Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 60; Matthew 7
My oldest two children (ages 10 and 7) and I initially memorized all 29 verses of Matthew 7 almost 20 years ago. Thankfully, I’ve used the Bible Memory app since then to review the verses I memorized, otherwise I fear that I wouldn’t remember it anymore. I hope you’ll check it out! Here’s a link to learn more or download it. Here’s a link to a video I made about how to use it. And here’s a link to my Teach What Is Good Bible Memory group You can join for free for some encouragement and accountability — don’t we all need that!
There is so much wisdom in all of Matthew 7, but today what I was especially thinking about the connection between verses 21-23 and 24-27.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’'”
Matthew 7:21-23 ESV
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27 ESV
Don’t miss that word “then” in verse 24.
This reminded me of some other passages I’ve hidden in my heart.
But be doers of the word,
James 1:22 ESV
and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV
but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have prophetic powers,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give away all I have,
and if I deliver up my body to be burned,
but have not love, I gain nothing.
This is what differentiates students from disciples: Students listen, students study, students memorize, but disciples put into practice the words of their teacher, modeling their own lives after their master’s.
Let’s be faithful to store up God’s Word in our heart
(like Psalm 119:11 says),
but let’s be just as faithful to put it into practice!
Heavenly Father, we don’t want to merely listen to your Word, thus deceiving ourselves. We want to do what it says. Help us to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, modeling our lives after His, loving and serving others, doing good to them and forgiving them, as Jesus Christ perfectly modeled for us. And help us to be faithful disciple-makers, telling others the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, and teaching them all that You have commanded us, remembering that You are always with us even to the end of the age! In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
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