Rise Daily: April 8

Rise Daily: April 8

THIS WEEK’S THEME & PASSAGE

Counter-Culture for the Common Good – Matthew 5:11-16

This week’s sermon from the series “Where We are Going: The City and the Mission“

 

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THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE

Memorizing scripture is a way to keep God’s word close to our hearts. Each week we will select one verse of scripture to remember as a community.

Matthew 5:14

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

 

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THE WORD

Each day’s devotion will focus on one part of the week’s passage.

Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

 

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MEDITATION ON THE WORD

In our busyness and distraction, it is easy to skim through our reading rather than taking it in. Yet we believe this is the inspired word of God. Take a moment to pause, thank God for the scriptures and ask him to speak to you through them today.

“Don’t hide your light under a bushel” is another Bible verse that has become a common proverb. It means that if one is gifted in some way one ought to actualize that gift as much as possible and not allow anything to stand in the way of showing it to the world.

Jesus means something very different. Because he is the light of the world, and because, in him, those that believe become light as well, believers must not hide what glorifies God from the world. The redemption that was purchased for us at such a cost is one we should be always ready to give glory to God. Otherwise, people will see the good works of Christians and mistakenly give glory to them.

“What a nice person you are! You are such a good person!” These are words that ascribe our goodness to something in us, rather than to God’s Spirit, now at work in us to make us into his image. Allowing our good deeds to shine must always be done in such a way that glorifies God and not ourselves. This is perhaps more easily said than done, but, somehow, our acts of kindness, generosity, mercy require acknowledgement within ourselves that they are acts of free grace that have their ultimate source in God. It has to start there.

It would be even better if there were no possible way in which someone could attribute our good works to us, apart from God. Jesus said:
When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:2–4, ESV).

 

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THIS WEEK’S RISE REFLECTION

Since Redeemer’s earliest days, God has worked through the deep, passionate, urgent prayers offered up by people across the country and around the world on our behalf. Today, we are in need of your prayer support like never before. We cannot accomplish a plan of long-term gospel renewal in our city without thousands of people, inside and outside of Redeemer. We need you. Will you join us to pray for this movement and your role in it? Sign up here to join thousands of our friends for a special day of unified prayer on Saturday, April 16.

 

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TODAY’S PRAYER

For your Heart: Praise God that he is the source of all good that you have ever received. Pray that you might respond to his goodness toward you by freely giving, as you have freely received, without the need for either personal recognition or any reward other than the sheer joy of pleasing God.

For your Church: Pray that the gospel of grace would so penetrate our congregation that acts of generosity toward each other would become more and more the rule, rather than the exception.

For our City: Pray for the multiplication of churches all across our city that would allow for many more ways for the love of Christ to pour int0 all neighborhoods in tangible ways.