Daily Walk Through the New Testament
April 9

Read Matthew 7:7-8:4

The Sermon on the Mount illustrates the practical righteousness that characterizes true believers. As the ethical implications of faith in the beginning of His sermon draw to a conclusion, Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock with full assurance that God is willing to empower us for the Christian life. Jesus teaches that by His grace, He transforms us into a good tree that bears good fruit. Should we think that inward and outward change is optional, Jesus reminds us that God will judge those who appear religious but are inwardly rebellious. An abundance of religious activity is no substitute for a daily, transforming walk with God.
These warnings challenge us to be doers rather than just hearers of the Word. Failure to do so reflects a “broad way” commitment that is indicative of the passive majority (Matthew 7:13). How would you describe your walk with God? Does your life reflect the gracious fruit of salvation or the hypocritical efforts of empty religion?