“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” – Matthew 15:18

What we eat may be unhealthy but it can’t make us unclean in God’s eyes. Our bodies take care of that naturally as Jesus explained in the verse before this one. On the other hand, what we say…. That can really make us unclean in God’s eyes!

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the terrible power of our words to hurt others AND ourselves. Hasty, rude, angry, cruel, obscene, profane, divisive, or selfish words not only reflect the poor health of our souls, they reinforce and worsen that health. Words can absolutely be sinful. We must recognize that and repent whenever we sin with our mouths.

We must also recognize that if we have a pattern of sinful words it reflects a heart that needs additional transformation in Jesus Christ. Don’t excuse away your words. Embrace the spiritual work of drawing nearer to Jesus and letting Him transform your words. Invest in your daily time with Jesus, studying and meditating on His Word, talking to Him in prayer, and worshiping Him both privately and publicly. You may need to invest in counseling to help apply His Word more fully to your hearts so that you speak life rather than death and holiness rather than defilement. Be willing to do whatever it takes to get your heart and mouth in alignment with your Savior. #FollowJesus

“For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” – John 6:33

When we eat food, we become hungry again within a few hours. Our bodies regularly need more food to maintain physical life. Things work differently for our souls. Because of our sin, our souls are spiritually dead, even as we walk through physical life. However, God graciously offers eternal life for our souls. God sent His Son into the world to be the bread of heaven Who will nourish our souls forever. A relationship with Jesus raises our zombie-like souls to spiritual life. Our sins are forgiven, our guilt removed, and our shame washed clean. We are made new creation and our souls become alive forever.

How do we “eat” this bread? By believing in Jesus. When we trust our lives to Him as Lord and Savior, we become spiritually alive. We enter into an eternal union with Jesus that will nourish our souls in good times and bad. That relationship will nourish our souls on earth and in heaven. There is a limitless supply of this bread. Everyone who believes in Jesus in every age will receive the life that is only available through faith in Jesus.

Have you eaten this bread? Are you nurturing your relationship with Jesus and enjoying the ongoing nourishment of your soul? Do you believe with a faith that leads you to obey Jesus, worship Jesus, study Jesus, serve Jesus, share Jesus, fellowship with the people of Jesus, and become more and more like Jesus? If you are, then you’re fully embracing the Bread of Life. Enjoy that life and be satisfied in it. If you aren’t, don’t hesitate or delay… Jesus is life! #FollowJesus

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.” – Mark 6:3

It can be difficult to overcome the way people are used to thinking about someone. When Jesus visited His hometown, the residents couldn’t see or understand His power or wisdom. They merely saw the boy and young man they’d known for years as a carpenter. They saw the son and brother of their neighbors. Because of their preconceived ideas about Jesus, they completely missed the Messiah, the Lord’s Salvation, and the Son of God standing in their midst. In fact, they became angry with Him because He no longer acted in the way they expected.

Many people you meet have a preconceived idea about Jesus. They may consider Him a wise teacher or a good guy. They may consider Him an oddball. They may think that Jesus is a myth or a legend. They may believe He’s a prophet. Your challenge is to help them see Jesus as He truly is: the eternal Son of God and the only way of salvation. What Bible stories can you tell that reveal the true Jesus? What Bible study could you invite them to do with you to open their eyes?

Most people who have an idea about Jesus haven’t read the Bible. They haven’t read the Gospel accounts or considered the careful writing intended to reveal Jesus in His power and glory. How can you, a follower of Jesus, help them meet Jesus? How can you stir them to reconsider what they think they know about the way, the truth, and the life? #FollowJesus

“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.” – Matthew 9:9

Jesus calls some of the most unlikely people into His Kingdom! The question for each of them is whether or not they will follow Him. Matthew certainly would seem unlikely to follow. He was a tax collector. He served the Roman Empire by taking (by force if necessary) taxes from his fellow Jews to fuel the Empire that was oppressing them. Given that, he probably wasn’t a particularly spiritual person. He certainly wasn’t a very popular person. He likely wasn’t a very ethical person. But Jesus called him…

…And he followed Jesus. That’s what matters! Matthew didn’t hesitate. He rose and followed Jesus. Not just that day but for the rest of his life. He left his tax collection business behind, seemingly without making provision for its future operation. He just followed Jesus every day and night for the rest of his life. Matthew followed through the earthly ministry of Jesus. Matthew followed through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew followed through the early decades of the church.

That tax collector wrote the very book of the Bible this verse is taken from. The point being, many are invited to follow Jesus and we can never predict who might answer the call. As you reflect on this verse, is there anyone in your life whom you’ve held back on sharing Jesus with because you’re convinced they won’t respond well? Let the Holy Spirit surprise you! Share Jesus with that friend, relative, or colleague you’re convinced will never be interested. See what Jesus does in that person’s heart when they hear the words of life. They just might be the next Matthew!

In the meantime, how about yourself? Are you following Jesus? Are you following like Matthew to the extent that you’ve left things behind and radically altered the trajectory of your life to obey and follow Jesus? Have you answered the call of Jesus like Matthew? #FollowJesus

“Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.” – Matthew 12:22

This particular miracle got a lot of attention. At the time, most religious leader believed and taught that to cast out a demon you needed to learn its name. If a demon-oppressed individual couldn’t speak, an exorcist couldn’t learn the demon’s name, and it would be impossible to cast out the demon. Then Jesus healed a man who couldn’t speak as easily as He cast out any other demon.

It was widely believed that only the Messiah (or Christ in Greek) would be able to cast out a demon from a person who couldn’t speak. When Jesus did exactly that, many began to consider that He might be more than a teacher, prophet, and miracle worker. Of course, their suspicions were correct! Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ. He is God come in the flesh. At all times, Jesus has absolute power over the supernatural forces of the world, both good and evil. Though demons hate Jesus, they know Who He is and they must obey Him. We see this over and over again in the Gospels.

Demons don’t fight Jesus because they can’t. He is immeasurably stronger and more powerful than they are. The conflicts between Jesus and demons are recorded to demonstrate Who Jesus is and what He can do. As you reflect on what this means today, you should, first and foremost, remember what this evidence points toward…. Jesus is truly the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed Son of God. Believe in Him, worship Him, and follow Him!

You should also remember Who your Lord is. In an age with increasing fascination with Satan and his demons, remember that your Lord is infinitely more powerful than demons. Don’t let fascination or fear of the demonic cloud your vision of King Jesus or keep you from boldly living, speaking, and acting for Jesus. Spiritual warfare is real but Jesus has and will defeat every enemy. He is with and in you as His follower. Remember too, the lesson of the subsequent verses…. If someone hears about the power of Jesus over demons but is so hardened against Him that they consider Jesus with contempt, accuse Him of performing parlor tricks, or claim He’s relying on demonic power, that’s a spiritual disaster for that person from which they will likely never recover. All that to say, be strong in your faith and #FollowJesus!