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6: This is a very misunderstood verse. There are several things to keep in mind while interpreting it. First, the verse belongs with the subject of judging. It is a part of that discourse, and is the conclusion of it. This helps tremendously in that it gives us the subject matter for understanding the illustration the Jesus uses here. Illustrations are often like this. One needs the proper context in order to interpret what is going on in the illustration correctly.
   Secondly, knowing the meaning of the terms ‘holy’ and ‘pearls’ helps as well. The context tells us that the subject is rebuke. Jesus is talking about how we are to communicate to others about righteousness. He has already warned against a self-derived, unbiblical, standard. He also has already warned against hypocrisy. In this verse, he is giving us yet another piece of advice about rebuke. Knowing that this is the case, we can readily see that the word ‘pearls’ does not literally refer to oyster-generated jewelry. Instead, the word can also refer to ‘pearls’ of wisdom. The term ‘holy’, in the same way, refers to the holy things of Almighty God. Whether we may speak of the Word of God, his gospel, or the holy ordinances of communion or baptism, such things are not to be cast to those who disdain them.
   Dogs and swine were not only seen as unholy themselves, but were notoriously dirty and crude. Though we commonly think of dogs in a better light these days, wolves, coyotes, or hyenas might give us an idea of what is in view here. Anyone who has been around wild pigs will also get the sense here quite readily. Both wild dogs and swine will take advantage of your finery and attack you when they are through with it.
   Thus, the sense of this verse is that we are not to speak of holy things to those who will not understand that they are holy. Those who are in sin and have hardened themselves to the gospel of Almighty God need only one thing, and that is repentance. To argue the finer points of doctrine with a man who is in bondage to a lifestyle sin such as fornication, alcohol, drug abuse, rebellion, witchcraft, violence, etc. is a dangerous waste of time. What he needs is repentance. Even before more is shared about the gospel, one must share with him that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Offering pearls of wisdom to help him out with his particular sin, also, is not helpful. What he needs is to learn humility, not a lecture on how to live better. Attacking his lifestyle alone will mean little to his heart. Attacking his attitude towards sin, and God, is the only thing worth risking.
   This flows with the other points Jesus was making. For one thing, we must not use our own standard, but God’s. For another, we must not seek to help others when we have not cleaned our own nose, so to speak. And, finally, we must not try to offer godly advice to those who are incapable of applying it. Instead, we must offer a call to repentance and salvation. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that the natural man, who does not have Christ, will not understand spiritual things.
   Thus, as Proverbs 9:7-8 tells us, rebuke will do no good with those who have no taste for the wisdom of Almighty God. A man who does not believe he is a sinner needs not to be rebuked for his specific sin. He needs to be called to obedience to salvation, which necessitates a change of his attitude towards himself as a sinner, and will lead to a greater understanding of the rebuke you may then offer.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 10:1-13:22

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Daily Tidbit: The name ‘Margaret’ is derived from a Greek word. The Greek word is μαργαρίτης, which means ‘pearl’. This is the word for pearl in Matthew 7:6. So, if you meet a woman named Pearl, and a woman named Margaret, you can tell them that they have the same name.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, it is overwhelmingly delightful to think that You listen to our praises. To know that what we have to say about You matters so much to You is truly a wonder. Being able to have the ear of the Lord of Creation is exquisitely enthralling. It is so much a greater use of my energies than any other thing that I might do, a can not help but try to do it more. Oh Father, forgive me for ever doing anything to dishonor You! Rip from my heart anything that would take Your glory from my lips! Give us a heart full of praise that we may pour it upon You, oh Lord! Father, You alone are worth being the goal of our lives. Remind me every second of Your great glory. Let me not forget Your awesome grace. You are worth any sacrifice we might make. For, though it may seem a sacrifice to us at the moment, it will disappear in the light of Your eternal grace and glory. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a woman with back pain. Pray for a woman with general health issues. Pray for a man recovering from surgery. Pray for a family that recently lost a loved one. Pray for a family recovering from a very serious car accident.

