Matthew 7:28-29 Learning from Jesus
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 17, 2019, Matthew 7:28-29
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
(Understanding the Text) The scribes taught differently from Jesus. How was it different? Evidently, they taught as if they had no authority themselves. I think they were emphatic that past rabbis had given their sayings authority but that they themselves would not add to it. Jesus did not refer back to past “experts.” Instead, He simply taught what the scriptures meant.
(Revelation of God) Jesus knew who He was. Jesus knew that He was the Messiah, the anointed one. He knew that He was the Son of God. He knew that He would rule with the Father. He knew that He had pre-existed before being born as a baby, unlike other humans. Jesus understood the kingdom of heaven intimately. He knew what the laws in the scriptures had been meant to accomplish.
In the past and in the future, Jesus would be limited to teaching humans through the distortion of other humans, but for these few years, He had the chance to teach humans directly as a human. He opened up the scriptures so that people could understand that there was depth to them. He taught us to look beneath the surface to the principles. He taught us to look for Him in the scriptures. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). He was trying to teach us a way of understanding that would bring us into a right relationship with God. He was trying to teach us the principles of the rest of the universe outside our dying planet.
It’s interesting that there are two that testify of Jesus: the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Joh 15:26-27). Correction: I’m wrong; there is a third that testifies of Jesus. “And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Joh 15:27). Humans who have a relationship to Jesus also bear testimony.
(Warning: Ramblings that are not directly related to the verses) Once the cancer of sin had infected the human race, there was no quick fix. God could not wave a magic wand and make everything new again. He had to take drastic long-term measures that would span generations of humans. Adam lived a long life and was able to see the violence, hatred, and callousness that resulted from his sin. However long he lived though, it was a short period of time compared to his original life expectancy. Sin was so virulent that it dominated society and only a few chose to stand with God against sin. Were many of God’s people killed during that violent time before the flood? Were there many martyrs at that time? Abel’s death suggests that this may have been so. The evil people were killed off in the flood and Noah’s family began the second expansion of humans, but they were all infected with sin, so they could not help but pass it on. This time other symptoms of sin dominated rather than just violence. Abusing ourselves and each other became the norm. Cain’s violence was more subdued, but Noah’s tendencies became the normal weaknesses for humans. God was still working through us trying to get us into position to be saved. He called Abram out because of Abram’s faith. That faith and competence made Abram moldable and able to serve as the conduit for the cure for sin. God was teaching us to understand that we had no power on our own, but must depend totally on His cure to become free of our disease of sin. Total trust was necessary in order for us to be reconnected with God. Total trust comes because we know God as completely as we can. For Adam, who knew God before the fall, maybe that trust came in the reactions of God and the results of sin. For us, who only know God through the witnesses of scripture, the Spirit, and other people, trust results from other experiences. “Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).
(Application) I’ve had a lot of ramblings today. I don’t think that last one was very insightful or relevant. My application for myself is that I need to focus on Jesus’ teachings because they distilled down all the Old Testament into the basics of the kingdom of heaven. I need to read the scriptures to see Jesus. I need to listen to the Spirit when He opens up Jesus’ lessons to me, and I need to not only listen to the witness of others who walk closely with Jesus, but I also need to be a witness to the things that the Spirit has revealed to me in the Scriptures.
(Prayer) Jesus, I see and hear others teaching the scriptures, and so many of them don’t seem to know You. They speak truths from the scriptures, yet their words seem devoid of the knowledge of You. I pray that I will always see You in the scriptures and always communicate Your word to others with You in everything that I say. Teach me to see You clearly in Your word. Open up my heart to Your love, and speak through me to share that love as I share Your words.