Category: Today’s Truth

Matthew 7:28-29 tells us, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” The teachers of religious law did not have the authority of God, so they were not able to speak with such authority. Jesus, however, had all of God’s authority to speak about such things. That authority amazed the crowds. At this point, the Pharisees did not believe that he had the authority of God, while his followers did.

This is still true today. There are many who do not believe he has the authority of God and do not believe his words. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then you are saying that you do believe that he is who he says he is and that he has the authority of God. The crowds were amazed at his teaching. For many, this was probably the first time they were experiencing his teachings and words. For others, they were getting to hear the man they had read so much about and knew was the Son of God. Are you amazed at who he is today? If you aren’t, then spend some time with him today.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock,” Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-25. A house can only stand if it has a strong foundation. If it is built on a strong foundation, then when the extreme weather comes, it will continue to stand. Our faith is the same way. If it is built on salvation in Jesus Christ, then when the tragedies strike, they will not tear it off of its foundation. It will forever be connected to Jesus Christ.

We must remain connected to Jesus everyday. We can be connected to Christ by spending time in the Word everyday and time in prayer as well. We must study his Word to get to know him better, and we must communicate with him through prayer. Just as a light does not turn on unless it is connected to its source, so is the Christian. He or she cannot be the light for Christ unless connected to the source, the Savior himself.

Jesus spoke some of the most difficult words in scriptures in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” I have known people throughout the years whose faith looked no different than the world’s. I have known others who made their acts of service more important than anything else. Still others who think their works will save them from destruction.

Jesus makes it very clear here that salvation through him is the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven. They are in the will of God. Works cannot save you, nor can church attendance. He will say, “I never knew you.”Our acts of service come out of our gratefulness for the work of Jesus Christ in our lives. He inspires us to do good.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:17-20 in the Sermon on the Mount, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” In this Christian life, not everyone can be identified as Christians producing good fruit. All of us produce fruit. Those who are connected to Christ produce good fruit that is pleasing to God, while those who deny Christ by their words or actions produce bad fruit.

As Christians, we want to produce good fruit that the world will see. We want them to know that the things of God are good. Those who do not know him will not be able to produce good fruit and will produce fruit that affects the world. Sometimes we look no different than the world. We must strive to live differently.

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it,” Matthew 7:13-14 states. What does Jesus mean here when he refers to the narrow gate and the wide gate? If you think about this logically, it will help. Have you ever been to a large event where you had to wait in line? Maybe it was to take a ride at an amusement park. Those lines can belong. Anytime you have people entering through the same gate there will be a long line of people, and the wait can last a long time. Most sporting events have many gates to enter through or even a wide gate where many people can enter at the same time. It is definitely easier to enter through a wide gate than a narrow gate. The wide gate represents the world. Many choose to follow the ways of the world. There is little persecution when you look like everyone else.

The narrow gate represents the Christian life and following Jesus. Few will enter because it is much more difficult and will include some persecution. However, nothing that comes easy is usually as rewarding. Hard work reaps the most blessings and rewards, and the Christian life is just that, both a blessing and a reward.

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you,” as Matthew 7:12 says. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. The world was founded on the golden rule. It has been the standard by which we live and the measure for the Christian. However, the golden rule is not as important in society today as it used to be. We tend to govern ourselves and live by our own standards now. This world would be an easier place to live in if everyone lived by the golden rule. You will find peace and great reward when you strive to live your life following the example of Jesus. Seems so simple, right? Treat others the way you want to be treated. Yet, it is so difficult to live by. We tend to forget how we want to be treated when we treat others with disrespect. We think that we deserve their respect, but they don’t deserve ours. We live by the thought that if someone wrongs us, we should wrong them back. Revenge is something we see played out in movies and TV shows, so it can be difficult to treat others with respect when the world is preaching a different message.

Do you find it tricky to treat others the way you want to be treated? Spend some time in prayer today with the Lord, asking him to help you with the way you treat others. If you need to, you can even make a list of how you want to be treated, and then pray that God would help you treat others in that same way.

In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus tells his followers, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” I love these verses! He says to keep on asking! Keep on seeking! Keep on knocking! The beautiful thing about the Christian life is that you never stop growing. You will always discover more and more about him when you continually seek him.

In these verses, his commands are for you to seek the eternal by always persevering. He longs for his followers to remain in communication with him by continuing to ask for what they need. He knows what you need, but he wants you to ask. His second command is to seek. He wants us to spend time with him, learning all you can about him, and seeking to find out who he is. Jeremiah 29:13 says that you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. The last command is to knock. If you knock he will open the door. Do you see the commonality between these three commands? All three of them start with us. We must act on our part, and then he will be faithful on his part. He is a loving king who does not demand from his people. He wants his people to choose him.

As Christians, it is important that we treat others with grace and mercy and make sure we do not judge them. God is the great judge. He is the only one with the authority to judge because he is righteous. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” It is not possible for us to judge because our standards are based on our own righteousness and definition of right and wrong.

God, in all of his righteousness, sent his son Jesus Christ to Earth to become the sacrifice for our sins. In his mercy, he rescued us. Who are we to judge anyone when we do not have that kind of authority? Each person has been given the grace of God. When we are tempted to judge others, we have to remember that they were created in the image of God and if he is able to give them grace, we can too! We should not point out their sin when we have our own struggles.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be,” Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-21. Treasure means something different to different people. For some, it means something to be discovered, like a reward. For others it means expensive things to attain. For the Christian, the reward or treasure is heaven and Jesus himself.

It can be difficult to focus on the Lord instead of the material things that pass away. 1 John 2:17 says, “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” Everything in this world is temporary and will pass away. That is why we should not focus on the things of this world. Sure, it is okay to have things, but if they take your time and energy away from the Lord, then you are storing your treasure here on Earth. However, God and spiritual things will not pass away. He is the ultimate reward. Heaven is a bonus, but the real reward is spending eternity with him. Cling to the spiritual and store your treasures there.

Prayer is simply communication with God. Many people shy away from praying for fear of knowing what to say. Jesus describes prayer in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. He starts by instructing his followers to pray without babbling (“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Matthew 6:7-8).

Prayer is a topic that can be a misconception for some. They think that you have to know what to say or how to say it. Some even think that only certain people can pray, like the leadership of the church. However, without prayer, a Christian cannot maintain connection with Jesus. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus shows us how to pray through the Lord’s Prayer. It begins with the praise of God’s name and acknowledgement of his authority (“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,” Matthew 6:9-10). It then presents requests in verses 11-14: “Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” This is how you stay connected to God the Father: praise him and then ask him for what you need.