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Matthew 1:1-17

17 Dec

1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Ram.
4 Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
6 Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).
7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asa.
8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.
Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.
9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amon.
Amon was the father of Josiah.
11 Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
12 After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
14 Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud.
15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

17 All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

Matthew 1:1-17

Dear God, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary. The five women Matthew calls out as being part of Jesus’s lineage:

Tamar: Judah’s daughter-in-law who had to pretend to be a prostitute to get him to sleep with her and conceive a child because her husband had died and Judah wouldn’t follow through on his responsibility to have one of his sons marry her.

Rahab: I’m assuming this is the prostitute who hid the spies before Joshua led the Israelites against Jericho (although the lineage doesn’t quite fit with Boaz because of the gap in years, but there seem to be a lot of gaps in years here).

Ruth: The Moabite widow who followed her mother-in-law Naomi back to Bethlehem and ended up marrying Boaz. Frankly, the most obviously noble of the women so far, although that’s probably an unfair judgment of Tamar and Rahab.

Bathsheba: Should never have been part of this lineage if David hadn’t sinned so greatly, slept with her, killed her husband, and then married her. It’s interesting that the baby she got pregnant with died and so it was another baby (Solomon) who became part of the lineage when it was the baby Tamar had by tricking Judah who is part of the lineage.

Mary: Probably the youngest of the four. The most innocent. The virgin given an incredible assignment.

So what does this tell me this morning. The first thing I see is that none of these women had things turn out the way they dreamed. Tamar widowed and desperate. Rahab afraid of being killed by the Israelites and betraying her people. Ruth, widowed and having to leave her home. Mary, a dream of a normal life with Joseph. But look what you did with all of these lives. You redeemed mistakes. You loved. You provided. Most of it is so ugly, but that’s what you do. You take the ugly and turn it into something beautiful.

I heard about a young man yesterday morning who is walking a difficult path. He’s 18, still finishing his senior year in high school, but he’s been kicked out of the house by an alcoholic father. My wife and I reached out to the couple helping him to give them some support, but what he needs is so much more. Father, move in his story and redeem it. Redeem it and make the pain count for everyone he touches. For him. For his parents. For the family helping him. For those I cannot see.

Father, there are all kinds of stories that need redeemed. I have a story and pain that needs redeemed. Be with me and help me with this pain. Comfort me and everyone involved. Love others through me. Use this pain and make it count. Help me to lean into this pain and grow from it. Don’t let any of it be wasted. Use the scars from this pain and use them to make us all stronger.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 17, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 21:28-32

16 Dec

28 “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. 30 Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go.

31 “Which of the two obeyed his father?”

They replied, “The first.”

Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. 32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.

Matthew 21:28-32

Dear God, oh, how I hope I’m counted, from a character standpoint, with the tax collectors and prostitutes who repented. This reiterates to me that it’s not our actions as much as the states of our hearts that drives your compassion for us. For me. If my heart is humble before you and I’m just trying my best to serve you then you have some mercy for me. But if I just try to do it right and then condemn people who don’t live up to my standard then I’m falling so short.

Today, I am going to a funeral for a friend’s husband. Not a close friend, but a good woman who has actually had a tough go of it the last three years. And now she’s lost her best friend. And it was a long, hard death. Help me to know how to be your presence to her today. Help her friends to know how to be there for her. Give her a sense of your presence. Draw her closer to yourself.

Father, I want to be the son that’s not mentioned here. The son who accepts the assignment and then follows through. Is that possible? Does that son exist? I hope so, and I hope it is me. But I am sorry for what I have done and what I have failed to do. It was my fault. It is my fault. It will be my fault. So I ask that you forgive me and show me your path forward.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 21:23-27

15 Dec

23 When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

24 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 25 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. 26 But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” 27 So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.

Matthew 21:23-27

Dear God, I was asking yesterday about the purpose of John’s ministry as it relates to Jesus and wondering if he was more for the moment or for us now. I kind of concluded it was more for that moment than for us (although it’s impossible to know how much he actually does impact me), and this certainly affirms that his ministry was important in Jesus’s time.

