[Friday's Devotional] - Building on Rock

5  Building on Rock 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 [NIV]   In closing his sermon, Jesus gives a short parable about two builders.  Notice that there are only two places to build: on rock or on sand.   Are you building your life on a foundation of sand?  It might look good, it is certainly easier than building on rock, but you will inevitably come unstuck.  Life throws all sorts of things at us, and our faith will not stand if it has foundations that can be undermined.   But Jesus says, the wise thing is to build on rock.  It may be much more costly in terms of time and effort, but it is well worth it.  With lives built on the rock that is Jesus, we need not fear any crisis.   But let us notice who Jesus is addressing.  It is people who have heard his teaching.  Some people decide to put it into practice and some do not.  Knowing the teaching of Jesus is all very well, but if we are to be saved, we must apply what we have heard.   How is your building going?  Are you looking for the quick fix or for the deep foundations?  Will a crisis undermine your faith, or will you be able to weather the storm because Jesus is your rock?   'If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead.'  [Thomas More, 1478 - 1535]   Lord Jesus, take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine:  Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne.  Amen.   David Long   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Thursday's Devotional] - By Their Fruit

4  By Their Fruit Before concluding his sermon, Jesus issues a warning.  It comes in two parts.  The first part is about false prophets.   Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit will you recognise them.   Matthew 7: 15, 16(a), [NIV]   There will be false prophets, Jesus tells the crowd.  There were false prophets in Old Testament times, and there will be false prophets in the church.  In the time of Jeremiah, for example, the false prophets gave a message of peace, when there was no peace (Jeremiah 8: 11).  They told people what they wanted to hear, not what God wanted them to know.   In our own day, there are people, even in the church, who deny Jesus' teaching.  Jesus has just been talking about the two ways, one which leads to life, and the other which leads to destruction.  But there are people, for example, who deny that there are two ways, or that the broad way leads to destruction.   To recognise the false prophets, we need to compare what they say with the teaching of the Bible, and we need to see if their lives are Christlike, showing the fruit of the Spirit.   The second part of Jesus' warning is about how we live our lives.  Just like the prophets, we need to show fruit if we are to not to be condemned on the Day of Judgement.  Jesus says,   Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven.   Matthew 7: 21 [NIV]   Belief is essential, but belief without a changed life will not save us.   'It is good to worship Jesus, but the sincerity of our worship is proved by our readiness to obey him.'  [Graham Cray]   Spirit of the Living God… break me, melt me, mould me, fill me and change me more and more into the image of Christ.  Amen.   David Long   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The Two Gates

3  The Two Gates Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate, and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.  Matthew 7: 13, 14 [NIV]   These two short verses require us to make a decision.  Jesus sums up the most important choice that any of us will take.   Will you take the small gate?  This gate opens onto the narrow road which leads to life, but few people find it.  Or will you go with crowd and take the wide gate?  This opens onto a broad road, but ends in destruction.   If only there were more than two gates!  We might wish for a comfortable middle way which is not as demanding as the narrow way, but does not lead to destruction.  But Jesus does not offer us that.  As in much of his teaching, he forces us to make a decision.   To enter by the small gate is hard.  It is a new beginning, and we need to leave outside all that might encumber us from our old life: materialism, selfishness, wrong relationships and much more.  To walk the narrow road is not easy, but it is the only road that will lead us to eternal life.    'Jesus the Lord confronts us all with an Either-Or; we must either commit the whole of our life to him or repudiate him passionately and completely.'  [J S Whale, 1896 - 1997]   Lord Jesus, thank you for the promise that you are with us for ever.  Help me to walk the narrow road.  May I not be distracted, wander from the path or turn back.  Thank you for the promise of abundant life at the end.  Amen.   David Long   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Tuesday's Devotional] - How Much More!

2  How Much More! Jesus moves from our relationships with others to our relationship with our heavenly Father.  This next passage is all about prayer.   Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.   Matthew 7: 7 [NIV]   We know that the Lord knows our needs even before we pray, but Jesus encourages us to pray in order that our faith may be increased.   Notice the imperatives Jesus uses: ask, seek, knock.  Prayer – no matter how we pray – is an active thing.  Persistence is needed.  If prayer does not seem to be answered, we need to go on praying until it is.  And answered it will be, because Jesus promises it:   For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.   Matthew 7: 8 [NIV]   Jesus goes on to illustrate the reliability of God in answering prayer.  If our son asks for bread would we give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish would we give him a snake?  Of course not!  But if we, who are imperfect, answer requests well, how much more will our loving Father?   'Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of his highest willingness.'   [Richard Chenevix-Trench, 1807 - 86]   Lord, thank you for the immense privilege of prayer.  Help me to be persistent in seeking your perfect will.  Amen.   David Long   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Monday's Devotional] - Do Not Judge

1  Do Not Judge This week, in our final look at the Sermon on the Mount, we find Jesus talking about our relationships as Christians, and about the great decisions we must take if we are to live lives which please God.   Jesus starts by warning us about judging.   Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.   Matthew 7: 1, 2, [NIV]   What Jesus is not doing is asking us to put to one side our critical faculties.  We have to make judgements every day about how we should live our lives.  What he is doing is warning us not to be critical about other people.  We are not God.  He alone knows the hearts and motives of people, and is qualified to judge.   Jesus illustrates what he means in the parable which follows.   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 plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.   Matthew 7: 3 – 5, [NIV]   We can have a fault-finding mentality, seeing problems with other people, but not in ourselves.  How easy it is to criticise others, but fail to see our own shortcomings!  Our first need is not to sort out the failings of others, but to focus on our own faults.   'The command to judge not is not a requirement to be blind, but rather a plea to be generous.'  [John Stott]   Lord, please forgive me when I have been critical of others, but not critical of myself.  Help me to see other people as you see them.  Amen.   David Long   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!