to church and then to brunch and eating way too much and feeling guilty about it on Monday. However, very few of us take the time to meditate and reflect on the events of this week and their significance for our lives as Christ followers today.
But today just as more than two thousand years ago, Jesus is coming! He is coming into the very center of our lives. His arrival stirs people. Some are stirred to fear and anger towards Him. Some are stirred to curiosity and questions about Him. Some are stirred to humility and repentance because of Him. Some are stirred by love and adoration for Him.
Take a few moments on this Monday at the beginning of Holy week to let the Spirit of God stir your heart about the coming of Jesus.
Oh Lord, may your arrival in my heart stir me to greater love and adoration of you and, may your arrival in our world stir many to repentance and humility.
Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
Jeff Frazier
Friday, March 26
Prayer:
Take a few deep breaths to relax and focus yourself on your time with God. As you pray, ask him to bring several people to mind who might need your prayer today.
Read 1 Peter 2:4-10
As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,”
and,
“A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God…
Here Peter continues to develop the image of Jesus as the cornerstone. Not only is Christ the truth that either anchors our lives OR causes us to stumble – he is also using each one of us to build the “spiritual house” that is his church in the world!
He is teaching us that the church is not a place where we go to worship once a week – rather, the church is something that we ARE as followers of Christ. Because Christ lives in our hearts by faith, we are “living stones” that he is using to build his church – in order to accomplish his purpose in the world.
Imagine that! You and I are actually being used by God to build his church. He uses each one of us – stones of all shapes and sizes – to construct a church that can withstand the storms, pressures and persecutions of the centuries, and that will endure until Jesus comes again! What an amazing privilege, what an amazing Lord!
Take some time to reflect on what part Christ is asking you to play in his church. Ask him to show you how your life and gifts can be used by him to further his work on earth.
Brian Coffey
Take a few deep breaths to relax and focus yourself on your time with God. As you pray, ask him to bring several people to mind who might need your prayer today.
Read 1 Peter 2:4-10
As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,”
and,
“A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God…
Here Peter continues to develop the image of Jesus as the cornerstone. Not only is Christ the truth that either anchors our lives OR causes us to stumble – he is also using each one of us to build the “spiritual house” that is his church in the world!
He is teaching us that the church is not a place where we go to worship once a week – rather, the church is something that we ARE as followers of Christ. Because Christ lives in our hearts by faith, we are “living stones” that he is using to build his church – in order to accomplish his purpose in the world.
Imagine that! You and I are actually being used by God to build his church. He uses each one of us – stones of all shapes and sizes – to construct a church that can withstand the storms, pressures and persecutions of the centuries, and that will endure until Jesus comes again! What an amazing privilege, what an amazing Lord!
Take some time to reflect on what part Christ is asking you to play in his church. Ask him to show you how your life and gifts can be used by him to further his work on earth.
Brian Coffey
Thursday, March 25
Prayer:
Take a few moments to thank God for a new day; to praise him for who he is; and to ask him to speak to your heart through his word.
Read once again Jesus teaching in Matthew 21:33-44
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’”
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from your and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken into pieces, but he who on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Now read the conclusion to the story:
Matthew 21:45-46
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
This is an example of a “Jesus story” that does not end well. Many Jesus stories end with a person being healed or putting their faith in Jesus for salvation – but not this one. This story ends with resistance, anger and fear. These men knew that Jesus was not only talking about them – but that he was telling the truth about their pride and sinfulness. But instead of responding with humility and repentance – they chose to respond with defensiveness and vindictiveness.
This story reminds us that there is room for only one god in the human heart. That god might be ourselves with all our pride, power and accomplishments; that god might be money, with all it can do for us; or that god might be the creator and redeemer of all things – but there is room for only one.
Consider for a moment the people and concerns that compete for God’s role in your life. Who, or what, is the driving force in most of your decisions? Who, or what, occupies most of your thoughts during a typical day.
When we stop to really think about it – if we are honest – we can all identify a whole room full of people or concerns that compete for the “God-place” in our hearts. Yet only one God is worthy of that place; only one God is capable of keeping all the other candidates in their proper place in our lives.
Close your time with God by giving him permission to take his rightful place in your life – and to remind you often of his gracious authority.
Brian Coffey
Take a few moments to thank God for a new day; to praise him for who he is; and to ask him to speak to your heart through his word.
Read once again Jesus teaching in Matthew 21:33-44
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’”
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from your and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken into pieces, but he who on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Now read the conclusion to the story:
Matthew 21:45-46
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
This is an example of a “Jesus story” that does not end well. Many Jesus stories end with a person being healed or putting their faith in Jesus for salvation – but not this one. This story ends with resistance, anger and fear. These men knew that Jesus was not only talking about them – but that he was telling the truth about their pride and sinfulness. But instead of responding with humility and repentance – they chose to respond with defensiveness and vindictiveness.
This story reminds us that there is room for only one god in the human heart. That god might be ourselves with all our pride, power and accomplishments; that god might be money, with all it can do for us; or that god might be the creator and redeemer of all things – but there is room for only one.
Consider for a moment the people and concerns that compete for God’s role in your life. Who, or what, is the driving force in most of your decisions? Who, or what, occupies most of your thoughts during a typical day.
When we stop to really think about it – if we are honest – we can all identify a whole room full of people or concerns that compete for the “God-place” in our hearts. Yet only one God is worthy of that place; only one God is capable of keeping all the other candidates in their proper place in our lives.
Close your time with God by giving him permission to take his rightful place in your life – and to remind you often of his gracious authority.
Brian Coffey
Wednesday, March 24
Prayer:
Take a few moments to open your heart in confession – not just confession of sin – but also of the stresses, concerns and pains that you are carrying with you today. Ask the Lord for his forgiving grace and his sustaining power in your life today.
