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Category Archives: Matthew

Matthew 21:1-11

29 Mar

21 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem,
    ‘Look, your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey—
    riding on a donkey’s colt.’”

6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.

8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God for the Son of David!
    Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
    Praise God in highest heaven!”

10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

Dear God, first, I want to look at a map I found this morning of Bethpage and the Mount of Olives as they relate to Jerusalem, the Temple, the Garden of Gethsemane, etc.

First, it’s easy for me to forget just how big the Temple was. When comparing it with the scale on the bottom right, it was obviously the dominant presence in the city.

Next, I’m reminded of how many times I misunderstand what you are doing. The people knew Jesus was your son. They knew he was special. They knew he was the Messiah. They knew this was a special moment. But that’s where their knowledge ended, although they didn’t know that. They were thinking this was a watershed moment for Israel and their lives under Roman rule. They thought their king was their to free them. But that’s not what was happening. You were on your way to die. You were on your way to sacrifice and give them and all of the world something much more than an earthly victory. If Jesus had taken their path, he might have won the battle that day, but he’d have lost the war. As it turned out, the battle that week might have been lost, but he set the stage for us to win the war for all of eternity.

Father, as I go through this week, help me to be mindful of how I might be wrong like the people were that week. How I might see your signs, but I misinterpret them as being something they are not. Maybe it’s something in international or national news. Maybe it’s a local deal. Maybe it’s a relationship or something at work. Whatever it might be, give me insight into understanding how I might be wrong.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 29, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 5:17-19

11 Mar

17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 5:17-19

Dear God, I’m going to be doing a talk next week at a Lutheran Lenten service, and as I read this passage this morning my thought is that I don’t want to teach anything that will get me “least in the Kingdom of Heaven” status. And that can be the hard part sometimes. I’m so ignorant. We all are. Is there anyone, all the way up to Tim Mackie (one of the better Bible scholars I’ve heard) who is not teaching some foolishness at some level? I know there’s an interview today on this one podcast I listen to about women teaching in the church. This guy just wrote a book about it. I’m not sure of his conclusions, but I can’t help but wonder if he truly didn’t know and set out to find the answer, or did he set out with an answer in his mind and then find the sources to support his conclusion.

I can go back and look at old prayers I typed to you years ago and find that I disagree now with what I wrote then. Some of it was out of biblical ignorance the first time I wrote it. Some was out of naivete. Some was just a result of bad teaching I received. And maybe some of it I was actually right about back then and I’m wrong now. If anyone besides you even reads what I’m writing today, I hope they see it purely from the standpoint of someone who is trying to simply spend time with you and allow my life to be molded by you and not to get any sort of “truth” out of it because everything I write is probably riddled with errors.

Father, I will have a chance to influence people today. Help me to do it well. I will have a chance to be influenced by others. Help me to be shrewd and discerning about the opinions I allow into my head. Protect me from hate. Protect me from bitterness. Protect me from selfishness. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 11, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 18:21-35

10 Mar

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Matthew 18:21-35

Dear God, it’s been several hours since I first read these verses and now I’m coming back to really try to dig in on them. I’ve kind of percolated on them all day. How much am I really aware of how much you’ve done for me? And I’m not talking just about forgiveness for my sins, which is tremendous. I’m also talking about all the blessings in my life I take for granted.

  • I was telling a friend at lunch today that I completely take my wife’s and my health for granted. It would only take one health event to rock our world.
  • My wife and I both have stable employment and income. I know I take that for granted.
  • You greatly provide for the nonprofit where I work, and no matter how much I try to give you credit and glory for it, I know that I still don’t do it enough.
  • I live in this totally unique country in the history of the world where we can be at war and there is zero impact on my life outside of a relative being deployed and my gasoline being more expensive. My life is shockingly soft. Honestly, I don’t even know if that’s a good or bad thing.

Father, I think what all of this really means is I need to remember that to whom much is given much is expected (Luke 12:48). That means I not only need to be generous with my forgiveness, but also my resources and my time. That starts with being generous in all of that with my wife and then going from there. Show me the way, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.

I pray this in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 10, 2026 in Matthew

 

Matthew 6:1-4

05 Mar

6 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4

Dear God, I think I try to do this when I can, but I’m in the awkward position today of being honored at a community banquet tonight for some of the work I do in the community. I think there are plenty of ways I serve and give that others don’t see, but sometimes I am working alongside others and so the deed is seen publicly. And I’m honored by this award. I really am. I’m humbled. I got tears in my eyes when they told me about it. What were those tears about? What were the emotions I was feeling?

