Matthew 4:1

April 6, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬)

This verse stands out to me because it seems so counterintuitive. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? My natural thought would be that the Spirit would shield Jesus (and me, by extension) from the devil’s temptations. But a broader reading of the Bible reveals that God doesn’t completely shield us from the brokenness of the world. While He may, at times, shield us from the extremes of brokenness (though that wasn’t Job’s experience!), He doesn’t promise to completely eliminate our experience of the brokenness of this world. In fact, a thorough reading of Scripture should tell us that we will experience pain and temptation. But with a major caveat: The Lord will be with us during those times. Here’s what Paul told the Corinthians about this matter:

“Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬)

God will not allow believers to be tempted beyond our capacity to resist. My primary problem in this regard is a lack of desire to resist. Temptation hits at points of weakness. It strikes at our fleshly desires. The issue isn’t God’s protection; it is my desire. Do I want to feed the fleshly desire more than I want to be in fellowship with the Spirit to resist the temptations?

Father, help me to grow in my desire to fellowship with the Spirit rather than feed the desires of the flesh. Amen.

Filed Under: 1 Corinthians, devotional thoughts, discipleship, Gospels, Matthew, New Testament

Matthew 3:7-9

April 5, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬)

John the Baptist was not “seeker-friendly.” His words are relevanttoday: “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.’”

John is warning the Pharisees and Sadducees not to depend on their family tree for righteousness. While it is a mercy of God to be raised in a believing family, we must bring our own fruits of repentance. Too many times, I have heard a person mention their grandma’s or parents’ faith when asked about their faith. This is akin to the Pharisees or Sadducees saying, “We are children of Abraham.” We can not stand before the Lord with a basket of someone else’s faith; only ours.

Father, please help me to build my own faith and not depend on the faith of others. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Evangelism, Faith, Gospels, John the Baptist, New Testament

Matthew 2:1-2

April 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭2‬)

One thing leapt off the page today. “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” I have two thoughts related to this sentence.

First, the growing disdain for Israel among American Christians of all stripes (Evangelical, Reformed, Catholic, and Orthodox) comes to mind. Interestingly, “Christ is King!” is being proclaimed from each quarter. On its face, “Christ is King” is a wonderful and accurate recognition of who Jesus is. After all, Revelation 19:16 says, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” However, I’m not hearing this declaration of Christ’s kingship in “normal” conversations; I am hearing it in the political sphere, used as a weapon against support for Israel. So, I find some irony in reading the wisemen’s inquiry: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”

Second, on this Saturday before Resurrection Sunday, my mind shifted from King of the Jews to Savior of the world! The Apostle John records these words: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” (‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬) John also reports on the Samaritans’ recognition of Jesus as the Savior of the world: “They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’” (‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭42)

So, on this Saturday, I worship and proclaim Jesus, the King of the Jews and Savior of the world.

Father, help me recognize Jesus for who he is, and not misuse his identity as an insult toward others. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Gospels, John, Matthew, New Testament, Politics, Supremacy of God

Matthew 1:24-25

April 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” (Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬)

I think Joseph is a great model of faith and obedience. Imagine the shock of being told that your betrothed is pregnant, and you know that you are not the father. Now, imagine that you are told that the Holy Spirit is the father of the child.

Without divine revelation, the latter is impossible to believe. Joseph responded naturally by resolving to divorce Mary. However, as he was considering these things, he received divine revelation. The angel of the Lord appeared and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife because she was, in fact, pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel of the Lord reminded (or informed) Joseph of Isaiah 7:14, “‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

And when Joseph woke up, he was faithfully obedient to the revelation he had received. And, not only did he keep Mary as his wife, he kept her a virgin until after this child, Jesus, was born.

Father, please help me to faithfully receive and obey the revelation that you have given me. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, God's Word, Gospels, Holy Spirit, Jesus Said, John, New Testament

John 21:19

April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” (John‬ ‭21‬:‭19‬)

Two things stand out to me in this verse. First, Those who follow Christ closely may experience martyrdom. Since Peter walked closely with Jesus, his denials notwithstanding, many may expect that Peter would be exempt from experiencing bad things in life. Among many others, this verse demonstrates the error of such thinking.

Second, believers are required to keep tracking with the Lord if/when they experience hardship. The faulty belief that Christians should not experience hardship often causes people to walk away from Jesus when life gets tough. But, hardship does not offer us such a pass.

We were recently speaking with the mother of a child who had brain cancer in the 3rd or 4th grade. Although she has been declared cancer-free, the cancer and treatments caused a traumatic brain injury. This injury has affected her motor skills and information processing. Her life has been impacted significantly. Yet, her mother said, “She hasn’t lost her belief in God.”

Father, please help me remember that I am not better than Jesus, and I, too, may face difficult circumstances. Help me to remain faithful. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, heart matters, Jesus Said, John, New Testament, Suffering
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