a 365 day trip through Matthew with a key thought, prayer, focus verse and contextual verses for each day
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You will know these people by what they do. Grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. In the same way, you will know these false prophets by what they do. (NCV)
Matt. 7:16-20
“If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You snakes! You are evil people, so how can you say anything good? The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. Good people have good things in their hearts, and so they say good things. But evil people have evil in their hearts, so they say evil things. And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said. The words you have said will be used to judge you. Some of your words will prove you right, but some of your words will prove you guilty.” (NCV)
Matt. 12:33-37
You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he said about you: ‘These people show honor to me with words, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are nothing but human rules.’ (NCV)
Matt. 15:7-9 |
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November 1
How Terrible! (5) - Matthew 23:25-26
How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves. Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.
Full Text
Key Thought
The problem with external, Jesus reminds us, is not the attention on the outside cleanness. He does not criticize the outside cleanness. Instead, he is furious with the Pharisees preoccupation on the outside cleanness while ignoring the interior world of the heart, motives, intentions, and unrestrained desires. As he did in the Sermon on the Mount in specific detail, Jesus once again reminds us that no amount of external preoccupation with cleanness will make the interior world clean. Greed (things you got by cheating others) and self-indulgence( pleasing only yourselves) are the seeds of all sorts of unclean thoughts, motives, and actions. The outside cannot be made clean unless we address those issues.
Today's Prayer
Almighty, holy, and awesome Father, please purify my heart, my desires, my motives by the cleansing power of your Holy Spirit. I want to reflect your character in both my interior and exterior worlds. May the words of my mouth, the thoughts of my mind, the motives of my heart, and the actions of my hands be pleasing to you. In the name of the Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. Amen.
Today's Verses with Jesus
(key verses in bold)
13 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to
enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter,
and you stop others who are trying to enter. 14-15 “How
terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are
hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find one person
who will change to your ways. When you find that person, you
make him more fit for hell than you are.
16 “How terrible for you! You guide the people, but you
are blind. You say, ‘If people swear by the Temple when
they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by
the gold that is in the Temple, they must keep that promise.’
17 You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple
that makes that gold holy? 18 And you say, ‘If people swear
by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But
if they swear by the gift on the altar, they must keep that
promise.’ 19 You are blind! Which is greater: the gift or
the altar that makes the gift holy? 20 The person who swears by
the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the
altar. 21 And the person who swears by the Temple is really
using the Temple and also everything in the Temple. 22 The
person who swears by heaven is also using God’s throne and
the One who sits on that throne.
23 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give to God one-tenth of
everything you earn—even your mint, dill, and cumin. But
you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—justice,
mercy, and being loyal. These are the things you should do, as
well as those other things. 24 You guide the people, but you are
blind! You are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and
then swallows a camel! Top
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25 “How terrible for you,
teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash
the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of
things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves.
26 Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup
clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.
27 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are
painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they
are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean
things. 28 It is the same with you. People look at you and think
you are good, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and
evil.
29 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets,
and you show honor to the graves of those who lived good lives.
30 You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our
ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.’
31 But you give proof that you are children of those who
murdered the prophets. 32 And you will complete the sin that
your ancestors started.
(NCV) The New Century Version, (Dallas, Texas:
Word Publishing) 1987, 1988, 1991.
Used by permission.
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