Personal Journal Entry #12212

5: Hypocrisy is the key here. Good judgement is never wrong, but hypocritical judgement is never right. What is often missed here is that Jesus shows by his illustration that sin can be dealt with. The beam and mote can be cast out. Many act as if those who have had beams in their eyes can never again see clearly, but Jesus obviously doesn’t think so. Indeed, these verses have a lot to do with our willingness to repent. Those who readily repent of sin will be far more fair in their view of others.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 6:1-9:21

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Daily Tidbit: Isaiah 5:8 seems to say that houses should not be built right next to each other. Although it can be argued that each landowner should have some privacy, that is not what this verse is about. Instead, joining house to house and field to field describes the activities of powerful and oppressive land barons that had sprung up among God’s people. They took the land of others through financial oppression and, in that way, became the owners of large tracts of adjoining land. As large landholders, they would have more say in the politics of the place as well. Almighty God was not pleased with this land-hoarding.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, give us a desire for You that will be the undercurrent of our lives. The pursuit of Truth is so worth it! Father, thank You for how Your Truth shapes our lives into something altogether different. We want to be beautiful masterpieces. Everywhere we look we see You handiwork. And, we know that You can make something that is good out of us. Oh Father, we long for Your goodness in our lives! Allow us to see the glory of Your holiness. You are worthy of all praise and adoration. Your worship is not meant to be shared with another. You alone are God, Almighty and Everlasting. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man having surgery today. Pray for our nation and its leaders. Pray for a man looking for a better work schedule.

Personal Journal Entry #12211

4: We are quick to see errors in the lives of others. With a large problem in our own life, we will take it upon ourselves to fix someone else. Oddly enough, others are more likely to come to us with their problems if we are good a keeping the beams out of our own eyes.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5:30

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Daily Tidbit: On November 8, 1889, Montanna became the 41st sate in the US. On November 6, just a couple of days ago, Puerto Rico voted in favor of statehood. This does not mean it is a sate yet, but it could happen in the near future.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for making each day new and exciting. You give us new ideas, and a fresh start, each morning. Help us to see Your hand in everything around us. Give us the wisdom to understand just how glorious You are. Thank You for the wonderful message of Your Word, and that through it we can know You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a young couple with some aches and pains. Pray for a woman who had open-heart surgery yesterday. Pray for a man with cancer.

Personal Journal Entry #12210

3: So often we are tempted to ignore our own faults. It is a result of sinful human ego. We generally think of ourselves as better than others. A mote is, of course, quite small, whereas a beam is so large as to be hard to miss.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5:30

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Daily Tidbit: In Matthew 7:3 Jesus was not only using an illustration, but was probably adding a little humor to his discourse as well. A mote is a small speck, like a grain of sand, a particle of dust, or a ‘floater’. These things could easily get into someone’s eye. A beam is piece of wood. Even a very small piece of wood in a person’s eye would be extremely noticeable, and quite painful. It is a funny picture to imagine to say the least!

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wisdom. I am glad that You know what is best for our lives. It is great to wake up each morning knowing that You are in control. You have not failed or faltered. You are still faithful to us no matter what. May we reflect Your faithfulness in how we live towards others. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with chronic chest pain. Pray for a family recently involved in an accident. Pray for our president, congress, and our court system.

Personal Journal Entry #12209

2: This verse is meant to restate and clarify the previous one. The standard by which you judge others will be the standard used for you. It is thus safest to judge others only when absolutely necessary, and then only by the perfect measure of God’s Word. Caution in our judgment of others will bring mercy upon us.

