The Savior Comes, Day 8 Personal insight. Read Matthew chapter 8. As Jesus continues his ministry, we see him interacting with the people on a much more personal level. In the story that stuck out to me today, we see a Roman centurion coming to Jesus and asking him for his help. This would have been completely unusual by itself, but even more than that is how this centurion responds to Jesus. Jesus offers to come to his house. However, the centurion understands who he is and that he has a sinner before God. The centurion is asking for God’s help, but he understands that he does not deserve it.…

The Savior Comes, Day 7 How will we be known? Read Matthew chapter 7. Our actions define us and they are what other people use to understand us. Jesus is explaining that our actions will be what others use to understand our intentions. Our motivations are often displayed by our actions. What do our actions say about us? What fruit are we producing in our lives and what will other people understand about us based on the actions we take?

The Savior Comes, Day 6 Choices. Read Matthew chapter 6. As Jesus continues preaching from what is commonly known as the sermon on the mount, we see so many wonderful truths through this chapter. We should not worry, how should we pray, how should we give. This one verse stands out to me today as a reminder of the choices that we have and the choices that we need to make. We all have a choice about who or what we will serve. Many people struggle with this choice. The world we live in puts so much emphasis on material possessions and power, and also the influence that can come…

The Savior Comes, Day 5 Be the light. Read Matthew chapter 5. This chapter in Matthew begins what is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach and instruct his disciples and also the group of people who have gathered around him. While we could truly pick out each and every individual verse of this chapter with something phenomenal, verse 14 is what stuck out to me today. We are to be the light. In today’s time when we have artificial lights everywhere, I think we lose some of the significance of this verse. When the only thing that gives light is the…

The Savior Comes, Day 4 Follow the Savior. Read Matthew chapter 4. We see Jesus began his ministry after a time of testing. Jesus calls his disciples to follow him. What stuck out to me today as I was reading this chapter was the reminder of how quickly and how absolutely these people followed a man they had never met and knew nothing about. They felt God’s calling in their life and they answered it. When we feel God leading us in a certain direction or giving us guidance, how quickly do we follow what he has told us to do? How absolutely do we leave everything else behind to…

The Savior Comes, Day 3 Words and actions. Read Matthew chapter 3. Today we see the story where Jesus goes down to be baptized by John the Baptist. Also, we also see the message preached by John the Baptist to his people. John wanted the people to understand that his baptism alone wasn’t all that was necessary. When the Pharisees come and John is challenging them, he tells them that they are to produce fruit that is in keeping with their repentance. In other words, their actions should match their words. No matter what we say about our relationship with Christ, the way we live should match the words we…

The Savior Comes, Day 2 Heed the warning. Read Matthew chapter 2. During this chapter in Matthew, we see a lot of dreams being had by people. God uses a variety of methods to be able to communicate with his people and during that time dreams were common. God used these as a way to help the people to follow his will. However, the people had to actually follow through on the warnings that they were given in the dreams. While we may not always receive dreams from God with warnings, God does provide warnings for us as we go through life. The question becomes, are we heeding those warnings?…

The Savior Comes, Day 1 The wait is over. Read Matthew chapter 1. After finishing our time in Exodus, it seemed only fitting that we move straight over to the time when Christ comes. Matthew, the Jewish tax collector who met Jesus which changed his life, gives the story of Jesus from the perspective of the Jew. As we read through Matthew, we’ll see all of the laws, with emphasis on how Jesus fulfilled those laws, many of which we just studied through the book of Exodus. The savior has indeed come! Reading this passage today, we see that God is explaining that Jesus coming is truly God with us.…