December 13th - Matthew 6:14-24 Spend time meditating about forgiveness before returning to read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 6:14-24 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Are you done? Great! Let's dig in. Forgiveness is a sensitive subject. However, there is no freedom from anger and bitterness without releasing the offense to God, no matter how horrendous. Fortunately, the cross doesn't let us feel comfortable with unforgiveness. Because Jesus paid for all sin, I can safely and confidently release the offense to Him. The offender will either receive His grace or spend eternity in hell, separated from God. Judgement is the Lord's. Here, I'd like to pause to mention some repeated […] Read more »

December 12th - Matthew 6:1-13 Spend some time meditating on giving, prayer, and forgiveness. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 6:1-13 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Are you finished? Great! Now, read the commentary. Hypocrisy. We all hate it…unless we're the ones performing. Remember, this passage is a continuation of Jesus's sermon. He's telling us that our righteousness (works-based living) is like filthy rags. In other words, don't do anything publicly that will make people say, "What an amazing person you are!" Unfortunately, my husband and I did that recently. We weren't aware then, but now I see how we slipped into conversations focused on our […] Read more »

December 11th - Matthew 5:27-48 Spend some time meditating on vows/covenants and marriage. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 5:27-48 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done… Adultery and divorce are two of the most devastating things a person can live through. When Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn for, they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4), I believe He was not only thinking of those who lost loved ones but also those who lived through the heart-wrenching death of a marriage. Unfortunately, we sell ourselves short as followers Of Christ. We buy into the BOGO mentality of the […] Read more »

December 10th - Matthew 5:17-26 Spend some time contemplating how Jesus fulfilled the Law. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 5:17-26 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done… Do you think it was surprising for His disciples to hear that Jesus came to fulfill the Law? The word translated fulfill is pléroó, which means to make full, to complete. Therefore, Jesus fulfilled the Law by keeping it perfectly and becoming God's flawless, sacrificial lamb who takes away the world's sins. Only if we are covered by the righteous blood of Jesus will we enter the kingdom of Heaven because […] Read more »

December 9th - Matthew 5:1-16 Spend some time meditating on the blessings. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 5:1-16 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done… Blessed are you. What a fantastic way to start a sentence. Whether you are poor in spirit, someone who has suffered loss, meek, one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, or persecuted because of Jesus, you are blessed. In my experience, God's tenderness reaches the depths of all the pain, and His intimate touch still heals. In the crowd, Jesus saw the faces of those He healed […] Read more »

December 8th - Matthew 4:12-25 Spend some time meditating on this passage. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 4:12-25 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Read the commentary when you’re ready. When Jesus heard John was arrested, He withdrew to Galilee. The baton was passed from John to Jesus at that moment, but the message remained the same. "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near" (V17). Surprisingly, I just realized how close Capernaum was to a Gentile region. After all, isn't that where Peter, Andrew, James, and John fished? Isn't that where Matthew collected taxes from the Jewish people? Yes, Jesus found his disciples among […] Read more »

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December 7th - Matthew 4:1-11 Spend some time meditating on the temptation of Jesus. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response to God. Request God's help. Read Matthew 4:1-11 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done… Who, what, when, why, where, and how are all the questions that pop up in my mind when I read about the temptation and testing Jesus endured after He was baptized. Questions like, "What is happening here?" and "Why is Jesus talking to the devil?" are at the top of the list. However, I'm missing the point. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a High Priest who is unable […] Read more »

December 6th - Matthew 3:11-17 Spend some time meditating on Jesus’ baptism. Then, come back and read the commentary, my verse, and my response. Request God's help. Read Matthew 3:11-17 Record a verse that stands out to you. Respond to God. Come back and read the commentary when you're done… John knew the baptism he offered was symbolic and pointed to a more significant, spiritual baptism. In Matthew 3:11, he said, "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (NIV). Then something remarkable happened. Jesus entered the water to be baptized by John the Baptist! At first, […] Read more »