Daily Bible Reading: Song of Solomon 5:1-Isaiah 1:31

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Daily Tidbit: Jude 1:12 seems to make yet another confusing statement by saying that a fruitless tree is “twice dead”. However, this is actually not confusing at all. A tree is called “dead” if it is fruitless, and is then literally dead when it is uprooted due to its fruitlessness. Thus, it is, in this sense, dead twice. This parallels with the lives of vain professors of belief in Christ. They claim to be His, and yet, produce no fruit. Thus, their lack of fruit shows that they are not His, and they are given over to destruction.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You! You are the One Who challenges me to be more than I am. You encourage me to take life as a workshop rather than a prison. You help me to see that my daily tasks are not a drudgery, but a delightful blessing from Your hand. May I always see Your Providential hand at work in my life. If ever You stop working in my life, that would be a dark day indeed! Oh Father, thank You for Your intervention in our day-to-day lives. Thank You for making life so much more than it could otherwise be. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a young couple with some aches and pains. Pray for two families that just recently lost loved ones. Pray for a man who just moved into a new apartment.

Personal Journal Entry #12208

1: This has to be one of the most misunderstood verses in all of scripture. It has been quoted time and time again by those who are trying to obfuscate their own guilt. It is assumed that this verse means that all judging, of any fashion whatsoever, is to be avoided completely. Such an interpretation is, obviously, quite ludicrous.
Indeed, there are a couple of problems with such an interpretation. First, humans are, quite naturally, discerning individuals. In other words, we can perceive right and wrong. Thus, to suggest that a person proceed through life without making any judgments concerning the relative goodness of other individuals is, of course, really ridiculous. Secondly, Jesus obviously intends for people to be discerning good and evil, otherwise verse 6 of this same passage would make absolutely no sense whatsoever. So then, what is the proper interpretation of this verse?
Quite simply, it means what it says. The phrase “judge not” points out immediately that Jesus is speaking of those who would judge by their own measure. Once again, he does not refer to judgments made with the standard of law. If he did, he would be suggesting a concept antithetical to his own teaching. Those who he has in mind are they who have, by their own determination, put themselves in the place of law, attorney, judge, and jury. They, by their own made-up standard, bring condemnation upon the heads of those around them. They may seek to cite some law of God in doing so, but they must twist it to make it fit their purposes.
The second phrase “that ye be not judged” is the easy-flowing conclusion. Those who will judge their fellow man by their own preconceived notions, rather than by the perfect standards set forth by Almighty God, will be the recipients of similar treatment. You may not escape being judged by God, or by others who have been given authority by the Almighty to judge you by his standards. What you can escape is being judged by the trumped-up charges of others. If you never dole out unfounded judgments, you will have nothing to fear when they are passed upon you.

Daily Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 11:1-Song of Solomon 4:16

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Daily Tidbit: Jude 1:12 contains what could be a very confusing statement. It is against scientific fact to say that one could have clouds without water. However, the key is in the statement “carried about of winds”. In other words, they are like clouds that blow by quickly, but bring no rain. They claim to bring great blessings with them, but those blessings are not forthcoming. This statement is possibly a quotation from Proverbs 25:14, which says, “Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.”

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy and grace! Without Your goodness I would long since have become utterly hopeless. We so often want to think better of ourselves, and worse of others. Forgive us! Oh Father, Your judgments are perfect. You are always a just judge. You never condemn us by a twisted standard. You do not lie about us, or invent ways to make us guilty. You deal only in truth. Father, You are worthy to be praised as the good Judge of all mankind. I am so glad that Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will judge my life. Though I fear the exactness of His justice, I rejoice in its purity and sincerity. I would never want to be judged by another. How He feels about me is precious to me. I value his thoughts about me more than I can say! Father, thank You for Your Son! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for the election tomorrow. Pray for a man with stomach pain. Pray for a family with young children recovering from a very serious car accident. Pray for a man having open-heart surgery this week. Pray for a lady having back pain.