Read Matthew 21:33-40
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
Read Matthew 21:41-44
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’”
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from your and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken into pieces, but he who on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Jesus uses the image of a “stone” in several interesting ways. First he refers to a “capstone” – which was the most important stone in the construction of an archway. Then he refers to a stone which is so substantial as to be both immovable and unbreakable.
Jesus, of course, is referring to himself! He is the son of God – who is both the capstone of God’s plan for his people as well as the unbreakable and immovable truth of God.
The religious leaders had wrongly placed themselves in the position of authority reserved only for God and his son. Jesus is warning them that unless they humble themselves before the truth and authority of God – they will be crushed by that same truth.
While you and I may have put our faith in Jesus as the son of God and received him as Savior – we do need to continually ask ourselves two questions:
Ask God to help you to be honest enough with yourself – and with him – to answer these questions on a daily basis.
Brian Coffey
Take a few moments to open your heart in confession – not just confession of sin – but also of the stresses, concerns and pains that you are carrying with you today. Ask the Lord for his forgiving grace and his sustaining power in your life today.
Read Matthew 21:33-40
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
Read Matthew 21:41-44
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’”
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from your and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken into pieces, but he who on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Jesus uses the image of a “stone” in several interesting ways. First he refers to a “capstone” – which was the most important stone in the construction of an archway. Then he refers to a stone which is so substantial as to be both immovable and unbreakable.
Jesus, of course, is referring to himself! He is the son of God – who is both the capstone of God’s plan for his people as well as the unbreakable and immovable truth of God.
The religious leaders had wrongly placed themselves in the position of authority reserved only for God and his son. Jesus is warning them that unless they humble themselves before the truth and authority of God – they will be crushed by that same truth.
While you and I may have put our faith in Jesus as the son of God and received him as Savior – we do need to continually ask ourselves two questions:
- Is Christ the “capstone” of my life? That is, is Jesus the central and most important person in my life?
- Is there any way in which I may be putting myself in the place of authority that must be reserved for God alone?
Ask God to help you to be honest enough with yourself – and with him – to answer these questions on a daily basis.
Brian Coffey
Tuesday, March 23
Prayer:
Begin by thanking God for sharing himself with you today – through both his Spirit and his word. Ask him to open your mind and your heart to hear his voice today.
Before you read this week’s text again, remember that Jesus is chose the images of this parable with shrewd intent.
The “landowner” represents God.
The “vineyard” represents God’s people Israel.
The “tenant farmers” represent the religious leaders of Israel.
The “servants” sent by the landowner represent the prophets.
The “son” represents Jesus himself.
Now with all this in mind, read Matthew 21:33-40 once again:
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
If you were a religious leader of the day, what would you be feeling right about now? Would you be thinking, “What is he talking about? WHO is he talking about?”
Would you be starting to realize that just maybe Jesus is talking about you!? If so, you would probably be starting to feel somewhat offended – and maybe a little angry! You would be thinking, “Who does this guy think he is?” or even, “How dare he compare me to the selfish and wicked tenant farmers in his story!”
The truth is, no one likes to be confronted with their own sinful attitudes and behaviors. The truth is, most of us like to pretend that we are the “owners of the vineyard” – that we make the rules and that everything revolves around us!
Can you remember a time in your life when you resisted God’s authority over your life? Can you recall a time when you rejected God’s messengers and even God’s son?
What events or people did God use to break through your defenses? Did he confront you directly in the way Jesus is confronting these religious leaders? Or was his confrontation more gentle and gradual?
Take a few moments to thank God for both his patience and persistence in confronting your need for a Savior!
Brian Coffey
Begin by thanking God for sharing himself with you today – through both his Spirit and his word. Ask him to open your mind and your heart to hear his voice today.
Before you read this week’s text again, remember that Jesus is chose the images of this parable with shrewd intent.
The “landowner” represents God.
The “vineyard” represents God’s people Israel.
The “tenant farmers” represent the religious leaders of Israel.
The “servants” sent by the landowner represent the prophets.
The “son” represents Jesus himself.
Now with all this in mind, read Matthew 21:33-40 once again:
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
If you were a religious leader of the day, what would you be feeling right about now? Would you be thinking, “What is he talking about? WHO is he talking about?”
Would you be starting to realize that just maybe Jesus is talking about you!? If so, you would probably be starting to feel somewhat offended – and maybe a little angry! You would be thinking, “Who does this guy think he is?” or even, “How dare he compare me to the selfish and wicked tenant farmers in his story!”
The truth is, no one likes to be confronted with their own sinful attitudes and behaviors. The truth is, most of us like to pretend that we are the “owners of the vineyard” – that we make the rules and that everything revolves around us!
Can you remember a time in your life when you resisted God’s authority over your life? Can you recall a time when you rejected God’s messengers and even God’s son?
What events or people did God use to break through your defenses? Did he confront you directly in the way Jesus is confronting these religious leaders? Or was his confrontation more gentle and gradual?
Take a few moments to thank God for both his patience and persistence in confronting your need for a Savior!
Brian Coffey
Monday, March 22
Take a few moments to quiet yourself in prayer. Hand over to God all those thoughts and concerns that would distract you from his word today. Ask him to allow you to focus solely on him for these precious minutes.
Jesus often used parables to both illustrate God’s truth and to drive that truth into the hearts of his listeners. As you read this parable, pay attention to the questions it raised in your mind and the emotions it raised in your heart.
Read Matthew 21:33-40
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
The purpose of a parable is to provoke a reaction by penetrating the heart of the listener. As you close your time with God, ask him to use this parable to stir your heart – to provoke a deeper level of appreciation for the grace of God and the sacrificial love of Jesus.
Brian Coffey
Jesus often used parables to both illustrate God’s truth and to drive that truth into the hearts of his listeners. As you read this parable, pay attention to the questions it raised in your mind and the emotions it raised in your heart.
Read Matthew 21:33-40
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
- What questions do you find yourself asking?
