Blog Posts

Daily God Walk Devotional - Sermon On The Mount 2

2/16/2022

Devotion for Today: Forgive Our Debts

Forgive Our Debts

This, then, is how you should pray… Forgive us our debts.
– Matthew 6:9,12

We used to sing a chorus some years ago that went like this, “I owed a debt I could not pay and he paid a debt he did not owe.” That is the case for all of us who have come to faith in Christ.

I like the way Luke recorded this part of the prayer. He writes, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4). He clarifies the point that the debt for which we are asking forgiveness is our sins and the debts we forgive are the sins, or offences, others have committed against us.

Most of us have never robbed or caused great bodily harm to come to another, but we have all sinned. Sin is a part of the human condition and God has made a way for us to deal with our sinfulness through faith in Christ.

The following is excerpted from “The Lord’s Prayer Directive,” an examination of this prayer: “Forgive us our debts...”We have sinned, and if we say we haven’t we are lying. Before you become upset with me for saying that, take note; it wasn’t me who said it. 1 John 1:8 says that very thing. But verse 9 of that same chapter ys, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

God has made provision in Jesus Christ to forgive all our sins, but we have to ask him. In fact, every day when we pray through this prayer we should spend some time thinking through the previous day and ask God to bring to our mind anything we did, or thought about doing that we need to be cleansed of.

Then we should ask God to forgive us of those things. And he will because, “He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.”

Prayer: I know I have sinned, and I need your forgiveness. Grant me repentance for all my sins and wash me clean of every wrong desire. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

To get your complimentary copy of the devotional titled Sermon on the Mount Volume Two JUST CLICK HERE

0 Comments

Sermon On The Mount Volume Two - "Pray... Our Father in Heaven

2/4/2022

0 Comments

Pray… Our Father in Heaven

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” – Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus gave us this concise prayer in rebuttal to the babbling of many words like pagans who think they will be heard because of their many words (v7).

He did not expect his followers to just recite this prayer, but he was giving them a pattern by which to pray.
We will look at this pattern over the next few days.

He begins this prayer, which I call “the Lord’s prayer directive,” with “Our Father who is in heaven.”

Now, if you want to be proper, using the King James version, you would say, “Our Father which art in heaven.”
Personally, I like the more friendly tone of the NIV.

We aren’t too sure where, or what, heaven is, but most of us believe it is the spirit realm where God, our Father, dwells.

We recognize him as the Father of creation and the initiator of relationship with man.
It is he who has planned from the beginning to show himself to be our Father who is in heaven.

Our Father in heaven is truly father to us in ways that no one else can be.
Many of us had good and healthy relationship with our father, but others of us do not have pleasant memories of that personage.

Whatever our memory of father in our past, our Lord, as our heavenly Father, is good to us beyond what any human could be.
He will comfort us when we are hurting, forgive us when we are in disobedience, console us when we are mourning and deliver us when we are in bondage.
He is everything to us that a father is supposed to be, but more.

The fact that he is our "Heavenly Father" puts him in a realm that no earthly father could reach.

When we pray it is right to give homage to He who is the father of fathers and worship him.

Prayer: Thank you for being my eternal Father in heaven. And thank you for being more than any other father could be. Amen.

Message: Jesus gave us this concise prayer in rebuttal to the babbling of many words like pagans who think they will be heard because of their many words (v7). He did not expect his followers to just recite this prayer, but he was giving them a pattern by which to pray.

Affirmation: I have learned to use this prayer Jesus gave us as a pattern to use when approaching God.

Reflection: Give some thought to the pattern Jesus gives us in this prayer. First, adoration of the Father and the revelation of himself through his name. Then committing to do his will followed by petitioning him for our daily needs and seeking his strength and courage to resist temptation. The conclusion of the prayer is praise and worship. Follow this pattern in prayer and you will be blessed.

Would you like to receive your own copy of the Daily God Walk devotional? It is real simple. Just fill in the form below with your name and email then click on "send it" and you will be given access to the devotional.... go ahead and go for it; there is no charge to you - it is our ministry gift.

