the devotions below from the Gospel of Matthew are listed from newest to oldest. start at the beginning by going to the bottom, or jump in at any point. it’s up to you! just take one step.
October 27, 2023
This imperative command of Jesus doesn’t sound like a water break at all. It sounds like…
October 26, 2023
The idea of a disciple was not unique to Jesus. Rabbis had disciples…
October 25, 2023
It’s interesting that Jesus appears to these women and repeats exactly what the angel just said…
October 24, 2023
Scholars use the argument that Jesus trusted these women with the message of the resurrection…
October 23, 2023
It’s easy to judge others, isn’t it? We see someone with more expensive belongings than…
October 20, 2023
The role of women in the story of Jesus can often be understated…
October 19, 2023
According to Matthew, Jesus, while dying on the cross, was mocked from all directions…
October 18, 2023
This is the third time that Matthew records Jesus responding to a question with the words…
October 17, 2023
The law is an impersonal and harsh master. In the story of Judas…
October 16, 2023
There are a lot of myths and stories that fly around these days. In the days of Jesus…
October 13, 2023
Entangled inside Peter’s denial of Jesus was a denial of self. Peter had promised himself and Jesus…
October 12, 2023
The silence of Jesus to the false accusations of the witnesses indicates His unwillingness…
October 11, 2023
What really happened in this moment of betrayal? This moment was the first of many that…
October 10, 2023
The pain and difficulty involved with death on the cross to pay for the sins of the world was not…
October 9, 2023
All of the disciples agreed that they would never deny Jesus. Such a thing was unthinkable…
October 6, 2023
This somber moment in the intimate circle of friendship that Jesus created reminds us of the…
October 5, 2023
What would it take for you to betray Jesus? For Judas, it seemed to take only…
October 4, 2023
How many of the issues in your life and my life stem from a brokenness or sin that came down…
October 3, 2023
The forces of darkness were building to a crescendo of attack. Following these words of Jesus…
October 2, 2023
The righteous people that Jesus talks to in this story are beautifully unaware that they were doing…
September 29, 2023
What was this guy thinking? To do nothing with what was entrusted to him when he easily could…
September 28, 2023
Understanding the historical context for the Gospel of Matthew is an important strategy…
September 27, 2023
Most people who desire to be good also desire to be faithful. We want to be…
September 26, 2023
It amazes me how God knows how to give us just enough insight and information to allow us to…
September 25, 2023
When things aren’t going our way, or life is especially difficult, or when we feel as though our…
September 22, 2023
In the days of Zechariah, rebuilding the temple was not a small task…
September 21, 2023
Holy smokes does it look like Jesus could have used a public relations advisor, marketing guru…
September 20, 2023
When you think of those who present themselves as the messiah, you probably think of…
September 19, 2023
The disciples stood in awe of the temple. It’s size and craftsmanship coupled with it’s divine…
September 18, 2023
O how we miss the heart of God. Here, Christ, the Son of the living God…
September 15, 2023
I am grateful that my right standing with God does not depend upon me….
September 14, 2023
There are several things that I would like to hear Jesus say to me. One is…
September 13, 2023
It’s easy to detach ourselves from these warnings as over time the Pharisees have become…
September 12, 2023
Though Jesus previously took time to sober the Pharisees, in this passage, Jesus intends less to tear…
September 11, 2023
Having endured unscathed the onslaught of questions from the Sadducees and Pharisees, Jesus…
September 8, 2023
How many laws can you keep? How many have you broken? Did you know it when you broke…
Sept 7, 2023
The Sadducees and Pharisees approached Scripture very differently...
September 6, 2023
The answer to this simple question set up Jesus to either undermine Himself before His followers…
September 5, 2023
When hit with difficulty, is the enemy coming against us, or did we just choose a more difficult…
September 4, 2023
Have you ever jumped on a dance floor at a wedding, attempting to get the party started…
August 30, 2023
This parable of Jesus documents something unique...
