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Category Archives: Matthew

Matthew 6:31-34

27 Sep

Matthew 6:31-34 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. 

Dear God, a couple of weeks ago I did a post about anxiety that I shared on Facebook. It really seemed to strike a nerve. It got a lot of “Shares.” My take away is that anxiety is very prevalent in our society. 

So what makes me anxious? I’m worried about work. Mainly funding, but also staff relationships and operational procedures and strategies. 

Then there is family. Some are going through season-of-life changes, some are divorcing, some are mourning the loss of spouses/parents, some are sick. 

Of course, I worry about my children. They are both living away from home and I think about them and how they are doing constantly. 

To some extent, I worry about our government leadership, although I have to confess that I am getting numb to the craziness in Washington and Austin. I’ve noticed friends of mine on both sides of the political spectrum getting REALLY upset by things that are happening. It seems like it is Midnight in America. That worries me a little. 

So what am I supposed to do about all of this? I’m supposed to daily, moment-by-moment, seek your Kingdom and choose to live righteously, and then you will give me what you think I need. Even if what I need is struggle–because sometimes I need a struggle so that I can remember to seek first your Kingdom–then that what I’ll get. 

Father, I don’t want to minimize the struggle that some face. I acknowledge that, compared to some, I don’t know what suffering is. I’m thinking of slaves and people being trafficked. I’m thinking of people in Africa who are victims of wars and warlords. Please free them. That is their need. Please show all of us who believe in you the role you have for us to play in their lives. We are your plan A. 

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen 

 
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Posted by on September 27, 2017 in Matthew

 

Matthew 7:7-8

24 Aug

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Dear God, there’s a call to action here that you require. I’ve always known that, I guess, but still, I have responsibilities if I am going to live in your victory. If I am going to live within your peace. 

I have to ask. If I am going to realize that you are the giver of my good gifts, then I have to first bring my needs to you. I have to treat you like you are my God and not just some guiding philosophy by which I try to live my life. 

I have to seek. I have to actively look for your truth and your knowledge. I don’t know everything. I need to learn from reliable sources and people who are also seekers. 

I have to knock. If I’m not trying then nothing will happen. If my life is not moving then you can’t steer it. If I knock on something and you don’t open the door (and I don’t force it open) then I can eliminate it as an option. If I knock in your Spirit and it opens then I can know it is of you. But if I just sit and think great thoughts with no action then I will never accomplish what you have for me. 

Father, help me to ask, seek, and knock today. I have a couple of life situations that are dilemmas for me. I am seeking your wisdom. I am asking for your help. And I am knocking to see which door opens. Please guide me through the path you have laid out for me. 

In Jesus’ name I pray,  

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 24, 2017 in Matthew

 

Emails to God – Too Much Vulnerability? (Matthew 6:5-8)

23 Aug

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Dear God, I think one of the areas where I get myself into difficulty is that I don’t like to put a gloss on how things are going. When people ask me how things are going at work, I never want to just give a nice, “Oh, just great,” unless things are going great. Same thing for my personal life. My experience is that people get more out of my vulnerability and confessions of weakness as opposed to me trying to make everything look perfect.

So why does that get me into difficulty? Well, there are times when I think I might make things sound worse than they really are. There are also times when the people around me are expecting me to lead them through a difficult time and they need me to display confidence and a positive attitude. I know there have been times when I shared too much of my fears with my children—such as when I was unemployed back in 2003 and 2005. They needed to feel a little more security through those times than I gave them. In an effort to be vulnerable and transparent, I think I shared too much.

How does that fit with this passage? Because the way I can justify praying to you through this blog and sharing it with the readers even though this verse discourages it is because I am not trying to impress anyone with what a grand prayer or Christian I am. I try to mention my faults in here. I try to mention my fears and vulnerabilities. But then I think people sometimes read it and start to get worried about me. I had a friend one time stop and ask me if I was okay. I said, “Yes. I’m really doing well. It is actually very therapeutic to journal prayers this way.” I then said, “You should try it some time. You’d be surprised by what comes out.”

Father, I don’t want to be a babbling pagan. I just want to have a life that is open to you in prayer. I want to find time in my day to stop and listen to your still small voice. I want you to use this blog to let others know that they are not alone. There is a fellow sojourner who struggles, questions, cries out, overcomes, and lives in victory with you. I want people to see something in Scripture that they might not have seen before. And I want others to have a look inside me and see beneath any veneer that I might intentionally or unintentionally put up around me. Be glorified through me in this process. Help me to decrease as you increase.

