May 25, 2018 MATTHEW CHAPTER 7
A life lived in obedience and communion with Jesus isn't immune from storms, but is promised His stability through them.
It is vitally important to live our lives on the foundation of His Word: not just studying Scripture but communicating with the Author Himself. "Lord, never let us be educated beyond our obedience!"
What prayer arises in your heart as you read Matthew 7?
There are a few things that i really love about Matthew 7. One of them is 7:13-14. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is that gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." I love this because it makes it so clear. There is one road that leads to life. Only one. And on that road it will be hard. Letting Jesus take all control is not easy. But it is worth it. On the other road, it looks good at first. Until you start walking it. It is filled with sorrow and regret and pain and hatred and emptiness. And one of the reasons why so many people walk this road is because they see the narrow road and in it they see a cliff. A huge cliff that they know they can't cross. So they go the other way. It is through Jesus and through faith in Jesus that we make it over that cliff. What you can't see without faith is that there is a bridge across that cliff. That bridge is Jesus. He made a way for us by giving us His own life! So that we can walk the narrow road with Him
ReplyDeleteJesus is the exclusive and all inclusive way to the Father. Only through Him but open for everyone who will believe. We can't keep this incredible news to ourselves. Thankful to be spurred on by your passion for Christ, Hannah!
Delete(Faith Sanders) "Lord let me find myself in you." It's a prayer cries in my heart often, and Matthew 7 brings it to life all the more. In verses 24-27, we are told about the wise and foolish builders. A foolish man builds his house on the sand, it has no foundation and when the storms come, it is washed away. The wise man builds his house on the rock, it has a strong foundation and when the storms come, it stands strong. Our solid rock foundation is Jesus Christ alone. When we make our home in His always open arms, the storms of trials and temptations won't ever even brush against us.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true! Whenever we stumble or fall, He is right there to catch us. Through every storm and trial, He is always there, reaching out to us! Sometimes He parts the sea and sometimes He calms it, but sometimes, He takes our hand and teaches us to walk on water. And when our foundation is in Christ alone, we will not be shaken when those storms come, no matter how big the waves are, because He is right there with us, leading us through
DeleteAnd it's even more! :) Jesus is just there beside us, he is always inside us. There is people out there, False Teachers and False Disciples who want to lie to us and make us onside differently. We are blessed to even put our Faith in Jesus. He is our foundation when the rain comes. He is the answer when there is problems that we face. We are hypocrites who serve a gracious God, a great God, a good God, a glorious God. Yes we are his children he pulls from the drowning waters. He is our rescue and the one who saves. And just to know we can pray to that God is like 1 million cherry's on top. :) It's a story we get to see when we walk to our daddy's door and knock and say 'Lord I need you, every hour I need you.' We get to talk and have a relationship with the creator of the universe. So we thank you Lord, I thank you. And the pray request is your protection and wisdom to lead us through any hatred, pain, or problems we face. For you there beside us and in us. :)
DeleteCrazy isn't it, Micah...not just God with us but in us. It is a joy to run the race with you my son and brother in Christ! I will miss you while I'm in Albania. Shine bright and love well. See you again soon.
Delete"Lord, let me find myself in you." Wow! What a beautifully powerful prayer! Thanks for sharing, Faith. That is going to bless me all day :)
DeleteWhen I went to Montana last year, the first hike we went on was about 0.1 of a mile. My mom found it on a travel website, which claimed that it was a short hike, and it led to a very beautiful destination. And when we got there, it looked to be that way. It was a beautiful day, and the trail was indeed very easy and enjoyable, as the website boasted. The whole way, we took pictures, and laughed, and had a great time. About 10 minutes later, we arrived at the end, which was supposed to be very beautiful. What was it? Not even kidding, it was a garbage dump. A rancid, moldy, disgusting dump. A few days later, we went on a hike that was about 8 miles one way. The entire trail was a steep incline, and I remember very clearly falling at least twenty times. It was hot, the trail had huge cliffs on both sides, and it was a miserable five hours until we got to the end. But as soon as I stopped and looked around, my breath was gone. That horrible path led to the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen. There was a pond full of crystal water, surrounded by mountains with huge glaciers, and we were right in the middle. Matthew 7:13-14 reminded me of that vacation, about the narrow and the wide gates. It was a whole lot easier just to take that short, easy path in Montana. But it led to a disgusting, rancid place that I can not even compare to how bad hell will be. But that other trail, which was miserable and painful,that led to a place so beautiful, that I cannot compare to how amazing heaven will be. The narrow path IS NOT easy in any way, shape or form. Storms assail at all sides, trials come with no relent. But oh, is it worth it! My prayer is that through the pain of this life, I seek my refuge in the arms of my Savior. That through this hard, miserable path, I know that I am not alone. That although it isn't easy, I keep running in the path of life. And that is my prayer for all of you, as well! That we'd stand firm as believers, even when trials and temptations come! Because that destination, where we can see our Savior face to face, is going to be worth every tear, every hurt, every pain, and more!
ReplyDeleteJesus is absolutely worth everything! He's been teaching me lately to let go of everything, and you are right. It's not easy. But when you see why you are giving up the world, it's worth it. I would rather have Jesus. He is the greatest treasure we will ever find! And He will never end! And even though there are storms in this life, we can hold on to the truth, hold on to the hope and faith that we have in none other than Jesus!
DeletePowerful hiking analogy Ellie. It encourages me that you are making spiritual connections like this with your everyday world! Let's live from Eternity Backwards. Living each day the way we wished we would have lived it when we see King Jesus face to face!
DeleteAgreed! We aren't called here to just survive. As Romans 8:37 says, we are more than conquers! Through our battles we are called to spread God's love to all! It's easy getting caught up in our own lives, but our purpose here is to share our faith, to lead the lost to Christ. There are many who don't know the never-failing, unconditional love of our Savior! There are many who take that wide gate because they know no other way. And although we face rejection and judgment, we have the assurance that we dont need the world's approval, when we have a Father's open arms!
ReplyDeletePreach it, Sister! If we lived in that confident assurance, King Jesus would change the world through us. "Godfidence" I like to call it. I know that if try to do anything in my strength I will fail but with Him in and through us nothing is impossible. That is the crazy thing about being a follower of Christ. He gives us radical confidence and radical humility at the same time.
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