Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me”

Outward appearances can be deceiving when it comes to what people do. When a person puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion or when a person acts contrary to his or her own stated beliefs, we call that person a hypocrite.

Our English word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word, which means “to be an actor.” An actor is merely playing a part and pretending to be something he or she is not.

Appearances can also be deceiving when it comes to what people say as well. It’s not hard to find hypocrisy at every level of government and sadly enough even behind some pulpits in our churches today.

While we may be fooled by outward appearances and by what people say, God’s inspired word states clearly that Jesus isn’t fooled by outward appearances, He can see through our masks of hypocrisy and He certainly isn’t fooled by lip service.

While we might be fooled by what people do and their fine-sounding phrases, God is not. Let God’s unconditional love give you an opportunity to speak from the abundance of the human heart, which can’t be disguised by holy actions or hidden from God behind a lot of pious-sounding words.

Challenge for Today: You may fool your friends, your co-workers and even your pastor, but you can not fool God!

Matthew 14:25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

Matthew 14 takes place after a long day of tragedy, ministry and miracles, In the life of Jesus. In verses 1-12 Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist has been beheaded.

In verses 13-21 Jesus hears about his cousin’s death and gets in his boat to got to a private place to grieve, but while he finds a quiet place a crowd gathers, the Bible tells us that there were 5000 men not counting women and children.

After the miracle feeding of 5000, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and go to the other side! I noticed something about Matthew 14, one third of Jesus’ disciples were professional fisherman, why would Jesus have to make them get in the boat.

Could it be they could read the weather, a storm was brewing and they probably knew this isn’t sailing weather, but none the less they went. Hear me, sometimes the will of God will lead you right in the middle of storm.

While on the water, a storm came and no doubt the disciples were scared, they cried for help, their hope was gone, they had exhausted every avenue of rescue. But in the fourth watch of the night Jesus came walking on the water.

The fourth watch is between 3am & 6am, it represents just in the nick of time. Hear me friend you may be in the middle of storm right now, it might feel like all hope is gone, but don’t give up, don’t jump ship, because in the fourth watch of your night, Jesus is coming.

Our Prayer challenge: He may be late according to your watch, but He’s always on time according to His.

Matthew 10:31 “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows”

People spend a lot of time waxing a car, weeding a garden, talking to their spouse or children, chatting with friends, working at a computer, or watching television.

People do what is important to them. And you can tell what is important to them by the amount of time and money they spend on any activity.

God’s creation is important to Him. So much activity goes on every day without any human taking notice. In the deepest parts of the ocean there are fish that live their whole lives never seen by man.

A waste? Absolutely not my friend because God is interested in them. They don’t have to be seen by others or cared for by others, because they are there for His pleasure and His pleasure only. Their lives have value because they are valuable to God.

Jesus reassured people, because He knew they worried about many things.

He wanted them to know that the One who was best equipped to do something about their needs was also the One who cared the most about them.

Even though God is concerned about all of His creation, He is more concerned about you!

Thought for Today: You are important to God, never forget that!

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”

Everyone has experienced loss. Maybe it was the physical death of a loved one or pet. Maybe it was the “death” of a marriage, dream, or promotion.

Expected or unexpected, pain runs deep and the weight of the loss may be devastating.

There are many losses, but little mourning in our society. We crave consolation but skip the mourning process.

Instead, we seek to replace our losses, by adopting a new pet, remarrying, or taking a vacation. Did you know that we often take the same approach to sin as well.

Jesus is talking about those who mourn their sin. It is not enough to simply acknowledge spiritual bankruptcy with an unfeeling heart.

We must show sincere sorrow for what we have done in order to receive the comfort of forgiveness.

As you strive to live for God, reflect on your past mistakes. Experience the loss the sin in your life has brought. Grieve it.

Release it through prayer, tears, and honest conversations with accountable friends. Then Jesus will bring you the comfort He promised.

Challenge for Today: Learn to walk through the pain, not around it.

Zechariah 14:9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name

Abraham Lincoln. Elvis Presley. Tiger Woods. Mother Teresa. Martin Luther King, Jr. All famous people. All make headlines still today.

We read about them in books. We watch them on television. We google them on the Internet. Their names outlive their existence on this planet.

Each name offers a vision of the varied vocations and contributions to society of each individual.

Whether you support their cause, their sport, their music, or their vision one thing is true. You visualize their faces. You know their names.

Presidents, celebrities, athletes, and innovators may affect change, but no one brings change like Jesus Christ the King above all kings.

God’s word tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord that means every name, whether famous or not-so-famous, will bow before Him.

Whether you do it now, willingly, or later, forcefully, you will bow before King Jesus!

Challenge for Today: Jesus is the name above all names. Keep it that way in your heart.

Zephaniah 3:9 “Then will I purify the lips of the people, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder”

An old-fashioned “cure” for using bad words or lying was to wash a child’s mouth with soap. The lingering taste served as a reminder to keep their speech clean.

God has a better solution. He purifies lips by cleansing first the hearts of those who call on Him. Only after sins are confessed and forsaken, will hearts and what flows out from them, be pure.

