Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Is your heart right before God? When you have a pure heart, it means that you sin less because you understand that sinning grieves both you and God because of the damage it does to your relationship. A pure heart is a heart […]

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
How do you respond to others around you? Do you show them mercy when they are going through hard times or do you judge them and cause them to feel worse than they do? When was the last time you heard about a famous Christian […]

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Look at the world around you today. What does the world hunger after? They desire wealth. They desire health. They desire long life. They desire fame and popularity. They desire friendships.
In this passage, Jesus reveals to us the things […]

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Until you learn how to grieve for your sins, how can you expect to be comforted by God? Jesus tells the story of two men who go into the temple to pray, one was a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee was […]

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Do you understand the basic knowledge of the ways of God? While Christ was on this earth, he taught us many things about how God expects us to live our lives. If you do not take time to add knowledge of […]

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Rich people can be very miserable. They are so busy hoarding their money that they fail to enjoy life. However, when God blesses one of his children with money and […]

Matthew 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commands us to not make a big deal about the money we give. Christ explains how the hypocrites brag about their gifts and make sure everyone knows that […]

Matthew 26:35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
Peter made a statement that he was not able to perform. Jesus had told Peter that before the cock crowed three times, Peter would deny HIM. In a fashion typical for Peter, […]

James 4:2 yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

In this passage you see a very important element of prayer, asking. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus told you �Ask, and it shall be given you�. He went on to say in verse 8 �For every one that asketh receiveth�. Christ taught the importance of asking when HE promised you in Matthew 21:22 �And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.�

It is important to ask, but just as important in asking is making sure you are asking for the right thing. James went on to tell you in verse 3 �Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.� Thus it is not only important that you ask but that you ask for the right thing. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus analogized our relationship with God to that of a son asking his father for bread. Jesus explained that a father would not give his son a rock when he asked for bread. Jesus then said in Matthew 7:11 �If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

For three years the disciples had followed Jesus wherever HE led them. Jesus was raised from the dead and HE had been appearing to HIS followers in Jerusalem. Since Jesus had been appearing in Jerusalem, the natural place for the disciples to see Jesus would be in Jerusalem. Nonetheless, they went to Galilee into a mountain because Jesus had instructed them. Because the disciples obeyed, Jesus met them in the mountain.

Because the disciples sought Jesus in the mountain, Jesus gave HIS disciples the Great Commission. The disciples were instructed by Jesus to go, teach and baptize. Jesus promised the disciples that HE would be with them always. The disciples had been commanded to go, and it did not matter how far they went, they could go to the ends of the earth, but because they were obeying God�s instruction, HE would be with them.

Matthew 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

On the third day after the death of Jesus, Mary of Magdalene and the other Mary came to see Jesus� body. When they reached the tomb, they found that the stone was rolled away and an angel of the Lord sitting upon the stone. This angel�s countenance caused the keepers to become like dead men but to the two women, they were able to receive instruction as to what they were to do.

These women had gone through a terrible experience in watching the death of their Lord. Yet nonetheless, this did not stop them from seeking Jesus. Any of the disciples could have gone to seek Jesus that morning but it was these women who decided to leave their place of hiding in order to seek that which they needed.

Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Peter had just denied that he was a follower of Jesus three times. Immediately upon his third denial, the cock crowed and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him several hours before in the upper room. Peter had been so adamant that he would never deny Jesus yet when he was under pressure, he denied the One whom he had faithfully followed and served for the last three years.

Peter had been told that he was going to betray Jesus three times that night. Peter had a chance to pray with Jesus in the garden. However, because Peter allowed his physical desires for sleep to control his spiritual desire of communion with God, Peter was weakened spiritual and as a result when the real trial came, Peter was not prepared. As Jesus said in the garden, Peter�s spirit was ready but his flesh was weak.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. When HE reached the garden, HE had HIS disciples wait for HIM but requested that Peter, James and John continue with HIM. Jesus then told HIS three disciples that they were to watch as HE prayed. HE then went a little further and fell down on HIS face and prayed. After praying for one hour, Jesus came back to the place where HE requested HIS three disciples to wait and found them asleep. Jesus asked Peter why he could not watch for one hour.

Matthew 26:15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus� 12 disciples agreed to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Judas was not entrapped into betraying Jesus by the deception of the chief priests but he willingly came to the chief priests and asked them what they would give him if he betrayed his Master. Judas had determined in his heart that money was more important to him than his relationship with Jesus.

