Wednesday September 28, 2022

Today is Wednesday, September 28 and we are praying through the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus invites me to come to Him and find rest for my soul, take His yoke upon me and learn from Him, drink from the well of Living Water and be filled, and sit at His feet and hear His voice.

Pause and Pray

My Lord Jesus, in the early moments of the dawning day, I come to You as invited. I come with a quiet spirit, bearing the weary burdens of my soul to rest in the joy of Your presence and abide in the glory of Your love. Amen.

I rejoice in God’s good gift of holy scripture and praise Him with the words of Psalm 119.

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding. Psalm 119:30-32

Pause and Pray

In Matthew 5:18, Jesus emphasizes that not even the smallest detail of God’s revelation in the Old Testament will pass away. Depending on the biblical translation you are using, your Bible may say iota, dot, jot, tittle, period, comma or stroke of a pen. The original Hebrew words are yodh and taag. Yodh is the smallest Hebrew letter and is often optional in spelling. The taag, sometimes translated horn, is a small stroke of a pen used to distinguish one letter from another. They seem very small and inconsequential indeed.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:17-18

The Law and the Gospel are not in contradiction with one another, they perfectly compliment one another. There is a close connection between the two. The Old Testament continually makes way for and points people to the Gospel of Jesus. The Gospel continually leads the believer to a more exact fulfillment of God’s Law. I am instructed to love God, love my neighbor and be humble and holy. I know I continually fall short of doing what God requires, but the work of sanctifying grace provides that love and makes me humble and holy. I lay hold of the Gospel by faith and God’s righteousness is worked in me by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ask: How do the words of Jesus give me a new perspective on the Bible? What commands of God have I neglected or ignored?

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, give me a fresh understanding of my Bible. Open the scriptures to me and reveal the importance of the smallest detail or tiniest point that humans may overlook yet God requires. Give me a renewed respect for the power of God’s Holy Word and revive my desire to spend more time reading scripture. I read Matthew again, listening for the message You have for me today.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:17-18

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage?What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

This week God is speaking to me about my relationship with my Bible. Heaven and earth will only disappear at the ushering in of God’s final kingdom at the end of time. Until then all of the Law as recorded in the Old Testament of my Bible will remain. This rich heritage of God’s Word has somehow remarkably been passed down over the centuries so I can hold it in my hand or access it on my phone. These words are for me to read, study and understand. I consider how God might be guiding me to a fresh realization of his Holy Word.

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord Jesus, as You spoke to the crowd gathered on the mountainside and confirmed the duration of God’s word, speak to me this morning about the role of scripture in my life. Guide me to the people and places who can help me learn more about the Bible and grow in my faith. Amen.

The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. Luke 16:16-17

I leave this time of prayer with a renewed hunger to study God’s Word and a restored motivation to love others in the name of Jesus.

Amen