August 29, 2023
Worship songs are dangerous. The words we sing in worship are not simple poetry…
August 28, 2023
Jesus stood right in the middle of the space between recognized authorities…
August 25, 2023
People have sought to build an exciting theologies from these three verses…
August 24, 2023
Why would religious leaders, who hold the important job of helping people to…
August 23, 2023
Jesus made it clear through many of His actions that He was not a revolutionary intent upon…
August 22, 2023
These two simple verses hold a weight of meaning as they contrast each other in ways…
August 21, 2023
What is ministry? The best definition that I have heard relates ministry to…
August 18, 2023
Jesus lived all of His days in humble obscurity as a servant to all. Think about that for a minute…
August 17, 2023
In Matthew 20, many people were heading up to Jerusalem for passover. I imagine…
August 16, 2023
As a young kid, I would use this verse to feel good about having to stand in the back of the line...
August 15, 2023
The prevailing belief in the days of Jesus amongst the Jewish people was that if God was pleased…
August 14, 2023
This short question holds the essence of the human solution to heaven…
August 11, 2023
Of what is this Kingdom that Jesus constantly refers to made? Is it a kingdom of castles? Is it…
August 10, 2023
In response to the vision of marriage that Jesus provides, the disciples find themselves overwhelmed…
August 9, 2023
Forgiveness is probably the hardest path I have ever been asked to walk. There are several reasons…
August 8, 2023
This verse (Matthew 18:18), often taken out of context, finds itself applied to spiritual matters…
August 7, 2023
It’s easy to find reasons to forget about the one who goes astray. I think about the many faces…
August 4, 2023
It’s amazing what we are willing to give up when we greatly value something…
August 3, 2023
The picture Jesus paints of this horrifying death would have terrified the Jewish listeners…
August 2, 2023
Children during the time of Jesus, even more so than today, represented a picture of absolute…
August 1, 2023
This exchange between Jesus and the tax collectors was more than a commentary on adhering to…
July 31, 2023
When I have read this passage in the past, I have imagined scenes of Judas…
July 24, 2023
Giving generously. These two words hold worlds of meaning in each of them...
July 17, 2023
How deep is deep enough when it comes to discipleship?
July 10, 2023
While Ezekiel shares that the waters bring life, the leaves of the trees bring healing…
July 3, 2023
For the month of July, this devotional will shift from a daily devotional to a weekly devotional…
June 30, 2023
Jesus tells the disciples that if they had but the faith of a small mustard seed, they could…
June 29, 2023
There on the mount of transfiguration, the most terrifying experience of…
June 28, 2023
Have you ever been on a difficult journey by yourself? Maybe you are on that journey now…
June 27, 2023
Walking through life as a disciple of Christ requires a lifestyle of sacrifice. Jesus’ words…
June 26, 2023
Peter rocketed from hero to zero quite quickly. The distance from confessing the Lordship of Jesus…
June 23, 2023
There is some debate on what Jesus meant exactly when He told this to Peter. Was Jesus going…
June 22, 2023
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard God say something and totally missed His meaning…
June 21, 2023
Jesus seemed to have a bit of a habit of saying something profound, dropping the mic, and walking…
June 20, 2023
The disciples’ question of Jesus sounds like a repeat. Having already miraculously…
June 19, 2023
I’ve heard people discuss and look for formulas for miracles. I’ve heard people say…
June 16, 2023
In this part of Matthew 15, when Jesus calls the people to Himself, it tells us that the people…
June 15, 2023
Traditions exist inside and outside of the church. We can find traditions in sporting events…
June 14, 2023
In the midst of the most difficult seasons of life, it’s natural to wonder what life would be like…
June 13, 2023
The disciples found themselves in a storm. For those disciples who were fishermen…
June 12, 2023
There are situations in life that present undeniable impossibilities. These impossibilities…
June 9, 2023
John the Baptist died in very unfortunate circumstances. The result of calling out…
June 8, 2023
Taking offense at Jesus happens more times than we would like to think. How often do we think…
June 7, 2023
If you have ever wondered if you are honest with God in your prayer life or not, just…
June 6, 2023
Jesus shares these words after reemphasizing the worth of the kingdom and the cost of discipleship…
June 5, 2023
In our day, there seems to be a plague of fatherlessness. Metaphoric and literal orphans run…
June 2, 2023
While the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in all of botany, that is hardly Jesus’s point…
June 1, 2023
Scripture is clear that our enemy is not flesh and blood, but have you ever had to do life with…
May 31, 2023
There is a level of understanding reserved for those who choose to draw close to and follow Jesus…
May 30, 2023
Jesus opens His parables in Matthew 13 with the parable of the sower. If you recall…
May 26, 2023
Up until this point in the story of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is pictured preaching in synagogues...