Judas betrayed Jesus for a sack of silver yet Judas is not the only person who has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Since you have accepted Christ�s calling to follow HIM, how have betrayed your relationship with Christ? Have you allowed greed to get in the way of your relationship with Christ? Have you allowed bitterness to get in the way of your relationship with Christ? Have you allowed lust to get in the way of your relationship with Christ?

Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Jesus is teaching about the Day of Judgment. Jesus states that on Judgment Day, God will separate the sheep from the goats. HE will then tell the sheep how they are blessed because they gave HIM meat and drink, gave HIM company, clothed HIM, and visited HIM. Jesus went on to explain how the sheep will ask when they did all these things for the King of Kings and God�s reply is summed up in this passage, what you have done for the least of your brethren, you have done it for the Lord.

Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus had just told the parable of the traveling man who gave talents to his servants. This man gave one servant five talents, another two talents and the third one talent. When this man returned, the first servant had turned the five talents into ten, the second servant had turned two talents into four, and the last servant hid the talent and returned it to his master. The master was upset with this unprofitable servant and took the talent from him and gave it to the servant who had earned him five talents.

Matthew 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

Jesus was warning the multitudes about the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus warned how the religious rulers were quick to lay heavy burdens upon the people but were unwilling to lift a finger to the same burden. The religious rulers made appearances to their righteousness by the wearing of phylacteries and the display of fringes upon their garments. These men were willing to appear like they were doing the which was right in the eyes of God, but in reality, everything they were doing was simply to receive the praises of men.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

A lawyer asked Jesus which of the commandments was the greatest and Jesus replied that you should love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. This verse summarizes the first four of the Ten Commandments by simply stating the principle behind the commands. In order to demonstrate your love for God you must have no other gods. You must not make any graven images. You must not take the Lord�s name in vain. You must honor the Lord�s day and keep it holy.

Matthew 21:26 But if we shall say, Of Men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

The chief priests and the elders came to Jesus and asked HIM where HE derived HIS authority. Jesus replied that HE would answer their question if they first answered a question for HIM. Jesus asked them where the baptism of John came from, heaven or of man. The priests and elders gathered together and argued among themselves that they could not say from heaven least Jesus revealed that they knew the truth and they did not obey. They also realized that they could not say that it was from man because the people felt that John the Baptist was from God and it was the people who gave them power.

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

Jesus had a close relationship with God. Every part of HIS life is an example to you of how you ought to strive to draw closer to God. You cannot afford to have a relationship with God as those who bought and sold in the temple. Those who bought and sold were pretending to do the Lord�s work but in reality they were serving the god of money.

Those who bought and sold in the temple were not concerned with helping the people draw closer to God; they were only concerned about their own personal finances. They were willing to take advantage of those who desired to obey God and draw closer to HIM. Rather than using the temple to draw the people closer to God, they were using the temple to repulse others from attending.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

What is the impossible situation that you face? Whatever the impossible situation is, God can make the impossible possible. All you have to do is look through the Bible and you will see how God did the impossible. Joseph was in prison but God brought him out of prison and placed him in a position of leadership. Joseph tried to obtain his own release from prison but of his own accord, he was in an impossible situation.

The nation of Israel was following God�s direction in leaving Egypt. They were obeying God and they were faced with the choice of either drowning in the Red Sea or dying at the hands of the Egyptians. The nation of Israel thought they were in an impossible situation but with God, all things are possible and they walked across the Red Sea on dry ground. In order to obey God, they needed to allow God to do the impossible for them.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

A rich man came to Jesus and asked HIM what he had to do in order to have eternal life. Jesus told this man that he needed to obey the commandments. The man acknowledged that he had kept the commandments but he asked Jesus what he still lacked. The man knew in his heart that there was something more he needed to do in addition to just obeying the law of God.

While this rich man claimed to obey the commandments, Jesus was able to ask one question that revealed this man was actually violating the Ten Commandments. Jesus asked the man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor and then follow HIM. By refusing to obey Jesus and sell his goods, this man showed that he had made money his god and that he had placed money and the security it could bring HIM above his relationship with God. In James 2:10 you learn that �whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.�

Matthew 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgiven not every one his brother their trespasses.

Peter had come to Jesus and asked HIM how often he should forgive his brother. Jesus replied that Peter was to forgive his brother seventy times seven. Jesus then further explained this principle by teaching Peter with a parable. Jesus explained that the kingdom of heaven was likened to a certain king that had a servant who owed him a great debt. When the servant pled for mercy and an extension of time in which to pay, the king forgave the debt his servant owed. This servant then went out and threw a fellow servant into prison for a very small debt.