- Why would any tenant think he could get away with such behavior?
- Why would the owner of the vineyard send his son after seeing what happened to the servants?
- What emotions do your find yourself feeling?
- Do you feel outrage at the disrespectful and violent actions of the tenant farmers?
- Do you feel compassion for the servants and the son who lost their lives in faithful service?
- Have you ever wondered how God can be so patient with all the sin and evil in the world?
- Have you ever felt outrage over the way Jesus is treated or talked about in your school, in the media, or in mainstream culture?
The purpose of a parable is to provoke a reaction by penetrating the heart of the listener. As you close your time with God, ask him to use this parable to stir your heart – to provoke a deeper level of appreciation for the grace of God and the sacrificial love of Jesus.
Brian Coffey
Friday, March 19
Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
Thank God for the beauty of his forgiveness and the joy of his salvation!
John 1:1-11
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where people gathered all around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
We began by identifying the three characters (The Pharisees; the sinful woman; Jesus) and the three acts (The challenge presented to Jesus; The challenge Jesus presents to the Pharisees; The encounter between Jesus and the woman) of this dramatic story.
A great story has a way of drawing us into one or more of the characters. God’s word is the same way! As we read this story we have no alternative but to locate ourselves in the story – for in a very real sense – we ARE the story!
Take a few moments and reflect honestly and carefully on the following questions:
• Is there any way in which I am like the woman caught in adultery- ashamed, exposed, and unworthy?
• Is there any way in which I am like the Pharisees – self-righteous, hypocritical, and judgmental?
• What do I most need to hear from Jesus today – truth, grace, or both?
Thank God for spending this precious time with you this week!
Brian Coffey
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
Thank God for the beauty of his forgiveness and the joy of his salvation!
John 1:1-11
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where people gathered all around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
We began by identifying the three characters (The Pharisees; the sinful woman; Jesus) and the three acts (The challenge presented to Jesus; The challenge Jesus presents to the Pharisees; The encounter between Jesus and the woman) of this dramatic story.
A great story has a way of drawing us into one or more of the characters. God’s word is the same way! As we read this story we have no alternative but to locate ourselves in the story – for in a very real sense – we ARE the story!
Take a few moments and reflect honestly and carefully on the following questions:
• Is there any way in which I am like the woman caught in adultery- ashamed, exposed, and unworthy?
• Is there any way in which I am like the Pharisees – self-righteous, hypocritical, and judgmental?
• What do I most need to hear from Jesus today – truth, grace, or both?
Thank God for spending this precious time with you this week!
Brian Coffey
Thursday, March 18
Make these words your prayer as you begin today:
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Read:
John 8:9-11
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
The Pharisees want to trap Jesus between a rock and a hard place – theologically speaking. If he forgives the woman’s sin – he fails to acknowledge the holiness of God. If he allows her to be stoned to death – he will no longer be seen as the “friend of sinners.” So what does he do? He does both!
Someone has said that “truth without love is harsh; and love without truth is license.” Jesus avoids both pitfalls by offering grace with truth.
Grace is Jesus saying: “Then neither do I condemn you.”
Truth is Jesus saying: “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Notice that grace comes first! It is not until we have experienced the grace of Christ that we have the strength to leave our sin behind.
Have you experienced the sheer and absolutely undeserved grace of Jesus? Have you stood before him with all your failures and sin exposed and heard him say, “Neither do I condemn you?”
Have you experienced the truth of Jesus? Having received his forgiveness, have you heard him then speak firmly and directly, “Go now and leave your life of sin?”
Ask Jesus to help you, by his Spirit, to receive both his grace and his truth today.
Brian Coffey
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Read:
John 8:9-11
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
The Pharisees want to trap Jesus between a rock and a hard place – theologically speaking. If he forgives the woman’s sin – he fails to acknowledge the holiness of God. If he allows her to be stoned to death – he will no longer be seen as the “friend of sinners.” So what does he do? He does both!
Someone has said that “truth without love is harsh; and love without truth is license.” Jesus avoids both pitfalls by offering grace with truth.
Grace is Jesus saying: “Then neither do I condemn you.”
Truth is Jesus saying: “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Notice that grace comes first! It is not until we have experienced the grace of Christ that we have the strength to leave our sin behind.
Have you experienced the sheer and absolutely undeserved grace of Jesus? Have you stood before him with all your failures and sin exposed and heard him say, “Neither do I condemn you?”
Have you experienced the truth of Jesus? Having received his forgiveness, have you heard him then speak firmly and directly, “Go now and leave your life of sin?”
Ask Jesus to help you, by his Spirit, to receive both his grace and his truth today.
Brian Coffey
Wednesday, March 17
Psalm 51:6
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Ask God to help you see truth today – the truth about yourself and the truth about God!
Read:
John 8:6-8
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
The men in this story were very religious – but their motives were not righteous. The brought this woman before Jesus not because they cared about her sin – but because they wanted to use her to trap Jesus into making a mistake for which they could discredit him.
Furthermore – where is the man who, by definition, HAD to be involved with this woman (since she was “caught in the act” of adultery – there had to be a man involved)? Some have even suggested that these “religious men” had set this woman up to be caught!
In any case, Jesus knew their hearts.
He knew that while they enjoyed “catching” this woman in her sin – they were hypocrites in regard to their own sin. He knew that while they fancied themselves as righteous men – they were full of pride and hatred.
While it is unclear what Jesus actually wrote on the ground, scholars have suggested that perhaps he was scratching in the dirt the sins of the men who stood before him – or perhaps even the names of the men who had committed the same sin of which they accused this woman! In any case, it is very telling when Jesus stood up and challenged them – they all dropped the stones they had hoped to cast at the woman and slithered away.
Here’s the question for each on of us today: Have we ever been more interested in the sins of others – than in the condition of our own hearts? Have we ever been quick to judge the behavior of others and slow to confront our own wrong attitudes and actions?
