Author: Megan Langan

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

There is much about Christianity that involves mystery. There are some things about God, the universe he created, and the spiritual reality we live in that are too great for us to understand. 

But at the same time, we also serve a God who knows us and wants to be known by us. He invites us to know him here. What grace, that the eternal God of the universe desires for us to know him like this! 

Having trouble loving your neighbor? Ask God what he loves about them. He loves to answer that question. Having a hard time knowing God’s plan for your life? Seek how God is already moving – we see it through Scripture, in history, and the movement of the Spirit around us. He doesn’t hide his will from us. Need somewhere to run with your anxieties and fears? Knock on God’s door – he has an open door policy and he’s ready to receive you.

Though there is mystery, our Lord wants to make himself known to you. Ask, seek, knock. He’s ready for you.

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

Jesus uses the analogy of eyesight a lot in this sermon. In the opening beatitudes, he says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Now he’s showing us what it takes to be able to see God and live with a pure heart, and it’s not easy.

When I used to read this story as a kid I would think, “How do they not know there’s a log in their own eye?! Wouldn’t that hurt?” But that kind of impairment isn’t the sort of thing that happens overnight. Hypocrisy doesn’t spring up out of nowhere. It starts with a small problem of sin, but the longer we go with an unrepentant heart, the more it builds on itself. Eventually, our sin has blinded us so effectively that we look as ridiculous as someone walking around unaware of the log in their eye.

This is why a daily time of confession before God is so essential to the Christian life. We need God’s help in recognizing our own sin. If we’ve developed a log in our eye through years of resentment, pride, and stubbornness, then the only way to remove it is through God’s grace.  The act of humbling ourselves in confession every day before God keeps us from haphazardly judging others, as that kind of judgment only happens in the dark. His grace brings us back to the light, where we can see clearly again.

If you want to follow the golden rule, confession is the first step.

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

Jesus had us check in on our relationship with money last week. How did that go for you? Was it as convicting for you as it was for me? I hate to break it to you, but it’s not over. Jesus continues the conversation and expands his thoughts on the matter in these verses. He says, “You cannot serve both God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life…”

When we focus on and strive for the things our flesh wants: comfort, security, peace of mind, social status – all of which often involve money – we’ll soon find that the harder we try to get it, the harder it is to take hold of. The tighter the grip we try to have on our circumstances and livelihood or our comfort and security, the more we find ourselves backed into a corner by fear and anxiety. A life pursuing creature comforts on our own won’t get us the real peace that we’re after, we’ll just find that those things don’t satisfy.

We hear a similar message from Jesus in Luke 9:24-25, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

Ask the Lord to help you loosen the vice grip you have on your life. That’s when you’ll find life abundant.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:9-15 (day four)

It is stunning to see the God of the universe inviting us to participate in life with him. He invites us to join in the activities of heaven, to look past the curtain and participate in holy, wonderful things – most of all, prayer.

Sometimes we forget how incredible this invitation is because we have learned to talk to God like a friend – which we should – but may we never forget what an incredible privilege God is extending to us when he invites us to pray.

He invites us to join with the heavenly host proclaiming him as holy. He invites us to speak heavenly realities into earthly places. He invites us to come to him with our every need. He invites us to come to him seeking mercy. He invites us to find our refuge in him when evil surrounds us.

God is inviting you to participate in the things of heaven. Take him up on it.

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

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8)

Pious actions can have impure motives. When we pray, fast, and give with the hopes of creating the right social reputation for ourselves, Jesus says we’ll get what we’re after – but we’ll still be missing out. We’ll be so busy looking at our admirers that we won’t see God. But when we do these things as Jesus instructs us too – with anonymity, humility, and sincerity, in the secret place we share with him alone – then we shall see God. Outward appearance matters much less to us after we’ve had an encounter with the God who created humility.

This is what we celebrate at Christmas – the fact that God came down, condescended into human form, humbly taking the form of a child so that we might see him, know him, and be reconciled to him. When we allow our piety to make us prideful, we’ve missed the point.

Let’s pray Psalm 139 this week, “Search me, O God, and know my heart…” that he may continue to create a pure and humble heart in us, just like the heart of Jesus.

