Day 81 | Matthew 13:36-43 | Who are you really fooling?

Scripture: Matthew 13:36-43 [NLT]

³⁶ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
³⁷ He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. ³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (Matthew 13:36-43, New King James Version)

Pretending

Observation: (What do you see and hear when you read this scripture?)

I see Jesus giving both his disciples and us a warning for the days to come. It is a matter of the heart and our hearts are an open book to God. Never think that you can fool Him by pretending to be wheat, but also know that if you stop pretending and become “either hot or cold”, you will be in a place where God can work with you. It is only when we think we are “okay” that we are not. Pretending can only fool other people and sometimes even ourselves, but it can never fool our God who can see all things.

Apply: (How can I apply this to my life?)

I need to get real with God. It is a requirement for that deep relationship with Him…it can lead to real repentance and real change. Pretending is like putting makeup on a wound. It may have covered it up and everything looks okay, but the reality is that there is still an unhealed wound.

This is what makes God so amazing…you can come to Him just as you are. He wants it that way. Don’t try to pretend to be something else, because that is only an attempt to win or earn your way to reward.

Prayer: (Let God know what your thinking)

Lord,

I am weak, you are strong. I need your strength in so many ways. I don’t need to write them out here because You know what they are. Please help me with my weaknesses. Help me to be an overcomer in Your strength.

Be with my family, help them to be safe and to follow You. Help them to have a burning desire to know You more.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Day 56 | Matthew 9:9-13 | Are you sick?

Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.¹⁰ Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:9-13, New King James Version)

Observance: (What does your mind’s eye see when you read this verse?)

First I see Jesus walking through town. Those He has already called are following him and then he comes to a tax collector’s booth. There, one man especially catches his eye. He sees a familiar look in this man’s face and starts to talk with Matthew. He ask’s Matthew if he will follow Him (be His disciple) and I see Matthew, who has been known as a ‘sinner’ for so long making the decision quickly but not without reason. He feels something from Jesus that he has never felt from another man; a sense of forgiveness and mercy and it moves his heart toward a desire to follow Jesus. He invites Jesus to come and have dinner with him and some friends. This shows me that Matthew quickly had a desire to share this experience with others that he knew.

The Pharisees see this and (note that they approach the disciples with their questions, not Jesus) ask why Jesus eats with such horrible sinners. They are not moved by anything but outward appearance. Jesus finds out the question the Pharisees had asked and he gives understanding that may have been the very thing that moved Matthew, the tax collector sinner, to follow Him. He explains whom he has come to save. Not those with glorious outward appearance, but those with a knowledge of their own need. Those who are capable of seeing that they are sick.

I can see Jesus in that meal with the ‘sinners’. Sharing the love of the Father with them, but not in a condescending way or a “preaching” way, but in a way that makes them feel loved and accepted. A way that makes them want to learn more and be more. Jesus’ love causes a heart response not a ‘brain’ response.

Prayer: (Let Him know how you feel.)

Dear Jesus,

Thank You so much for wanting to change my heart. I give it to You today to be changed and used by You. Your ways are so amazing to me…I ask myself if I could ever be able to care about a person’s heart as much as You did and I realize that this would only ever be possible with Your help.

Today I ask for Your power to protect me from temptation. Help me to do well at work. Protect my family and friends.

Thank you for being my friend and my redeemer. Help me to show Your love to others. Amen.

________________________

Please take the time to let other’s know what you saw in this scripture by making a comment below.