Observe the Word

In Matthew 7:13-29 Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with a call to decision. It is an invitation, a challenge and a warning. Every human being has a choice to make. And that choice is about Jesus. What is the narrow way? And who do you trust to take you along the narrow way? The choice is yours to make.

In Matthew 7:1-12 Jesus gives us wisdom on how to love our neighbor in a sinful, messy world. Love is hard and risky. We need self-awareness, others-awareness and God-awareness to live out the ethic of Jesus.

In Matthew 6:19-34 we are challenged to ask, "What do I really want out of life?" Jesus uses a series of deceptively simple metaphors that urge us to reorient our lives around heavenly treasure. And he tells us why seeking first the kingdom of heaven is so simple and why it is so hard.

In Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus further develops his exhortation on genuine prayer. Known as "the Lord's prayer" and as "the Our Father", this is not a prayer given us to pray word for word. This is a model of prayer guiding us in the way we should pray. Jesus teaches us how to think about our interaction with God and the reward that God promises when we meet with him alone in genuine, humble faith.

In Matthew 6:1-6 and 16-18, Jesus shifts from loving our neighbor to loving our God, a shift from public spiritual life that ought to be seen, to private spiritual life that ought not be seen. Jesus now exhorts us to acts of devotion that bring about lasting reward from God.