Fresh Start Daily

Devo: Matthew 26:17-25

This is one of the most painful stories in the Bible. Jesus had His last supper with the disciples. He wanted to spend time with them before He was crucified. I read from the commentary, enduringword.com, that when Jesus said that His betrayer is the one who dipped his hand with Him in the dish, it was “not to point out a specific disciple because they all dipped with Him.”

“Instead, Jesus identified the betrayer as a friend, someone who ate at the same table with Him.”

Jesus chose all of His disciples. He called them one by one personally. The twelve disciples lived with Jesus for three years. They spoke with Him. They ate with Him. They learned from Him. They were intimate with Him. However, this story exposed the heart of Judas. His heart that was full of greed led him to betray his friend. He sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. It was said that that price is for the basest slave in the past. For that cheap a price, he sold the one who loves him the most. Clearly, he cared more about money than Jesus.

Another thing that struck me is when each of the disciples asked Jesus if he was the betrayer. They did not accuse one another and instead looked within themselves and sincerely inquired. It says in verse 22 that they were exceedingly sorrowful. Judas shamelessly asked as well despite going to the chief priests beforehand and agreeing to betray His Lord.

Jesus answered him plainly, “You have said it. (v.25)”

“Jesus did not say this to condemn Judas, but to call him to repentance. It is fair to assume that He said it with love in His eyes, and Jesus showed Judas that He loved him, even knowing his treachery.” enduringword.com

Jesus loved Judas so much that even after betraying Him, He still gave Judas a chance to repent by telling him that HE KNEW.

Father God in heaven, help me to love like You. Help me to love people who betray me. Help me also not to ever betray You, my God, my Father, my Savior, my Redeemer. May I never betray the one who loves me the most. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

This morning, while I was exercising in QC Circle, I saw people going about their own stuff. Some were jogging, dancing (zumba), biking, walking, dog-walking, talking, taking pictures, eating, I remembered the chapter I am currently reading for my devotion: Matthew chapter 24.

In this chapter, Jesus described the things that will happen when He comes again. It says in God’s Word that people will be like those in the days of Noah. Before the flood came, people were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage (v. 38)”. It simply means that people were doing the things they usually do. Noah preached to them and warned them about the flood that would come but they didn’t listen. They mocked him, laughed at him, and went about their own activities.

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” vv. 37-39

When Jesus returns, people will also be “business as usual”. Like this morning. People were busy doing their own stuff. It’s not wrong to continue with the things we normally do (that do not displease God). However, if we get so caught up in the things of the world that we don’t have time anymore to have fellowship with God or to even think about Him, that’s when it’s dangerous.

Jesus’ second coming will be a surprise for us all. Even Jesus Himself does not know. Only God the Father knows when it will be.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” v. 36

It also says in God’s Word that we have to be watchful. We have to be ready because Jesus will return in the midst of our busyness.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” vv. 42-44

We should be ready every day, every minute. We should always repent and pray.

“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming…'” v. 48

I believe that we are already seeing the signs that Jesus mentioned. God is really just being gracious to us because He doesn’t want any of us to perish. He is still giving us a chance to come to Him.

“Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.” v. 46

“Jesus also promised that we will be rewarded for our diligence. The servants serve the master, but the master knows how to take care of and reward the servants.” enduringword.com

To those who remain faithful while waiting, we must take refuge in the fact that God sees our sacrifices and He will not allow us to wait for nothing. We might think that our toil is useless because we see the wicked prosper. However, we should not lose heart. There is a reward for God’s children in heaven.

If His saints have rewards, those who disregard Him and His work will also receive a reward. They will receive what they deserve. The wicked servant in the story didn’t care about God. He just gave in to the desires of his flesh. God is just and his behavior has a corresponding consequence.

“…and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of the servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” vv. 49-51

Jesus will come again not as a Savior but as a judge. He will come to meet His saints in the clouds and to judge those who chose not to believe in Him.

It doesn’t mean that we will stop living our life and do nothing but pray. It’s just a reminder for us to be constantly on guard. Whatever we do should be glorifying to God. We have to keep our sweet, intimate communion with Him. We have to continue serving while we wait.

