21Then Peter came to Jesus an...

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

- P138

WhebelysPeter asks Jesus how many times he is to forgive, and Jesus replies seven-ty-seven times. He tells a parable about a servant whose great debt wascanceled by his master but then refused to forgive another who owed himlittle. When the master hears of this, he delivers the servant to be punished.
Jesus concludes that God requires forgiveness from the heart. - P139

When Peter asks how many times he should forgive others, he thinks he is being generous with the suggestion of seven times, but Jesus offers an exponentially larger number. The specific amount is not what Jesus is trying to emphasize; He is telling Peter to offer limitless forgiveness and mercy to fellow believers. - P140

Jesus illustrates His point with a parable about a servant who is forgiven an extraordinary debt after he begs his master for patience. The master is moved by his plea and extends mercy. Such is the God we serve! - P140

He has bestowed incredible forgiveness and mercy on us through His Son for a debt we could not repay, and we are to reflect His character and be gracious and forgiving toward others. - P140

The parable takes a tragic turn when the servant, who was forgiven anextraordinary amount, refuses to forgive his fellow servant for a debt that isconsiderably lower. We see the wickedness of unforgiveness. A believer whohas received incredible mercy should not hesitate to extend mercy to others.
- P140

We should remember the forgiveness that we have received from God andteadily seek to forgive others. If we have truly been transformed by God‘sgrace, we should reflect on how God cancelled our debt and willingly lookto cancel others‘ debts-even if it is the seventh or seventy-seventh time.
In doing so, we begin to see the beauty and grace of forgiveness from God‘sperspective. - P140

Heavenly Father, I praise You for cancelling my debts and continually extending Yourmercy. I receive it with joy and ask that you help me offer such forgiveness and mercyto those who have sinned against me. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P140

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple mustdeny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." - Matthew 16:24 - P141

Jesus continues the theme of ...

Jesus continues the theme of caring for the lowly by noting how angels carefor each child of God. He then tells a brief parable about a shepherd who isfilled with joy when he finds one sheep who has wandered off. The imageof the shepherd relentlessly pursuing his lost sheep reflects God‘s hearttoward us. When we remember how God has saved us, our hearts shouldbe filled with thanksgiving. Each of us has been that lost sheep, and God isoverjoyed to find and restore us to the flock.  - P136

May we emulate His heart byseeking those who have fallen away, are struggling in their faith, or do notyet know Him, and convey to them how much God loves them. - P136

Dear Lord, I was lost, but You pursued me relentlessly. Use me to demonstrate Yourheart for the lost sheep and to help others in my church community live the way Youhave called us to live. In Your name I pray, amen. - P137

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