Matthew 7 - 8

In Matthew 7:1 we are told to Judge not unless you want to be judged. I have read that this verse has passed over John 3:16 as the most commonly used verse and I wonder how often I judge others and also if I judge myself when I should not. As far as oneself, self condemnation is an easy attack of the enemy on me and I guess it is similar to lack of faith but my prayer for this is to be able to see others as God sees them and not not focus on myself at all. Ask, Seek, Knock... What doors do I want open versus what doors do I need open?

In 7:14 it says "that small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  This makes it sound like the majority will get it wrong and miss the correct road, am I going with the Majority or trying to hear the still small voice to make sure I am on the correct path and not blindly following after others...

In Chapter 8:26 I feel like this is written to me, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" With all the storms in my life, are there more than in any other life? I do not think so but at times the circumstances of life seem to strive to focus our attention and effort on ourselves. Lord help me to have more faith and not to be scared.

Matthew 5 - 6

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. How salty am I to this world who needs God? And then Jesus says in verse 22 "that if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment." I wonder how many times a week I find myself getting angry at Mandy or my kids and knowing this is similar to murder as far as judgment. Lord forgive me and help me to manage my temper and be slow to anger.

(Verse 27) If you look at someone with lust then you have committed adultery... I may be wrong but it seems that there are females in the world that find joy in trying to attract the attention of men. I wonder if there is a similar faction of men that purposely tempt women with emotions of something similar. I think this is something that the enemy uses to drive wedges between couples. I pray for protection for my marriage and my children.

In Chapter 6:19 we are told not to store up treasures here on earth and as I have been reflecting on what my treasures are. When I asked God about what are my treasures, he shows me pictures of Mandy, Chase, Pierce and Brooke. As we work to get out of debt, Lord help me to focus on your desires and your treasures.

Chapter 6 ends with the saying "Do not worry..." and as I reflect on the last several years I have been doing more worrying that is healthy. Worry seems to be a sin that is almost expected by those of this world. May this not be so, Lord help me to know worry but to have stronger faith in you and your purposes.

Matthew 3-4 (or 5 for those aggressive readers :))

I will post the section of scripture that I want to meditate on today. I will read and ponder and add comments throughout the day. In this section we have friends, baptism, testing and then preaching. I want to see Jesus better, it is like I need stronger glasses to see Him more clearly so God give us all super strong glasses to see your Holy Spirit and teach us with your words. Help us to be is a constant state of prayer and to not give in to the cares of this world. Thank you Jesus!

Last night I had trouble sleeping and felt like I was being attacked. I tried something that I have seen my wife do, I turned on worship music and put on head phones at 11:30 at night and after 30 minutes of WOW worship I was able to sleep with greater peace. The song that spoke to me last night and helped is below.

Day 1 - Matthew 1-2

Matthew 1:1-17 - I understand that geneologies are important and wonder what the significance of 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David to the exile in Babylon and 14 generations from th exile to the Messiah might be.

Matthew 1:20-21 - Joseph was told from the beginning that the child that Mary was carrying was going to "save his people from their sins." As a parent the pressure of raising a child is pretty heavy but I wonder what Joseph and Mary thought about during the pregnancy before the birth. I also like that the angel of the lord appeared in a dream to Joseph.

Matthew 2:9-10 - How does a star move to be over the location of Jesus's birth, and I wonder would the Magi call themselves christian or say that they were used by God?

Joseph had a few more dream angels to direct and protect him and Jesus.

These are my thoughts as I read Matthew asking God to help me see more. It is hard to focus and the cares of the world seem to constantly encroach on my time and thoughts. Lord help me to hear you more clearly and be able to ignore the things of the world that are distractions.

Birth of an idea

Mandy has challenged me to read through the new testament with her and I have started several times. I find myself thinking every time I start in Matthew, How many times have I read this, do genealogies really matter, does it count if I skim... After several failed attempts, I have decided to raise the bar and have a little accountability as well. I plan to post a section of scripture daily which will consist of 3-5 chapters and my prayer is that Mandy and I will find something new or old in a different light that will help us to see God more clearly. I plan to for this to be a place for me to share what God has been doing and my hopes are that others may be encouraged and like to take a dive with us :).