"Seek first the Kingdom of God, above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you ALL that you need."
Matthew 6:33
Summary...
I have always loved and appreciated verses 7 & 8 in Matthew 7. What a promise from our Heavenly Father that basically tells us if we annoy Him enough He will give in, and grant us what we ask for! Do you have that verse memorized because that is a life verse...a verse you will need for the rest of your life to remember! I love how Jesus talks about the gifts that earthly parents give...verses 9-10, and compares it to God and how we can trust Him. We can know God will always take care of us, even better than our earthly parents, thank You for that Lord.
The Golden Rule...we have been learning this since we were in pre-school haven't we. But for some reason we, as people, really struggle to put others before ourself. Jesus tells us in the 2nd part of verse 12...that this Golden Rule is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets! The Golden Rule, if we can focus on it and live it out, is what the Bible is all about. So I ask you again...Do you have this "life verse" memorized?
The Narrow Gate...Being a follower of Jesus is not the popular thing to do. It is surely the road less traveled, and we must remember that in our walks. As you go about living your life, ask yourself...am I traveling the narrow road right now? Let me ask you, are you willing to leave the popular road, to follow Jesus on the narrow road? For Christ tells us that the narrow road is "difficult"...is the road your traveling on difficult right now?
Fruit...We have so many fakers in the faith! I'll be the first to admit that I am a faker, meaning I am not perfect and yet i am trying to follow a Man who was. I can not cut it, His righteousness is unatainable on my own...I NEED HIM! The problem is that today there are too many Christ followers who live and act like they do not need Jesus...these are the ones who are the real fakers! Jesus tells us how to know who is living it out and who isn't...He says look at the fruit from their life. He says in verse 18 "a good tree can not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can not produce good fruit." What kind of fruit are you producing in your life?
Building Your life upon Christ...Probably one of my biggest fears is hearing my Lord say to me..."depart from me for I never knew you!" That statement keeps me up at night. Reread verses 21-23, Jesus is warning us that there will be some who swear they know God but when the day comes Jesus will ask them to depart from Him because He does not know them! Jesus says the key not to hear that said to you is to do the will of our Father!
Our Lord then talks about building on a solid foundation! Jesus says there are 2 types of builders, the first is the one who builds on a solid foundation and the second is the foolish builder who builds their life on the sand! At first this story is funny, or atleast it was for me as I asked myself who would really build their life in the sand. But then God began to bring to my mind faces of friends that are doing simply just that...building their lives upon sand! The story goes from one that used to be funny to one that is heart-breaking! We have to build our lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ!
Questions...
- What is the fruit Jesus is looking for in our lives...look at Galatians5:22?
- What happens to a tree, or life, that does not produce fruit?
- What is one of your greatest fears in life?
- Do you like to annoy God when it comes to your prayer life? What does a verse like Matthew 7:7-8 mean to you as a follower of Jesus?
- We read the golden rule in this chapter...Matthew 7:12. I want you to think and pray about something you can do for somebody else that would really bless them! Really pray about it, ask God to show you what He would have you do, and then do it in love for the other person. Once God has told you what He would like for you to do, share it with everyone so we can celebrate it and pray for you!!!
In Jesus Name...Amen
tom
