MATTHEW 6:1-4

The motive behind our gift is more important than the gift itself. Paul said if he gave all of his goods to feed the poor, or if he made the ultimate sacrifice of giving his own life for someone else, and wasn't motivated by love, his gift would profit him nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3).

Many Christians give faithfully but never see the hundredfold return that the Lord promised because of wrong motives (Mark 10:29-30). Paul said God loves a cheerful giver - not one who gives grudgingly or out of debt (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Jesus gave us the key to purifying our motives in this same teaching. He said, "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (Matthew 6:3).

Giving in a way which we will not receive recognition for our gifts will guarantee that our motives are right and grant us the true joy that comes through selfless giving (Acts 20:24).

Ask the Lord for an opportunity to give a kind word or a helping hand to someone who will not be able to repay and others will never know about it. This could be some driver in a traffic jam, a co-worker, a spouse, a child who won't even notice a kind deed, or any number of other people. Opportunities are all around us.

MATTHEW 5:38-48

Which would you rather have - God defending you, or you defending yourself? That's the choice that Jesus is offering us. "Turning the other cheek" is not a prescription for abuse but rather the way to get the Lord involved in our defense.

Many people feel that these instructions guarantee that others will take advantage of us. That would be true if there was no God. When we follow these commands of Jesus, the Lord is on our side. He said in Romans 12:19, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

When we fight back, we are drawing on our own strength. But when we turn the other cheek, we are calling on God as our defender. Once we understand this, it becomes obvious that these instructions are for our own good.

James 1:20, says that the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Regardless of how appropriate our anger may seem, and regardless of how we think our wrath could make a person or situation change, we will never achieve God's best that way.

When we defend ourselves, we stop God from defending us. It has to be one way or the other. It cannot be both ways. When we turn the other cheek to our enemies, we are loosing the power of God on our behalf.

MATTHEW 5:33-37

A person who has to swear or make a promise to have their statements believed, is a person whose word is no good.

Jesus' teaching is that we should live in such a manner that no one would ever have to have more proof that we are telling the truth. Our word should be our bond.

We have all heard the story of the young shepherd boy who cried wolf when there was no wolf until finally no one believed him when a wolf really did came. Our lack of integrity in proving our word good has the same effect on people.

Very few people conduct business anymore with their word and a handshake. Even contracts are not good if an individual can afford a shrewd lawyer. But this is not the way God intended it.

God has fulfilled every word He has ever spoken. We were created in His image and He planned for us to be the same way.

We need to commit to be a person of our word. We will not only experience a new respect from others, but we will find the joy of a clear heart and mind.

MATTHEW 5:31-32

God's commandments are not intended to make us miserable--they're meant for our own happiness. Satan's lie in the Garden of Eden caused Eve to question God's motives behind His command (Genesis 3:5).

Malachi 2:15 says God hates divorce. God doesn't hate the people who divorce. He hates the act of divorce because of the damage it does to people. God loves people.

People see divorce as an easy way out of marital problems. But this is based on the misconception that the mate is the problem--which is rarely the case.

People who blame their mate for their problems give in easily to divorce, thinking that a new partner will solve the situation. But second marriages have over twice the failure rate of first marriages. That's because we take ourselves and all our unresolved problems into the next marriage.

We can't control other people--not even our mate. But through obeying the Lord, we can control ourself and have fulness of joy.

MATTHEW 5:23-30

Jesus isn't suggesting dismembering our bodies. He is drawing on the drive within everyone of us of self preservation to make a point. If we value our body enough that we would never sacrifice one of its parts, then we should honor our spiritual well being much more.

Ever since Adam and Eve, all of our priorities have been misplaced. Great effort is put into preserving our physical life while our spiritual condition is overlooked. It constantly gets put aside while we tend to more urgent matters of this life.

Our bodies are just temporary. If we live 70 years or more, that is just a fraction of a second in the light of eternity. Our spiritual man lives forever. The state in which it exists is determined by choices made in this life.

We must choose to make our spiritual condition our top priority, by spending more time on our spiritual well being than we do our physical well being.

MATTHEW 5:17-22

What did Jesus mean? Since the Pharisees fasted twice each week, does this mean we have to fast three times each week? Since they paid tithes on everything including spices, does this mean that anyone who fails to tithe is doomed to hell?

No! Definitely not. The Pharisees' righteousness was based on their actions. Jesus is advocating a righteousness that is based on faith in what He did for us.

Trusting in our own actions will never get us access to God. We have all sinned and come short of perfection which is what God requires (Romans 3:23).

The only one who was ever good enough to earn right standing with God is Jesus. And His righteousness is offered as a gift to anyone who will put their faith in Him as their Savior.

Jesus offers us a righteousness by faith that is so far superior to the self righteousness that the Pharisees had that there is no comparison. This is the righteousness that we need and which is available to us only through faith in Christ.