Ask God to use this story to refocus your heart – to allow you to offer grace to others and to invite God’s correction in your own life.
Brian Coffey
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Ask God to help you see truth today – the truth about yourself and the truth about God!
Read:
John 8:6-8
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
The men in this story were very religious – but their motives were not righteous. The brought this woman before Jesus not because they cared about her sin – but because they wanted to use her to trap Jesus into making a mistake for which they could discredit him.
Furthermore – where is the man who, by definition, HAD to be involved with this woman (since she was “caught in the act” of adultery – there had to be a man involved)? Some have even suggested that these “religious men” had set this woman up to be caught!
In any case, Jesus knew their hearts.
He knew that while they enjoyed “catching” this woman in her sin – they were hypocrites in regard to their own sin. He knew that while they fancied themselves as righteous men – they were full of pride and hatred.
While it is unclear what Jesus actually wrote on the ground, scholars have suggested that perhaps he was scratching in the dirt the sins of the men who stood before him – or perhaps even the names of the men who had committed the same sin of which they accused this woman! In any case, it is very telling when Jesus stood up and challenged them – they all dropped the stones they had hoped to cast at the woman and slithered away.
Here’s the question for each on of us today: Have we ever been more interested in the sins of others – than in the condition of our own hearts? Have we ever been quick to judge the behavior of others and slow to confront our own wrong attitudes and actions?
Ask God to use this story to refocus your heart – to allow you to offer grace to others and to invite God’s correction in your own life.
Brian Coffey
Tuesday, March 16
Psalm 51:3-4, 7
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Once again, begin your time with God with a prayer of confession. In particular, seek forgiveness for times when you have been more interested in the sins of others – than your own sin.
Read the first part of the story again:
John 8:1-6
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where people gathered all around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
Can you identify at all with what this woman would have felt in this moment? The Pharisees were the most religious men of the community and Jesus was seen as a Rabbi. The temple courts were regarded as the holiest public place in Jerusalem. She is dragged before this group of men in this holy place (notice: “they made her stand before the group…”). Can you put herself in her place? Would you feel shame? Humiliation? Fear? Rage? All of the above?
She had to feel utterly exposed; and she had to fear that her life was over – both literally and figuratively. Surely, she had to be thinking, this Rabbi named Jesus would condemn her for her sin. Surely he would see her as all the others did – a woman unworthy of forgiveness and beyond the reach of the love of God.
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever feared that if others knew your inner-most secrets and sins – they would reject you? Have you ever felt unworthy of God’s love?
While the woman in the story does not yet know it – she is closer to God at this point than she has ever been because her accusers have led her into the presence of Jesus.
So often we try to hide our sin from others and from God. When we do this we hide ourselves from God as well. This story teaches us that we do not have to fear Jesus. We can come before him – with everything we are and everything we’ve done – and he will receive us as his children.
Take a few moments and ask yourself if there is anything you are hiding from Jesus? Are you willing to stand before him with your sin exposed? Are you willing to trust his grace and forgiveness?
Thank him for loving you and accepting you even with your failures!
Brian Coffey
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Once again, begin your time with God with a prayer of confession. In particular, seek forgiveness for times when you have been more interested in the sins of others – than your own sin.
Read the first part of the story again:
John 8:1-6
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where people gathered all around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
Can you identify at all with what this woman would have felt in this moment? The Pharisees were the most religious men of the community and Jesus was seen as a Rabbi. The temple courts were regarded as the holiest public place in Jerusalem. She is dragged before this group of men in this holy place (notice: “they made her stand before the group…”). Can you put herself in her place? Would you feel shame? Humiliation? Fear? Rage? All of the above?
She had to feel utterly exposed; and she had to fear that her life was over – both literally and figuratively. Surely, she had to be thinking, this Rabbi named Jesus would condemn her for her sin. Surely he would see her as all the others did – a woman unworthy of forgiveness and beyond the reach of the love of God.
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever feared that if others knew your inner-most secrets and sins – they would reject you? Have you ever felt unworthy of God’s love?
While the woman in the story does not yet know it – she is closer to God at this point than she has ever been because her accusers have led her into the presence of Jesus.
So often we try to hide our sin from others and from God. When we do this we hide ourselves from God as well. This story teaches us that we do not have to fear Jesus. We can come before him – with everything we are and everything we’ve done – and he will receive us as his children.
Take a few moments and ask yourself if there is anything you are hiding from Jesus? Are you willing to stand before him with your sin exposed? Are you willing to trust his grace and forgiveness?
Thank him for loving you and accepting you even with your failures!
Brian Coffey
Monday, March 15
Psalm 51:1-2
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Begin your week with God by spending a few moments in reflection and confession. Allow the promise of God’s unfailing love and great compassion to wash over your heart and mind – bringing the cleansing of his forgiveness.
Read the story of the “woman caught in adultery.”
John 8:1-11
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where people gathered all around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Like many great dramas, this story has three main characters and three “acts” or scenes. Take a few moments to think through the story and identify the three characters and the three scenes.
Three characters:
1.
2.
3.
Three scenes:
1.
2.
3.
As you begin your week in the word – take a few moments to reflect on which of the three characters can you most identify with and why? Can you identify with the shame and pain of the woman? Have you ever played the role of the self-righteous religious leaders? Or, have you had opportunity to offer the compassion and forgiveness of Christ to someone else?
Ask God to use his word to shape your heart and life.
Printable pdf
Brian Coffey
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Begin your week with God by spending a few moments in reflection and confession. Allow the promise of God’s unfailing love and great compassion to wash over your heart and mind – bringing the cleansing of his forgiveness.
Read the story of the “woman caught in adultery.”
John 8:1-11
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where people gathered all around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you.” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Like many great dramas, this story has three main characters and three “acts” or scenes. Take a few moments to think through the story and identify the three characters and the three scenes.
Three characters:
1.
2.
3.