I wonder what the answer to the question was. Did they each have a different answer? Did some believe he was from heaven? Did some, like Nicodemus, secretly repent and believe? Were they just blowing John off and trying not to anger the people by blowing him off privately?

The truth is, John’s authority was from heaven. And Jesus’s authority was from heaven. John was from you. Jesus was of you. He was you. I really don’t envy the Pharisees back then because I would probably have been skeptical too. I wouldn’t have readily trusted you. At best, I would have been like Nicodemus and secretly believed and followed you, but I know I wouldn’t have just openly followed you in the moment. It was too strange of a plan. I’d never have been able to get my mind around it.

Now, Father, I pray for this day. I have work to do. I have some work to do that is critical to helping our patients. I have some work to do that is important to others. I have some work to do that I don’t want to do. Help me to do it all well. Help me to be your servant and to work cheerfully in everything. Help me to get done what you need me to get done today. And I’ll confess that my performance, or lack thereof, with the man I saw in public while I was praying who was seemingly homeless, is still haunting me a bit. I’m sorry for my inaction. I’m sorry for my fear and my dread. Help me to do what you need me to do in those circumstances.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 15, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 11:2-11

14 Dec

11 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.

2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— 5 the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 6 And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. 9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    and he will prepare your way before you.’

11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!

Dear God, I guess I’ve never thought of this before, but what does the Jesus narrative look like without John the Baptist? Does John’s presence and prophetic work lend credibility to who Jesus is for the people back then. I think he’s a piece of the story now, but not a critical piece. I think it still reads okay and Jesus has the same legitimacy with or without John, but for people then, I think John certainly helped to give Jesus some credibility.

So what do I think John’s existence adds to the story? Initially, his presence in Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s lives put them in a position to be an encouragement to Mary when she went to them. Perhaps they were able to advocate for her to her parents.

Then John started stirring the pot with his provocative preaching, challenging everyone from peasants, to Pharisees, to kings. Everyone needed to be challenged, and challenged from a different perspective. Peasants needed to take worship of you seriously. Pharisees needed to look at the spirit of the law and not necessarily the letter–especially the laws they had added themselves. And kings needed to repent of their lust and quest for power.

Is it any different now? Us common folk need to worship you better, repent of our lethargy and how we’ve let sin into our lives, and move into discipleship. There are some pastors who need to look beyond the rules and get to the heart of what is keeping people from you. And kings/presidents/rulers need to repent of their lust and quest for power.

Father, I’ve been uncomfortable while I’ve been typing this because I decided to come to a public place this morning, and I saw a man who appeared to be homeless. I’d gladly have bought him food, but he had just eaten (empty food containers on his table). I thought about talking to him, but I’ve gotten involved with situations like that before, and I’m very aware of the limits an individual has when trying to help someone in that situation. So I remained silent and didn’t talk to him. Did I make the wrong decision. Did I justify selfishness or was I wise? Right now, I’m feeling more justification in my actions than wisdom. So I pray that you will forgive me if you were just here in front of me and I missed you. Even now, though, I’m still not sure what I would have said to him. What words? Maybe start with making eye contact and just saying hello. Yeah, maybe that’s what I should have done at just a basic human level. Yes, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, I am one of the peasants John called on to repent. Help me to be who you are calling me to be.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 14, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 17:1-13

13 Dec

17 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.

4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5 But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” 6 The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.

7 Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus.

9 As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

10 Then his disciples asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?”

11 Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” 13 Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptist.

Matthew 17:1-13

Dear God, the reading today focuses on verse 10-13, but I felt like they needed context so I went back and included the whole scene of the transfiguration. The disciples ask this question having just seen Elijah. Let me say that again in a more appropriate way: “THEY HAD JUST SEEN ELIJAH AND MOSES!” That must have been just surreal. Amazing.

The other interesting part is they seemed to miss the third sentence of verse 12. The part about Jesus being abused like John the Baptist was. They were so focused on the Elijah/John the Baptist part they overlooked those words until they remembered them later.

What is it about us that conveniently looks past things we don’t want to hear or think about and focus on the sensational instead. Or focus on the things that fit into our own narrative of how things should be? In that case, the disciples were focused on the wonder having just seen Elijah and Moses and then the glory of what must be to come next. They weren’t thinking about the negative. The parts they didn’t want to know.