0 Comments

Devotion for Today: Attitudes in Prayer

2/3/2022

0 Comments

Jesus said, "When you pray do not be like the Hypocrites" - Who are the hypocrites and how can we guard against being like them?

0 Comments

Daily God Walk - Sermon On The Mount Two: Doing Acts of Righteousness

2/1/2022

0 Comments

Doing Acts of Righteousness

Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. – Matthew 6:1-2

Jesus wasn’t calling them hypocrites because they gave to the poor, but because of the manner in which they gave. Too much of what the Pharisees and other religious leaders did was to impress and influence the common people. It could be that they didn’t feel righteous so to compensate they continually tried to prove their righteousness.

It seems that in every group of believers there is that one person who, in his heart of hearts, does not feel accepted so he often tries to prove his righteousness by volunteering for every job in the church and giving to every cause. His works of righteousness are good and worthy works, but his motivation is not faith based; it is approval based.

The situation with the Pharisees was a bit more severe than that. They actually did not have benevolence in their heart which is shown by the way they extract everything they can from the poor requiring them to live by the law as they interpreted it.
Jesus called them hypocrites, actors, showmen. The good works they did was to demonstrate their righteousness and establish their authority as religious leaders – it was not done to benefit the needy.

Jesus was certainly not wanting to discourage us from giving gifts to the poor, but he is calling us to a righteousness which exceeds that of the Pharisees. He is calling us to respond to the needs of others with compassion, not with piety.

Yes, there are rewards for having compassion for those in need, but the focus is not to be on the blessing but the opportunity to serve another who has a need. Jesus is again speaking to the condition of our heart and asking if we truly love the world as he loves the world.

Prayer: Lord, grant me a compassionate heart. In Jesus name, amen.

Message: Jesus was certainly not wanting to discourage us from giving gifts to the poor, but he is calling us to a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees. He is calling us to respond to the needs of others with compassion, not with piety.

Affirmation: I am committed to sharing my life with others because I am constrained by the love of God. I give of all my resources; my time, talent and finances.

Reflection: Can you think of some of the reasons people do things to appear religious or spiritual? It would be good to examine your own life to see what motivates you to give of yourself to others.

0 Comments

Daily God Walk - Sermon On The Mount 1; Turn The Other Cheek

1/30/2022

1 Comment

Turn the Other Cheek
Among the hard sayings of Jesus is this one, "Turn the other cheek." How are we to do that without allowing ourselves to be abused by others? We will talk about that in this devotion.

Turn The Other Cheek

Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
– Matthew 5:29-42

There is a truth hidden in this passage that when understood and practiced will turn any person into a peacemaker. See if you can detect this divine principle in this devotion.

People in the western world spend massive amounts of time, energy and money to combat evil and the result is that prisons house more inmates and communities have not been made safer. Why is that? Are we perpetuating violence rather than stopping violence?

Take 12 people and line them up. Instruct the first to slap the second, the second to slap the third, etc. through the entire line. If that continues you will have 12 angry people who are probably busy slapping each other. But let's say that the first person slaps the second and the second slaps the third. The third looks at the second and says, “This has got to stop and it stops with me. I will not strike number four.” The violence has ended.

I know that is simplistic but it is at least a beginning. Suppose we change the way we think about the aggressor. Suppose that instead of responding with appropriate retaliation we respond with, “What can I do to make things easier for you?”

Jesus said, “If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” What would compel a person who has just received an injustice to be more generous than was asked of him?

In Jesus day a Roman soldier could require a local citizen to carry his gear, but only for a mile. What would happen if the citizen said, “Sir, I would be willing to carry your gear for another mile?”
Have you figured out the principle? God employed this principle when he gave us Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave…” Think about how you can love and give.

Prayer: Father, help me to love others as you have loved me. Amen.

Message: Suppose we change the way we think about the aggressor. Suppose that instead of responding with appropriate retaliation we respond with, “What can I do to make things easier for you?”