We should FIGHT FOR OUR TIME with God. Despite our busy schedule, we have to MAKE TIME for God. We have to force ourselves to set aside time to pray, to read God’s Word, to just have a fellowship with Him.

Sometimes I get so busy that I don’t even have time to be emotional. However, when I am prompted by the Holy Spirit to pray, I stop what I’m doing and I pray. It’s not always a long prayer. Often, it’s just a short one. As long as our prayer is from the heart, it’s enough. God sees the intention behind our words.

When the Holy Spirit convicts us to do something like pray or read the Bible, we have to obey. Nothing is more important than speaking with our Creator and Savior. When He tells us to pray, He will help us finish what we set aside to spend time with Him because He cares about us and the things that we care about.

I read a quote that goes, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.”

There’s usually a lot of people in the park in the morning but there were more today because of the kids’ field trip. I was led to pray for everyone there. Usually, I pray for the people that are there but sometimes I forget. I was also reminded to pray for the park-goers all the time. May we not be apathetic to the Lord. May we be found by the Lord faithful and prepared when He returns.

“Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” — Charles Spurgeon

Devo: Matthew 23:37-39

Jesus rebuked His people, the Jews in Jerusalem, because He wanted to protect them. He rebuked them out of His great love for them.

“This heartfelt cry is another way to see that Jesus didn’t hate these men He rebuked so strongly. His heart broke for them. When we sin, God does not hate us; He genuinely sorrows for us, knowing that in every way our sin and rebellion only destroys our life. We should hope to share God’s sorrow for lost humanity.” enduringword.com

May I repeat what was mentioned on enduringword.com? “When we sin, God does not hate us.” Wow. When our heart breaks over our sin, God’s heart breaks first and breaks the hardest. He doesn’t want us to get hurt by the consequences of our sin. He wants to protect us from it. He loves us so much that He grieves over our sins. However, God is just and they have to give an account for their choices on Judgment Day.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:19

God rebukes and disciplines us because He loves us. Disobeying God will lead us into eternal damnation and God wants to spare us from that. If He doesn’t care about us, He will just let us do whatever we want.

“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” v. 37

Jesus wanted to protect them like a hen protects her chicks. However, they refused to receive that from the Lord. Isn’t it similar to many people in the world? God has been offering us His protection, His love, His salvation, but we just refuse Him. God is gentle and He will not force Himself to us (Matthew 11:29).

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

He stands at the door of our hearts, knocks, and waits patiently for us. He does not force the door to open so He can reign inside our heart. He gave us free will so the decision to accept Him or not depends on us.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” John 1:12

We will become children of God when we receive Him and believe in Him.

Devo: Matthew 22:1-14

This parable is compared by Jesus to the kingdom of heaven. The king arranged his son’s wedding and invited people to come to the feast. He sent his servants to inform the people that they could come and celebrate with them. However, the people who were invited refused (v. 3).

The king sent his servants again and told them to inform the people that they had prepared the dinner and that everything was ready. However, the people took it lightly and went on to do their own business. Some of them killed the servants (vv. 4-6). This infuriated the king and ordered his armies to destroy those who killed his servants (v. 7).

This is similar to people who disregard the Lord, who do not care about the things of God. People invite them to church, share the gospel with them, but they keep their hearts and minds closed. Their hearts remain hard for God.

For the third time, the king sent his servants to invite the people. This time though, he instructed them to invite anyone, “both good and bad”, to come because the people he initially invited were unworthy (vv. 8-10). This demonstrates the grace of God to us all. We are undeserving of His invitation to enter His Kingdom, but He calls us anyway.

“In this sense, we can say this is a parable about grace. Those who were invited–and who came–were utterly undeserving of the invitation, much less the wedding feast itself.” enduringword.com

Then there was one man who came to the wedding without the proper garment. The king ordered the servants to “take him away and cast him into outer darkness” (vv. 11-13).

This is an illustration of people who appear Christian on the outside but are not transformed on the inside. They do the duties–attend Sunday services, probably even serve in ministries, do all the Christian stuff, but have no real love for God.

