Author: judyinthesky91

Daily Word

Matthew 24

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Matthew 24 – Live ready. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength – and love your neighbor as yourself. (a reminder of the greatest and second greatest commands from Matthew 22:37-40) Tough times are ahead… truly, impossible times according to Jesus:

“In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.” :22

Jesus is describing the events leading to tribulation and the actual tribulation years. There are scholars that believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, others believe rapture happens mid-tribulation, and a third group believe in the post-tribulation rapture. If you don’t yet know your view, and most importantly WHY, set up an appointment with your pastor – please – speak to him prior to any internet searching on this subject.

According to the pre-tribulation view, the church is removed prior to :9, and the earth’s population is all non-believers who are left behind. Chaos ensues, and some will come to Salvation during this time. Hallelujah! They are the chosen ones Jesus is speaking of in verse :22.

We see many things today that fit the birth pain description, earthquakes, famines, war and rumors of war (:6-7). I am not saying we are in the birth pains, only that we could be, that is why the wise believer will always live ready.

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows…. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” :36,42

Daily Word

Matthew 23

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Read Matthew 23 – Woe! Woe! Woe! It’s honesty day against the Scribes and Pharisees!

Jesus addresses the crowds, telling them to do what the religious leaders say, but not what they do. “For they do not practice what they preach, ” Jesus explains at the end of :3.

He follows up with seven woe’s against them. Jesus is opening the eyes of the crowd to the legalism that had hardened the hearts of these Scribes and Pharisees. Beloved, may your eyes also be opened to your pastor (priest,bishop,minister or title he goes by). Does he practice what he preaches? Is he a servant and humble?

“The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” :11-12

May these harsh and honest rebukes for those who would use religion against people give you one more reason to celebrate Jesus. Jesus stands righteously, bringing freedom, forgiveness, love and mercy to those who put their faith in him. Jesus is mighty to save! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:39, Psalm 118:26)

Daily Word

Matthew 22

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Read Matthew 22 – What’s love got to do with it?  EVERYTHING. 

Jesus teaches through the parable of the wedding banquet. He showed us three unworthy reactions to the invitation: refusal,  distraction and showing up unchanged.   Those with the invitation refused to come.  The same applies to heaven; no one is getting in based on family religion.  No one is getting in having heard the Gospel and doing nothing with it.   And no one is getting in without being clothed in Jesus Christ.  Beloved,  wear your Jesus- fueled love everywhere you go.   Live dressed and ready for heaven. 

The religious folks keep trying to outsmart Jesus with various questions.   Note that the questions were all hypothetical.  They remind me of my skeptical questions prior to Salvation… there is truly nothing new. Jesus can stand up to any question this world might throw at him.

The best question received the very best answer!  (:36-40) It’s all about love.   When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered it is to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.   And He added that the second most important command is to love your neighbor as yourself. 

I confess that I misunderstood this second one for quite some time.   I thought I was loving others MORE than myself, by putting myself down. That’s not what Jesus wants from anyone.   

Beloved, life is his gift, and we must take very good care.  You are His gift.   Your crabby relative/ neighbor/ stranger on the street/ person who cut you off in traffic/ etc.  are all made in His image and you are called to love them.

Daily Word

Matthew 21

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Read Matthew 21 – Joyful and triumphant – Beloved, this is the only time our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was recognized by the masses and honored. It is a beautiful scene to picture as the crowds carpeted the road with their cloaks and branches for Jesus.

I get excited by the missing information in :2-3…. Did Jesus have a conversation with the donkeys owner? Were these details worked out in heaven or on earth? Verse :4 says this was the fulfillment of prophecy…. And we know God works outside of time, so maybe all of these details came together way back then?

Heaven is an awesome thing to contemplate. Will it be a grand storytime where details come together in perpetual awe? Will we simply know in an instant? Wondering about it makes me feel like I did as a child counting down the days until Christmas!