Of course, we do the same thing. The dangerous part about us doing it now is that the computers we hold in our hands continuously throughout the day are designed to only give us what we want to see or know. And we can read over or ignore what we don’t want to see as well. This is taking this negative part of the human sinful nature that is evident even in the disciples in this story and putting it on steroids. It’s cancerous for our society and for us as individuals.

Father, I don’t know how to break out of this unhealthy pattern for myself, but I know I need to fight against it. I need to see what you want me to see. I’m about to go and deliver toys for Toys for Tots. Be with me as I do this. Give me eyes to see. Give me ears to hear. Give me a mind to see and hear these things with your heart and then the courage and insight to act in the appropriate way. Be glorified, sweet Jesus. Be glorified in me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 13, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 11:11-15

11 Dec

11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! 12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. 13 For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. 15 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

Matthew 11:11-15

Dear God, I think my mind will be absolutely blown when I see the reality on the other side of the veil between this life and the life to come. The first thing I suspect is that we all feel so important in your hierarchy of creation, but verse 11 is a reminder that we are so small and part of something that is so vast and incredible. Beyond our faintest imagination.

This passage makes me think of the Matthew West song “You Are Everything.”

The chorus: 

You are everything that I live for
Everything that I can't believe is happening
You're standing right in front of me
With arms wide open all I know is 
Every day is filled with hope

'Cause you are everything that I breathe for
And I can't help but breathe you in and breathe again
Feeling all this life within 
Every single beat of my heart
You are everything

That’s my worship this morning. You are everything. I am so small. It’s amazing how self-important I get, but I am so small. Father, I submit myself to you today. I get the opportunity in the midst of my busyness to visit another ministry today to learn from them. Help me to learn what you want me to learn. Help me to know what you might be calling me to to meet the needs around me. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, serenity to accept, courage to change, and wisdom to discern.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 11, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 18:12-14

09 Dec

12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.

Matthew 18:12-14

Dear God, it’s important to remember the context of this statement by Jesus. He was answering the question about who is the greatest in the kingdom. He starts by talking about the value of children. Then he goes into talking about not causing someone else to sin. Then in tells this story of the one sheep and the 99. So the answer to the question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” is that we are all precious–even that 100th one that wanders away. That lost one must be found. That child is precious. We are precious. I am precious. But when I look at other Christians and what they are doing, there should be no enmity between them and myself. I should not be jealous of another Christian who is living a more obviously “victorious” or “impactful” life than I am (and I confess that sometimes I do get jealous in this way. No, I should delight with you in them. I should ask if there is a way I can support them. I should pray for them that they not be led into temptation and delivered from evil.

Father, help me as I go into this day today. I have some work to do. I have some people to love. Help me to love. Help me to work fast and efficiently. Help me to worship you in everything.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 9, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 9:35-10:8

06 Dec

35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. 2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles:

first, Simon (also called Peter),
then Andrew (Peter’s brother),
James (son of Zebedee),
John (James’s brother),
3 Philip,
Bartholomew,
Thomas,
Matthew (the tax collector),
James (son of Alphaeus),
Thaddaeus,
4 Simon (the zealot),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Dear God, I never put this together before, but this story of healing a bunch of people and then sending the disciples out comes right on the heels of Matthew 9:30, when Jesus tells the two blind men he healed not to tell anyone. What changed between 9:30 and 9:35? I don’t know that I can come up with an answer for that question, but it’s an interesting one to consider.

And then he empowers the disciples to go out and do the same thing. Go heal. Go preach. Go and make yourself conspicuous for me. This is not a quiet display of power he’s wanting to have them exhibit. He wants them to put themselves out there–even to the point where they will be arrested an beaten (Matthew 10:17). Jesus’s time here and his strategy for using his three “ministry years” to accomplish the things he accomplished is sometimes confounding to me. But like most things about you that confound me (e.g., why you built our scriptures the way you did, why you had to use Jesus life as a sacrifice of us like you did, etc.), I really can’t think of a better alternative. I have no opinions on what I think you should have done.