Personal Journal Entry #12207

34: Anxiety over what shall be tomorrow betrays a lack of faith in the One Who holds today in His hand. Tomorrow is His property. He alone holds the keys to the future. Many, who would try to know the future by questionable means, are trying to unlock a secret purposely withheld from them. Our perception of, and existence in, time is given to us by God Almighty. We are not meant to know tomorrow today, but to trust Him with both.
Jesus here personifies tomorrow, as if it may worry about itself. Tomorrow represents any time yet future. The illustration is meant to emphasize the fact that God has given today to us. Yesterday may not be changed, and tomorrow may not be known, and today must not be wasted trying to do either.
The final line of this verse, in which Jesus comments on the evil coming tomorrow, was a fairly common saying in his day. Wisdom will tell us not to add anxieties to each other, for one day’s worries are more than enough to keep anybody busy.

Daily Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:1-10:20

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:12 “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Daily Tidbit: Jesus uses in Matthew 6:34 what is called a prosopopeia. He treats tomorrow as if it were a person, giving it the ability to worry about itself. Such was a rhetorical practice of the ancient Greeks, and it is still used regularly today.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing the best use of time. We spend our lives trying to understand the mercy of today. You do not pile upon us our future and past, but ask us only to write the present as we would have them to read. May our pen always put down that which You would have, for then we may author, by Your power, a warm and engaging novel that inspires all who read it. As others audit our life, may they find strength for their own long journey. Oh Father, may we cause others to see Your glory! It is never a disappointment to tell a tale of Your serendipitous provisions and copious love gifts to us. I thank You for You, for You are the greatest gift which I might receive. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with a weak immune system who is sick. Pray for a woman with gout. Pray for a woman with a silent request. Pray for a man who is sick. Pray for a woman who had hip surgery this week.

Personal Journal Entry #12206

33: We must keep Almighty God, and His desires for this world, at the forefront of our minds. This is literally what Jesus means in this passage. The will of the Father, and the holiness that He would place within us, are to come before food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs. Jesus is here teaching that a fundamental belief in the rights of Almighty God as the King of the universe comes before our belief in our own right to exist. Indeed, our existence has no legitimacy if we are not, before all else, aligned with the plans and desires of our great Sovereign. Some may speak as if we may not resist His will. Whether we may or not is not the point, we should not dare to try. Many are proud of their insolence and spurning of His authority, but they live teetering on the edge of eternity, not considering the value of their own lives.
Those who will refuse to recognize and pursue the will of the Lord in their life are doomed to spend their existence seeking the necessities of life. But, for those who will see and love the true state of things, the Almighty has already provided a storehouse of goodness for their earthly adventure. He will put his blessings right next to His children (which is the meaning of the word ‘add’ in this verse). Just as the fruits of the garden in the very beginning, we have nothing more to do than to reach out and partake of His bounty.

Daily Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-6:12

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:11 “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and are perished in the gainsaying of Core.“

Daily Tidbit: The Greek term for ‘seek’ (ζητέω) in Matthew 6:33 is the same word Jesus uses in Luke 19:10. It refers to a patient and hopeful expectation for that which is sought. Thus, the same measure of dedication that Almighty God has for pursuing us should be found in our pursuit of Him. Jesus, the Father, and the Spirit work together to secure the complete measure of the plan of salvation. We must seek to recognize the authority of the Godhead in all that we do. The word ‘first’ does not simply mean before all else, but above all else. Seeking His kingdom and righteousness is to be the only quest of our lives, regardless of how God leads us in it. The other pursuits of our lives are to be just attendant circumstances, helpful to the overall goal of the glory of Almighty God.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, Creator of heaven and earth, may the joy of Your person overflow me! Oh Father, give us great delight in You! To desire knowledge of the Holy One is a good use of our existence. Knowing You, and making You known, is such a noble cause. It gives credence to our needs, and legitimacy to our very existence. The man who would live without You must prove his worth without You. He must make sense of everything with only himself as the measure of it all. He cannot touch the infinite, and is bound in this time and place. He will ultimately find his greatest pleasure in his own destruction. He will deface his own soul in an attempt to rid himself of the stamp of Your image. May we never descend to that place, but embrace the fullness found in You. Our lives may be keepsakes on the shelves of Your treasuries. Even our physical death is precious to You, and by Your power is not destruction, but a transformation. As all of Creation we long to be glorified, remade to suit the splendor of a universe clothed in reflective majesty. I long for the day when You shall be not only the light of my soul, but also the light by which I will see with my natural eyes. I hope expectantly for a world not filled with disembodied spirits, but glorified bodies. Oh Father, may we live like we know the reality of these solid dreams! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a family that recently lost a young child to death. Pray for a youth group that is travelling. Pray for a lady who has trouble breathing.

