I don’t know why it is comforting to know that the trials we face were expected, but Jesus knew that His disciples would get put in some pretty uncomfortable spots…yet in the midst of all of that, He reminds them (and us) that the Spirit will guide AND the hard moments will be a testimony to the watching world. Lord, thank You for Your presence and guidance even through trial.
It’s incredible that Jesus looks at our actions and perfectly knows what motivates us and drives us. Hebrews 4 talks about the Word of God doing the same thing. Lord, help me not to hide these things from myself, because You already know.
What a great illustration of Gods character. He compares God to a human father and reminds us that if fathers give good gifts God is able to do way better. He has none of the weakness or constraints of human fathers, knows perfectly what we actually need and Loves us perfectly!
On repeat in the sermon on the mount, Jesus tells us that why we do things is maybe more important than what we do. He knows if we do good things because we want others to see or if we want to please the Lord. Hebrews 4 tells us that “…the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Lord, help me to recognize the motives in my heart and submit them all to You!
This is a simple statement, but a powerful one. Jesus sits down and the disciples went to Him…seeking Him…ready to listen to Him…wanting to understand Him. They intentionally placed themselves in His presence and humbled themselves into submission to His teaching. Lord, help me to be ready to submit to You in every way.
Jesus powerful words to the disciples are not “follow Me, and work hard to be fishers of men”…but rather “follow Me and I will make you fishers of men”. That is a big difference! How easy it is to fall into the trap of self motivated change, working hard to do the right things, and all the while feeling like a fisherman in a disguise as an evangelist.
Lord, allow me to be surrendered to You in every way so that You can transform me. You must do the work to make me into the person perfectly suited for Your calling on my life. Help me to see when I am trying on my own and hand that over to you.
What a gracious God to intentionally place these 5 women into the lineage of Jesus the Messiah! God uses all of our own messy story to ultimately highlight His own grace and mercy. Only God can take our jacked up lives and turn them into a beautiful tapestry woven together into a masterpiece…just like He does in the genealogy of Christ by highlighting these women. Lord, help me to trust that you continue to be at work in my life and in the lives of my children…
