Welcome to our new project, the Daily Bible Devotional. The goal is to help you understand and

apply scripture as you go through a New Testament Bible read five days a week, Monday through

Friday as we move from Matthew straight through to Revelation. In under four minutes each morning, we will recap the chapter,

make some application, present thought questions for the day, and offer a prayer together.

I'm excited about exploring God's word with you, so let's get started.

Welcome to our study this morning. Let's look at Luke chapter 6. The Pharisees continue their attacks on Jesus. They see his disciples picking grainheads on the Sabbath and accuse them of breaking the law. Later, Jesus heals a lame man on the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders are enraged. In neither case has Jesus or his disciples done anything wrong. The hard

hearts of the Pharisees are the problem. Following this, Jesus turns his attention to his ministry.

He prays all night and then selects the 12 apostles. He works many miracles. He then gives the

sermon on the Mount. The focus here is on sacrifice in the kingdom,

love for your enemies, and being fair in judging others. Jesus is addressing matters of the heart.

To hear him and obey him is to build on an indestructible foundation. As you can see, that building begins in the heart.

Let's look at some things for our benefit.

The Pharisees turned their traditions into laws that they bound upon others.

But Jesus alone creates laws for his people, and he is always right.

We would do well to always acknowledge and understand those things. The greatest way to

get out of a cycle of judgment is to get on mission. Jesus turned to recruiting workers, helping people,

and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. These acts are great examples to help soften our hearts

toward others, but we must practice what we preach,

making sacrifices for the kingdom's sake, loving even our enemies, being merciful to people,

and evaluating ourselves before critiquing others. These things come from the heart,

and our hearts must be shaped by Jesus.

Let's look at a few questions that can help with that today.

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