May 25, 2023
Have you ever felt alone? Loneliness can come at different times for different reasons…
May 24, 2023
How many times have you seen an area in your life that needed change and said…
May 23, 2023
Hidden in the original language of these few words, Jesus provides us with a powerful…
May 22, 2023
The suffering, serving Christ came with healing and forgiveness. He also came with a warning…
May 19, 2023
Jesus, refuting the Pharisees and questioning their logic in their attack of His character…
May 18, 2023
If you and I were to approach the mission of changing the world, I can imaging that we would…
May 17, 2023
What a strange and cruel thing to say to someone…
May 16, 2023
Too often do we take our traditions and doctrine and use them to condemn the people around us…
May 15, 2023
It’s strange that Jesus’ answer to the need for rest is work…
May 12, 2023
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” came off of the lips of John the Baptist and…
May 10, 2023
What kind of servant are you? John the Baptist came as a critic from outside of the culture…
May 9, 2023
In many ways, John the Baptist serves as an example to us of how to posture ourselves as ones…
May 8, 2023
While I was in high school, the story of lives taken by two students in a high school shook my soul…
May 5, 2023
These words of Jesus come on the heals of the sobering truth that persecution, division, and…
May 4, 2023
Packing for a trip excites me! Each item I place in my bag opens my imagination to its purpose…
May 3, 2023
How many sermons have you heard preached? What topics did they cover? I’m sure that…
May 2, 2023
Many times in life, I have looked at myself, looked at the hurt in this world, looked at…
May 1, 2023
How big is your city? Around 47,000 people call La Jolla home. If my wife and I were to…
April 28, 2023
In Matthew 9, we see Jesus step into the world of the unclean…
April 27. 2023
I have had several pairs of jeans that at one point or another I would consider “my favorite”…
April 26, 2023
Scripture clearly speaks against fellowship with sinners…
April 25, 2023
According to an article in Psychology Today, there are seven types of friendships…
April 24, 2023
The people of Jesus’s day had plenty of reason to dislike tax collectors. First…
April 21, 2023
Hereditary diseases travel through the genes from one generation to the next. At times, these…
April 20, 2023
When Jesus does not do what we want Him to do, it’s hard and confusing…
April 19, 2023
Moving from Matthew 8 to Matthew 9, it’s easy to skip over this simple verse.
April 18, 2023
Asking Jesus to leave is an interesting response to the deliverance of two dangerous…
April 17, 2023
“Following Jesus makes for an easy life”… said no one ever.
April 14, 2023
Following Jesus comes with a cost. It requires us to give up some things. It requires…
April 13, 2023
It is very hard being in a place of sickness or oppression. It’s painful and grinding to the soul to live…
April 12, 2023
Life is a long road with Jesus, and so is the journey through the Gospel of Matthew…
April 11, 2023
Have you ever wondered why we should pray for one another? Why can’t people just pray for…
April 9, 2023
Sin, like an incurable sickness, ravages our lives. Its highly contagious nature allows it to spread…
April 7, 2023
The teachers in the days of Jesus’s life here on earth did as many scholars do today…
April 6, 2023
The words of Jesus warn us of the consequences of hearing His words and doing nothing…
April 5, 2023
This life is hard. Something in our inner being cries “fowl!” when life hurts, loss happens, and…
April 4, 2023
I have heard the phrase, “fake it until you make it.” The problem with this is two fold…
April 3, 2023
In 1750, John Wesley, the great evangelist, pastor, theologian, creator of Methodism, and…
March 31, 2023
The temptation of any verse of promise is to take it out of context and apply it as best suits us…
March 30, 2023
My brain works too hard. Maybe you feel this way too, or maybe I just have to work hard…
March 29, 2023
I have seen many “guaranteed” get-rich-quick schemes, and I’m pretty sure…
March 28, 2023
In this passage, Jesus doesn’t define treasure in any particular way, but He surely means…
March 27, 2023
We see here another command of Jesus to practice a spiritual discipline in secret…
March 24, 2023
The simple reading of this text out of the context of the sermon of the mount…
March 23, 2023
What would school be like without tests? Would there be an urgency to learn?
