“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.  Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 11:13-16)

Jesus tells us that the time before was a way of preparation.  The Lord had told the people what kind of God He is.  They had slowly been conformed to understand that God is One.  He showed them the law and called for them to live by it.  They made a religion out of it.  All along, there were prophets who told the people God is a person.  John the Baptist came fulfilling prophecy and clearing the way for Messiah.

Lord, the story sounds so simple.  Why do I make it so complex?  You created all things.  We, I, have sinned and we have followed the trail of violence against You, our neighbor, and this world in which we live.  You have revealed Yourself to the world and finally came in person.  You have given me ears to hear, but they have been stopped up.  Help me to open them and both hear Your word of truth and live according to Your word.

Lord Jesus, You give the words of truth; there is no other place to go.  The way has been paved and I often stand by the gate, but do not come in.  Take me by the hand today and lead me the way in which I need to come to You.  Be the author and finisher of my faith.  Open my ears to hear as You speak.  May I be found following You all the days of my life as I hear Your commands and obey them.  Amen.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

Have you noticed how the wicked will not stop until they get what they want?  The violent force themselves upon you.  The Lord does not.  The Lord can do all things, but the Lord does not coerce.  The wicked ones do.  Let this reality set in on you.  Be at peace, live in peace, and do not do things by force, fraud or theft.  Sin reigns in the world, but in, by and through Christ, sin does not reign in you.

Why does God allow some things?  That’s what the wicked would ask us when it is the wicked who are doing those sinful things.  The Lord allows you and me to exist even though we are sinners.  The answer is in what the Lord is doing.  He is making of those who believe children who do not practice wickedness.  It is what it is in this world and age, but the final answer is in Christ who, on the cross, made the way out of wickedness possible.

Lord Jesus, you speak truth.  I sometimes have a hard time with the truth.  The closer I walk with You, the more I see the pattern of wickedness in this world.  Help me, I pray, to not just see, but to believe and walk with You as You remove the wickedness from me.  Make me one who is at peace and move me far from the wickedness of this age.  Guide me today and each day in Your grace, dear Savior.  Amen.

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11).

It says, “Among those born of woman.”  There is an interesting thought, for Jesus also said, “You must be born of water and the Spirit.”  Every Christian is born from above.  Do you see that we are called from a purely physical life into a life that is both physical and spiritual.  True greatness is not earned but given by the Lord.  We are here for His purpose and not our own.  Do not be guided by this world alone, but by the Lord alone who is the Creator of all worlds.  It is not a matter of greatest or least, but about what the Lord is doing.

Gracious Lord, You have appointed all things to be in their place.  I am born physically amongst fallen humanity, but You have called me to journey with You on the path of righteousness.  Lead me according to the Father’s will, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to be whom You have appointed me to be.  Guide me each day in the way of faith and help me to simply keep my eyes upon You.

Lord Jesus, I need Your help because I live in a world that is constantly seeking its own desires.  I am encouraged to seek greatness.  What use is that?  Help me instead to take all that You have given me and humbly go where You send me.  What I become is Your business.  That I seek to become what You are making of me is mine and is only done with Your help.  Lord, be the One who leads me to overcome those things which would get in the way.  Amen.

“What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.  This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you’” (Matthew 11:9-10).

Important things happen in history and we ignore them.  John wasn’t just someone fun to go watch.  He was the one whom prophecy spoke of.  He prepared the way for Messiah.  Jesus tells us that all prophecy points to Him.  The message goes before and the Messiah comes.  It is the same today.  We are sent as the messenger, but it is the Messiah to whom we should look.

Lord, So many come into our world promoting themselves.  We are called by You, Lord, to become children of the Heavenly Father.  You prepare us and send us as the journey continues.  It has not changed from when You lived in Israel.  Keep us away from confusion that in the simplicity of walking with You we may be the life You give and live daily.  Let us not live in a world of entertainment, but the real world of Your purpose and presence.

Holy Spirit, clear the cobwebs of my mind so that I may walk humbly in Your presence and listen and obey as You instruct me.  Guide me day by day to be one who prepares the way for Jesus to come, through me, to others.  Teach me how to be a messenger of the Gospel.  Teach me to live my life in such a way that I seek to be obedient to all that You command.  Guide me Lord in the way of truth.  Amen.

“As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?  What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces” (Matthew 11:7-8).

Why is humanity so smitten with fancy dress, pomp, and circumstance?  The greatest beauty is all around us, but we would rather pretend.  “Be a princess, be a prince,” the world says.  The King of kings has shown up as an ordinary, even blue-collar, lower-class man.  Why do we chase what is imaginary when reality is with us?  Do not seek to be entertained; seek eternity through the grace you have been given by Jesus.

Lord, we do chase dreams.  There is nothing wrong with seeking to live the life You have been given, along with all its goals and the perseverance it takes to attain them; but do not be tossed about by the fickle winds of this world and chase after things with a wrong motive.  John served the Lord, and many were entertained by him.  He did not come to entertain.  Nor did Jesus.  If you hear only one thing, hear this: this is the most important pursuit you will ever have.

Lord Jesus, You give us serious instruction.  It is not that we must be stern and deprive ourselves all of the time, but I do waste so much time simply entertaining myself.  You have called me to pursue eternity.  Like John, You have called me to proclaim the Good News in the wilderness of this world.  You are not an entertainer and my life is not only about being entertained.  Bring me into real life to live for and with You now and forever.  Amen.

