This will be a long-running daily devotional study on “Christian Ethos in Action”. The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me), as the reader and disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament. First, we will be confronted with various situation and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.
Today we are confronted with resentments, murder, liabilities, anger, judgment, insults, a question of the fires of hell, prison and reconciliation. Let’s begin:
Matthew 5:23–26, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you…”
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
REPHRASED to memorize:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if I am offering my gift at the altar and there remember that my brother has something against me, I will leave my gift there before the altar and go. First I will be reconciled to my brother, and then come and offer my gift. I will come to terms quickly with my accuser while I am going with him to court, lest my accuser hands me over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and I will be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, I will never get out until I have paid the last penny.”
“It is for freedom’s sake that we are being made free”.
Please, let’s pray for one another along this way.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Whitestone Fellowship 