Scripture soon changes from celebration to housekeeping as Jesus clears the Temple of those with corrupt purposes (:12-13). And he gives serious warnings about future housekeeping in the encounter with the fruitless fig tree and the wicked tenant parable.

And in between, people keep flocking to him in passionate need of healing. And our precious Savior healed them (:14). Beloved, can you imagine the teaching they would have heard just by being in his presence?

What captured your heart in Matthew 21?

Daily Word

Matthew 20

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Read Matthew 20 – It’s not fair; it is grace.  The economy of Jesus is based on who he is and not what we do.  It is very strange to us earthlings.  In Christ, we get his mercy and not what we deserve. 

The parable of the vineyard workers displays this concept in verses :1-16.  All the workers get fair pay of a day’s wage whether they worked all day, or only showed up at the end.  How did you feel about this?  Were you happy to see those hired on last getting paid as if they had worked all day?  Did your heart expect those hired first to get a bit extra?  

Jesus predicts his death again.  Beloved, there are things going on all around us as we navigate life in this broken world, but one thing remains the most important – Jesus lived, bled, died and was resurrected so that we could have eternal life with him.  Whatever is happening in your life right now, do not get too far away from the loving truth of the Cross.

Jesus asks a question, “What do you want?” He first asks James and John’s mother :21, and then he asks the blind men :32.  

The mother does not understand what she is asking for and Jesus tells her exactly that.  The motive was wrong; it was essentially for prestige. Jesus said NO.  Can you think of a time Jesus said NO to you?  It doesn’t take much hindsight to know what a blessing a NO is!

Now the blind men stirred Jesus’ heart to compassion.  They received the blessing of sight they asked for and their response is wonderful.  Verse :34 concludes with, “Instantly they could see!  Then they followed him.”  

Beloved, may this wake you up to the joy of your Salvation!  You are saved, follow Jesus in gratitude for this gift that he earned on the Cross and freely gave to you.

Daily Word

Matthew 19

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Read Matthew 19 – Jesus gets to the heart of the questions – When I was full of skepticism, I had my list of questions. They were the usual ones, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” “Was Jesus an actual person or legend?” “Is the bible true?” I sent them to the pastor, expecting an email in return or maybe a sit down discussion. Instead, he ordered a book for me. It answered all of my questions. By reading it, I realized that had the pastor answered my questions, I would have been so busy thinking up the next question I would not have received the answers. What are your questions really asking?

The Pharisees are trying to trip Jesus up on questions (:3). He gets to the heart of the matter by asking questions and reminding them of God’s original intent regarding marriage and divorce.

We get another moment of Jesus with the little children… They are so precious to him! He puts his hands upon their heads and blesses them (:15). Beloved, reread that section, :13-15, close your eyes, imagine his hands upon your head, imagine his words spoken over you. We all have that little child deep inside of us.

The next passage introduces us to a rich man. He considers himself a good man, yet he knows something is missing. He has that deep longing to be ‘good enough’. Jesus gives him such an incredible offer to sell his possessions, give to the poor, then come and follow Jesus. Our Scriptures could speak of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and this guy, but instead we never even learn his name because he could not let go of his earthly ties to come and follow Jesus. Beloved, is anything in your way?

Daily Word

Matthew 18

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Read Matthew 18 – Time with Jesus…. One never knows what kind of wisdom they will receive when time is spent with our Savior. I’m just coming home from a retreat. For five days I learned and leaned into Jesus on levels that were unexpected and precious.

Jesus imparts great wisdom and tenderness in Chapter 18. Did something touch your heart in a brand new way?

For me Jesus’s answer to the disciples swirled with the lost sheep parable and I found myself somewhere in the middle.

“So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” :4

When I first accepted Jesus as my Savior I was very young… maybe 4 or 6 years old. My neighbor asked me if I wanted to go to heaven or hell. I said heaven, repeated her sinners prayer, and that was that. Unfortunately, no one I knew went to church or read the bible, so I had little comprehension of what my faith was and had all but forgotten it when I began to investigate Christianity as a worldly 36 year old. I was so skeptical and about ready to dismiss Jesus all together when I began my quest for truth.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?” :12

Well, hallelujah! Because I was that lost sheep and Jesus went to great lengths to rescue me back to the flock. We’ve both been celebrating ever since.