“He came because he was invited, but he came only in appearance. The banquet was intended to honor the King’s Son, but this man meant nothing of the kind; he was willing to eat the good things set before him, but in his heart there was no love either for the King or his well-beloved Son.” Spurgeon, enduringword.com

Devo: Matthew 20:1-16

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Matthew 19:30

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” v. 16

Matthew 20:16 is similar to Matthew 19:30. These are countercultural. Normally, whoever is first will be first and whoever is last will be last. However, these verses refer to God’s grace; not what people deserve. The workers in the vineyard complained about their salary because they saw that those who worked for only an hour received the same amount they received even when they worked the entire day under the sun. For them, the landowner was not fair and that they should’ve received more. The landowner was not unfair to them because he gave them what they agreed on.

“Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” v. 2

It is the laborers that he hired later in the day that he had no agreement with as to their salary.

“He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'” v. 7

The landowner was not unfair to them. He gave them what he told them he would give. The laborers just felt that they deserved more because they worked longer and harder.

However, the salary of those who worked later in the day was a surprise. Again, he was not unfair by giving them the same amount he gave the others. It’s his discretion as to how much he would give.

“I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?” vv. 14-15

This was a bit obscure to me at first but reading a commentary about it helped. This story talks about God’s grace. God will give us reward according to His goodness and mercy and not according to what we deserve.

“Jesus lays it down that there will be surprises in the final assessment… it may be that those who were humble on earth will be great in heaven, and that those who were great in this world will be humbled in the world to come.” Barclay, enduringword.com

“The point isn’t that all have the same reward – though all God’s people do go to the same heaven (where they will have reward in different measure). The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. He will never be less than fair, but reserves the right to be more than fair as pleases Him. God’s grace always operates righteously.” enduringword.com

There will be rewards in heaven. We don’t know what kind of rewards believers of God will receive. Only God knows. It will be a surprise for us. We cannot judge what reward each of us believers will receive. We may be embarrassed to know someday that the people we thought would receive less would actually be commended highly by God. We may receive more than what we deserve, less than what we deserve, or just what we think we deserve.

It’s true that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). His rewards are completely up to Him and we can’t question that. God is sovereign. He sees the intentions of the heart. My prayer is that God will keep my intentions pure.

When I first became a believer, I didn’t know that there will be rewards in heaven. I was just happy to know God in a personal way. I was content with the fact that I know God and that He knows me. I was content knowing that the God who created the heaven and the earth loves me. What could be more satisfying than that? Then I learned about rewards and I was astounded!

Do we really want to receive what we deserve? We deserve nothing! We deserve the wrath of God. We are saved not because of our goodness but because of God’s goodness. Our salvation is His gift to us. We have no contribution to it except for the acceptance of that gift.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

As for me, I don’t want to receive what I deserve. What I want is God’s grace and mercy.

“My last word to God’s children is this: what does it matter, after all, whether we are first or whether we are last? Do not let us dwell too much upon it, for we all share the honor given to each. When we are converted, we become members of Christ’s living body; and as we grow in grace, and get the true spirit that permeates that body, we shall say, when any member of it is honored, ‘This is honor for us’…If any brother shall be greatly honored of God, I feel honored in his honor. If God shall bless your brother, and make him ten times more useful than you are, then you see that he is blessing you — not only blessing him, but you. If my hand has something in it, my foot does not say, ‘Oh, I have not got it!’ No, for if my hand has it, my foot has it; it belongs to the whole of my body.” Spurgeon, enduringword.com

I like what Charles Spurgeon said. We should not focus on the reward. Instead, we should focus on our relationship with God first and foremost. The reward is a bonus. 🙂

Devo: Matthew 19:23-30

This is a continuation of the story of the rich young ruler in the previous verses. Jesus said that it is hard for a rich man to enter heaven. The disciples were amazed and asked Jesus who then can be saved. They asked that question because they thought that  riches were a sign of God’s blessing.

Just because someone possesses great wealth doesn’t mean that they are blessed by the Lord. The rich young ruler in the previous story had great wealth but he did not have a personal relationship with God. He may had had a good relationship with people (Matthew 19:20) but not with God.

God does not mean that He is against riches. He made king Solomon the richest man on earth that no one today has surpassed. King Solomon did not ask for it but God gave it to him because he was pleased with him. God made Job wealthy as well. Even when he lost everything, God restored everything and even gave him double (Job 42:10).