Affirmation: Rather than think of how I can retaliate against an aggressor I consider how I can help relieve the cause of his aggression.

Reflection: God knew what would happen to Jesus when he came to earth preaching the kingdom and Jesus knew his destiny. That fact gives meaning to his teaching about turning the cheek and going the extra mile. So how do we do that? The same way he did: "For God so loved the world that he gave..." Think about it.

1 Comment

Daily God Walk - Sermon on the Mount: Disrespect is a form of Murder

1/22/2022

0 Comments

Disrespect is a Form of Murder

You have heard that it was said… “Do not murder”… But I say… Anyone who says to his brother, “Raca,” is answerable to the Sanhedrin. – Matthew 5:22

We have all seen the time when we were in heated argument with another person and in the passion of the moment we attacked that persons character.

In anger we used knowledge we had, or even stuff we made up, to insult them.
When I have done that I was left feeling empty as my words had boomeranged and returned to hit me.

The word translated “raca” here literally means one who is empty, worthless and has no value.

The Amplified Bible says it like this, “Whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the judgment imposed by the Sanhedrin.”
Jesus is saying that disrespecting another person is like killing them.

I remember a time when I overheard a conversation the person I considered my best friend was having with another friend.

He didn’t know I could hear him and he was talking about how he couldn’t stand me.
It was many years ago, and I don’t remember the reasons he gave for not liking me, but I still feel the sting of those words.

It is not a sin to become angry or upset with someone, but it is a sin if we don’t deal with our anger in an appropriate manner.

If my anger drives me to insulting you, then I am limiting the effect that I can have with you and the effect that you can have with me.

One of the great challenges in disagreements is to be able to separate the issue from the individual.

I can passionately disagree with you without placing judgment on you and condemning you for your position on the issue.
Once we go down the slippery slope of disrespecting others we are participating in the eventual death of respect for all others.

It requires effort, but it is much better to use words that bind friendships together than it is to use words that destroy relationships.

Message: It is not a sin to become angry or upset with someone, but it is a sin if we don’t deal with our anger in an appropriate manner. If my anger toward you drives me to insulting you, then I am limiting the effect that I can have with you and that you can have with me.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for ever disrespecting another person because of a disagreement and help me to use words of peace. In Jesus name, amen.

Affirmation: I have purposed to deal with anger in an appropriate manner in order that my life will have a positive effect on those around me.

Reflection: One of the great challenges in disagreements is to be able to separate the issue from the individual. I can passionately disagree with you without placing judgment on you and condemning you for your position on the issue. Practice thinking of ways to separate the issue from the individual.

To get your complimentary copy of the devotional titled Sermon on the Mount Volume One JUST CLICK HERE

0 Comments

Daily God Walk - Unresolved Anger is Deadly

1/21/2022

1 Comment

Unresolved Anger is Deadly

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, “Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:” But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. – Matthew 5:21-22 (KJV)

As we learn about righteousness which exceeds that of the Pharisees we have to look to the cause behind our deeds, or at least the cause that is behind what we would do if the law didn’t prohibit it.

Most of us have known that person who seemed to be seething with anger and was just waiting for a chance to boil over onto someone.

They seem to be angry at everyone and everything and it just takes a little bit to get them to express their anger.

We must realize that anger is not evil, but unresolved anger leads to evil intent.

I like the Amplified Bible rendering of this passage.
It reads, “I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court.”
The Amplified seems to emphasize that unresolved anger leads to malice harbored in the heart.

Unresolved anger is the issue here.

Anger unresolved leads to bitterness and bitterness leads to death, either physical or emotional.
In the kingdom of God we cannot despise people of other races, other lifestyles, other cultures, and, yes, of other religions.

If we do carry a seething anger against another person or persons we are guilty of a grave sin and in need of forgiveness.

Examine your heart to see if you harbor enmity against another person then deal with it righteously.

