3/2 Matthew 5:33-37
33 “Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say, don’t make any vows! If you say, ‘By heaven!’ it is a sacred vow because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And if you say, ‘By the earth!’ it is a sacred vow because the earth is his footstool. And don’t swear, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Don’t even swear, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong.
YES
Yes we can follow Jesus. Yes we can be cleansed from our sin. Yes we need to do that quickly when we sin. It is important that I let the Holy Spirit show me my sin and that I quickly repent when I recognize this. Seek the Lord while He may be found. Ask Jesus to keep your heart, mind and body free from sin.
Author - Clay Corvin
3/1 Matthew 5:27-32
27 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye — even if it is your good eye — causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand — even if it is your stronger hand — causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 31 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a letter of divorce.’ 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
DETAIL
The Lord speaks to us about our sin. We are great sinners. Sin is repugnant. Sin is rampant. We need forgiveness. Jesus provides that forgiveness that we so desperately need.
3/3 Matthew 5:38-42
38 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.’ 39 But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. 40 If you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
HARD
This is a hard saying. How can I forgive? The truth is I cannot but Jesus can. He forgives me and He will give me strength to forgive those who sin against me. Hate destroys. Forgiveness builds.
2/29 Matthew 5:20-26
20 “But I warn you — unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all! 21 “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. 23 “So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 25 Come to terms quickly with your enemy before it is too late and you are dragged into court, handed over to an officer, and thrown in jail. 26 I assure you that you won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.
SERVE
We are servants of the Lord High God-Jesus Christ. Servants serve. Servants don’t rule nor do they seek first place and they are always evaluated on how well they serve. Servants listen and do not evaluate whether they will do something or not. We serve the Lord God. We do what He says. This doesn’t win us honors it simply certifies that we are indeed servants. Serve the Lord will gladness and do not look for recognition but instead see how to serve Him better.
2/28 Matthew 5:13-19
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 You are the light of the world — like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15 Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. 18 I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God’s law will remain until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you break the smallest commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
BE
God calls us to be a be before we do a do. If we don’t get our relationship with Jesus right nothing we do will be right. Listen to what Jesus says and measure the world’s way by what Jesus says. If something is out of sync it is the world-deal with it. You may be persecuted. You may suffer. It is of little importance for the thing of absolute first importance is to let Jesus have control of you. When Christ is in control you will be a light, you will have life and you will know how to deal with daily life.
2/27 Matthew 5:1-12
1 One day as the crowds were gathering, Jesus went up the mountainside with his disciples and sat down to teach them. 2 This is what he taught them: 3 “God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them. 6 God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 “God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.
JESUS
Jesus gives us the rules for living. We seek to glorify Him. The only way we can do this is to understand the Kingdom rules-Jesus is God’s everything. Obedience first develops a deep-seated understanding of how important people are. People count with Jesus. He died that we might have life. We live so that others might see Jesus in us. Serve the Lord will gladness and glorify His name by what you do everyday.
2/26 1 Corinthians 9:18-27
19 This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ. 20 When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. 22 When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. 23 I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings. 24 Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. 25 All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
CHRIST-LIKE
We are called to live a Christ-like life. We have a deep appreciation for everyone we meet because the Lord cares for him or her. We seek to spread the Good News by what we say and the way we live. Jesus is glorified. All hear. We achieve the goals of a Christian life-representing the Lord Jesus Christ to everyone we meet. The Lord is glorified. We never lose sight of the focus of our life-Jesus.
2/25 1 Corinthians 9:14-18
14 In the same way, the Lord gave orders that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. 15 Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my distinction of preaching without charge. 16 For preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t do it! 17 If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. 18 What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher.
HOW
How should we live? What if things aren’t going my way? I would encourage you to put your life in the hands of Jesus. Ask Him what you should do and how you should do it. Let Him give you guidance and follow that guidance. Take time to consider your course and then do what the Lord prompts you to do. If you are a tradesperson, do all to the best of your ability all the while representing the Lord Jesus Christ in all you say and do. Glorify God by the way you live.
2/24 1 Corinthians 9:11-13
11 We have planted good spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask, in return, for mere food and clothing? 12 If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? Yet we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than put an obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ. 13 Don’t you know that those who work in the Temple get their meals from the food brought to the Temple as offerings? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.
VALUE
How do you value your life? Do you believe it is more blessed to give than receive? Do your life choices and actions reflect that? Make sure that you are living carefully in this increasingly pagan era. Anything you can’t give away owns you. The Lord wants to bless you and one of the ways He will bless you is through your generosity.
2/23 1 Corinthians 9:7-10
7 What soldier has to pay his own expenses? And have you ever heard of a farmer who harvests his crop and doesn’t have the right to eat some of it? What shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep and isn’t allowed to drink some of the milk? 8 And this isn’t merely human opinion. Doesn’t God’s law say the same thing? 9 For the law of Moses says, “Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain.” Do you suppose God was thinking only about oxen when he said this? 10 Wasn’t he also speaking to us? Of course he was. Just as farm workers who plow fields and thresh the grain expect a share of the harvest, Christian workers should be paid by those they serve.
VALUE
The Lord establishes value: He has said that each one of us is valuable. We need preachers and teachers and other ministry workers. We are partners together with the Lord when we invest our resources in them. Seek to serve by your gifts and your wealth. Give to the Lord’s work. That too makes you a part of the kingdom work.