 
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Posted by on August 23, 2012 in Matthew, My Utmost for His Highest Scripture of the Day

 

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Emails to God – Exercise and Prayer (Matthew 5:3)

21 Aug

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Dear God, it is so difficult to understand why I cannot be more attuned to your Spirit when things are going well. Why do I too often need to suffer first before I cry out to you? I was driving to work this morning and feeling pretty good. My marriage seems to be moving in the right direction. Kids are doing okay. Work is moving ahead and seems to be going in the right direction. So I was driving along and listening to some of my favorite secular singers on my Pandora app through my phone. About halfway to work, however, I thought, why am I listening to this? Why aren’t I filling myself with Christian music and thoughts right now? So I switched Pandora over the “Rich Mullins Radio” and listened to Christian music for the last five minutes of my drive (I’m blessed to only live less than 10 minutes from work).

Now, I’m sitting here disciplining myself to spend a little bit of time in prayer. It would be the easiest thing in the world to skip today. A little like skipping my exercise last night. I know I need it. I know I need you. I know it will be good for me. I know time with you is good for me. I know it will make me healthier. I know time with you will heal my soul. I know I’ll feel better when it’s over. I know I’ll feel better after I’ve touched you. Yes, there are a lot of similarities between the discipline of regular exercise and the discipline of regular, thoughtful prayer. If I go out and exercise once a week then I won’t feel much difference, but a month of exercising will bring about a change in me. It’s the same thing with prayer. One prayer a week won’t really have much impact on my life, but a month of praying regularly will.

Father, thank you for bringing me here today. I am sorry that I often need to be poor in spirit before I end up on my knees before you. I am sorry that I still try to take control of my surroundings and the events in my life so often. But here, in this moment, I bring my life to you, I lay it at your feet, and I ask that you will please do with it and me as you will. Love through me. Parent through me. Husband through me. Lead through me. And serve through me.

 
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Posted by on August 21, 2012 in Matthew, My Utmost for His Highest Scripture of the Day

 

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Emails to God – Matthew’s Wrap-Up (Matthew 28:16-20)

25 May

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Dear God, this ending seems so abrupt, especially considering some of the details we get in the other Gospels. Was Matthew just trying to get this story wrapped up? Also, it is interesting that in verse 17 it says that “some doubted.” What did they doubt? What did they see while they were there? For such a long book that gives us such great details (including all of the genealogy stuff at the beginning) it seems that this ending just doesn’t make sense.

Of course, the big thing that all evangelicals quote from this is verse 19. It’s an important thing for all of us to remember that we are to be about making disciples of Jesus. For all that Matthew lacks in his wrap up, he and Mark are the only ones who talk about the disciples being charged with preaching the Gospel. In fact, it is interesting to go and look at each Gospel to see how they end. Each one is certainly unique.

Father, help me to be a person who is about, above all else, making disciples. I feel like I fail often in that way. In fact, now that I think about it, I had an opportunity yesterday with a friend that I missed. He is suffering a bit, and we had lunch together. Hmm. Somehow, I didn’t even think to bring you up. How awful is that? Please forgive me and make me more sensitive to the still, small voice that you are speaking to me at any given time.

 
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Posted by on May 25, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Hard Hearts (Matthew 28:11-15)

24 May

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Dear God, the idea of one person’s word against the other is interesting here. Assuming that verses 12 and 13 are true (and I do), then at what point did the chief priests not stop in their tracks and ask, “Oh my. Did we kill the Messiah?”

I think a hard heart is one of the hardest things to avoid for any human. We get so wrapped up in our agenda and in self-preservation that we can miss the basic facts. I can see instances in my work where I continually have to remind myself to step back and look at the facts rather than try to make the facts fit my own agenda (like the chief priests did here).

I am a Rotarian, and every week we recite the “Four-Way Test”:

  1. Is it the truth?
  2. Is it fair to all concerned?
  3. Will it bring good will and better friendships?
  4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Father, there is a particular conflict in my life right now, and I end up asking these questions of myself a lot as I go through this process. I don’t want to lose sight of truth in the midst of the struggle. I don’t want to be so bent on my own agenda that I can’t live within the confines of these four questions. So far, I am at peace that I’ve been able to do this. I pray that you will help me and all who are involved in this struggle with me to be able to do the same.

 
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Posted by on May 24, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10)

22 May

1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Dear God, there are different tellings of this story in the Gospels, and it is interesting to see the different details that each write shares. Matthew seems to be more nuts and bolts about the story. Perhaps it’s the accountant in him. He doesn’t tell us the story about Jesus appearing as a gardener. He doesn’t tell us about Peter and John running to the tomb to check it out for themselves. But I just looked at the other four stories and I think this is the only one that mentions the earthquake.

