Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

"Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." – Matthew 5:42 When Jesus talked about generosity, He didn’t put a cap on it. He didn’t say to give only when it’s convenient or comfortable. He simply said to give. And what He’s pointing to is more than a one-time act. It’s a mindset. It’s a way of life rooted in the belief that everything we have come...  Read More

"Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." – Matthew 5:42 Generosity is not about guilt. It is not about giving to anyone who asks, without thought or discernment. Jesus was not calling you to be naive or irresponsible. He was calling you to be compassionate. His words in this verse point to a posture of the heart, not just a reaction to every re...  Read More

"And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two." – Matthew 5:41 In first-century Israel, the law allowed a Roman soldier to force a Jewish civilian to carry his gear for one mile. It was legal oppression, pure and simple. The Jews resented this rule deeply, and understandably so. Most young Jewish boys even measured out the exact distance from their home so they could drop the soldier’s...  Read More

"And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." - Matthew 5:40 This verse would have shocked the original audience. In Jesus’ day, a person’s outer cloak was untouchable. It was their right, protected by Mosaic Law. If someone sued you and took everything, they could not take your coat. It was essential for survival and was often used as a blanket at night. Givi...  Read More

“But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” - Matthew 5:39 Most of us know how it feels to be insulted. Maybe someone undercut your reputation, spread lies behind your back, or disrespected you to your face. In those moments, your first instinct is rarely calm and grace. You want to clap back. You want to prove your...  Read More

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” - Matthew 5:14 It is easy to celebrate the moment someone becomes a Christian. That moment of salvation is real, powerful, and life-changing. But the Christian life was never meant to stop at a moment. Jesus did not just invite people to make a decision. He called them to live in a new direction. There is a massive difference...  Read More

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.” - Colossians 2:6-7 When something feels slow, it can be tempting to call it stuck. That is the challenge with spiritual growth. It rarely shows up in flashy ways. We want visible progress, fast outcomes, and...  Read More

“We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.” - Colossians 1:28-29 Paul’s words here are not just the expression of a passionate preacher, but of a man consumed by a mission. He was not simply trying to deliver sermons. He was striving to present people as...  Read More

“God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” - Colossians 1:27 When Paul writes that Christ is in you, he is revealing something that had never been clearly understood before. For generations, the presence of God was confined to places. It was in the burning bush, the tabernacle, the holy of holies in the temple. Even...  Read More

“He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” - Colossians 1:18-20 Every church bu...  Read More

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… and in him all things hold together.” - Colossians 1:15-17 Most people read about Jesus and picture Him walking through dusty villages, healing the sick, and teaching the crowds. That’s true, but it's only part of who He is. Colossians makes it cl...  Read More

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” – Colossians 2:6-7. Have you ever watched someone’s faith completely fall apart? One day, they’re following Jesus and seem strong in their walk. Then the pressure comes. Life gets heavy. Doubts creep in. And the foundation t...  Read More

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" – James 1:2-3. Yesterday, I made a statement I want to look at further. That is, most people are more eager to be delivered than developed. We pray for rescue, for relief, for the quick way out. But God often chooses development over deliverance because He sees...  Read More

"But he who listens to me shall dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster" – Proverbs 1:33. Sometimes the storms in our lives do not pass quickly. Sometimes they linger. The sky stays gray, the winds keep pounding, and you start wondering how long you’ll have to keep holding on. It’s one thing to have deep roots when a storm hits suddenly and leaves just as fast. It’s another to ...  Read More

"And everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock" - Matthew 7:24. A massive storm swept through Northern California a few years back, tearing down trees that had stood for centuries. One by one, the giant redwoods and pines came crashing to the ground. All except one. There was a single tree that stood tall after the storm passed. It...  Read More

“But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:37 Have you ever clicked “I agree” on something without reading the fine print? We all have. That fine print is where people tend to hide the real terms, the stuff that might change your mind if you actually read it. The Pharisees had spiritual fine print behind everything they said....  Read More

“But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person” – Matthew 15:18 Most people think lying is just a mouth issue. But according to Jesus, it’s actually a heart issue. Your words are just the overflow. If truth is going to come out of you, it has to start inside you. Psalm 15 describes a righteous person as someone who acknowledges the truth in their heart and doesn’t...  Read More

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak" – Matthew 12:36 When I was a kid, if you talked back or said something you shouldn’t, you’d get your mouth washed out with soap. It sounds crazy now, but back then, it was how adults taught us something important. Your words matter. I still remember a time I got caught lying to my teacher. It didn’t ju...  Read More

"If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." – Matthew 5:29 Jesus didn’t tell us to cope with sin. He told us to cut it off. He wasn’t telling you to literally rip your eye out or chop your hand off. That’s not the point. He was using strong language to make somet...  Read More