MATTHEW 5:13-16

What is it that will be cast out and trodden under foot? Is it the salt, or is it possible that Jesus is speaking about the world? If we as believers lose our preserving influence, then there is no other way for the Lord to save the world. It will be dominated by men.

God flows through His people. It is not our own power that changes people. It's God's power in us. but God will not do it without us. It's a partnership.

Many people spend a lifetime praying for God to move, not understanding that He is going to flow through them. It is not God who is failing to intervene. It is God's people who are failing to cooperate and let Him flow through them.

Every Christian has God living in us. We are carrying around other people's miracles. If we fail to walk in the supernatural power of God, then somone will miss their miracle. We are God's salt to preserve this rotting world. We are to get out of the shaker and let the life of God which is in each one of us to flow to someone in need.

MATTHEW 5:10-12

Jesus is saying that persecution should actually cause us to rejoice. There are many positive things about persecution but one of the best reasons to rejoice is because of the reward awaiting us in heaven.

Jesus takes the persecution of His saints very seriously as can be seen during Paul's Damascus road experience.  The Lord asked Paul (then Saul), "Why are you persecuting me?" (Acts 9:4) He didn't say, "Why are you persecuting my people?" but "Why are you persecuting me?"

It is not actually us that people are rejecting but they are rejecting the One we represent. Jesus promised to share His reward with us. All the glory and honor that Jesus has and will receive will be shared with those who have suffered shame for His name's sake (Romans 8:17). What a great reward!

Looking at the reward instead of the persecution can actually make us rejoice when people speak against us (Acts 5:41). Paul actually longed to experience the fellowship that Jesus provided to those who suffered for His sake (Philippians 3:10). God's reward is much greater than any suffering we will ever encounter.

MATTHEW 5:1-9

In the natural world, people eat even when they aren't hungry. Many of us can prove that by turning sideways and looking at ourselves in the mirror. But in the spiritual realm, only those who are hungry can get fed. One of the worst things that can happen to us is spiritual satisfied.

Being hungry for the things of God is one of the best things that can happen to us. Most people don't feel that way. They would rather have the feeling of being full. But Jesus promised us that fullness would follow hunger. No hunger, no fullness.

What many people hate is actually a sign of spiritual health. Longing for more of God is a healthy sign. No one hungers for God on their own. That is not the nature of man. No man hungers for God unless the Spirit of God is drawing him (John 6:44).

Hungering for God doesn't cause God to move in our lives, but it is a sign that God is already at work in us. We should praise God for spiritual hunger and be encouraged. He doesn't make us hungry and then let us starve. He does in order to fill us with His blessings and love. We need a hunger that will never be satisfied until the marriage supper of the Lamb.

LUKE 5:1-11

Peter and his companions had been working hard all night. Their efforts had not produced even one fish. They had given up and were headed home. But Jesus told them to try it just one more time.

It would have been easy for Peter to reject Jesus' command. After all, Peter had been a fisherman all his life. Jesus was just a preacher. What did He know about fishing. Yet something, or rather someone, caused Peter to try just once more.

Many people are like Simon Peter and his partners. They have done all that they know to do and yet they've come up empty-handed. This causes a despair and hopelessness that causes many people to quit trying. Yet, just one word from Jesus can make the same tasks that have been unproductive on our own bear fruit.

The key to success or failure lies in doing things at the word of Jesus. Peter said, "at thy word I will let down the net." God's words always get results.

We must make sure our efforts are directed by God and we will experience the results that have got by us in the past.

Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44

Jesus' ministry was only a few months old and the crowds of people were already looking  for him.

This is amazing when we realize that Jesus had not used any of our methods of publicity. In fact, Jesus had already rejected publicity during His first ministry in Jerusalem (John 2:24-25). There was no natural explanation for Jesus' success.

God is the one who promoted Jesus. And He used supernatural means to do it. It was not the slick techniques  that brought the crowds--it was the awesome manifestation of God's power.

Only the day before, Jesus had cast the demon out of a man at the synagogue in Capernaum (Mark 1:21-28). This caused the whole city to gather at Peter's house and Jesus healed every one of them (Luke 4:40).

Jesus' display of the miraculous power of God was the spark that the Holy Spirit used to light a fire in the hearts of these people. Jesus had this power because of His close relationship with His father. It is no accident that He was praying while all men were looking for Him.

As we seek to touch others with the life that we've found in Christ, we must let God confirm His Word with the miraculous manifestations of His power through us.

Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34;

Luke 4:38-41

Peter's mother-in-law minister unto Jesus and His disciples. She didn't sit them down and preach to them.  Yet sometimes people think the only way we can minister to another is to admonish them with the scriptures.

Peter's mother-in-law apparently ministered to them by serving them, she fed them a meal. The word translated "minister" is the same word that was translated "deacon" twice in the New Testament, and "serve, served or serveth" eight times.

We can minister for the Lord by doing some of the menial tasks that many consider to be unimportant. Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in His name would not go unrewarded (Matthew 10:42).

Many people are waiting for the important jobs to come along where they can make a big impact or receive a lot of recognition, while they pass by many lesser opportunities every day. But in the kingdom of God, we won't be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things (Luke 16:10).

Lord show us ways we can minister to others by serving them.

Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:33-37

Many people don't associate demon possessed people with places of worship. Yet most of the demons that Jesus cast out were encountered in the church. Why would demon possessed people be in church?

In some cases, the people were there because they were seeking help. The church offers people the cure and attracts those who are sick.

In other cases, the devil sows these types of people in the church to spread spiritual disease. A church that is teaching the true Word of God should either try to evangelize these individuals or make them so convicted that they move on. Sad to say, demon possessed people can thrive in most religious settings.

We always need to show love for the sinner as Jesus did, but we should cut the devil no slack. If a person wants to keep an evil spirit on the inside of them, they should not feel at home in church.

Letting the Spirit of God live through us as He did through Jesus we will either make people mad or glad, but there will not be indifference.

Matthew 4:13-22; Mark 1:16-20;

Luke 5:27; John 5:38

Jesus never chose an apostle from among the religious people. Every one of his twelve disciples were men that He chose from the natural world. It wasn't because God didn't have faith in those who were religious. It's just that most of those who were part of the religious system didn't have any faith in God.

One of the most common mistakes religious people make is to put faith in themselves. They think God will use them because of their great holiness or special abilities.

Paul said, "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are" (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).

People who recognize their own inabilities are of more dependent on God. That is the way God wants it. The Lord is constantly searching for someone who recognizes they are nothing so He can do something through them.

LUKE 4:16-30

A modern day equivalent of this verse is "familiarity breeds contempt." Those who know the most about us also know more of our faults than anyone else. As a general rule, our weaknesses will blind most people to our strengths.

In the case of Jesus, there were no faults or failures to prejudice these people. The problem came from the people's lack of perception. They knew Jesus better than most in the flesh, but they had failed to see who He was in the Spirit.

Jesus was God in all His power and majesty, yet He was clothed in flesh --a human in every respect (1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews1:3). These people looked on Jesus' outward appearance and failed to see God within (1 Samuel 16:7).

We, too, fail to see the potential in others and even in ourselves because of our preoccupation with the outward appearance and actions. But within every born again person is a new creation which is waiting to be released (2 Corinthians 5:17). All it takes is someone who believes.

We need to look beyond the exterior in ourselves and others and help bring into reality what we can be in Christ.

LUKE 4:16-30

This scripture had been written by the prophet Isaiah about 650 years before this time. It was read in Jewish synagogues thousands of times. But the one this verse was speaking of had never spoken it before. With this pronouncement, Jesus began the year of Jubilee.

The Year of Jubilee was described in Leviticus 25. It was a year when everyone left their fields unworked and kept a sabbath unto the Lord. The Lord gave the people a miraculous provision the year before this jubilee started that supplied them for three years until their crops could again be harvested.

This jubilee was different than the other sabbatical years when every debt was cancelled. All property was returned to its original owner and anyone who had been sold into slavery was set free. It was a year of new beginnings.

Jesus proclaimed a spiritual jubilee. We now live in a time when all our debts to God have been cancelled and all the things the devil stole from us have been returned. Even our slavery to the devil has come to an end through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a time for rejoicing.

Jesus is our jubilee.

JOHN 4:46-54

Jesus didn't have to touch the child. He didn't have to send anything home with the father to affect the cure. All He did was speak and the son was instantly healed (v. 53).

This man had traveled over fifteen miles from Capernaum to Cana to find Jesus. Jesus' spoken word had so much power that no barriers (such as time or space) had any affect on it whatsoever.

This is hard for us to grasp. We spend an entire lifetime learning physical limitations and adapting to them. But there are no limits to the power of God's word. Jesus created everything in this physical universe by His words, and that creation will respond to anything He says.

The Lord gave His Word to the Jews but they didn't believe it. Hebrews 4:2, "...the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it]."

We have been given God's words too, in the Bible. If we will speak God's Word in faith, we will get the same results that Jesus did here.

JOHN 4:27-46

Food is essential for life. Without it we couldn't grow. We get strength and vitality from food. Yet food can kill us. Improper diets kill more people than any disease.

Our soul needs nourishment too. The things we think on and the desires that we have are food to our souls. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus valued spiritual nourishment more than He valued physical nourishment. He was thrilled to see this woman and the people of this town respond to His gift of salvation.

We should set our desires on the things of God so that spiritual matters are more important to us than our physical food.

The wrong diet for our souls is the leading cause of failure and depression in Christians. Being spiritually minded produces life and peace. Being carnally minded produces death (Romans 8:6).

In our health conscious society, many of us wouldn't dream of abusing our bodies with bad diets. Yet in our soulish area, we are killing ourselves by feeding on the wrong things. We need to eat healthy spiritual meals.