• Week Four
• Day One
• Remember to pray and ask Jesus to open your eyes and heart to Him.

Scriptures

Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 23:25-28
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

Devotional

LORD, TURN ME INSIDE OUT

We say we are Christ followers. However, many of us are walking in the same path of the Pharisees – running after the same idols of materialism, comfort, and selfishness as our neighbors, all the while wearing a facade of holiness. Jesus hammered the Pharisees hard for going to such great lengths to look righteous, while overlooking the wrongness of their hearts. They were looking so holy on the outside, making sure they were “doing everything right” but on the inside their hearts were still far from Him. They were more interested in being “right” than in truly being righteous.

Jesus is making great efforts to re- teach that true righteousness is obeyed in our hearts and in our attitude first. From the very beginning God desired a heart-to-heart relationship with His people. He never desired that they would merely observe the Old Testament Law outwardly. Our human thinking, though, tends to turn things upside down or inside out. But the Lord does want us to live His Word from the “inside out”. He wants His Word to be planted, watered, and nurtured in the heart to the point that it grows to fullness and bears a great harvest of fruit in our words and in our deeds.

PRAISE HIM

Turn your eyes to the Lord and fix your heart upon Him and not yourself or your circumstances. He is good and He is worthy of our worship and praise.

Psalms 69:30-36
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

ADMIT YOUR SIN

Lord, I get so consumed with looking at the minutia in my life, I focus on things that will not last, things that obscure what is truly important. I confess that i get distracted and I forget You and forget others. The enemy wants me to focus on everything but You! Help me.

Psalms 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

THANK HIM

Thank you for loving me even when I am unlovable. thank you for helping me see the truth of Your Word and having mercy upon my hardened heart.

Psalms 66:16-20
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

ASK HIM

Lord Jesus, I call out to You! You are the path to true righteousness. Help me cling to Your side. Light the way before me. Make Your Word come alive to me this week. (and always!)

Psalms 25:2-7
O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.

My Own Thoughts

Welcome back to the Bible study! I am so glad you have joined me once again. I hope and pray that the Lord speaks to each of this week as we learn to love Him more! Until next time, I love you all and stay peculiar!