Beloved, may you find yourself in Jesus today.

Daily Word

Matthew 17:24-27

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Read Matthew 17:24-27 – The Lord works in mysterious ways. Let’s take a look at this crazy unfolding of events that close chapter 17.

The tax collector raises a question with Peter over Jesus paying Temple tax. Notice that Jesus responds without Peter even asking a question(:25). And he makes Peter think through the logic… Rabbi’s don’t pay tax so why would Jesus? Yet Jesus would rather not cause offense, so he provides the tax by way of miracle(:26).

Lesson one, pick your battles.

Now, Peter is a fisherman. He fishes with nets and brings in lots of fish. Jesus tells him to simply cast a hook and catch only one fish, saying that he will find the money in the fish’s mouth. Peter’s obedience shows a sweet degree of faith and humility by not pointing out how weird and unlikely this is.

Lesson two, when Jesus speaks, just do it. Throw practicalities and ego to the side, and do what he says.

The last sentence in our chapter Jesus says to take the money and give it to them to pay for his tax and Peters. This is even bigger than it seems. Jesus didn’t owe the tax, but he paid it… much like he would lead a sinless life, but pay the cost of sin which is death. AND, he covered Peter’s tax as well much like his sacrificial death would pay the cost for my sin and yours.

Lesson three, Beloved believer, your sins are covered. You are free. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:35

P.s. I’m going to a retreat this week and will be focusing on all that God has for me there. I pray you press on in your reading and we can catch up next week. God bless us all!

Daily Word

Matthew 17:9-22

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Read Matthew 17:9-22 – Repetition is key. Jesus spoke about his death in Matthew 16:21, 17:9-12, and :22. He was preparing his disciples for what comes next.

After this, they came down the mountain to the crowd. A man asked Jesus to heal his demon possessed son, stating that his disciples tried unsuccessfully. Jesus rebukes the demon, and the boy is healed. He rebukes his disciples too, calling them unbelieving, perverse and stating that they have little faith.

Ouch, right? And if they had little faith, what does mine look like? Jesus says with faith just the size of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for us. (:21)

Jesus’ death and resurrection is everything to Christianity. Jesus knew time was of the essence, perhaps that is why he comes down so firmly on the disciples in verses :14-20.

Beloved, Jesus forewarned his disciples about his death, and we have the privilege of hindsight to know things happened exactly as he said. Jesus is coming back, and has told us so. We look expectantly for the day. May your faith increase as your heart, soul, mind and strength stay focused on Jesus.

Daily Word

Matthew 17:1-13

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Read Matthew 17:1-13 – We begin with a great big WOW!  Jesus takes Peter, James and John the brother of James up a high mountain and is transfigured before them.  What an incredible thing for Jesus to share with them.  “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” :2-3

Do your very best to imagine this moment.  Are you awed like James and John, or do you feel compelled to say something like Peter did?  One commentator pointed out that this was Jesus in his natural state… the remarkable thing was that he was able to look ordinary during his time on earth. 

And just as they were beginning to grasp what they were seeing, things got even more awesome.

“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!’” :5

That was it; the disciples then fell face down in fear.  The voice of God Almighty is overwhelming… We hear the expression, ‘fear of God’, and that is what these three experienced.  They have been with Jesus and in the presence of supernatural miracles on a daily basis, yet the voice of God was more than they could imagine.  They were overwhelmed.  This is our Heavenly Father, our Holy LORD God Almighty and because of Jesus, we have the privilege of eternity with him.  

Beloved, may you ponder the majesty of Lord Jesus today.  May you hold on to the fact that Jesus came from heaven and humbled his glory because saving you was worth it to him. May gratitude lead your day.