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.

Hey, good morning. Let's jump right in today with Matthew chapter 18. If the previous chapter called for

greater faith, then today's content serves as a potent way to develop it. The chapter opens with Jesus

teaching humility to his disciples by having a child come sit on his knee. He instructs them to do whatever

it takes to avoid causing

such little ones to stumble. They are of tremendous value to God. Christ instructs disciples to go to

great lengths to restore those who are caught in sin. Sinners should be disciplined if they

continue in sin, but disciples will need forgiving hearts for restoration

efforts to work. To help with that, Jesus tells a parable of a man forgiven nearly infinite

debt, but who will not forgive his brother of much less. Judgment is swift upon such a one.

Here are a few extra things for us to consider. Growing in our trust in Jesus can be

cultivated by embracing four words, humble, careful, useful, and merciful. Four sections in this chapter

illustrate each one. To be like a child is to be dependent on Christ, leaning upon him for all we need.

Be humble.

But we also must see our fellow believers as God's children.

God will respond dramatically if we hurt his little ones.

So be careful.

Sometimes disciples get caught in sin and need help seeing their way out,

...