Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 20
Page 1206 / M atthew 7
25
“That is why I tell you not to worry about
every
day life—whether you have enough
food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.
Isn’t life more than food, and your body
more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds.
They don’t plant or harvest or store food in
barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.
And aren’t you far more valuable to him than
they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single
moment to your life?
28
“And why worry about your clothing?
Look at the lilies of the field and how they
grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not
dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if
God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that
are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why
do you have so little faith?
31
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink?
What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate
the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
33
Seek the Kingdom of God* above all else,
and live righteously, and he will give you
everything you need.
34
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s
trouble is enough for today.
CHAPTER 7
Do Not Judge Others
“Do not judge others, and you will not be
judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat
others.* The standard you use in judging is
the standard by which you will be judged.*
3
“And why worry about a speck in your
friend’s eye* when you have a log in your
own? 4 How can you think of saying to
your friend,* ‘Let me help you get rid of that
speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past
the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First
get rid of the log in your own eye; then you
will see well enough to deal with the speck
in your friend’s eye.
6
“Don’t waste what is holy on people who
are unholy.* Don’t throw your pearls to pigs!
They will trample the pearls, then turn and
attack you.
Effective Prayer
7
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what
you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find.
Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened
to you. 8 For every
one who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone
who knocks, the door will be opened.
9
“You parents—if your children ask for a
loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give
them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful
people know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your heavenly
Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
The Golden Rule
12
“Do to others whatever you would like
them to do to you. This is the essence of all
that is taught in the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate
13
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only
through the narrow gate. The highway to
:33 Some manuscripts do not include of God.
6
7:2a Or For God will judge you as you judge others.
7:2b Or The
measure you give will be the measure you get back.
7:3 Greek your brother’s eye; also in 7:5. 7:4 Greek your brother.
7:6 Greek Don’t give the sacred to dogs.
7:7-11 Prayer can teach us perseverance. These three commands (“keep on asking,” “keep on
seeking,” and “keep on knocking”) are positive habits we should develop. We will persist in prayer
with realistic hopes once we fully appreciate the kind of father who hears our prayers. Many of
us in recovery have suffered because of dysfunctional, even abusive, parents who often gave us
“stones” and “snakes.” Thus, often we must completely rethink our concept of God as a father
who gives good gifts to his children. As we discover God’s loving character, we will be encouraged to ask him for the gift of recovery.
7:15-20 The good fruit that our lives should be producing is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). In the throes of an addiction, however, we are without peace and totally out of control. If we take an honest moral inventory,
we will admit that the fruits of our lives are not those that God intends for us. Once we admit our
failures, we can enter recovery and work with God to produce the fruit that he wants for us.
8:2-4 Jesus’ healing of the leper demonstrated his ability to bring about instant physical recovery
in response to faith. Jesus then directed the grateful leper to be examined immediately, calling him
to display his deliverance and faith publicly. Emotional and spiritual recovery generally involves
a longer process than was the leper’s physical healing. Yet both timetables for recovery have the
same starting and ending points. The same Jesus who healed instantly is also the originator and
perfecter of the recovery process (see Hebrews 12:2).