Three scenes:
1.
2.
3.
As you begin your week in the word – take a few moments to reflect on which of the three characters can you most identify with and why? Can you identify with the shame and pain of the woman? Have you ever played the role of the self-righteous religious leaders? Or, have you had opportunity to offer the compassion and forgiveness of Christ to someone else?
Ask God to use his word to shape your heart and life.
Printable pdf
Brian Coffey
Friday, March 12
Throughout this week we have been examining different aspects of the story of the temptation of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke in order to learn how we should handle temptations in our own lives. Look closely at how the story in Luke’s gospel ends.
Luke 4:13 – And when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
That is interesting isn’t it? Apparently the devil was not yet done trying to tempt Jesus. Sometimes Christians make the mistake of thinking that they should eventually grow out of temptation when they reach a certain maturity level. I have talked with Christians who become terribly depressed and even doubt their own faith when a particular temptation (which they thought they were beyond) returns to plague them. It should encourage you to know that Jesus himself, while He lived on this earth, was not beyond the repeated temptation to veer off of the path God had set for Him.
Look back at Luke 4:13 again…what was the opportune time that Satan was waiting for in order to tempt Jesus again?
In Matthew 16, Jesus predicted His own death to His disciples. Peter got really upset about this and told Jesus that he would never let this happen and that Jesus shouldn’t talk that way. In Matthew16:23 we read; Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
But the greatest temptation of all for our Lord has to have been His great struggle in the garden of Gethsemane. The gospel accounts of this struggle (Matt. 26, Mark14 & Luke 22) do not mention the devil being there tempting Jesus, but it is clear that He was battling the temptation not to go through with what awaited Him at the cross the next day. So strong was this temptation for Jesus that He was actually pleading with God to take it away from Him!
On one hand it may be a bit discouraging to realize that we never completely grow out of or beyond temptation. But on the other hand, isn’t it a great comfort and source of strength to know that your Savior also faced repeated temptations to find some out of or around what God wanted Him to do!?
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:15-16
Do you believe that Jesus is really ale to sympathize with your weaknesses?
Where in your life do you need to receive His mercy & grace?
Do you have this confidence to approach His throne of Grace?
Take a few moments to thank & praise God for your great high priest – Jesus!
Jeff Frazier
Luke 4:13 – And when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
That is interesting isn’t it? Apparently the devil was not yet done trying to tempt Jesus. Sometimes Christians make the mistake of thinking that they should eventually grow out of temptation when they reach a certain maturity level. I have talked with Christians who become terribly depressed and even doubt their own faith when a particular temptation (which they thought they were beyond) returns to plague them. It should encourage you to know that Jesus himself, while He lived on this earth, was not beyond the repeated temptation to veer off of the path God had set for Him.
Look back at Luke 4:13 again…what was the opportune time that Satan was waiting for in order to tempt Jesus again?
In Matthew 16, Jesus predicted His own death to His disciples. Peter got really upset about this and told Jesus that he would never let this happen and that Jesus shouldn’t talk that way. In Matthew16:23 we read; Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
But the greatest temptation of all for our Lord has to have been His great struggle in the garden of Gethsemane. The gospel accounts of this struggle (Matt. 26, Mark14 & Luke 22) do not mention the devil being there tempting Jesus, but it is clear that He was battling the temptation not to go through with what awaited Him at the cross the next day. So strong was this temptation for Jesus that He was actually pleading with God to take it away from Him!
On one hand it may be a bit discouraging to realize that we never completely grow out of or beyond temptation. But on the other hand, isn’t it a great comfort and source of strength to know that your Savior also faced repeated temptations to find some out of or around what God wanted Him to do!?
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:15-16
Do you believe that Jesus is really ale to sympathize with your weaknesses?
Where in your life do you need to receive His mercy & grace?
Do you have this confidence to approach His throne of Grace?
Take a few moments to thank & praise God for your great high priest – Jesus!
Jeff Frazier
Thursday, March 11
Begin your time with God by reading the following verses.
Luke 4:5 - Jesus answered, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.”
Luke 4:8 – Jesus answered, “It is written: worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
Luke 4:12 – Jesus answered, “It says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
These three little verses contain the three responses of Jesus to the three temptations of Satan. Each time he was tempted, Jesus responded with Scripture. Interestingly, Satan himself even quotes a passage of Scripture and tries to twist its meaning it in order to tempt Jesus. But it is pretty hard to trick Jesus (who is the living Word) by using the Word of God.
We ordinary humans are much easier to trick, distract and tempt. This is all the more reason that we should be feeding on the Word of God. If Jesus found it necessary to use Scripture to deal with His temptation, don’t you think it might be helpful for you too?
But there is a bit of a problem here – Evangelical Christians have often greatly misunderstood how this actually works in the Christian life. Somehow we have developed this idea that if we know just the right verse at just the right time, we will be able to supernaturally repel the particular temptation we are facing at the moment. It doesn’t work that way. The Scriptures are not magical incantations against temptation, they are not magic words or a spell that repel the devil. (remember that the devil also quoted Scripture!) Jesus was not engaged in some kind of cosmic spiritual wizards duel!
The reason that Jesus responds with the Scripture when He is tempted is because that is what was inside of Him! He saw the world from a Biblical point of view and when the devil tried to cloud His vision and tempt Him, He (Jesus) was able to naturally respond with the power of the Living Word inside of Him.
What does this mean for us? It means that we do not read the Bible simply in order to find a few individual verses that will help us when we think we need it. The Bible is not meant to be a means to your end. We read the Scriptures in order to be changed from the inside out! We read the Word of God in order to begin to transform our way of thinking! We study the Bible in order to see the world differently!
Psalm 119:9-11 - How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
The passage above from Psalm 119 is part of the longest chapter in the entire Bible. There are 176 verses in this Psalm! Do you know what the entire chapter is about? It is about the Word of God. The whole thing is devoted to the beauty, power, purpose and authority of God’s Word.
