Author: Ben Bourland

“Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].” Matthew 7:22-23 ->me: Reading through Matthew verse by verse for my Quiet Times has helped me understand this verse so much better. It has not lost it’s scariness, but it has gotten less unpredictable. How can you know that the Lord Jesus won’t say these words to you at the Day of Judgement? Its all about my heart. Looking back to chapter 6:1-24 is an explanation of how to avoid hearing this terrible phrase “I never knew you…”. When I play Xbox games I tend to be very achievement driven (those of you who play know what I am talking about). I will play a game to get the easy Gamer Points to up my score and affect my cred…but it doesn’t mean I love the game I am playing. I am just playing the game to get the points that make me look better to others. I know this is a weak analogy but it is the best one I can come up with this morning. 🙂 The people in these verses have already received their reward; they likely were prophesying, and driving out demons in Jesus name because they got recognition for it…not because it brought glory to the one and only person Who deserves ALL the glory. Lord please help me to keep my heart directed at You, seeking to do only Your will and in that giving You all the credit and recognition for all that I do in Your Name.

“You willfully recognize them [False Prophets] by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit [worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit. A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear excellent fruit [worthy of admiration].” Matthew 7:16-18 ->me: Jesus’ warning of false prophets, and this whole section, quite honestly, is very scary. Yesterday I was listening to a Piper message on the “The free will of the Wind [Spirit]” and how Flesh is borne of Flesh and Spirit is borne of Spirit. Profession in Jesus Christ alone is not evidence that someone is destined for heaven. The fruit of that person will identify the genuineness of their conversion. Change is possible, but if it is to be real, it must be RADICAL, resulting in a new kind of person; not just a new behavior pattern or profession. Profession of discipleship alone will be no protection from the coming judgement. The true judge of one’s conversion is God alone, but a person’s fruit is a good indicator. My take away from the passage today (Matthew 7:15-20) is that I need to search my heart everyday to ensure it is focused on Jesus alone. Focused on understanding His will and purpose for my life and then making that MY purpose. For me, I can very easily become distracted by this world’s matrix of living -> career, family, things, reputation, good works, and tolerance. True living means living for my real home -> an eternity with my Savior in heaven. True living also means being the spiritual head of my home and doing all that I can to prepare my family to see the face of Jesus.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (constrained/restricted) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 ->me: I have grown up with the story of the gates but several questions always come to my mind. 1) Is the gate at the beginning or end of the roads, or different places for each road? 2) Does there even need to be a gate for the ‘Broad’ way? Since we are all born into sin we all start on the ‘broad’ road so the ‘narrow’ way must be an option presented along the ‘broad’ road. The ‘narrow’ gate is a deliberate and costly decision (Luke 13:24). This little metaphor Jesus uses gives some complications to pre-destination. Are some people never presented with the ‘narrow’ gate? Are only some people called to see it?   For the Calvinist, is the ‘narrow’ gate at the beginning of the ‘narrow’ way and it only swings one way? I’d like to think that everyone sees the ‘narrow’ gate but not everyone desires to accept what’s at the end of it, and the cost of what it is to travel through it, so they never investigate. There is a sidewalk on the ‘broad’ way that feels safer than being in the street but the sidewalk still ends at death and destruction (this is the ‘faith through works’ traveler). The ‘narrow’ way is also straight uphill but God has positioned Himself all along the way to provide the runner with water and encouragement as they go.

“For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. If you, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!” Matthew 7:8&11 ->me: These verses sum up how I have learned to pray. Be persistent in prayer. The Lord knows what is best for me and those that I pray for, so the first thing I ask for is that His will and purposes be perfectly completed, and then within that context I ask for what I ask. With Jesus’ words here about the Father giving us ‘good and advantageous things’ I must remember that I would not give Bella, Sophie or Prim something they ask for that I know would harm them or keep them from achieving their goals…well, I know the Lord doesn’t treat me any differently. When I make a request to the Lord and I am persistent in that prayer, I can trust that the Lord will answer that prayer in the best way possible for myself or the person I am praying for. When I have a prayer life that is bathed in daily time with Him and His word, there is huge peace in the faith that God will hear and answer my prayers perfectly; when I am in this place I can not mess it up.

“Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.” Matthew 7:6 ->me: This verse is nestled in between the passage from yesterday on judgement and next verses on praying. I have spent my entire QT looking up references and other teaching on this verse and the closest I have found is 1 John 5:16 “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.”. So, what do I take away from my QTVOTD? I think Jesus is talking about teaching -> there are some people whose hearts have become so hardened that they are no longer open and willing to hear the Truths of the Gospel or biblical instruction. The danger here is that I too quickly label someone ‘one of these hardened hearts’. This is where ‘The Helper’, the Holy Spirit becomes so important and that my spiritual life is in a place where His voice is loud and clear. Simply, my focus should be investing in people whether that is in admonishment, prayer, service, or teaching…I will trust that the Holy Spirit will let me know when I have reached the end of my ability to be used in a given person’s life because of the choices they have made. Until then, I will see every relationship I have as a divine appointment and opportunity for God to use me to speak into their lives. The stakes are too high for me to depend on my frail and earthly logic to make the decision on my own.

“Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother’s eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3&5 ->me: I think I would consider myself a very ‘Black and White’ person when it comes to evaluating the actions and behavior of others (my wife is laughing right now in agreement as she reads this). God’s teaching for me today is not only compassion for others as we are all in the same spiritual condition before the Lord, but to hold my inner judgements and categorizing of people based on what I see in their choices and walk. Jesus is saying here that I need to get my own house in order before making comments on the cleanliness of someone else’s. What I know to be true is that when I pull that proverbial log out of my own eye, by coming before the Lord on my knees in confession, is that I also gain a more Christlike compassion for those who struggle…my focus on them no longer becomes to point out their faults, but to come alongside and be available to bring them closer to the Lord where He can be the one to reveal their sin. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn, but to bring sinners to repentance (John 12:47).

“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34 ->me: I started in verse 24 today. The verses following this and up to my Quiet Time verses above are all about 2 primary things: 1) Do not serve the things of the this world; neither the things you have or the things you don’t. 2) Do not worry about the provisions of life (food, shelter, or clothing). BUT! First seek God’s Kingdom and Righteousness…THEN, all of these things will be given to you. What impressed me most this morning (even though I have read this passage many times) is that He needs to be my sole desire and that I need to be learning and applying His way of doing things and living His truth. Only when I do this will He take care of all of my NEEDS (not wants). Additionally, God’s provision for my needs does not guarantee a life without problems. However, I should not multiply my trouble ahead by worrying about it. God knows about these things ahead and I can trust Him to both deal with them and give me comfort and peace and through them when the time comes. Notice how today’s points build on yesterday’s teaching? Yep, this is how God continues to work in my life.

No verse today but some revelations and new purpose. Today I was urged by the Holy Spirit to attend the Men’s Breakfast at church and I am so glad I obeyed: 1) I got precious time with my cousin. 2) I heard a word from Pastor Koby that was very convicting (1 Corinthians 16:13 – “Be alert and on your guard; stand firm in your faith (your conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, keeping the trust and holy fervor born of faith and a part of it). Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength!”). As a man of God I must be watchful, I must be firm in my faith, and I must be a strong and courageous man of my home and sphere of influence. Watchful means that I am going guard myself against my own sinful tendencies (covetousness, viewing habits, witness at work, more time in the prayer closet). I will stand firm in my faith….well I can’t do this unless I have a rock solid understanding of God’s word (today I started the ~1290 page book on Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem). I must decrease so that God’s strength can increase. It is only when I have let go of myself, let go of my own knee-jerk responses to my kids, let go of my pride in my marriage, and let go of my ego at work that I will create a bucket of weakness that God can replace with His strength. I am so thankful for His consistent chastening of my sanctification—I have so far to go…

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light, but if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened, how dense is that darkness!” Matthew 6:20-23 ->me: I have been chewing on these verses for 3 days now and here is the short version of what the Lord has revealed to me.  The translation of the Greek word used for ‘sound’ (Haplous) actually more closely translates to ‘Single’.  There is another variant of the that Greek word (Haplotes) that can also mean generosity.  This whole passage on the eye being the lamp of the body is about the undivided loyalty to God alone.  There seems to be a deliberate double-entendre here, with haplous taking up not only the theme of undivided loyalty (single focused) but also that of detachment from material concern, hence of generosity.  Now you pair this with verse 20 on ‘where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’ really drives home that my purpose must be to center my navigation reticle on Jesus, and through generosity of spirit be willing to let go of those things I call ‘my possessions’ and give them to the Lord’s work.  In doing this, my investments are being made in eternity; not in anything here on earth which will fade away.

“And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy and sour and dreary like the hypocrites, for they put on a dismal countenance, that their fasting may be apparent to and seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full already.  But when you fast, perfume your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may not be noticed by men but by your Father, Who sees in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.” Matthew 6:16-18 ->me: Happy Easter!! Our family had the wonderful opportunity to witness the baptism of my uncle along with what seemed like ~25 other people in the one service we went to at Northshore Community Church.  I can not think of a better way to usher in and remember the Risen Lord than to witness the burial and resurrection of so many people.  Additionally to understand what this means for my uncle is so precious.  This caution on fasting is the last of this section from Jesus on being careful in the state of my heart when exercising deeds through faith.  The one and only recipient of the glory in everything we do must be God alone.  When Jesus talks about storing up treasures in heaven (psst. this is next in my reading…) by doing His work, He is saying that no treasure is stored in heaven for effort expended here on earth when glory sought is for oneself; your treasure is already rewarded in the receipt of the glory.  It brings so much meaning to the phase ‘whoever makes much of Me before men, I will make much of him before My Father’.