Paul addresses this issue in Ephesians 4:26-27, “In your anger do not sin; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Taking your anger to bed with you will not only keep you awake but it gives the enemy of your peace the opportunity to get a foothold in your heart.

Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace to resist carrying anger toward others. Help me to resolve any anger issues daily. In Jesus name, amen.

Message: Anger unresolved leads to bitterness and bitterness leads to death, either physical or emotional. If we do carry a seething anger against another person or group we are guilty of a grave sin and in need of forgiveness.

Affirmation: When I am angry, I settle the issue quickly so a seed of bitterness is not formed in my spirit.

Reflection: Anger is not sin, but unresolved anger can lead to sin. Anger comes from being hurt or offended by another person. Who has offended you? Do you still carry a bruise in your spirit over a past offence? Give some careful thought to that question and if you are carrying an offense against someone, get it resolved quickly.

To get your complimentary copy of the devotional titled Sermon on the Mount Volume One JUST CLICK HERE

1 Comment

Daily God Walk, Sermon on the Mount, "You Have Heard... But I Say..."

1/20/2022

0 Comments

You Have Heard… But I Say…

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. – Matthew 5:21-22

Immediately after telling his followers that their righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees Jesus begins to explain what he meant.

The Pharisees taught the tradition of retribution for killing another without cause, but they did not address the cause of the murder.
They taught judgment for murder while carrying bitterness and hatred toward others in their own heart.
Jesus was teaching that the deed committed was no worse in the eyes of God and in the kingdom than the malice that was in the heart.

The Pharisees were good men who were trying to live out a faith that was impossible to live.

They had so finely defined the law that there was no room for tolerance
and their own failure to live by their standards was a glaring witness to the inadequacy of the system.

Again Jesus is showing that there is a distinction between religion and kingdom life.

Religion sets the rules but offers nothing to enable a person to live by them while offering condemnation for those who can’t.
In the kingdom we are given the answer; deeds come from the heart and the challenge to have a clean heart is greater than the challenge to act right.

The only way our righteousness can exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees is to undergo heart surgery.

That is what Jesus is talking about in the Sermon on the Mount.
All that the Pharisees were missing was a heart transplant, but it was their religion hardened heart that prevented them from seeing what Jesus was offering them.

The world has said, “Thou shalt not,” but Jesus has said, “Even that is not enough; you must rid your heart of all malice.”

The kingdom demands what the Pharisees couldn’t offer; and what Jesus makes available to all who believe.
Jesus was offering a pure heart which comes through being born again.
If you have embraced Christ and still carry hatred and bitterness toward others, you may need a new touch of the Holy Spirit.

Affirmation: I am able to keep a pure heart only by the working of Holy Spirit in me. It is the grace of God that gives me the opportunity to have a pure heart.

Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace to keep my heart free of religion and submitted to you. Help me to have a clean and pure heart. Grant me your righteousness. In Jesus name, amen.

To get your complimentary copy of the devotional titled Sermon on the Mount Volume One JUST CLICK HERE

0 Comments

Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Rules Written On Our Heart

1/19/2022

1 Comment

Kingdom Rules Written On Our Heart

I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. – Ezekiel 36:25-27

In this prophecy the prophet Ezekiel reveals the secret to the success of the kingdom of God.

The issues were not doctrinal, or where one should worship, or how one was to worship.
The issue was singular and is dealt with in this prophecy.

The issue is that the people called by God to follow him had become defiled.

They were unclean because of their debauchery and idol worship.
There was only one way to reconcile that.
Regardless of how many sacrifices of atonement they offered their hearts were still set on the pleasures offered by idolatry and their heart needed to be changed.

We’ve all heard the axiom, “You can take a pig out of the pig pen but you can’t take the pig pen out of the pig.”

That is exactly what religion tries to do.
That is what the Jews were trying to do for centuries; they were trying to turn sinners into saints by cleaning them up and telling them how they should live.
It didn’t work, they were still sinners. – And it doesn’t work now.