Close your time with God by thanking Him for giving you His Word…
Ask Him to help your mind and heart to be transformed through the power of His Word…
Close your time by echoing the final words of Psalm 119 as your prayer to God…
Luke 4:5 - Jesus answered, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.”
Luke 4:8 – Jesus answered, “It is written: worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
Luke 4:12 – Jesus answered, “It says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
These three little verses contain the three responses of Jesus to the three temptations of Satan. Each time he was tempted, Jesus responded with Scripture. Interestingly, Satan himself even quotes a passage of Scripture and tries to twist its meaning it in order to tempt Jesus. But it is pretty hard to trick Jesus (who is the living Word) by using the Word of God.
We ordinary humans are much easier to trick, distract and tempt. This is all the more reason that we should be feeding on the Word of God. If Jesus found it necessary to use Scripture to deal with His temptation, don’t you think it might be helpful for you too?
But there is a bit of a problem here – Evangelical Christians have often greatly misunderstood how this actually works in the Christian life. Somehow we have developed this idea that if we know just the right verse at just the right time, we will be able to supernaturally repel the particular temptation we are facing at the moment. It doesn’t work that way. The Scriptures are not magical incantations against temptation, they are not magic words or a spell that repel the devil. (remember that the devil also quoted Scripture!) Jesus was not engaged in some kind of cosmic spiritual wizards duel!
The reason that Jesus responds with the Scripture when He is tempted is because that is what was inside of Him! He saw the world from a Biblical point of view and when the devil tried to cloud His vision and tempt Him, He (Jesus) was able to naturally respond with the power of the Living Word inside of Him.
What does this mean for us? It means that we do not read the Bible simply in order to find a few individual verses that will help us when we think we need it. The Bible is not meant to be a means to your end. We read the Scriptures in order to be changed from the inside out! We read the Word of God in order to begin to transform our way of thinking! We study the Bible in order to see the world differently!
Psalm 119:9-11 - How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
The passage above from Psalm 119 is part of the longest chapter in the entire Bible. There are 176 verses in this Psalm! Do you know what the entire chapter is about? It is about the Word of God. The whole thing is devoted to the beauty, power, purpose and authority of God’s Word.
Close your time with God by thanking Him for giving you His Word…
Ask Him to help your mind and heart to be transformed through the power of His Word…
Close your time by echoing the final words of Psalm 119 as your prayer to God…
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Wednesday, March 10
The Irish poet Oscar Wilde once said; I can resist almost everything except temptation.
Question: Where does temptation come from? Does God tempt people? Does God lead us into temptation?
In the Lord’s Prayer we say, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:13). James 1:13 says, Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. That’s true. But the Bible also says, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1).
Clearly God cannot put any evil desires or temptations into our hearts because there is no evil desire in His heart.
I have often heard Christians quoting (and sometimes misapplying) this passage from 1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Notice that the passage does not say that God will not allow you to be tempted at all. In fact nowhere does the Bible say that the Christian life is going to be free from temptation. There is a sense in which all of our life is a kind of facing temptation. There is no moment of your life that is not a moment of temptation, a moment when unbelief and disobedience is not a possibility. It is just that in some moments the temptation is more acute than others.
Jesus teaches us to pray that we will not be led into temptation. That we will not fall into the temptation, whatever it may be. That we will recognize it for what it is and seek the strength and grace of our Jesus to face it.
Henry Ward Beecher said, Every life is a march from innocence, through temptation, to virtue or vice.
Today you and I will face countless temptations (many which we will not even recognize). That’s what life is: endless choices between kindness and cruelty, integrity and deceit, trust and distrust, belief and unbelief, obedience and disobedience.
O God, grant us the grace and strength of your Son Jesus to face the temptations that come our way today. Hold us back from falling into any thought, word, or action that might damage our soul or the glory of Your Name – Amen.
Jeff Frazier
Question: Where does temptation come from? Does God tempt people? Does God lead us into temptation?
In the Lord’s Prayer we say, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:13). James 1:13 says, Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. That’s true. But the Bible also says, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1).
Clearly God cannot put any evil desires or temptations into our hearts because there is no evil desire in His heart.
I have often heard Christians quoting (and sometimes misapplying) this passage from 1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Notice that the passage does not say that God will not allow you to be tempted at all. In fact nowhere does the Bible say that the Christian life is going to be free from temptation. There is a sense in which all of our life is a kind of facing temptation. There is no moment of your life that is not a moment of temptation, a moment when unbelief and disobedience is not a possibility. It is just that in some moments the temptation is more acute than others.
Jesus teaches us to pray that we will not be led into temptation. That we will not fall into the temptation, whatever it may be. That we will recognize it for what it is and seek the strength and grace of our Jesus to face it.
Henry Ward Beecher said, Every life is a march from innocence, through temptation, to virtue or vice.
Today you and I will face countless temptations (many which we will not even recognize). That’s what life is: endless choices between kindness and cruelty, integrity and deceit, trust and distrust, belief and unbelief, obedience and disobedience.
O God, grant us the grace and strength of your Son Jesus to face the temptations that come our way today. Hold us back from falling into any thought, word, or action that might damage our soul or the glory of Your Name – Amen.
Jeff Frazier
Tuesday, March 9
Begin your time with God by reading the following passage from Luke…
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.” - Luke 4:1-4
Under the Spirit's leading Jesus prepared himself to meet the devil by fasting. The Spirit of God willed that the Son of God be tested on his way into the ministry, and he willed that Jesus triumph in this testing through fasting. Jesus triumphed over the great enemy of his soul through fasting.
Perhaps you don’t have much experience with the discipline of fasting. (most Christians don’t) Maybe you think of fasting as something only for monks or heart patients going into surgery the next day.