As I sit here and pray before you now and examine my own heart, I think that the community recognizes that I love it is important to me. I love being here. I love serving here. I love loving people here. And I hope it’s all a reflection of my love for and worship of you. I hope when they see me they see you because it’s getting closer to you that brings me more and more out of my comfort zone and caring about others.

The other thing that has sat with me over the last few weeks as I’ve thought about receiving this recognition is how much I don’t do. I have friends who visit prisons and jails. I don’t do that. I have friends who went over to Kerrville after the floods to recover flood victims. I didn’t do that. I have staff that help operate a monthly food truck that distributes free food to the community. I only help them once or twice a year. And I know I can’t do everything, but there are times when I wonder if I don’t still have some guardrails around myself that I’m not willing to hear your voice and hear your call.

Father, you and I both know I’m not anything special except that I’m special in your eyes. You love me as much as you love people who are dying every day in war zones around the world. I have worth because I’m yours and really for no other reason than that. I have worth in that my earthly life might be useful in your desire to reach others and show them support and love. That starts with my family but then goes out to my neighbors. Help me to love you well. Help me to love others well. And then help me to point it all to you. That you might increase as I decrease. For your glory and so that others might know you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 5, 2026 in Matthew

 

Desperation

03 Mar

36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

Matthew 26:36-46

Dear God, I don’t know that I’ll ever have to pray to you at this level of desperation, hoping that you’ll change your mind on something like this, but when I think of praying in desperation, this is the prayer in the Bible that comes to mind. Jesus, in the Garden, and hoping there might be a suitable Plan B.

But sometimes there simply isn’t a Plan B, and Plan A will cost me more than I want to pay. Or maybe it’s that life is just working out the way life is going to work out, and relieving me some sort of suffering will interrupt other plans. So I come to you in prayer, waiting for an answer, but one doesn’t come.

I’ve had one thing that’s caused me great pain for well over 10 years, and I pray about it almost every day, but, so far, I can’t see your answer. You might be actively answering it in ways that I cannot see. I’m trusting that you are. But still I continue to pray. But I can only imagine what my prayers would be like if I were to need to pray for my wife’s health or something like that. If her or my children’s lives were threatened, I cannot imagine what my prayers would look like.

Father, I like the fact that Jesus gave us an example of what a desperate prayer looking out for our own self-interests looks like. He told you what he hoped for and wanted, but he also submitted to you and what you needed from him. He didn’t want to do it, and that, frankly, makes the sacrifice mean that much more. If I knew that he just breezed through it and got the indication that he didn’t really suffer like an ordinary man would have then it would change how I see this whole story. But one things Jesus’s fear and reluctance shows me is that the sacrifice was real. The love for me was real. It legitimately cost him something he didn’t want to have to give, but he did it anyway. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Holy Spirit.

I pray this in the name on Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 3, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 5:8

19 Feb

8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8

Dear God, I was listening to the Slow Theology podcast yesterday, and I was really struck by their discussion of this beatitude. Blessed are the pure in heart. What does it mean to be pure in heart? Does it mean to be sinless or does it mean to humble, repentant, and guileless? It’s the latter, but so many times, in the church, we act like it’s the former. We have an intolerance for sin in each other while we hide our own sin. My favorite quote from the episode was, “The pure in heart should be known more for their God-attentiveness than their sin-avoidance.” If I draw near to you then you will draw near to me.

I was at an Ash Wednesday service last night, and, for the first time, I got ashes on my forehead. I’m 55 and I’d never done that before. I can’t remember if it was before or after (I think it was after) the ashes I was having a real moment with you before communion. Your sacrifice, Jesus, of being beaten and bleeding–suffering–and then being killed for me really hit me. I had tears in my eyes. I could only whisper the Lord’s Prayer. You did that so I could draw near to you. You took care of the sin. You just wanted me. During the repentance part of the service, I examined my heart and did my best to repent. I know I missed things. How could I not? But you know the guilelessness of my heart.

Father, the more I see you, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit by drawing near through humility, repentance, and transparency of soul, the more I will know you. I feel like I get to know you more each day. Help me to know you better today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Lent – Matthew 4:1-11

17 Feb

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God
    and serve only him.’”

11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Dear God, two things occurred to me while I read these verses this morning. And they aren’t necessarily new thoughts. I’ve heard others mention them before. But I think they are worth pondering this morning.

First, the Spirit, your Holy Spirit, led Jesus into temptation. Had he been keeping temptation from Jesus for the first 30 years? Was this a new experience for Jesus? Or was it just a time of more intense temptation. No pressure, no diamonds. Did Jesus need this 40 days of fasting, praying, and listening to you/learning from you before he started his public ministry? Am I missing anything by not fasting more often and for longer periods? Do I need to pay more attention to fasting in my life? I do it selectively and for not huge periods of time. Almost always a day. Never more than three days.