“And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (Matthew 11:6).

Have you never been offended at the words of Jesus?  Go deep inside and ponder those places where you did not like what Jesus said.  I’ve not yet met anyone who was not offended by something the Lord says.  Maybe you were not indignant, but you were annoyed.  If not, then what do I have to say to you?  Sinners do not like being confronted by perfection.  We make a list of excuses as long as your arm.

Lord, I want things to be the way I want them to be.  But they are the way You have determined them to be.  When these two truths clash, I wonder why?  My sin confronts Your perfection.  I need to come to that place where I understand that of course it is going to be the way that You have determined.  You are God and I am not.  Lead me away from sinful thinking and to the place where I trust You alone for all things.

Lord Jesus, You know the hard work of confronting sin and leaving it on the cross.  Guide me so that I trust You above all things.  Help me in Your goodness and mercy to humbly walk with You and let You lead me.  Who am I to question You?  I do Lord, so forgive me. I pray.  Help me come to the place where in every circumstance I say, “Let it be done to me according to Thy will.”  Amen.

“Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them” (Matthew 11:4-5).

Do not focus upon the how.  That’s what gets us sinful humans into trouble.  Next thing you know, we are arguing about who has what power.  Focus upon the who.  Who heals with a word?  Who forgives your sin?  Who tells you things you know in your heart are right and then asks you to do them, understanding that He gains nothing, but you do?  Hear the truth of the One who brings good news.

What do you hear?  What do you see?  Are you able to perceive the hand of the Lord?  Is your heart perceiving the truth when the word of the Lord is spoken?  This world tugs at you and never wants you to remain too long in any one place.  Eventually, this world will kill you.  But the Lord shows you the life He has created, and it is all around you.  Look, see, hear, trust, and believe.  The Lord is always speaking truth.

Lord, my world gets wrapped up around me.  Guide me in the way of true life and help me in my times of difficulty to look to You, for You alone can lead me through all of the difficulties of this world.  In Your goodness and mercy, help me to see the miracles You perform and trust the Father’s will to work all things together for good.  Let me receive the truth and live by the faith You give me.  Amen.

“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3)

Many if not most of us tend to think that suffering or even death is not a part of the bargain.  Contrast this with the number of times Jesus told us that we would suffer.  The battle is between clinging to what we know life to be and having faith in the life to come.  It is not a death wish, but a willingness to be completely in the Lord’s hands.  It is the place of complete faith.

Lord, I am afraid of the unknown.  I would like to think that I would be brave in the face of death, but I just do not know.  I suspect I would be like John and wonder what I have gotten myself into.  The faith of Abraham was such that he was willing to sacrifice everything he had lived for, hoping to see the promise come to fruition.  Help me to come to that place where I question You less and trust You more.

Lord Jesus, You are perfectly One with the Father.  Equality with the Father is nothing to be grasped, but You offer us Your faith to trust You unto eternity.  I too question, doubt and wonder.  Forgive me.  Bring me to the place what I trust You above all things.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to live in faith and walk with You knowing that only You have the words of eternal life.  Amen.

“Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities” (Matthew 11:1).

Many of the towns that the disciples came from rejected the Gospel.  Jesus gave a woe to three of them and to this day, there are no longer towns there.  We go and proclaim anyway.  Everyone should have the opportunity to receive the Gospel.  We do not choose, our Lord does.  The light comes to us and we are to reflect that light.  If we stand in the way, it casts a shadow.  Our Lord is telling us to look both ways as we live life.

Lord, this life You have given me is not just about me.  You have called for me to live in the goodness of Your grace and mercy and to share the truth of my life with others.  Guide me in the way to live life so that I too proclaim the truth of You in my life to others by word and deed.  Lead me to see that in You I have eternal hope and the only future worth living.  Continue to teach me that I may share what You have taught me.

Lord Jesus, many times Your words are difficult for me to understand.  It often seems You are saying two different things.  Help me to trust that You are continuing to do Your work in me.  Let me not stop with myself, nor even with the reaction of others, but to press on, doing what You give me to do.  Lead me in the way You know I need to go and give me the fortitude to always press on.  Amen.

“Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward” (Matthew 10:41-42).

This has nothing to do with receiving something for what you do and everything to do with relationship.  When you see another as a human being, created in God’s image, you see reality.  Many treat others as things.  The Lord calls us to treat people as persons and image bearers.  If your loved one is thirsty, you offer them a drink.  This is about the character Christ is developing in you.

I know that I often think in terms of exchange, Lord, but what do I have that I can give You that You do not already have?  Take from me that way of thinking that is always seeking to bargain with you.  My reward is life now and treasure stored in heaven.  You have given me the promise of eternal life, an unearned reward, and You want me to share the life You have given me with others.  The reward is built into the doing of righteousness.

Lord Jesus, I know this is not about how I feel, or even what I do, but who I am and who You are making me to be.  Guide me today Lord so that I may walk a little farther down the narrow road upon which You are leading me.  Help me to be gracious and kind to all whom I meet, treating them as I would want to be treated.  Guide me in the way I need to go always and help me to walk Your way of life.  Amen.