Matthew 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

What you do here on this earth does affect your final destination. Your actions or your lack of actions can result in your going to spend eternity in heaven or eternity in hell. In this passage Jesus just informed you that it would be better for you that you do not have a hand, a foot or even an eye than it would be to spend eternity in hell.

Think about it for a second, what if you had a problem walking into places that caused you to stumble and fall short of the glory of God. What if you cut off your leg? The fact that you have to now hop along everywhere you desire to go would be a constant reminder to you of the need to put the things of God first in your life. Christ states that it would be better that you have only one leg and you enter heaven than that you have two legs and you live a life of debauchery here on this earth.

Matthew 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

The disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and Jesus replied that unless they became as a little child, they could not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus went on to say that if you were humble as a child, then you would be great in the kingdom of heaven. Another time Jesus told HIS� disciples that �If any man desired to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.� (Mark 9:34).

Christianity will change your perspective on life. As long as you are a slave to sin, your focus is upon yourself and what you can obtain for yourself. When you choose to allow the blood of Christ to remove the chains that bind you to sin, you now choose to be a servant of God. However, just because you are a servant of God, it does not automatically mean that you will seek God�s perfect will for your life. It does not mean that you will maintain a humble spirit.

Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

When Jesus came down out of the mountain after being transfigured, a man came to him with a son who was a lunatic. Jesus healed this man�s son. While Jesus was up in the mountain, this man had brought his son to the disciples and had asked them to heal his son. However, the disciples were unable to heal the son despite the fact that Jesus had previously given them the authority to cast out devils.

Shortly after this miracle, the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to heal this man. Jesus replied that they could only heal this man if they had prayed and fasted. The disciples had the power but they did not have the right mindset. Just because Jesus had given them the general authority, they needed to humble themselves and ensure that their life was right before God before they fought the spiritual battle of removing a devil from another man. Until they were mentally ready, God was not going to enable them to do great things for HIM. God needed their mind and heart to be in the right place because if it were not, the disciples would have been more proned to take credit for the miracle rather than giving God the glory that HE is due.

Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

Jesus had 12 disciples and many followers. However, HE only allowed Peter, James and John to see HIM transfigured. This was a special thing and Jesus selected three of HIS closest disciples to experience this mountain top experience. However, just because they saw this great thing of the Lord, they were charged that they were not allowed to tell anyone until after Jesus was raised from the dead.

In the same way that Jesus worked with each of HIS disciples differently, so too does HE work with each member of HIS church in a different manner. Just because you are in the midst of a trial, it does not mean that those around you are in a trial. Just because you are on a mountaintop and you see and hear God�s voice so clearly, it does not mean that God has led those around you into a mountaintop experience.

Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

All around you people are trying to find purpose for their life. They are looking for happiness in relationships, in material possessions and in occupations. However, the harder they try, the more they fail to find true peace for their lives. It does not matter what they do they are never content.

Those who are of the world fail to realize that as long as they are a slave to sin, they will never find the true meaning for their life. However, all they have to do is accept Christ�s gift of salvation and they can be freed from the chains that enslave them. By accepting Christ�s gift of salvation, you no longer were a slave to sin but became a servant of God. It is your choice to do that which is right in the eyes of God.

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus asked his disciples who the multitudes thought HE was. The multitudes thought that he could be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Jesus then asked the disciples who they thought HE was and Peter replied that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus then explained that Peter understood and believed that Jesus was the Son of God because God had revealed it unto him.

It is interesting to note that the multitude saw Jesus and thought that God had raised some prophet from the dead. They were not thinking that Jesus was a new prophet but instead was a resurrected prophet. They had heard the stories of God working through the prophets but rather then look at Jesus as the Son of God or even as a new prophet, they were stuck in the past and had determined in their heart that Jesus must be someone else.

Matthew 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

The natural condition of your heart is not good. Your sin nature does not naturally produce those things that are pleasing to God. As a result of sin, your heart is filled with things that are not pleasing to the Lord.

Instead of allowing evil to be produced in your heart, you have been commanded to add virtue to your life. Virtue is thinking upon those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and is of a good report. Virtue does not come naturally. Instead you must learn virtue. You must ask for virtue so that you can receive it. You must place yourself in a position where those around you are demonstrating virtue so that you can learn by their example. Until you make the effort to add virtue to your life, the fruit of your heart will be that which is not pleasing in the eyes of God.