I guess the other interesting thing about this story is that you wanted to focus on the Israelites first. No Samaritans for this trip. No Gentiles. You wanted to reveal the Kingdom’s nearness to your people first. The Samaritans and Gentiles would come later. I guess that’s the way the plan needed to go as well, and it was the best way to do it in the long run.

Father, I have a job to do today. I’ve been given a fascinating task, and, frankly, it feels above me and over my head. I feel overwhelmed by it. Help me to lean into you today. Help me to hear your voice in the midst of the noise. If there is something you want to do in the world through me today, let it be so. Let it be so, oh, my Father. Oh, my Jesus. Oh, my Holy Spirit. Use me today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 6, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 9:27-31

05 Dec

27 After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” 30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” 31 But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.

Matthew 9:27-31

Dear God, I normally read the story of Jairus’s daughter out of Mark 5 and not Matthew 9. Mark kind of skips over this story of the two blind men after Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead, but Matthew gives it to us. So this is part of a string of pretty incredible healings. In Matthew 9, he healed a paralyzed man, the woman who was “bleeding,” Jairus’s daughter, these two blind men, and then after this he casts out a demon. Yes, the fame of Jesus was growing a lot.

Here’s the part that always hard for me: “Do you believe?” Do I believe? I have so much love for you and yet so little faith. If I had more faith, well, I don’t know what my life would be like or how it would change me. Would I be more focused on intercessory prayer if I had more faith? I kind of believe in amazing healings–I’ve seen them–but if I really believed, would I pray that much more? My prayers tend to be more about changing my heart and the hearts of others than they are about praying over physical maladies. I even pray more for provision for needs than I pray for healings.

I have a friend who I talk to every Friday morning, and this morning we were talking about health insurance, healthcare, and faith in healing. He doesn’t have health insurance and is of the mind that if sickness comes then sickness comes. That’s a little too fringe for me. But I get it. I think it’s also easy to say about yourself, but when it comes to your wife or children, is that really the level of faith I’m prepared to live at? Luke was a doctor (although I have no idea what made someone a doctor as opposed to anyone else 2,000 years ago). How did he feel about it? I do know in the story of the woman bleeding, he took a more sympathetic tone towards doctors of the time.

Father, the only thing I really know to pray in this moment is for you to increase my faith, but I am terrified at the thought of what kind of trial would come my way that would grow my faith. But I will pray this. Give me whatever you need me to have so that I will continue to grow into the man you want me to be. Be glorified. Be worshipped. Be loved. Help me to be your ambassador in every situation I find myself in today. Help me to decrease so that you might increase in my life.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 5, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 7:21-27

04 Dec

21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Matthew 7:21-27

Dear God, I was just talking to my wife about how overwhelmed I am right now. Part of it is seasonal with work, but there are about three or four layers that are put on top of the seasonal things that are making me feel under pressure. Even saying these words to you feels a little foolish and helps me to start to put things into perspective a little. To start, my problems are first-world problems. No one is persecuting me. I have food and shelter. I have much more than just food and shelter. I have a good woman as my wife. No, in the grand scheme of things, I’m doing just fine. It’s in the minutia that I’m feeling the pressure, I suppose.

My wife talked about me turning each thing over to you, which is how I got here from this passage from the end of the Sermon on the Mount today. It’s interesting that Jesus ended the sermon this way. Basically saying, “I just gave you a lot of stuff. If you do it, you’ll be good to go. But if you try to do all the stuff you grew up hearing you should do to show you’re tight with me (casting out demons, prophesying, etc.) and ignore what I just said about holding yourself to a higher ethical standard and loving God and your neighbors then, well, we won’t know each other.”

Father, I want to know you. I want to know you through holding myself to the spirit of the law that goes beyond the letter of the law (“You have heard it said…, but I say…”). I want to lead with love. I want to lead with compassion for others. That might include hard words for people that they don’t want to hear but are for their own good. And maybe you have hard words for me that I don’t want to hear but are for my own good. Whatever it is today, Father, one step at a time, help me to be exactly who you need me to be for your glory’s sake. Help me to decrease as you increase. I don’t care if anyone sees me. I only want them to see you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 4, 2025 in Matthew

 

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