1At that time the disciples c...

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.

3And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

- P130

4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

- P130

"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. - P131

8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. - P131

The disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesuscalls a child and says they must become like children to enter the kingdom.
Whoever welcomes a child in Jesus‘ name welcomes Jesus Himself. He thengives a stern warning against causing little ones to stumble and tells Hisdisciples to remove the things that cause them to sin. - P131

The disciples’ question about the greatest person in the kingdom of heaven reveals their concern for personal status and glory, but that is not the way of the kingdom of God. To make His point, Jesus focuses on little children, who were considered among the least important during Jesus’ time. - P132

We are to be like humble and dependent children, acknowledging our absolute need for our heavenly Father. We are not to trust in our own strength or abilities but in God alone. - P132

Humility prevents us from looking down on others and encourages us to value all people; we begin to look more like Jesus, our humble King, reflecting true greatness in God’s eyes - P132

A millstone is a heavy, wheel-shaped stone tied to a pole that a donkeyturns to crush grain into flour. Imagine such a massive stone being tiedaround our necks! Jesus uses this extreme imagery to talk about the severityof leading innocent and inexperienced believers astray. The world certainlyhas many things that cause people to stumble, but we must not add to it.
- P132

We are to take any and all sin seriously and go to great lengths to ensure thatit does not overtake other areas of our life. If we are aware of the severity ofsin, then we will seek to completely eliminate it from our lives and makesure that others are not influenced by it. - P132

"The devil disturbs the church as much by error as by evil. When he cannot enticeChristian people into sin, he deceives them with false doctrine." - John Stott - P132

Dear God, oh how I need You! I acknowledge my full dependence on You and refuse to trust in my greatest strengths. I ask that You help me take sin as seriously as You do for myself and for those around me. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P133

It is a privilege to know the truth of the gospel,
and we must ensure that we are taking Jesus‘ words seriously as we seek tolead others in the path of righteousness. - P133

14When they came to the crowd...

14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.

15"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.

16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."

17"You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."

18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. - P126

19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn’t we drive it out?"

20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

- P126

22When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.

23They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.

- P127

A man asks Jesus to heal his demon-possessed son because His disciples could not do it. When the disciples later ask why they failed to drive out the demon, Jesus tells them it is because of their lack of faith. The disciples had healed before, but the situation with this boy showed how little faith they had. Jesus teaches them that even a tiny mustard seed level of faith has great power because it shows our trust in God, the supreme authority. - P128

The word "impossible" no longer needs to be a part of our vocabulary. Instead of being daunted by circumstances and driven to doubt and hopelessness, we can respond with faith, not because we are assured of our own ability and power but because we are confident in God’s. - P128

Because He is the Son of God, Jesus should not be required to pay thetemple tax, just as the children of kings do not need to pay taxes for theirown kingdom. However, to avoid offending the temple leaders, Jesus tellsPeter to go fishing at the lake, and in the first fish he catches, Peter will findthe exact amount to pay the tax for both himself and Jesus. We see Jesus‘
wisdom and grace in doing something that He does not have to do.  - P128

Sometimes, we can be a blessing to others by wisely avoiding conflict and offenseand extending grace accordingly. - P128

Heavenly Father, thank You that nothing is impossible with You. In the most difficult challenges, help me to respond with a mustard seed level of faith, believing that You will guide me through. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P129

Matthew 17:1-5 NIV [1] After...

Matthew 17:1-5 NIV
[1] After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. [2] There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. [3] Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. [4] Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." [5] While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" - P122

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain, where He is transfiguredbefore them. Moses and Elijah appear, talking with Jesus. A bright cloud coversthem, and a voice speaks out of it. The disciples are afraid, but Jesus comfortsthem and tells them to keep what happened a secret until His resurrection. - P123

Peter, James, and John are the privileged witnesses to three events: theysee Jesus shining like the sun, witness Moses and Elijah talking with Him,
and hear a voice speaking from a bright cloud affirming that Jesus is God‘sbeloved Son and that the disciples should listen to Him. To all this, thedisciples react in fear. If we have a profound experience with the Lord liketheirs, we too might react in fear.  - P124

However, we do not need to be afraidwhen we encounter our loving God, Instead, we should be alert to whatHe is trying to tell us. The disciples are commanded to listen to Jesus, theSon of God, and we, too, are reminded to pay close attention to His wordsand obey them. - P124

Jesus tells the three disciples not to tell anyone about the supernaturalevents they have seen until after His resurrection. If they did tell, this couldbring more unwanted and untimely attention. The Jews have been await-ing a Messiah to save them the way King David did, and one of the signsthey expect is for Elijah to come beforehand to help restore all things.
Jesus reveals that Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist.
- P124

Sometimes, we do not realize that the answer we are awaiting from Godhas already been given-just not in the way we expected. With the help ofthe Holy Spirit, however, we can discern God‘s ways and know that He isworking in our lives. - P124

Dear Lord, when You speak, I want to listen closely, learn from You, and follow Yourdirections. Lead me by Your Spirit to recognize Your work and discern when You haveanswered my prayers in ways I did not expect. In Your name I pray, amen. - P125

14They replied, ˝Some say Joh...

14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

- P118

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

23Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

- P119

The disciples confirm that there are many rumors about who Jesus is, but Simon Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God and the saving Messiah that the Jewish people have been waiting for. Jesus says that Peter is blessed to have received this revelation from the Father in heaven. He also prophesies that Peter, whose name sounds like the Greek word for "rock," will be a foundational figure for the church. Jesus promises to build the church, and the enemy will not overcome it. - P120

Although the church has faced and will face opposition and persecution, followers of Jesus continue building up the church. We who live today are likewise called to use our gifts and abilities to strengthen God’s people. - P120

yetJesus does not want His disciples to tell anyone that He is the Messiahbecause this will draw more attention-both good and bad to Him. Jesusexplains to His disciples that He will suffer at the hands of the religiousleaders, die, and then be raised back to life. Peter is disturbed by thesewords, so he takes his teacher aside to rebuke Him. In a short time, Petershifts from being called a rock of the church to being a stumbling block fo-cused on human concerns.  - P120

Jesus‘ words remind us that His disciples shouldalways look beyond human concerns to the concerns of God. This requiresself-sacrifice and the willingness to focus on following Jesus, no matter whatsuffering or loss it costs. - P120

Dear God, thank You for equipping me with gifts and abilities so that I might help build Your church and strengthen Your people. When I am distracted by human concerns, guide me to focus on You and see from Your perspective. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P121

5When they went across the la...

5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.

6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

- P114

11How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. - P115

Even after Jesus miraculously feeds a large crowd, the Pharisees and Saddu-cees come to test Him and ask for "a sign from heaven." They are not satis-fied with Jesus‘ claims of authority or His miracles. They want Jesus to proveHimself on their terms, almost exactly as Satan did when he tested Jesus inthe wilderness.  - P116

Jesus refuses to use His power to satisfy their demands. Jesuscannot be tamed or goaded to act. We cannot demand that He conformto our expectations. We can trust Him exactly as He is. Idols are made byfashioning a god in our own image to satisfy our own desires. Be careful notto adopt the mindset of a Pharisee when you make your requests to God.
Let Him decide how and when He chooses to act and  - P116

trust in His love,
knowing that His plan is perfectly designed for His glory and our good. - P116

Dear Jesus, thank You for warning us about the yeast of sin. Help us guardour hearts and renew our minds in You each day. May we see You clearly andfollow You faithfully. In Your name, amen. - P117