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

We started this series a few weeks ago by looking at the beatitudes. When we hear things like, “Blessed are the gentle,” “Blessed are the merciful,” or “Blessed are the peacemakers,” that sounds nice to our ears. But here is where the rubber meets the road. The command to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to prayer for those who persecute us – these all serve big hits to our pride. They go entirely against the culture that surrounds us and influences us.

I’ve noticed that it’s one thing to treat a stranger in this way, or to be graceful and merciful to an acquaintance, but it is much harder to live this kind of life when it comes to family or the people closest to me. Sometimes the ones closest to us can quickly take on the title of enemy, as wounds from them hurt even deeper. When a family member offends me, it is a much bigger hit to my pride to turn the other cheek than if a stranger said something hurtful. It is in these close relationships that our ability to show patience, mercy, or grace is pushed to the limits. But it’s at these limits that the Spirit meets us, grows in us, and causes us to look more like Christ.

If you find you’re at your limit, look for the Spirit. Through him, this kind of Kingdom living is possible.

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

“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

One of the principal values of the Kingdom of God is reconciliation. Jesus came so that we would be reconciled to the Father, and in Kingdom life, through the power of the Spirit, we can also be reconciled to one another. But we often don’t take the work of reconciliation as seriously as we should.

Jesus tells us that before we present our offering at the altar – before we present ourselves as holy and living sacrifices to God in worship – if there is enmity between us and someone else, it needs to be handled immediately. We cannot hang on to old grudges or simply wait for time to help us forget them. The enemy would love nothing more than for us to take unforgiveness casually. We have to fight through our pride and even the awkwardness that we feel in order to get to peace – ASAP, Jesus says.

That being said, we know that Jesus lived the human life. He understands the complexity of human relationships. He knows that there are some wounds which will not fully heal until we’re in heaven, and that’s exactly his point here. We can’t fulfill the law perfectly. We can’t forgive perfectly. We can’t reconcile perfectly. Jesus can. What step of faith do you need to take today in order to live a life of peace?

 

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 5:13-16 (day four)

In our house, one of our favorite cookbooks is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. It has great recipes, but even more importantly, it explains why those four elements are essential in making a great meal. Salt is important in cooking because it brings out the flavor that already exists in the other ingredients. It helps us perceive the wonderful, natural flavors of the food we’re eating.

As the salt of the earth, we’re called to help people perceive the goodness of God that exists in the earth he created, and in the presence of his Spirit. As salt, we help bring the God-flavor of the world to peoples’ senses. Sin tends to dull our tastebuds and make it more difficult for us to perceive God’s goodness. As salt, we invite people to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Similarly, we can’t perceive color in the dark. The dark world that we live in makes it difficult to see where God is. As the light of the world, we help people see the beautiful God-color all around them. We’re not creating flavor or color of our own, we’re simply pointing people to the miraculous goodness that already exists in the presence of God. Let’s consider: how does your life help others taste God’s goodness? How do you help people perceive God’s beauty?

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 5:1-12 (day four)

I love that while we wait with anticipation for the birth of Christ during this season of Advent, we’ll get to read some of his most famous words. What a uniquely Christian opportunity, to get to hear from our Savior even while we prepare our hearts to receive him. This is the spiritual reality in which we live: Christ has come, Christ is here, and Christ will come. Christ has come – he walked this earth, preached this sermon, died on the cross, and rose again. Christ is here – he is constantly in our midst through the power of the Spirit, interceding for us at the right hand of God. Christ will come – we live with confidence that Christ will return for his bride just like he said he would. All of these are mysteriously true at the same time, and reading the Sermon on the Mount during Advent makes us all the more aware of this reality.

As we prepare our hearts to celebrate that Christ has come, we may find that Jesus is describing us in this sermon. If you find yourself poor in spirit or at the end of your rope, grieving, or trying to move through the world with gentleness and mercy and peace but struggling with the harshness of the world – be encouraged. Jesus is giving us a picture of the Kingdom reality that he came to establish. We experience this reality now through the Spirit, and we have assurance that this reality will be established in full when Christ comes in glory.

As we celebrate what Christ has done, may it strengthen us today and give us hope for tomorrow.