“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)

A word of advice: slow down before you pray.

A few thoughtful words well-considered mean more than a thousand repetitions mindlessly uttered.

Speak from your heart to His.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

Poverty is the financial state of not having enough to meet your daily needs without external support.  A poor man recognizes his dependence upon others and that his efforts, no matter how well-intentioned, have fallen short of putting bread on the table.

For those of us who keenly feel the pang of “not enough”, the words of Jesus bring great comfort.  “Not enough” is exactly who He is looking for:

“Not enough” parents who struggle to raise their children in a broken world.

“Not enough” spouses who wish they were better and their marriages were closer.

“Not enough” men who feel their shoulders cracking under the load to serve and protect.

“Not enough” women who have poured themselves out all day from empty cups.

“Not enough” Christians who see every flaw and failing in their hearts and choices.

He calls you blessed.  You recognize your dependence.  The kingdom is yours.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Why is bread not enough?  Because if we feed a man’s body, but starve his soul, we have failed him.  We recognize the need of children to be loved and nurtured – milk isn’t enough.  Humans are complex creatures designed by God with yearnings for things other than just food.  We crave companionship, love, information, work, and worship.

C.S. Lewis called it, “the inconsolable longing for we know not what.”  Deep within the heart of all of us is the desire to know our eternal ancestry and the voice of the Creator Who breathed us into existence.

We need the Bible because we need Him.  We must hear from our Father.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10)

John the Baptist didn’t mince words.  Jesus was coming, and folks needed to be ready.  A tree that hasn’t been producing fruit doesn’t spontaneously begin to show a harvest.  It takes intentional effort to turn a sickly tree into a healthy one.  Fertilizer must be applied, watering must be done, and the roots must begin to grow down deep.

Don’t wait for the eleventh hour to become the person you ought to be.  Repentance is a choice, but it is also a journey.  It takes time to cultivate the life the Lord intends for you to live, and there are no quick fixes to the fruit problem.  You have to put in the work.  The time to begin is now… not when it’s harvest time.  Jesus is coming; folks need to be ready.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:3)

The coming of God is troubling to the world and its rulers.  The birth of Jesus threatened Herod’s power, and he was prepared to take wicked action to protect it.

Nothing has changed.  Live your life, point toward Christ just like the magi did, and expect that some will be troubled by your good news.  The King is coming.  That’s good news whether or not the rulers of this age recognize it as such.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.” (Matthew 1:17)

Forty-two generations from Abraham to Jesus.  God’s promise took forty-two generations to fulfill.  To comprehend such a vast span of time, imagine your great grandparents… just add another 38 “greats” on the front.  The amount of life that was lived and cascading waterfalls of history that flowed through the river of time between Abraham and Jesus is staggering.

God kept the promise alive through births and deaths, empires, tragedies, and the ebbs and flows of humanity’s faith (or lack thereof).  The God who kept the promise of Christ alive through all that history is the same God who promises to work all things together for your good, too.

Take courage.  All is well.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.” (James 5:7)

In the dead of winter, spring seems so far away.  The snow lies upon the ground, every morning is cold in your bones, and the car windshield needs constant scraping.  All lies fallow, lifeless, and tired… but be patient.

Spring is here before we know it. The birds begin to chirp, the buds open up, and the green returns with its luster.  The seasons teach us that when we are patient, the best days are ahead, and typically, they are here much quicker than we expected.

Our journey here seems long sometimes, but believe me, it goes by quickly.  This life is but a vapor (see James 4:13) in the annals of eternity.  You are planting a heavenly crop, dear Christian.  Be patient.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.” (James 4:9)

The insatiable pursuit of happiness is the devil’s trick to keep us from self-examination.  We aren’t always meant to be happy.  Sometimes, we should be sad – especially if that sorrow leads us to repentance of sin.  James warns us that the effort to cover our sins with laughter and fun or to rationalize our sins away with pride and self-deception is both wrong and only a temporary fix.  The sin is not expunged by us ignoring it.

The only path to forgiveness is godly sorrow.  A mourning over our sin brings us humbly to the presence of God, hat in hand, to seek redemption.  A heart that is gloomy with the sorrow over its errors is ready to be forgiven and exalted.

Don’t be afraid to grieve over sin.  That mourning leads to reflection, repentance, and joy in Christ.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“But no one came tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8)

An untamed beast makes surprising and unexpected decisions when instinct kicks in, and so does the tongue.  What we really think slips out even when we try and control it.  In the heat of the moment, or in a thoughtless quip, we say something that we hadn’t properly measured or considered.  It will happen – you can’t tame the tongue.

So, if you can’t tame it, you must go deeper.  Jesus says that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).  Our tongue is the spigot, but our heart is the well.  Fill your heart with good things – charity, kindness, love, sympathy, grace, mercy, and truth.  Overflow the wellsprings of your heart with that which is right, and what will slip out of your untameable tongue will be pure.

The tongue is the symptom; the heart is the thing we must empty of bitterness, selfish ambition, pride and jealousy.  If the heart is full of good treasures, the tongue will speak accordingly.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

Don’t confuse doing the right thing some of the time with being righteous.  You may have never murdered anyone, but that doesn’t clear your rap sheet of the charges of pride, greed, or laziness.

Sin is any act that falls short of the righteousness of God.

Don’t look down on others because they sin differently than you, and don’t elevate yourself based upon the sins you haven’t committed.

Prisons are full of all different types of criminals.  Imagine a bunch of inmates try to prove which one is the best – even if one wins, he is still behind bars.  The winner and the loser get the same prize.

Own your sin, so He can forgive it.  Repentance is the beginning of the road to redemption.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites