Author: Danny Panter

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:7-11 (day six)

At the time, many likely viewed God as indifferent to their life and needs, or worse, that he was only interested in keeping track of their misdeeds. Jesus’ words were intended to be paradigm-shifting: much like a father, God cares and is fully invested in your life.

I imagine his listeners had far more questions about that than whether or not we will get everything we ask for.

Jesus was not introducing a formula for getting what we want out of God; he was describing the kind of relationship we can have with God.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:1-6, 12(day six)

They will hammer their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks. Isaiah 2:4

Judgemental words are the weapons of war; they destroy. But we weren’t made to use them. We were created, in God’s image, to speak life and light, to advocate for each other’s flourishing.

By God’s grace and work of his Spirit, may he turn our weapons of war (judgment of others) into gardening tools.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:25-34 (day six)

“My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Jesus, Luke 1o:41-42

Sometimes, we worry so much about the “details” that we miss who is right in front of us. I think that is one of the things Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount.

Seek first the kingdom of God…

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:19-24(day six)

We learned last week that what we believe about God shapes how we pray.  This week, we learned that our beliefs about God also shape our desires. If God is not the supplier of our need,  then we become enslaved to fear and greed, and setting our sights on the wrong thing, we desire money and possessions more than heavenly treasure (see the Beatitudes).

This MAY result in a false sense of financial security, but it never results in financial freedom. Your joy and contentment are tied to the dollar. Your self-worth rises and falls depending on your ability to keep up with the Jones. That’s not freedom; that’s slavery to fear.

Jesus says, “The truth will set you free.” So, fully trust in God’s provision, whether a lot or a little, and when that happens, fear will be replaced with thanksgiving, and greed will be replaced with generosity. Now, that’s financial freedom.

I love reading the Psalms for precisely the point Jesus makes in Matthew 6:1-15: spiritual authenticity. “Don’t pray like the hypocrites” who pursue personal glory and power, and “don’t pray like the Gentiles” who attempt to conjure their impersonal precocious gods with mantras and incantations, Jesus warns.

I am fairly certain that Jesus would say, “Pray like King David.” Cry out to him like a son for his father. Seek him with all your heart. And long for his Kingdom to come.

If you want a daily guide into prayer, read a Psalm; you can’t get more authentic than that.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:1–8, 16–18 (day six) 

Notice what Jesus doesn’t say in his prescription for overcoming spiritual fraud.  He doesn’t prescribe waiting until your heart is in the right place or ensuring the right feelings precede the right behaviors.

Can you imagine if we only did the right thing when we felt like it?

Jesus’ prescription for overcoming spiritual fraud is to go home, embrace spiritual integrity, be honest with God, and practice your spiritual disciplines in private whether you feel like it or not. It is there, in your private spiritual pursuits, that you may discover God reshaping a heart into one that is wholly his.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 5:33-48 (day six)

May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

God cares about your inner life; your thought life and love life are of grave concern to him. He cares about your business dealings, how your heart handles your enemies, and your thought life when bad things happen.  He cares about the integrity of your inner life.

That’s why the whole law can be reduced to one command: love.  That’s what Jesus is getting after in his greatest sermon.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 5:17-32(day six)

“I am the way…” -Jesus, John 14:6

The Pharisees were the gold standard of righteousness. At the time, most probably thought that if anyone was righteous, they were. Truth is, they had managed to become more like Pharoah than Moses by heaping burdens on the people rather than leading them to freedom.

When Jesus declares, “I came to fulfill the law.” Part of what he means is that he is the new gold standard (and the new Moses). Essentially saying, “If you want to know how to live according to the law, if you seek righteousness, then all eyes on me.”

This is Jesus’ way of saying, “I am the way.”

¹² “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John 14:12

If we are not careful, we run the risk of over-spiritualizing Jesus’ description of Kingdom people being salt and light, when in fact he was describing real impact in the real world. Jesus modeled for us what he meant; everywhere he went he restored the lives of the sick and broken, he rescued others from demonic possession, and he spoke words that changed everyone who received them.

Jesus said, “You will do what I have done. You will do even greater things.”

Do you believe that?

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

The Beatitudes (which is just a fancy word meaning blessed) are descriptions of the attitudes and values of the children of God. Those who mourn recognize that all is not right in the world; that humanity willfully embraces sin and corruption. Those who mourn recognize all too well that they are not only onlookers but participants in this corruption.

The good news is that they are not left in their mourning but are blessed by God’s comfort. What a promise! In this blessing, we discover that God knows our sorrow and cares about our grief. Not only, but he does something about it:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” -Jesus, Matthew 11:28