But it is very instructive that Jesus chose to prepare for the first of His two “big moments” (the other one of course being his journey to the Cross) by fasting. Conventional wisdom says that you should be well rested and well fed if you are going to take on something really significant. You don’t hear about Peyton Manning fasting for 40 days in order to prepare for the Superbowl!
If Jesus felt the need to fast, what does that say to you about your need?
Take a moment to reflect on these questions…
Where does your deepest satisfaction in life come from; food, money, pleasure, or God?
What ultimately has control of your heart; your appetites and desires, or the Spirit of God?
The aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. That's the meaning of the words in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Every time we fast, we are saying with Jesus, "Not bread alone. But you, Lord. Not bread alone, but you, Lord."
Fasting Challenge (pdf)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.” - Luke 4:1-4
Under the Spirit's leading Jesus prepared himself to meet the devil by fasting. The Spirit of God willed that the Son of God be tested on his way into the ministry, and he willed that Jesus triumph in this testing through fasting. Jesus triumphed over the great enemy of his soul through fasting.
Perhaps you don’t have much experience with the discipline of fasting. (most Christians don’t) Maybe you think of fasting as something only for monks or heart patients going into surgery the next day.
But it is very instructive that Jesus chose to prepare for the first of His two “big moments” (the other one of course being his journey to the Cross) by fasting. Conventional wisdom says that you should be well rested and well fed if you are going to take on something really significant. You don’t hear about Peyton Manning fasting for 40 days in order to prepare for the Superbowl!
If Jesus felt the need to fast, what does that say to you about your need?
Take a moment to reflect on these questions…
Where does your deepest satisfaction in life come from; food, money, pleasure, or God?
What ultimately has control of your heart; your appetites and desires, or the Spirit of God?
The aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. That's the meaning of the words in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Every time we fast, we are saying with Jesus, "Not bread alone. But you, Lord. Not bread alone, but you, Lord."
Fasting Challenge (pdf)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Begin your time with God by reading Matthew 3:17- 4:1
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Isn’t it a little odd that immediately after Jesus is baptized and the voice of God blesses Him, He is taken into the wilderness to be tempted? Not only that but the text actually says that it is the Spirit of God that leads Him there!?
The desert, or wilderness is a very important metaphor in the Bible. Israel is mostly rugged desert. The deserts of the Bible are more rock than sand and are often quite mountainous. The variety of Hebrew words for desert or wilderness indicates the significant role the landscape played in biblical history and imagery.
The wilderness has a kind of double significance in the Biblical stories. On the one hand it is often the place of struggle, pain, and trial. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their disobedience to God (numbers 14). On the other hand, it is also often the place where God speaks most clearly; it was in the wilderness that God gave the law to Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 19-20). It was in the wilderness that God spoke in the still small voice to Elijah (1 Kings 19). It was in the wilderness that Jacob had his great dream of the stairway to heaven (Genesis 28).
This is why Jesus was led into the wilderness, not just to be tempted, but to meet with God!
We live in a culture of comfort and convenience today. The whole idea of the wilderness just does not seem to fit with our cultural values very well. Many Christians also view times of spiritual struggle and difficulty as things to be avoided. But it may be that we do not experience God the way we would like because we will not meet Him in the wilderness.
We are happy to meet God in our comfort, but we don’t want to meet Him if it will mean pain and struggle for us.
Have you ever experienced the “spiritual wilderness” in your life?
What lessons has God taught you through those times of struggle and trial?
Are you currently in a kind of wilderness in your life? Do you know someone who is “in the wilderness”? It may the very place where God wants to meet with and speak to you!
Close your time with God by meditating on this passage from Psalm 107…
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things - Psalm 107:4-9
Jeff Frazier
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Isn’t it a little odd that immediately after Jesus is baptized and the voice of God blesses Him, He is taken into the wilderness to be tempted? Not only that but the text actually says that it is the Spirit of God that leads Him there!?
The desert, or wilderness is a very important metaphor in the Bible. Israel is mostly rugged desert. The deserts of the Bible are more rock than sand and are often quite mountainous. The variety of Hebrew words for desert or wilderness indicates the significant role the landscape played in biblical history and imagery.
The wilderness has a kind of double significance in the Biblical stories. On the one hand it is often the place of struggle, pain, and trial. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their disobedience to God (numbers 14). On the other hand, it is also often the place where God speaks most clearly; it was in the wilderness that God gave the law to Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 19-20). It was in the wilderness that God spoke in the still small voice to Elijah (1 Kings 19). It was in the wilderness that Jacob had his great dream of the stairway to heaven (Genesis 28).
This is why Jesus was led into the wilderness, not just to be tempted, but to meet with God!
We live in a culture of comfort and convenience today. The whole idea of the wilderness just does not seem to fit with our cultural values very well. Many Christians also view times of spiritual struggle and difficulty as things to be avoided. But it may be that we do not experience God the way we would like because we will not meet Him in the wilderness.
We are happy to meet God in our comfort, but we don’t want to meet Him if it will mean pain and struggle for us.
Have you ever experienced the “spiritual wilderness” in your life?
What lessons has God taught you through those times of struggle and trial?
Are you currently in a kind of wilderness in your life? Do you know someone who is “in the wilderness”? It may the very place where God wants to meet with and speak to you!
Close your time with God by meditating on this passage from Psalm 107…
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things - Psalm 107:4-9
Jeff Frazier
Friday, March 5
Read these verses from Psalms for one last time – this time to dwell on the relationship of God’s word, spiritual growth, and the blessing of God in our lives.
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Ask God to use his word to produce his fruit in and through your life.
Ephesians 4:11-13
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the whole body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Just as a mature tree bears fruit – so also we are to bear spiritual fruit as we mature in Christ. Just as a tree multiplies itself through the bearing of fruit, a Christian multiplies himself or herself through:
Community – building up the church
Service – helping others
Generosity – contributing to the growth of God’s kingdom, and
Influence – sharing the good news of Jesus with others.