March 22, 2023
How many of us love others as Christ has loved us?
March 21, 2023
The future hope of “God’s Kingdom come” serves as a beacon of light that anchors us…
March 20, 2023
Have you ever been afraid to pray that God’s will would be done in a situation? I know I have…
March 17, 2023
To hallow the name of God, or to keep it holy, involves more than what we may understand…
March 16, 2023
Staring at an empty bed, the permanent absence of Jerry daily thrust itself like a knife into her heart…
March 15, 2023
In my immaturity, I am sad to say that I have too often shamefully considered…
March 14, 2023
Why is it sometimes easier to believe that God will punish us than reward us?
March 13, 2023
The words of Jesus serve as a continual challenge to our beliefs and compulsions…
March 10, 2023
In concert with the rest of the words of Jesus in Matthew 5, these words don’t seek to create new law…
March 9, 2023
Sometimes it just makes more sense to lie…
March 8, 2023
Our efforts to understand the words of Jesus pass through the lens of…
March 7, 2023
Being made to do something isn’t fun. There are times, however, that our Good Shepherd…
March 6, 2023
Jesus continues to take the expectation of Godly living from a rule book to be followed to…
March 3, 2023
Sacrifice may seem like the most holy and important act of the believer…
March 2, 2023
I spent much of my life somehow convinced that I needed to earn the approval of God…
March 1, 2023
“You are…” These two words open our heart to receive identity…
February 28, 2023
Scientifically, sodium chloride (salt) does not lose its taste. How then can the words of Jesus…
February 27, 2023
…the treatment that a believer can expect from this world…
February 24, 2023
In my life, I have encountered a few individuals that marked my soul by their boldness…
February 23, 2023
There is something in our souls as believers that sees the hostility of this world and rises up…
February 22, 2023
Pause for a moment. Breathe in those words. Breathe in “pure in heart.” Breathe in “see God.”
February 21, 2023
The first four beatitudes consider the reception of the grace of God in the life of the believer…
February 20, 2023
Our souls have a veracious appetite…
February 17, 2023
Reportedly, some time in the 1600s a phrase that was later adapted in the 1800s came to popularity…
February 16, 2023
Why do we mourn? Knowing when we mourn may be easier to identify than why we mourn…
February 15, 2023
Each point of the sermon on the mount challenges us with underlying questions…
February 14, 2023
What is it to be blessed?…
February 13, 2023
When something important comes across the table, it’s easy to want to control it…
February 10, 2023
Jesus walked as a rabbi unique…
February 9, 2023
Every well-planned journey requires a pause along the way…
February 8, 2023
There is a belief in this world that to make a significant difference in this world, one must…
February 7, 2023
Formulas matter. If we follow the formula, the cookies will turn out right. If we follow the formula…
February 6, 2023
The wilderness can be a hot, suffocating space by day and a cold, lonely prison at night…
February 3, 2023
Life is full of moments that have the potential to create memories…
February 2, 2023
People change their minds all of the time…
February 1, 2023
If you sought to change the world, what would be the best way? Perhaps…
January 31, 2023
The account of the Magi coming to worship the baby king Jesus includes one insidious character: Herod…
January 30, 2023
Knowing your name is important. It helps you to know when someone needs or wants your attention. It indicates…
January 29, 2023
The Good News of Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus the Savior. The way that these names were communicated…