Second, there was a chance Satan could have ripped part of you from yourself. If there weren’t a chance, then there wouldn’t have been temptation. But the chance was real. The temptation must have been real. Meet your personal physical need. Meet your ego need. Meet your power need. Those must have been real temptations.

Father, as I get ready to go through Lent, select something to give up, and figure out how I should be meditating and praying through this time, please guide and direct me. Give me a sense of what it is in me that you want to purge. That you know needs purging, and only the sharp claws of Aslan can rip it away (see Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Eustace). Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that you’re my God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 17, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 4:12-13

25 Jan

12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Matthew 4:12-13

Dear God, I wonder what Jesus would have done had John not been arrested. Would he have stayed closer to John. Would they have worked together? Did you get John out of his way? Hmmm.

So Jesus went back to Nazareth, but we learn from Mark that Nazareth didn’t go well. Too much family and familiarity. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know what those people in Nazareth knew about him? The Bible Project Podcast is doing a series on the Book of Jude. Jude was one of Jesus’s brothers. The first episode in the series did a deep dive about what different scholars think “brothers” meant. Some think it means sons of both Mary and Joseph, some that they were children from a previous marriage for Joseph, and some think they were cousins. Point being, there were people, one way or another, who knew Jesus as a five-year-old. Ten-year-old. Twenty-year-old. We don’t get those pictures. They knew something we don’t know.

So he left Judea and got funneled to Capernaum. That’s where he meets Peter and the boys. Destiny? Chance? Part of your plan? I would imagine there were no accidents. I wonder how much Jesus knew about all of this in advance and how much he figured out as it unfolded.

Father, I obviously know about very little in advance. I can’t even know what will happen in the next second. All I really have is this moment, and that’s okay with me. If you have a destiny, if you have a plan for me, please make the path so obvious or so capable of withstanding my stupidity and ignorance that it will unfold just as you have prescribed it. Predestination? I don’t know. But I know you want to use me in some way. Here I am. Send me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 25, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 4:12-25

05 Jan

12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
    beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
    in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
16 the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
    a light has shined.”

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.

Matthew 4:12-25

Dear God, I want to focus on verse 17 this morning: 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” It was a pretty simple message. And we’ll see more of it right after this in the next chapter when Matthew gives us Jesus’s stump speech. So we know this wasn’t all he said, but this was the main message Matthew shared with us: “Repent of your sins and turn to God.”

Does that need to be my message for people today? Before I go there, is this your message for me today? “John, repent of your sins and turn to God.” I think my conscience is clear before you, but I haven’t really examined it. I need to do that. Where am I failing you and myself right now? Where do I need to repent. Search my heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I have some friends who I know are struggling, and I would love to see them walk through the narrow gate. I just know they would be so much happier than they currently are. And I get it. The narrow gate is narrow for a reason. It takes self-discipline. It takes intentionality. It takes resolve and determination. It takes humility, submission, and perseverance.

Father, help me to first, live up to the task of walking through the narrow gate today, and then help me to guide others into the gate so that they might repent and turn to you. You love us. You want us. You are for us. Help us to build our lives so that they are yours wholly and completely.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 5, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 2:1-12

04 Jan

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Matthew 2:1-12

Dear God, it’s always interesting when we meet these characters in stories and then we don’t hear from them again. In this case, we get these guys from the East, and they were following some sort of sign. I don’t think we are ever told the source of their knowledge for the sign, but here they are, and they are right. Now, they are a little clumsy about it. They just kind of brazenly go in making it a public thing when you had kind of gone out of your way to make it more low-key, and their clumsiness tipped off Herod which caused problems of tragic proportions, but they were just earnestly looking for this child. Why they wanted to worship him, I don’t know. In fact, I checked different translations, and they all use the word “worship.”

So they found him. The worshipped him. The gave him/Mary gifts. And then they left. It’s important to note here that you spoke to them and warned them to go home a different way. You knew they were there, and they were worthy of your attention and care. Of course, you were also protecting Jesus, Mary, and Joseph by keeping them away from Herod as well, but still, this is just another example of how you loved Gentiles, spoke to Gentiles, and let Gentiles know about your plans. Jesus was for them too.

Father, I’m a Gentile sitting here grateful to be your servant. Worshipping you, Three in One. My Father. My Jesus. My Holy Spirit. As Christmas comes to a close, I thank you and commit to walking with you this year. Beyond Christmas. You are my God. I am your grateful child. Part of your creation. You have my worship. Show me how to love you and how to love others.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 4, 2026 in Matthew

 

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