Well. We have finished another online study together and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have! It's been really unique to study Jesus' life so closely during Advent, going far beyond His birth and reading and pondering some of His greatest teachings. This baby we celebrate at Christmas was God-in-flesh and as He grew as a human, He taught us many wise and wonderful lessons. Did you have a favorite "take away" from this study in Matthew? Share in the comments if you'd like to do so. I think mine was a renewed appreciation of Christ's wisdom and how contrary many of His teachings were to my selfish human inclinations. Jesus challenges us to live radically different from the world, and this […] Read more »

December 28th - Matthew 11:20-30 Spend some time meditating on these verses. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 11:20-30 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done. Woe to you_____! Whose name would you write in the blank? I don't mean to pronounce judgment on someone. But I want you to write down the name of a person you know will be condemned if they do not repent. In doing so, you will have named someone you can pray for earnestly. Like those in Capernaum, they may have seen miracles and heard the Gospel yet remained unmoved. I pray that […] Read more »

December 27th - Matthew 11:1-18 Spend some time meditating on these verses. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 11:1-19 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done. Did you catch the meaning of verse one? Jesus sent the Apostles out from their cities, and then He proceeded to preach and teach in their cities. Yes, Jesus went to fill the void in the very cities the Apostles left. Our Savior is undeniably exceptional and surprising. Then, Jesus is visited by the disciples of John the Baptist with some questions. While John sat in prison, he started to doubt. Um, weren't […] Read more »

December 26th - Matthew 10:32-42 Spend some time meditating on these verses. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 10:32-42 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done. Because we are valuable to Jesus, He will confess our names before God because we have confessed His name to men. Wow. What a fabulous day that will be! But for those who deny Jesus, He will deny them. Fortunately, this doesn't apply to timid believers who don't share the Gospel. Instead, it refers to those who have heard the Good News and still reject Jesus. Many in those days tried to "cancel" […] Read more »

December 25th - Matthew 10:16-31 Merry Christmas! God bless you if you found time to meditate on these verses today. Come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God when you can. Request God's help. Read Matthew 10:16-31 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. All set? Let’s see if we can find more gifts to unwrap. "Beware of men," Jesus warned. "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." "I'm sending you out as sheep among wolves." These are not words of comfort, but they are words of encouragement before entering a battle. And, although Jesus sent the Apostles to the Jews alone, He also prepared them for the persecution that would lead them to testify […] Read more »

December 24th - Matthew 10:1-15 Spend some time meditating on the gifts of Jesus. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 10:1-15 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Happy Christmas Eve! If you are not wrapping last-minute gifts and have time, read the commentary now. Like the King He is, Jesus summoned the twelve disciples and granted them the power to heal. Interestingly, the disciples, now Apostles, are all named in order, starting with Peter and ending with Judas. Also, many have clarifying statements following their names. For example, Matthew, "the tax collector," Simon, "the zealot," and Judas Iscariot, "the one who betrayed Him." By this, you can […] Read more »

December 23rd - Matthew 9:27-38 Spend some time meditating on these miracles. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 9:27-38 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done. After God breathed new life into me, I told everyone who would listen about Jesus. Fortunately, by God’s grace, some of my friends did come to faith in Christ after witnessing the miracle of my salvation. Similarly, in this part of Matthew, we see a physical parallel of this spiritual truth. Right after Jesus raised a little girl from the dead, He was followed by two blind men begging for mercy from the […] Read more »

December 22nd - Matthew 9:14-26 Spend some time meditating on the Law versus grace. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 9:14-26 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done. The age of grace is a privilege God's followers have enjoyed since Jesus died and rose again on their behalf. No longer are we under the yoke of slavery to the Law of sin and death. But John the Baptist's disciples followed the last Old Testament prophet. John's entire ministry prepared the way for the Messiah, yet when the Messiah came, they had a hard time letting go of the old […] Read more »

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