EXPAND TO READ: MATTHEW 7 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 3-5): You are speaking to me quite intently about judgement of others today, Father. I do struggle with this quite a bit in my life. I do often judge others for their sin neglecting to remember that I am also a sinner. My sin may be different than theirs, but it doesn’t give me the right to judge them. Please forgive me for my selfishness and disobedience here, Father. Continue to remind me that we are all sinner and no matter what must first show Your love to each other through all things in this life. As You said here, who am I to judge my brother of their sin when I have sins of my own that I must work on first? Help me to be better at embracing this in my life so that as I walk in this sin-filled world, I always remember that even though the sin of others may be different from my own, I am no better or worse than them as a result of those differences; they are just sinning differently. Help me to love them and not negatively judge them through those sins, Father.
PROMISE (verses 7-8): I really do love this promise, but this promise also comes with instructions. We don’t always realize that we need to be consistent in our faith, but this promise points us right at that. You tell us that if we “keep asking” then it will be given to us. You tell us that if we “keep searching” then we will find it. You tell us that if we “keep knocking” then the door will be opened. In all three of these promises, You use the word “keep” for obvious reasons; we are to be consistent in our faith by repeatedly doing the things that You are weighing on our spirit, regardless of the outcome. This relates to me directly right now as I am in the job hunt leading up to my military retirement. Although I have not secured a position, yet, I must KEEP asking; I must KEEP searching; and I must KEEP knocking at all the opportunities I feel You are leading me to until the right one is opened up for me. Help me to be better at my consistency in my faith and in life in general, Father, so that I may reap the benefits of the promises made in these verses.
ATTITUDE (verse 12): I do not know why, but I tend to think that I should receive more than give. When I am lacking a receiving moment from others, I often tend to use that as my own fleshly justification to reduce my giving. This is not what You’ve called me to do in this life. You tell us that “whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them.” I should not be sitting here thinking I “deserve” this or that, with the expectation that it will happen. If anything, I deserve death for all the sins I’ve committed, yet Your grace has shined Your light on my new identity in Christ. Help me to be better at walking this life with a giving attitude, Father. With an attitude that does not live with an expectation that I “deserve” anything as a return on that giving. Walk me through the waters of humble giving so that I may glorify You through all that I am, Father.
COMMAND (verses 1-2): Well, this is quite a simple command to read, but a difficult one to truly embrace in my life as I confessed to at the start of my quiet time with You today, Father. Quite simply, Your command is “do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.” The judgment we use against others will be used against us?! WOW! That is powerful, but also a little frightening with the way I’ve acted at times in the past on the topic of judgment. Help me to be better moving forward in my journey through this treacherous world so that I judge others according to Your commands only. Help me to be better at living in Your righteous to glorify You and not myself. Help me to be better at embracing the command of “do not judge” so that I can be more loving to others instead of the judgmental person I have become over the years.
EXAMPLE (verses 28-29): These last two verses are so powerful! When Jesus was done speaking, the crowd was in awe. Not solely because of what He said, but how He said it all. You say here that they were astonished at His teaching because He was teaching them like one who had authority and not like their scribes teach them. Jesus spoke with authority because He had Your authority, yet spoke in a way that earned respect, glorifying You throughout, instead of demanding respect and glorifying solely Himself! We are His kingdom and he is our Lord and Savior. I am amazed by the reaction of the crowd here as I know what events are to follow. I’m saddened that they went from being in awe and praise towards Him, then quickly turned on Him when there was a slight fear or doubt. Thank You for revealing this amazing sense of “authority” that Jesus spoke with and how the crowd reacted to it all, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: There are so many lessons to learn in just this one chapter. I know not all of it spoke directly to my heart today, but that’s how this relationship with You works, isn’t it? You reveal things to me as I need to hear it, when I’m ready for it, or in preparation for the plans You have for me. You don’t just reveal everything to me at once and that’s okay. I honestly don’t think I could handle it if You even revealed to me only 10% let alone 100%! Thank You for knowing what I can handle, Father. Thank You for knowing what I need to hear and when I need to hear it. Thank You for this amazing conversation we had today. I pray that with Your help, I can be better at the wrongful judgment I sometimes have towards others. I pray that with Your help, I can be a more humble giver in this life, expecting no return on my giving. I pray that with Your help, I can become more like Jesus and less like me. Thank You for today’s amazing conversation and for building our relationship even stronger.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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