If you look at yourself as a “Christian tree” – would you say you are mature and bearing good fruit? Would you say you are still in the maturation process and are bearing some fruit? Or would you say that you are not yet beginning to bear fruit?
Close your time with God by committing yourself to a continuous and intentional process of spiritual maturity – so that He can cause your life to bear much fruit!
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Ask God to use his word to produce his fruit in and through your life.
Ephesians 4:11-13
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the whole body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Just as a mature tree bears fruit – so also we are to bear spiritual fruit as we mature in Christ. Just as a tree multiplies itself through the bearing of fruit, a Christian multiplies himself or herself through:
Community – building up the church
Service – helping others
Generosity – contributing to the growth of God’s kingdom, and
Influence – sharing the good news of Jesus with others.
If you look at yourself as a “Christian tree” – would you say you are mature and bearing good fruit? Would you say you are still in the maturation process and are bearing some fruit? Or would you say that you are not yet beginning to bear fruit?
Close your time with God by committing yourself to a continuous and intentional process of spiritual maturity – so that He can cause your life to bear much fruit!
Thursday, March 4
Begin by reading once again these verses from Psalm 1 – focus this time on what it means to sink your spiritual roots into God’s word:
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Thank God for his word – and for spending time with you today.
Philippians 3:20-4:1
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
If you have ever traveled outside the United States – you have a passport. Your passport is proof of your citizenship in the U.S.A. It means you have the privileges, rights and responsibilities of your homeland. It also usually means you speak and behave in ways consistent with that homeland. Paul is encouraging us to remember that, as followers of Jesus, we are citizens of heaven – with the promise of eternal life in the presence of Christ himself! Therefore, since our lives are anchored in heaven, we can live now with the hope, peace and righteousness of heaven itself!
When you face the challenges and temptations of your life – and may be many - remember that you can stand firm in Christ because you are a citizen of heaven!
Brian Coffey
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Thank God for his word – and for spending time with you today.
Philippians 3:20-4:1
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
If you have ever traveled outside the United States – you have a passport. Your passport is proof of your citizenship in the U.S.A. It means you have the privileges, rights and responsibilities of your homeland. It also usually means you speak and behave in ways consistent with that homeland. Paul is encouraging us to remember that, as followers of Jesus, we are citizens of heaven – with the promise of eternal life in the presence of Christ himself! Therefore, since our lives are anchored in heaven, we can live now with the hope, peace and righteousness of heaven itself!
When you face the challenges and temptations of your life – and may be many - remember that you can stand firm in Christ because you are a citizen of heaven!
Brian Coffey
Wednesday, March 3
Begin by reading again the same verses from Psalms – this time focusing on the first sentence of the Psalm:
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Ask God to use his word to keep you from the “counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, and the seat of mockers.”
Philippians 3:17-19
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
Paul wrote these words from the perspective of a Christian living in the midst of the pagan Roman Empire – a culture that, in many ways, was not unlike our own. It was an affluent culture; obsessed with both entertainment and hedonistic pleasure. Paul is urging his Christian brothers and sisters – and us – to live in a way that is distinct from our culture.
In other words, a spiritually mature person is a Christian who is willing and able to live as a representative of Christ in the midst of a culture that is hostile toward the cross. Have there been times in your life when you felt “pressured” into living by the values of our culture rather than obedience to Christ? Do you face such pressure right now? Take a few moments to think about how the influence of our culture might be compromising your obedience to the Lord as well as your influence on others.
Brian Coffey
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Ask God to use his word to keep you from the “counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, and the seat of mockers.”
Philippians 3:17-19
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
Paul wrote these words from the perspective of a Christian living in the midst of the pagan Roman Empire – a culture that, in many ways, was not unlike our own. It was an affluent culture; obsessed with both entertainment and hedonistic pleasure. Paul is urging his Christian brothers and sisters – and us – to live in a way that is distinct from our culture.
In other words, a spiritually mature person is a Christian who is willing and able to live as a representative of Christ in the midst of a culture that is hostile toward the cross. Have there been times in your life when you felt “pressured” into living by the values of our culture rather than obedience to Christ? Do you face such pressure right now? Take a few moments to think about how the influence of our culture might be compromising your obedience to the Lord as well as your influence on others.
Brian Coffey
Tuesday, March 2
Begin today by reading the same verses from Psalm 1 that you read yesterday. This time read slowly and focus especially on the promise of God for those who take delight in his law:
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Ask God to use his word to keep you from the “counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, and the seat of mockers.”
Philippians 4:9
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Most of us have been blessed to have people in our lives who, in their way, set a positive spiritual example for us. Take a few moments and reflect on the people who exemplified for you what it means to be a follower of Christ. Write their names down and a few words to summarize what you learned from them.
Paul is saying that, as a person committee to growing in maturity, he is willing for God to use his life as an example for others. Part of Christian maturity, therefore, is seeing ourselves as an example to others.
Do you consider yourself a role model for younger believers? Do you think of yourself as an example to those who do not yet know Christ? I think Paul is saying that we are ALL examples to a watching world – in one way or another! Ask the Lord to help you become a positive Christian example for others.
Brian Coffey
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.
Prayer: Ask God to use his word to keep you from the “counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, and the seat of mockers.”
Philippians 4:9
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Most of us have been blessed to have people in our lives who, in their way, set a positive spiritual example for us. Take a few moments and reflect on the people who exemplified for you what it means to be a follower of Christ. Write their names down and a few words to summarize what you learned from them.
Paul is saying that, as a person committee to growing in maturity, he is willing for God to use his life as an example for others. Part of Christian maturity, therefore, is seeing ourselves as an example to others.
Do you consider yourself a role model for younger believers? Do you think of yourself as an example to those who do not yet know Christ? I think Paul is saying that we are ALL examples to a watching world – in one way or another! Ask the Lord to help you become a positive Christian example for others.
Brian Coffey
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