It is not money that is evil. It is the LOVE of money that is evil. The rich young ruler in the previous story went away when Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions, give them all to the poor, and follow Jesus. He went away sorrowful because he had great wealth and he couldn’t let it go. He had fallen in love with this world. He did not obey Jesus because his wealth was more important to him than Jesus. He loved his wealth more than God.

Rich people can be saved if they surrender their lives to God and prioritize God over their riches.

Peter then told God that they left everything for the Lord, and bluntly asked Him what their reward would be from following Jesus (v. 27).

This was Jesus’ response:

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” – Matthew 19:28-29

Jesus assured the disciples that they will receive a reward in heaven. Jesus also said that they have a special role on the final judgment. Just like the disciples, everyone who sacrificed for God will receive a reward. God knows the hardships we endure for following Him and He will honor that. Aside from the eternal life in heaven, we will receive a hundredfold from the Lord.

In the commentary, enduringword.com, it says,

“Hundredfold is obviously not literal in a material sense; otherwise, Jesus promises a hundred mothers and a hundred wives. Jesus will do more than make up what we have given up for His sake, but the return may be spiritual instead of material. Hundredfold certainly is literally true in the spiritual sense.”

I like that. I like the spiritual reward of joy, peace, contentment, hope, and everything that satisfies the soul.

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” – Matthew 19:30

We should always humble ourselves before God because truly, we are nothing without Him. I like what Barclay and Spurgeon said regarding this verse (which I read from enduringword.com).

“Jesus lays it down that there will be surprises in the final assessment… it may be that those who were humble on earth will be great in heaven, and that those who were great in this world will be humbled in the world to come.” – Barclay

“You remember the old Romish legend, which contains a great truth. There was a brother who preached very mightily, and who had won many souls to Christ, and it was revealed to him one night, in a dream, that in heaven he would have no reward for all that he had done. He asked to whom the reward would go; and an angel told him that it would go to an old man who used to sit on the pulpit stairs, and pray for him. Well, it may be so, though it is more likely that both would share their Master’s praise. We shall not be rewarded, however, simply according to our apparent success.” – Spurgeon

Devo: Matthew 19:16-22

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” vv. 21-22

He told the man to sell all of his possessions and give to the poor; and to follow Him not only to satisfy the man’s questions but also to expose his heart. God knows our heart. He knows the idols we keep in our heart. The man could not renounce his possessions. He did not obey Jesus. It shows that his god was money.

“The call to forsake everything and follow Jesus is a call to put God first in all things.” enduringword.com

“The principle remains: God may challenge and require an individual to give something up for the sake of His kingdom that He still allows to someone else. There are many who perish because they will not forsake what God tells them to.” enduringword.com

“And what were these in comparison of peace of conscience, and mental rest? Besides, he had unequivocal proof that these contributed nothing to his comfort, for he is now miserable even while he possesses them! And so will every soul be, who puts worldly goods in the place of the supreme God.” (Clarke)

The rich young ruler came to Jesus. He CAME to Jesus because he needed help.

“Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?'” v. 16

There was something missing in his life despite his great wealth. He could buy anything and everything that he wanted but he was not happy. This question echoes many people’s plight. We all have that hole in our heart that longs for something eternal. It is because God created us for Him. It means that only God can fill that void. The rich young man asked what good things he should do to have eternal life. He thought that he could be saved by doing good works.

“So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.'” v. 17

Jesus told him to keep all the commandments.

“He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” vv. 18-19

The ones that Jesus mentioned refer to our relationship with other people.

“The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?'” v. 20

The commandments mentioned by Jesus are difficult to do and that no one has obeyed in its full sense perfectly.

When Jesus commanded him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t give to the poor. That means he did not really love his neighbor. He loved money more than people. Also, when Jesus told him to follow Him, he went away. He did not obey Jesus. He loved money more than Jesus.

The man said that he had kept all those things from his youth, but it was not true. He may have kept some of the commandments but not all of it. The commandments talks about our relationship with people and our relationship with God. If we want to be perfect, we have to fulfill all of the commandments. However, we cannot do all of those perfectly.