God gives the purpose of the kingdom in a nutshell in this prophecy.

He said he would give them a new heart – a heart that is turned toward him instead of idols.
And finally, he said he would give them a new Spirit, his Spirit.

Repentance releases reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus the Christ of Redemption and gives us a new heart.

Once redeemed the Holy Spirit gives us a new Spirit as we gain entrance into the kingdom of God.
Now we who have become the anointed have received the spirit of restoration and renewal as we are being restored.

Affirmation: I have repented and have been reconciled to God and renewed in the Holy Spirit. I am also being reconciled to God each time I sin by continuing in repentance and I am being renewed daily.

Prayer: I can see your purpose is to restore people to your glory. Grant me the grace and the will to participate in that purpose. Amen.

To get your complimentary copy of the devotional titled Sermon on the Mount Volume One JUST CLICK HERE

1 Comment

Were The Pharisees Really Righteous?

1/18/2022

0 Comments

Were the Pharisees Really Righteous?

I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:20

If I had been listening to Jesus say that I would probably have given up on the spot. The Pharisees were so holy I could never hope to be that holy, much less to be more righteous than they are. How could this be?
The answer is not on the way they looked on the outside, or on the righteous acts they performed. The answer is what was in their heart. The rest of this chapter in Matthew deals with attitudes of the heart as Jesus explains what he meant by righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees.
It wouldn’t be fair to accuse the Pharisees of being insincere in their attempt to be righteous. In fact, over the centuries they had developed many volumes of writings that defined the law so keenly that it was a standard no man could live up to. The Pharisees, through asceticism and rigid discipline had come close, but they had also become cynical, judgmental and calloused against any feeling for others.
They stood on street corners saying prayers, paid tithe on the herbs from their gardens, and at the same time were merciless to the widows and the needy. They had the law in their head but hardness in their heart. Ezekiel calls their heart, “A heart of stone” (Ezekiel 36:26).
The solution was not in understanding the law better but it was to have a heart transplant. Ezekiel says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will... give you a heart of flesh.”
The only way to be more righteous than the Pharisees was to move religion from the head to the heart. When our heart is changed by the grace of God we then, by the new nature living in us, live a righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees.

Prayer: Father, grant me the grace of a pure heart, a new heart. Let my heart be set on pleasing you. I don't want to just appear righteous to others I want to be righteous through faith in. Christ In Jesus name.

Message: The only way to be more righteous than the Pharisees was to move religion from the head to the heart. When our heart is changed by the grace of God we then, by the new nature living in us, live a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees.

Affirmation: Legalism does not make us righteous. Our righteousness comes through having our heart changed and being given a new Spirit.

Reflection: Do you understand how the righteousness of believers exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees? What is it that makes the difference between Pharisaical righteousness and the righteousness which comes by the grace of God?

0 Comments

<<Previous

Forward>>

Daily God Walk Devotional - Sermon On The Mount 2

Devotion for Today: Forgive Our Debts

Sermon On The Mount Volume Two - "Pray... Our Father in Heaven

Devotion for Today: Attitudes in Prayer

Daily God Walk - Sermon On The Mount Two: Doing Acts of Righteousness

Daily God Walk - Sermon On The Mount 1; Turn The Other Cheek

Daily God Walk - Sermon on the Mount: Disrespect is a form of Murder

Daily God Walk - Unresolved Anger is Deadly

Daily God Walk, Sermon on the Mount, "You Have Heard... But I Say..."

Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Rules Written On Our Heart

Were The Pharisees Really Righteous?

Get Free Devotionals

Archives

Author

Take A Knee In Prayer Challenge

Get information on this challenge that will change you life
JUST CLICK HERE

Devotion for Today: Forgive Our Debts

Get Free Devotionals

Archives

Author

Take A Knee In Prayer ChallengeGet information on this challenge that will change you life JUST CLICK HERE

Take A Knee In Prayer Challenge

Get information on this challenge that will change you life
JUST CLICK HERE