Personal Journal Entry #12205

31: As long as we are alive, these things will seem to press in around us. The daily needs that we have weigh heavily on our minds. However, Jesus would have us to avoid constant anxiety. There is more to life than that. So, he is not saying you should not plan your next meal, but that it must not be the only pursuit of your existence. There is more to life than survival.
32: The comment here concerning the Gentiles does not leave Gentiles out of the application for this verse. Jesus was using ‘Gentiles’ in the broadest sense of the term, to mean the heathen nations. Pagan persons will proceed through life surviving in their own way, ignoring the Creator of it all. Though they may worship idols of their own making, all is based on a survival-instinct. Thus, those who have Almighty God for their Father may spend life in a different way. The Father, of course, will not allow his children to suffer unnecessarily.

Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 31:1-Ecclesiastes 2:26

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:11 “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and are perished in the gainsaying of Core.”

Daily Tidbit: The Spanish word used to translate the Greek for ‘take thought’ in Matthew 6:25-34 can be found in the Spanish Reina Valera version. The word means anguish, or extreme distress. This is interesting in that it reminds us of the anguish that Jesus went through on the cross. There is, therefore, no reason to be distressed any more, because Christ was distressed for all of us.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for working in our lives to make us into something more valuable than we could have imagined. Help us to see and understand the inestimable worth of a life lived for You. Many value their independence from You, thinking that they do not need You. Of course, we are reminded on every hand of our needs and dependence upon the supplies that You have placed about us. Like children, whose world is much smaller than reality, we think that we know everything there is. Oh Father, may we live our lives open to the depth of wisdom that You hold out to us! Make Your presence known to us as we go through our lives each day. We want to live to the full measure that we can. Help us to see our worth to You, and our hope in You. Thank You for that sure and blessed hope. It is what brings me to You. You are the Producer of hope, the very fountainhead of it. Let it flow into our hearts and lives, dear Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal: Pray for two older men with health issues. Pray for a man with a bad virus. Pray for a man with mental health issues. Pray for a woman who thinks she may have a staff infection.

Personal Journal Entry #12204

28: We seldom take the time to consider something as simple and common as the lilies that grow in the wild. And yet, one of the first things Almighty God did in this world was to plant a garden. Thus, our anxiety over such a thing as clothing seems quite silly when we consider how god cares for the beautiful adornment of the ground itself. Though some would say this verse does not mean lilies, but some other flower, it seems the best to take it at face value.
29: Though lilies bestow no labor upon their adornment, the most glorious materials for clothing a human being will never compare with their beauty.
30: Although we would not normally expect to put lilies in the oven, electric oven had not yet been invented. Often, an oven then consisted of a hole in the ground with a bed of rocks in the bottom of it. Grass and such from the field could be expected to end up in the bottom of the hole for the purpose of burning to heat up the stones for baking.

Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 28:1-30:33

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:11 “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and are perished in the gainsaying of Core.”

Daily Tidbit: The Greek word in Matthew 6:28 that means ‘lilies’ (κρίνον in Greek) was generally used to refer to colored lilies. Thus, it is probably not referring to all-white lilies.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and goodness. Your mercy to us is truly amazing! Thank You for supplying every need. The flowers of the field sing Your praise every day as You decorate them with Your blessings. May we do the same! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for those in the Northeast still recovering from Sandy. Pray for a man who just recently got a new apartment. Pray for a man who just recently lost his father.

Personal Journal Entry #12203