If we could be perfect by our good works and by honoring God in everything at all times, there was no need for Jesus to come down to earth and save us. I have talked to a lot of people, believers and unbelievers, who think that we can earn our salvation. I think it’s something that we have to really understand.

It’s not a point system in heaven. If we could earn points every time we do good, then securing our place in heaven would be a competition and we would be taking all the credit for our spot. Instead of giving all the glory to God, we seek the glory for ourselves.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9

In Luke 23:39-43, one of the criminals who were hanged on the cross mocked Jesus while the other criminal rebuked him and asked Jesus to remember him when He goes to heaven. Jesus’ response was, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

That criminal who recognized Jesus as God was hanged for his sins. He was a sinner. He was not righteous but because he repented, Jesus promised that he would be with him in heaven. We are saved by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS. Good works are a result of our salvation. Because of our gratefulness to God, we do good works. It is not for our merit. It is all for the glory of God.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

Devo: Matthew 18:15-20

15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.‘

17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.“

19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.“

Yes, these verses are about dealing with a sinning brother (or sister), but what stood out to me are verses 19 and 20. I’ve read it many times before and know this by heart but it spoke to me anew this morning.

Maybe because my husband and I pray together every day for us and for the people around us. It’s always a pleasant surprise to hear some of our prayers answered. This morning, however, made me realize that it’s because we both agree on the things we ask God for.

It is true that God is in the midst of people praying together in His name. God honors our individual prayers but when two or more pray together for the same thing, it shows how much we desire for it to happen.

That’s why we ask our church community to pray with and for us for things that are important to us. There is power in fellowship. Even if there are only two people praying together, God is in their midst. God is not looking at the number of people gathering together.

When I was still single, my friend, Anna, and I would pray and fast once a week for different things/people. We would exchange our prayer requests and pray for each others’ list. We were so happy every time we received the answer to our prayers. We both got different things going on in our lives so we aren’t able to continue praying and fasting together but it’s something that I practice to this day.

Even when we don’t exchange our prayer requests anymore, I keep her in my prayers. She does the same thing for me. Last night, we were texting and she said that she always prays for me. It’s a blessing to have people pray for you.

The people who really care about you pray for blessings over your life. They know that best person who can help us is not them but our God in heaven. I’m happy to have prayer partners.

Devo: Matthew 18:10-14 (The Parable of the Lost Sheep)

This is a good reminder of how much God loves us. Just like the shepherd, God will leave the ninety-nine to look for the one that’s straying.

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?” V. 12

It’s a reminder for us to truly care for people who are sinning. This is an area that I am still growing in. Sometimes instead of understanding people and caring for them, we judge. We fail to realize that God can redeem them.

“And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.” V. 13

It says in this verse that God (symbolized by the shepherd) rejoices when the straying one is found. He is happier to find a lost soul than the ninety-nine who were never lost. He is not mad when the straying one is found. He does not blame either. He just accepts the person back and rejoices.

It has a similarity with the parable of the prodigal son. The son strayed and sqaundered his inheritance even when his father was still alive. Yet, when he returned home after losing everything, the father, seeing him from afar, hurried to meet his son happily and gave him a feast just for coming back. He had no bitterness in his heart at all.

Not that the father did not love the son who never left. He was just ecstatic to know that his son was returning.

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” V. 11

Just like that father, God, being our heavenly Father, does not want His children to be lost.

“Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” V. 14

I think it was last night when I was contemplating and I thought that everything that God did and does is because of love. He is a loving God. That is His character. What an honor it is to be recipients of that wonderful, awesome, great love. We are not deserving of it but He loves us anyway.

This is something we need to be reminded of daily because it’s easy to think that God does not love us when hardships come. Sometimes we wonder if God really loves us or if He ever really loved us when bad things happen or when we don’t get the answer to our prayers. It’s easy to fall into the self-pity trap because things are difficult.

However, we need to doubt our doubts. God loves us deeply that He will not let us stray. And if we ever do, He will “go to the mountains” just to find us and bring us back. God does not want us to doubt His love for us. That doubt is not from God so we have to rebuke them.

Father God in heaven, help us to believe from the bottom of our heart that You love us, and that nothing can take that love away. Forgive is when we doubt Your love. Help us to respond to that love properly. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.