In times like this I always try to take the story’s details and try to figure out what the author’s message to me is. What is it that Matthew wants me to take away from this? In this case, I think he wants me to know that:

  1. It was the women who were out working to ensure Jesus was buried correctly. In fact, the disciples didn’t do anything to take care of Jesus’ body after the crucifixion (that was left to a couple of Jewish church leaders) and they were apparently not going to do anything to ensure his body was buried correctly (perhaps this was considered “women’s work” at that time, but it’s still interesting).
  2. The women felt God move supernaturally. They felt the earthquake. They saw the angel. They saw the stone had been moved. They saw the guards “like dead men.”
  3. The angel told them that Jesus was alive, “just as he said,” he was going to Galilee, and that they needed to tell the disciples to meet him there.
  4. The women actually saw Jesus himself, and He also told them to tell the disciples about meeting Him in Galilee.

Father, I guess my overall take away from this story is that this wasn’t a vague, mysterious resurrection. You demonstrated your power. You communicated with the women who were trying to care for Jesus. You reminded them that this had all been predicted before. Then Jesus actually appeared to them. There was no room left for interpretation. Thank you for this story. Thank you for the resurrection. There is a gentleness about this story that is sweet. It seems to be about reassurance (to the women) and forgiveness (of the disciples). There is no vengeance here for the terrible death of Jesus. There is only a continued execution of the plan. How great is that?

 
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Posted by on May 22, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – Overwhelming Situations (Matthew 27:62-66)

21 May

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Dear God, I have two things here. First, the Pharisees seem to remember Jesus’ words about rising from the dead better than the disciples. Perhaps the disciples were just distraught out of grief and just couldn’t must the faith. It’s not like the Pharisees had faith. They just didn’t want the disciples to deceive people.

Second, I notice here that Pilate was willing to play along with the Pharisees and indulge them. Perhaps he was afraid of Jesus’ disciples deceiving people. Or maybe he just wanted to get rid of the Pharisees and giving them a couple of guards and a seal was a small price to pay for that.

I guess there’s a third thing I am noticing now that I think about it. I’m not sure if this is right, but the Pharisees were doing all of this on the Sabbath. That sure seems like a lot of work and effort for them to be doing on the Sabbath.

This must have been an overwhelming and confusing time for all of them, including the disciples. Events were happening so fast and they were trying to do as much damage control as possible. I’m sure it was something that everyone involved was only able to sort out after it was all over and they could look back on it.

Father, I have things going on in my life that are confusing to me. From things and situations at work to things and situations at home. My first inclination is to ask you to help me figure all of these things out, but my real request is that you will help me to respond to each thing that comes in front of me today with your power. Help me to hear your still small voice at each moment. Help me to “see the whole board” as much as possible. Even when I don’t realize you are doing it, guide me in each decision I make and save me from bad decisions that might negatively impact me later in life.

 
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Posted by on May 21, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – My Favorite Bible Story (Matthew 27:57-61)

17 May

57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Dear God, I think it is interesting that Matthew doesn’t tell us a little detail that John tells us: that Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to Jesus and asked about being born again, was there too, helping Joseph care for Jesus’ body. Mark tells us that Joseph was “prominent member of the council.” So I have to say that this is my favorite Bible story, and Joseph and Nicodemus are two of my favorite Bible characters. Why? Because they showed their face in the midst of despair and defeat. They showed a love for Jesus that went beyond his divinity and what they owed him as their God. And they did it at their own peril and risk of their own reputation.

I wonder how this story made Matthew, John, and the rest of the apostles feel when they heard it later. I wonder if they castigated themselves for not being there to do this. I wonder if they ever went out of their way to thank Joseph and Nicodemus for what they did. I wonder how Joseph and Nicodemus were treated by the church leaders after this.

Father, these men truly offered their reputations and careers up for you. I hope that, if it came down to it, I would be willing to do the same.

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2012 in Matthew

 

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Emails to God – The Most Important Moment in History (Matthew 27:45-56)

15 May

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Dear God, there is a lot in this passage. I wonder why they brought up Elijah in verses 47& 49. What did he have to do with this? Was there a prophecy about Elijah saving someone.

There’s so much here, I almost feel like I need to bullet-point everything that happened:

  • Jesus felt abandoned by you.
  • Someone offered him a drink (though I’m not sure whether that was merciful or cruel since it was wine vinegar).
  • There are the comments about Elijah and watching what happens next.
  • Jesus gave up his spirit and died.
  • The curtain of the temple split.
  • There was an earthquake.
  • Tombs opened and some of the deceased resurrected at the time and appeared to people after the resurrection (it’s unclear if they stuck around).
  • The women watched.

I think the importance of this passage is simple—it is simply the most critical moment in the history of the earth. You abandoned your son for my sake, and in that moment there was separation in the Trinity. You let a piece of yourself die for me.

Father, I’ve never really thought about the fact that, since you, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one, a piece of you died that day. I’ve always separated it in my head somehow. But you did more than give up your son. You gave up yourself. Greater love has no one than this… I know that I take this for granted. I try not to, but I do. Perhaps that is my greatest sin of all.

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2012 in Matthew

 

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