The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. —Matthew 21:10 This is a question that needs to be asked about Jesus. There was a Pharaoh of Egypt who said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). The stubborn ignorance of Pharaoh led to the destruction of his army and his country. So will be the end of any nation whose leaders do not know the Lord and are against His people. It will only lead to eventually destruction. “Sing joyfully…

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” —Matthew 20:25-28 How do you think our world would be different if everyone had a servant’s heart? Instead of wanting people do something for us, what…

Should you be jealous because I am kind to others? —Matthew 10:15 How do you feel when someone else gets a promotion at work? How do you feel when someone’s business is doing much better than yours? How do you feel when another person gets a better grade or whose place is higher at graduation? How do you feel when another team takes the championship? How do you feel with others seem to be in perfect health and your health is failing? How do you feel when others seem to have things going better in their life than the things in your life? Are you content with what God has…

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. —Mathew 19:23 Let’s say right now you were given the opportunity to receive $1,000,000 or eternal life through Jesus. Which would you take- the money or eternal life through Jesus? Unfortunately, the vast majority would take the $1,000,000. But this is not new. The lure of wealth, or I should say the love of wealth, has destroyed many lives. It is not wealth itself. Wealth itself is neutral. It is the love of wealth that people are lured by. They think “If only I had…

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! —Matthew 18:21-22 Have you truly forgiven that person? To forgive means to never bring it up again. We may not forget it and there may still be hurt that we have to work through, but to forgive is to “let it go.” To not forgive is to “hold on to it.” So, who is it you have not forgiven, but need to? Forgiveness— we cannot really understand it until we understand the forgiveness that the Lord God Almighty extends to…

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” —Matthew 17:5-7 Someone of importance comes to town people flock to hear what they have to say. It could be a world figure, a political figure or some other celebrity. Thousands of dollars are forked over just to have a meal in the presence of one of these people or to buy tickets to…

Watch out! Beware of … the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees—Matthew 16:6, 12 There is much deception by communication. Many use their words to intentionally deceive others. We need not be paranoid, but we also don’t want to be gullible. It is the gullible that deceivers seek to deceive. Deceptive communication is when someone speaks what they appear to honestly believe to be true but they are intentionally misleading those they are communicating to. Today’s media does this all too often. I am very leery of today’s so-called journalism and do not take my “news” just from one source. This type of deceptive communication not only occurs outside…

I feel sorry for these people… they have nothing left to eat. —Matthew 15:32 Compassion—- When was the last time you had compassion for someone? Do you feel compassion for those who are hungry? For those who are thirsty? For those who are homeless? For those who need clothing? For those who are sick? For those who are in prison? For those who are facing injustice? For those who are oppressed? Do you have compassion on them? Jesus did when people had been with Him for a few days, but they had nothing to eat. He was concerned for them. He had compassion on them and He was moved to…

And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? …And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. —Matthew 15:2, 6 Hypocrites! Many people say that is why they do not want anything to do with church. Unfortunately, sometimes those who are “religious” do give opportunity for those who do not attend church to see their hypocrisy. Nobody is perfect so I am not talking about failing on occasion and we need to be transparent about that. No Christian is perfect. What I am talking about is not being obedient to the Word of God just to keep some “religious”…

Take courage. I am here! —Matthew 14:27 Discouragement is the lack of courage. Courage has left the person. To encourage someone is to put courage back into them. Will you do that today? In the context of the verse above the disciples believed they had seen a ghost and were terrified. But it was Jesus walking on the water and He told them not to be afraid, but to take courage. Peter took courage and walked on the water toward Jesus. He was encouraged, but he lost that courage when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves the strong wind was creating. He became terrified and…