The Lord performs a complete renovation, not just a cover-up to hide faults. He eradicates sin and the decay it brings. His cleanup also removes sin’s punishment and its accompanying guilt and shame.

When God’s purifying work is complete, the redeemed will seek Him and serve Him in unity. Meekness, humility, honesty, and joy will be hallmarks of this holy remnant.

Thought for Today: God delights in and rejoices over His work in your life.

Amos 8:11 "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.

About 750 B.C., an obscure farmer and shepherd was called by God to be a prophet…The man's name was Amos. His mission: to warn Israel of God's coming judgment if they did not repent!

Sadly, the nation did not heed the call to repent...As a result, they were led into Assyrian captivity. Part of Amos' prophecy that was fulfilled concerned an unusual famine that would come upon the people: Not a famine of food or water but of the Word of God.

Today, there is also a famine for the Word of God...Different in some ways. Yet very similar in other ways, and producing similar results!

The present famine for God’s word was not sent by God but is imposed by man. On the contrary, it is evident God has provided for us "feast", not a "famine"!

We enjoy an abundance of Bibles in our homes and offices even on our phones. Never before in the history of mankind has the world enjoyed such free access to God's Word.

But all the bibles in the world are doing no good if they are only collecting dusk sitting on the shelf. Nothing changes your life like God’s breath penned on the pages of His word!

I love Christian television and radio, but watching a bible study and listening to songs is not a substitute for spending time with God and communing with Him through His Word on a daily basis.

Prayer thought today: Put the Word of God into when you don’t need and it will be there when you do!

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me

We live in a society driven by materialism, people live beyond their means—feeding their wants rather than meeting needs and placing personal gain above service to others.

Greed leads to corruption and oppresses the poor. This also describes Micah’s world twenty-seven centuries ago.

No matter how bad things get, Micah’s example of seeking God’s help and deliverance is practical and wise.

The Lord will hear and answer. Evil will be judged, with the goal of bringing repentance. Then God will heal and restore.

Micah not only watches for God, he does so with hope and trust. Hope waits willingly and with confidence. Micah had hope because of his personal relationship with the Lord.

Although modern times may seem like a mixed-up mess with no solution in sight, we can call on God to intervene.

The God of our salvation delights to show mercy and will bring victory in His time and His way. We can be sure of that my friend.

Prayer Suggestion: Lord, help me seek your solutions to problems, rather than trusting the wisdom of the world.

Amos 2:7 “They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed”

In Amos 1 and 2, the prophet reads a list of charges against Israel and pronounces the sentence. The nations must face the wrath of Almighty God because of the sins such as killing babies, slave-trading, and perhaps surprisingly, ignoring the poor.

Ya see in the eyes of God, mistreating the poor and powerless is just as offensive as sexual immorality, idolatry, and murder.

During His short ministry on earth, Jesus repeatedly moved among society’s fringes, emphasizing His love for the weak and impoverished.

Over and over He commanded His followers to remember “the least of these”

Too often we focus so much on the obvious, sins of violence and immorality that we lose sight of an equally heartbreaking sin: such as hungry and abused people being ignored.

The church today needs to ask God to open it’s eyes to see the oppressed and the weak among you, and extend a compassionate hand to help.

Challenge for Today: Remember when you have ministered to the least of these you have ministered unto God!

Joel 3:16 The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel

Not too long ago we had a new addition to our family. A friend of mine had given us a 1 year old English bulldog, named Cheddar.

Shortly after that we noticed that our yard was not the make shift football field it used to be. One of the neighborhood boys finally admitted that he didn’t come around much anymore because of our dog. Just the sight of Cheddar was enough to scare kids away.

We soon introduced them to the big and scary watchdog and they were shocked at how loving he was. He was more interested in eating the after school snacks than he was hurting them. They soon realized you could by Cheddar by offering him a good belly scratch.

Even though the day of judgment has not yet arrived the world already cowers before God. Unbelievers see God as an oppressive and wrathful

cosmic killjoy that is waiting to bash them when they do wrong, while we as His children run to His loving embrace.

And why is that, maybe because someone has shown them the wrong image God’s love. We can demonstrate God’s love and convince the world to embrace God’s grace now by following the commands of the Master.

Prayer thought: Are unbelievers in my life seeing authentic Christianity or a caricature of it!

Hosea 10:4 They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

A nation that has turned its back on God is a nation without unity. Rejecting the perfect peace of the Creator, opens the door to a life of lies, disagreements, and strife.

They build walls to isolate themselves from God but in doing so they also isolate themselves from one another. Unable to interact in Godly love, they are torn apart by their sin.

When our hearts are set on the Lord we can be a people unified, a people who can deal with one another in love without the poisonous rhetoric of the world.

Our common life in Christ should draw us together, so that we don’t see each other as litigants or opponents but brothers and sisters.

That’s not to say that we’ll always agree or get along! Who does? But if we truly live in Christ, we won’t lie to each other or destroy reputations. We will do nothing but love one another, just as Jesus loved us.

Thought for Today: People who do not see eye-to-eye with God cannot see eye-to-eye with one another.