Get Up With God
highly caffeinated daily bible doses to help start your morning off right

I love how Jesus turns the world on its head . . .

How does he view the poor? Blessed.

The hungry? Blessed.

The mourners? The hated? The excluded? The insulted? The rejected? Blessed. Blessed. Blessed. Blessed. Blessed.

What does he say about the rich? Woe.

The comfortable? Woe.

The well fed? Those who laugh now? Those who are celebrated?
Woe. Woe. Woe.

What should we do to our enemies? Love ‘em.

What if someone mistreats us? Pray for ‘em.

What if someone smacks us in the face? Turn the other cheek.

What if someone steals from us? Give ‘em more.

FOLLOW JESUS
NOT THE WORLD

Here’s a prayer to wrap up our study of the Sermon on the Mount . . .

JESUS,

Help us to be more like you
each and every day
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Fill our hearts with your
love, joy and peace.

Help us to
hunger and thirst for righteousness
and to be
merciful,
pure in heart,
peacemakers,
the salt of the earth and
the light of the world.

Help us to
stop hate and lust
from growing in our hearts.

Help us to be people of our word.
Let our “yes” be “yes”
and our “no” be “no.”

Help us to
love our enemies
even in the face of persecution.

Help us to seek
treasures in heaven
and to serve only you
and never money or anything else in this world.

Help us to stop worrying,
to trust you 100%
and to seek you first.

Help us to deal with the sins in our own hearts
and then to gently help others see the sin in theirs.

We ask, we seek, we knock
and thank you that you always give us
exactly what we need
even if it may not be exactly what we want.

Help us to stay on your narrow path
and to build our lives
on your firm foundation.

Help us not just to hear your words
but to DO what you say,
starting right now.

AMEN

It’s JESUS WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where today we’re finishing our look at the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount.

Here’s how Jesus began his concluding remarks:

Therefore,
everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house;
yet it did not fall,
because it had its foundation on the rock.
(Matthew 7:24-25)

If we listen to Jesus’ words AND put them into practice, he promises us a foundation that can’t be shaken. What happens if we don’t do what he says?

But everyone who hears these words of mine
and does not put them into practice
is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell with a great crash.
(Matthew 7:26-27)

The sermon is over.

You’ve heard Jesus’ message.

Now DO it!

It’s JESUS WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re continuing our examination of the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount.

Today, Jesus gives us a stark contrast and makes it clear that we have a choice to make. His instruction is simple: choose the narrow gate . . .

FOR WIDE IS THE GATE
but small is the gate
AND BROAD IS THE ROAD
and narrow the road
THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION
that leads to life
AND MANY ENTER THROUGH IT
and only a few find it

(Matthew 7:13-14)

The great sadness of this world is that so many choose the me-first path of sin and selfishness that leads to destruction and that so few choose to follow Jesus down His God-first path of love, joy and peace. But that’s nothing new. It goes all the way back to the Old Testament. As Moses said:

I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses.
Now choose life.
(Deuteronomy 30:19)

The choice is simple . . .

CHOOSE LIFE
WALK WITH JESUS

It’s JESUS WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re continuing our examination of the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount.

To me, there’s nothing more comforting than today’s words from Jesus . . .

Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven
give good gifts to those who ask him!

(Matthew 7:7-11)

I love the picture these verses paint. Over and over Jesus reminds us that we are never alone in this world. We can bring our earthly requests to our Heavenly Father who loves us waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than we can possibly imagine.

Think about that a minute. The Creator of the Universe cares about us. We’re his kids. He’s our dad. He listens to us. He watches over us. He has plans for us. He wants what’s best for us. He always gives good gifts. He may not always give us what we want, but he always gives us what we NEED.

What’s the ultimate gift? As mind-blowing as it sounds, God gives us HIMSELF in the person of the Holy Spirit living INSIDE US. As Jesus explained elsewhere: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:13)

And what gifts does the Holy Spirit give? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

What could be better than that??

It’s JESUS WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re finishing up our examination of the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount.

Today, Jesus dives right into our hearts again and gives us instructions for how to relate to others in this world. Here’s what he says . . .

Do not judge,
or you too will be judged.
For in the same way you judge others,
you will be judged,
and with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust
in your brother’s eye
and pay no attention to the plank
in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
“Let me take the speck out of your eye,”
when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite,
first take the plant out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly
to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

(Matthew 7:1-5)

Jesus hates it when we’re either (a) hypercritical or (b) hypocritical. It’s all about LOVE.

We must first deal with the sin in our own hearts before even thinking about opening our mouths. If we don’t ask God to yank our planks, we can’t possibly spot others’ specks.

Once we’ve been de-planked, we should then ask God to help us KINDLY and GENTLY approach others with an attitude of LOVE. Jesus’ words are plain and clear: if we display self-righteous, others-condemning attitudes and actions, we risk being judged that same way ourselves.

As the Apostle Paul put it:

You, therefore, have no excuse,
you who pass judgment on someone else,
for at whatever point you judge the other,
you are condemning yourself,
because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Now we know that God’s judgment
against those who do such things is based on truth.
So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them
and yet do the same things,
do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
Or do you show contempt for the riches
of his kindness, tolerance and patience,
not realizing that God’s kindness
leads you toward repentance?

(Romans 2:1-4)

It’s JESUS WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’re examining the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount.

Worried? Anxious? Stressed out? Today’s message is for you.

Yesterday, Jesus reminded us of two things: (1) to store up treasures in heaven instead of on earth and (2) that we can’t serve both God and money.

Today, he tells us how to live those principles out . . .

Therefore I tell you,
do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more important than food,
and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying
can add a single hour to his life?
(Matthew 6:25-27)

Jesus then equates worrying with a lack of faith . . .

And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
will he not much more clothe you,
O you of little faith?
(Matthew 6:28-30)

Jesus closes by encouraging us to get over ourselves and to SEEK GOD FIRST. Trust Him 100% TODAY. It’s the only way to live.

So do not worry, saying,
“What shall we eat?” or
“What shall we drink?” or
“What shall we wear?”
For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:31-34)

It’s JESUS WEEK Part 2 here on GUWG, where we’ll continue our look at the greatest sermon ever preached: the Sermon on the Mount.

What’s your investment strategy? Here’s what Jesus suggests . . .

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where moth and rust do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:19-21)

Take a long, hard, honest look at your life. What do your actions show about your heart? Are you more focused on building up earthly treasures than heavenly ones?

Jesus continues this theme . . .

No one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.
(Matthew 6:24)

Ask yourself this question as you go about your activities this week:

Am I serving God . . .
or something else?

We’ll close week one of our focus on the Sermon on the Mount with a prayer straight from the mouth of Jesus . . .

This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

(Matthew 5:9-13)

It’s JESUS WEEK here on GUWG, where we’re examining some of the greatest words ever spoken: the Sermon on the Mount.

Today we come to what a great theologian named John Stott calls the “highest point of the Sermon on the Mount.” I love how he describes it:

It is both most admired and most resented, namely the attitude of total love
which Christ calls us to show towards one who is evil (verse 39) and our enemies (verse 44). Nowhere is the challenge of the Sermon greater. Nowhere is the distinctness of the Christian counter-culture more obvious. Nowhere is our need of the power of the Holy Spirit (whose first fruit is love) more compelling.

Pray through these words with all your heart and then go change the world.

You have heard that it was said,
“Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.”
But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person.
If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic,
let him have your cloak as well.
If someone forces you to go one mile,
go with him two miles.
Give to the one who asks you,
and do not turn away from the one
who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said,
“Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”
But I tell you: Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

(Matthew 5:38-45)