June 2, 2025; Matthew 7:1-14

Daily Dose of Hope

June 2, 2025

Day 1 of Week 9

 

Scripture – Matthew 7:1-14

 

Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today with gratitude.  Thank you for loving us.  Thank you for wanting a relationship with us. Thank you for never leaving our side.  Help us to follow you more closely, Lord.  We need your truth.  We need your guidance and direction.  With every fiber of our being, we need you.  As we read your Word today and reflect on it, Lord, speak to us.  Help us grow closer to you.  Let us know where we are falling short so that we can be the people you have called us to be.  In Your Name, Amen.

 

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Happy Monday!  Yesterday, we had a big baptism celebration at New Hope and it was such an amazing event.  We had roughly 30 people get baptized or remember their baptisms between the English and Spanish-speaking congregations.  What a day of joy, as we celebrate new life in Christ!

 

Today and tomorrow we are finishing up the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus has been teaching us that while outward actions matter, what really matters to God is our heart.  We are to behave and think fundamentally different from the world around us.  Up until this point, we have learned about the different groups that God honors, such as the poor in spirit, the merciful, and those who are persecuted for belief in Jesus.  We’ve learned about what it means to be salt and light in our world, pointing others to Jesus.  We have also talked a lot about how Jesus took concepts like divorce, adultery, giving to the needy, fasting, and prayer, and turned them on their heads.  Jesus is raising the bar for his people. 

 

Today, the teaching is just as difficult and yet, critically important.  The first portion of the chapter deals with judging others.  Judgement is something that has gotten Christians in a lot of trouble with the world around us.  In fact, being judged by Christians is one of the main reasons people say they have avoided the church or left the church.  This should be heart-breaking to all of us.  Something has gone terribly wrong. 

 

Jesus is saying you will be judged by the same measure you use to judge others. Think about this. How do you want to be judged? I can tell you that I want to be judged with mercy and compassion. Jesus talks about not trying to take the speck out of a friend’s eye without taking the plank out of our own.  Why do we