Thursday, October 7, 2021

Matthew 22 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Matthew 22:31,32

“But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.’”

 

We serve the only Living God, and through Christ, we too are made alive both now and forever! The Holy Spirit showed me that there is a powerful and profound truth tucked in these verses. Jesus says, “Have you not read what God said to you”? He is referring to the Scriptures written hundreds of years before their time yet refers to them as if God was speaking them to them in real-time.

 

This tells me that every word in the Bible is as applicable then as it is now. The things He spoke to Abraham, He is speaking to us now. The truths He told Moses on the mountain and in the tent are as real and powerful now as they were then. This tells me that every word from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 is still true, and our lives should be lived accordingly.

 

One of the things Jesus is teaching us here is that God is speaking to His people through His pages, but the question is, are we listening? Do we take the Word of God and mold it to fit our lives, or do we take our lives and mold them around the Word (both written and Living?) The Scriptures are alive and bring us alive if we listen and obey what they say!

 

Psalm 86:11 - Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart so that I may honor you.

 

Hebrews 4:12 - For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

 

God bless! I love you all, but He loves you more! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

Matthew 22:34-40

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

These verses speak to the disparity between the greatest wisdom of man and the supreme wisdom of Christ! You see, this man was an expert in the Law, well-versed in the Law of Moses and the truths that it held. He probably hadn’t met a man he couldn’t match wit for wit with, but then again, Christ is no mere man! He is the fulfillment of the Law and the promise. We see that the human expert in the Law is no match for the One who gave it!

We as people fancy ourselves as so very wise and learned, and to a certain degree, we are. But we must never forget that our wisdom and understandings never outweigh or overpower the Truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth! We must be careful not to fall into the pit of pride and arrogance, a pit that we often miss until we find ourselves at the bottom of it, wondering how we got there; trust me, I know, I have been there before. Forgive me, Lord, and lead me away from myself and my sin!

This expert in the Law had probably studied all his life for a moment such as this, and Christ sums up this man’s question and life work with a simple yet profound statement- it’s love! Love God and love people, but we must do it biblically. It cannot be my faulty or flawed view of love; it cannot be based on my own morals or standards. It cannot rest in my emotions or feelings but must be founded upon the eternal, the immortal, and the immovable Living God and His Word! So today, let us not fancy ourselves wiser than Christ but go to Him humbly and hungry, expecting to be filled!

John 6:35- Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 

 

Matthew 22:36-40

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "' Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Everything hinges on these two commandments. At the root of everything He commands and requires of us is love. We obey Him out of love, we serve Him out of love, we worship Him out of love, we love others because He first loved us, and the list goes on and on. But how do we apply this to our lives? Let me share yesterday’s experience as I feel they walked this out beautifully.

Yesterday, I was blessed to take a couple guys to reStore, which is the clothes closet ran by Peg Toyne and Neil Toyne at Restoration Park Church. Yes, they clothe people in the name of Christ, but they also offer so much more. Most of their clients come from very hard times: prison, sex trafficking, and impoverished families, yet what they offer there is more than just clothes; they offer hope, and they offer worth. It hit me yesterday that what they were saying through the way they were loving on people and providing for their needs is that you have worth! In a way, they were saying we know you have been through hell, but you still are valuable and welcome at the King's table! Through their actions, they were saying what many of us fail to say; you have worth – both to God and to us!

That, my friends, is a living example of loving God and loving people. That ministry is booming. It takes many hours and much work to make it happen, and they do it all for the glory of God and with joy in their hearts. We, too, could do something like this, to take the time to meet people right where they are and provide for them a living example of the love of Christ! Jesus didn't tell people to find their way to Him but rather made Himself available and said, “Follow Me!” If we want to lead others to Christ, we, too, must follow this template. We must be available, we must be open, and we must first learn to love God and love people more than we love our lives, our comforts, and our time.

Thank You, Lord, for your patience and willingness to work on even the worst of us, and thank you, Peg, Neil, and the reStore team for being living examples we can all glean from!

1 Timothy 4:16- Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

God bless! I love you all, but His love set the standard! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

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