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:28 I want to let you in on a little secret today. You don’t need to be married to start guarding your marriage. That’s right, you don’t need to be in a crisis to start defending your integrity. If sin works from the inside out, then you’d better build your def...  Read More

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:28 Sin never feels like a big deal at first. You think it’s just a glance. Just a thought. Just a moment. But before you know it, you’re ten steps down a path you never meant to take, asking yourself, “How did I get here?” Jesus already told us the answer. Adu...  Read More

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:28 Most of the time, the real battles we face never make it out into the open. They’re not waged in front of people. They happen in our heads, in our hearts, in those quiet moments when no one is watching. That’s exactly what Jesus is getting at when He talks ...  Read More

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:27-28 When we think of adultery, most of us picture an obvious and dramatic act. Something physical. A secret affair. A betrayal played out behind someone’s back. But Jesus doesn’t start with th...  Read More

“So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” – Matthew 5:23-24 It’s easy to assume that bitterness only affects the person you’re bitter toward. That somehow, your cold shoulder or u...  Read More

“Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court” – Matthew 5:25 Jesus had a way of taking big spiritual truths and laying them out in real, practical terms. In His teaching in Matthew 5, He paints a picture of someone being taken to court over an unpaid debt. If you owed someone money and didn’t pay it back, you were thrown in prison. And from there, y...  Read More

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9 God isn’t far from you. He never moves away. But He also doesn’t force closeness when your heart is cluttered with things that don’t belong. He wants intimacy with you. He wants you to walk with Him, hear His voice, and feel His presence. But He’s not going to compete w...  Read More

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” – Matthew 5:23-24 After you recognize the rift and respond with repentance, the next move is simple, but it’s not easy. Restore the relationship. Whether it’s your relat...  Read More

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9 Once you recognize the rift, the next step is clear. You’ve got to respond with repentance. Not deflection. Not excuses. Not spiritual language to soften the edges. Real repentance. The kind where you stop justifying what God is trying to fix. The kind where you lay it ...  Read More

“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” – Psalm 66:18 Sometimes the hardest part of spiritual growth is being honest with yourself. Not honest about what other people do or how they’ve hurt you, but honest about what’s living in your own heart. That’s where the real work starts. Jesus said if you remember your brother has something against you, leave your gift ...  Read More

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” – Isaiah 59:2 It’s easy to show up to church, lift your hands in worship, and say a prayer. But it’s also easy to forget that there are things in your life that can actually block your connection with God. Not because He’s distant or uninterested, but because...  Read More

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” – Matthew 5:23-24 Worship matters to God, but your relationships matter too. And in Matthew 5, Jesus gives us a strong reminder that if you’re holding on to conflict wit...  Read More

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to hell of fire.” – Matthew 5:22 We live in a world that celebrates speaking your mind. Say what you feel, let it fly, speak your truth. But Jesus warns us that not every word is harmless, and not every out...  Read More

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” - Matthew 5:22 Jesus had a way of taking the obvious and flipping it. Everyone knew murder was wrong. Nobody argued that. But when He said, “You have heard it said… but I tell you,” He shifted the conversation from what we do with our hands to what we allow in our hearts. He was not just raising the standard....  Read More

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” - Matthew 5:21-22 When you hear the word “murder,” what comes to mind? Some people might think of high-profile cases like O.J. Simpson or the Menendez brothers. Others might go further back...  Read More

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” - Matthew 5:21-22 When people think of sin, murder usually makes the list. It is one of the most universally recognized wrongs, and even those with no faith background tend to agree on that...  Read More

“But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name.” – John 1:12 Some people just look the part. You know who I mean. The ones who are always upbeat, always quoting Scripture, always volunteering at church, and never seem to break a sweat. And honestly, that’s not a bad thing. We need examples of joy and faithfulness. But we also need to...  Read More

“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed… The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.” – Romans 3:21-22 The Pharisees had rules for everything. And I mean everything. They were so committed to avoiding any chance of offending God that they wouldn’t even say His name out loud. When they wrote it, they r...  Read More

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20 When Jesus said what He said in Matthew 5:20 out loud, jaws would’ve hit the ground. The crowd had been raised to believe the scribes and Pharisees were the pinnacle of righteousness. If anyone was getting into Heaven, it was those guys. So for Jesus to ...  Read More

“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:19 According to Jesus, the way we treat God’s Word matters not just now, but forever. He tells us plainly that one day, God will evaluate our lives based ...  Read More

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." – John 17:17 There is no shortage of opinions in our world today. Everywhere you look, people are sharing what they think, how they feel, and why their view is the right one. But with so many competing voices, how do you know what’s actually true?  That’s the question a young college student asked her professor on the first day of class. When the p...  Read More