Matthew

In Matthew 6:9-13 the disciples asked Jesus how to pray. What Jesus responds with is now known as the Lordss prayer. You can break down the prayer into seven sections which highlight important elements for any prayer. The first section is, Our Father in heaven. Our reminds us that as a Christ follower you are not in this alone, you belong to a community of believers. Father reminds us that we can be in close relationship to God, He is not some distant mystical being. In heaven reminds us that although God is close, He is still so powerful that he controls the vastness of the earth and the universe. Spend a moment reading the verses today. When I was growing up, we said this prayer every Sunday morning as part of worship. Hopefully over the next few days you will begin to memorize it if you havent already.

This week we’ve been talking about how every person is made in the image of God, Imago Dei. But we know that not long after Adam and Eve were created, sin entered the world and everything changed. They were separated from God, and that brokenness has affected all of us ever since.Throughout the devotionals this week, I’ve been using the idea of a mirror, but I left the reflection blank on purpose until today. Think about it this way: if we perfectly reflected God, the mirror would be whole and clear. But when we sin, it’s like the mirror starts to crack. The reflection is still there, but it’s distorted and broken, it doesn’t look the way it’s supposed to. That’s what sin does in our lives. We were created to reflect God’s love, goodness, and truth, but sin damages that reflection, and we can’t fix it on our own, no matter how hard we try.But Jesus can. He is the perfect image of God, no cracks, no distortion. And instead of leaving us in our brokenness, He chose to take our place. This is what Easter did for Eden: Jesus took the punishment for our sin so we wouldn’t have to. On the cross, He carried all the sins we’ve committed and will commit and paid for it completely. Because of Him, God no longer sees us as cracked and distorted; through Jesus, we are forgiven and being restored, slowly made new so that our lives can once again reflect Him more clearly.I’ll be taking next week off because of spring break, but it’s also Holy Week, which makes it a great time to spend time in Scripture. I’d encourage you to read Matthew 21 (which we celebrate this Sunday as Palm Sunday), and then Matthew 26–28 over Easter weekend as we remember what Jesus has done for us.

This week we’ve been talking about how every person is made in the image of God, Imago Dei. But we know that not long after Adam and Eve were created, sin entered the world and everything changed. They were separated from God, and that brokenness has affected all of us ever since.Throughout the devotionals this week, I’ve been using the idea of a mirror, but I left the reflection blank on purpose until today. Think about it this way: if we perfectly reflected God, the mirror would be whole and clear. But when we sin, it’s like the mirror starts to crack. The reflection is still there, but it’s distorted and broken, it doesn’t look the way it’s supposed to. That’s what sin does in our lives. We were created to reflect God’s love, goodness, and truth, but sin damages that reflection, and we can’t fix it on our own, no matter how hard we try.But Jesus can. He is the perfect image of God, no cracks, no distortion. And instead of leaving us in our brokenness, He chose to take our place. This is what Easter did for Eden: Jesus took the punishment for our sin so we wouldn’t have to. On the cross, He carried all the sins we’ve committed and will commit and paid for it completely. Because of Him, God no longer sees us as cracked and distorted; through Jesus, we are forgiven and being restored, slowly made new so that our lives can once again reflect Him more clearly.I’ll be taking next week off because of spring break, but it’s also Holy Week, which makes it a great time to spend time in Scripture. I’d encourage you to read Matthew 21 (which we celebrate this Sunday as Palm Sunday), and then Matthew 26–28 over Easter weekend as we remember what Jesus has done for us.

This week we’ve been talking about how every person is made in the image of God, Imago Dei. But we know that not long after Adam and Eve were created, sin entered the world and everything changed. They were separated from God, and that brokenness has affected all of us ever since.Throughout the devotionals this week, I’ve been using the idea of a mirror, but I left the reflection blank on purpose until today. Think about it this way: if we perfectly reflected God, the mirror would be whole and clear. But when we sin, it’s like the mirror starts to crack. The reflection is still there, but it’s distorted and broken, it doesn’t look the way it’s supposed to. That’s what sin does in our lives. We were created to reflect God’s love, goodness, and truth, but sin damages that reflection, and we can’t fix it on our own, no matter how hard we try.But Jesus can. He is the perfect image of God, no cracks, no distortion. And instead of leaving us in our brokenness, He chose to take our place. This is what Easter did for Eden: Jesus took the punishment for our sin so we wouldn’t have to. On the cross, He carried all the sins we’ve committed and will commit and paid for it completely. Because of Him, God no longer sees us as cracked and distorted; through Jesus, we are forgiven and being restored, slowly made new so that our lives can once again reflect Him more clearly.I’ll be taking next week off because of spring break, but it’s also Holy Week, which makes it a great time to spend time in Scripture. I’d encourage you to read Matthew 21 (which we celebrate this Sunday as Palm Sunday), and then Matthew 26–28 over Easter weekend as we remember what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus appeared to the rest of the group of women who went to the tomb after they saw that it was empty and were visited by angels. Mark tells us two of the women, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, the mother of John and the other James whom Jesus called the "Sons of Thunder".

In Matthew 26 Jesus tells Peter that he will fall away from Jesus and deny Him three times before the morning. Peter responds by saying, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Later in that chapter we read that after Jesus is arrested, Peter does in fact deny that he knows Jesus “before a rooster crows”.That background leads us to today’s passage, after Jesus feeds the disciples when they return from fishing, Jesus asks Peter, also called Simon or Simon Peter, if he loves Him three times. This restores Peter after his failure on the night of Jesus’ arrest. As you read today’s scripture, understand that we all fail Christ daily, but realize that Christ is always there waiting to restore our relationship with him when we repent and ask.

In Matthew 26 Jesus tells Peter that he will fall away from Jesus and deny Him three times before the morning. Peter responds by saying, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Later in that chapter we read that after Jesus is arrested, Peter does in fact deny that he knows Jesus “before a rooster crows”.That background leads us to today’s passage, after Jesus feeds the disciples when they return from fishing, Jesus asks Peter, also called Simon or Simon Peter, if he loves Him three times. This restores Peter after his failure on the night of Jesus’ arrest. As you read today’s scripture, understand that we all fail Christ daily, but realize that Christ is always there waiting to restore our relationship with him when we repent and ask.

In Matthew 26 Jesus tells Peter that he will fall away from Jesus and deny Him three times before the morning. Peter responds by saying, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Later in that chapter we read that after Jesus is arrested, Peter does in fact deny that he knows Jesus “before a rooster crows”.That background leads us to today’s passage, after Jesus feeds the disciples when they return from fishing, Jesus asks Peter, also called Simon or Simon Peter, if he loves Him three times. This restores Peter after his failure on the night of Jesus’ arrest. As you read today’s scripture, understand that we all fail Christ daily, but realize that Christ is always there waiting to restore our relationship with him when we repent and ask.

To be commissioned means that you are given a specific role or task and the authority to carry it out. Artists are commissioned to create specific works of art. Military officers are commissioned to lead, care for others, and take responsibility for what’s been entrusted to them.In the same way, Jesus commissions the eleven disciples at the end of the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. Before He sends them out, He tells them that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Then He gives them what we now call the Great Commission: to go into all the world, make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them to follow everything He has commanded.An interesting note in Mark’s account, this happens right after Jesus calls them out for their doubt. So, they weren’t perfect, confident, or completely prepared, but Jesus still chose them and sent them anyway.And He doesn’t just send them out on their own. He promises that He will be with them always.We see the impact of this throughout the rest of the New Testament as the disciples spread out in every direction, telling people about Jesus and building the foundation of the church that we participate in today. That same mission didn’t stop with them; it’s something we’re invited into today. Remember Matthew 6:10, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

To be commissioned means that you are given a specific role or task and the authority to carry it out. Artists are commissioned to create specific works of art. Military officers are commissioned to lead, care for others, and take responsibility for what’s been entrusted to them.In the same way, Jesus commissions the eleven disciples at the end of the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. Before He sends them out, He tells them that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Then He gives them what we now call the Great Commission: to go into all the world, make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them to follow everything He has commanded.An interesting note in Mark’s account, this happens right after Jesus calls them out for their doubt. So, they weren’t perfect, confident, or completely prepared, but Jesus still chose them and sent them anyway.And He doesn’t just send them out on their own. He promises that He will be with them always.We see the impact of this throughout the rest of the New Testament as the disciples spread out in every direction, telling people about Jesus and building the foundation of the church that we participate in today. That same mission didn’t stop with them; it’s something we’re invited into today. Remember Matthew 6:10, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”