Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:22 In my early attempts at recovery, I pursued sobriety . . . most of the time. From the start, I planned on indulging occasionally. I knew I needed to cut back, but I thought I could take little vacations from sobriety, using every…
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Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:20 I attend an evangelical church, which places a high emphasis on the act of sharing our faith. In such an environment, it’s not uncommon at the end of a service for everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes while the pastor recites the sinner’s…
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Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17 Recently, while in the city, my wife was navigating us to our destination, when she told me to change lanes. Her lane had a lot of cars in it though, and my lane was empty, so I chose the path of least resistance . .…
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All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Matthew 4:9 We all have an inherent desire to know joy, pleasure, and satisfaction. I’m no different. My life problem is that I’m just lazy, always looking for the shortcut. Sure, I want to know the fulfillment of being in good shape,…
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He will command his angels concerning you . . . Matthew 4:6 Many winters ago, when I was maybe 12, my five-year-old sister and I were playing out in the snow. I was attempting to make a boy scout shelter and cookstove, but my skill was too little, and the wind was too much. I quickly…
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Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down . . .” Matthew 4:5 Nerd confession time: We love watching and discussing superhero movies at our house. In fact, it’s not uncommon for…
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Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 There is a condition in which man can exist that isn’t death, but neither is it life. I know. I’ve been there, and so has anyone who’s lived with addiction. In any addiction, whether it’s food,…
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Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Matthew 4:1-2 For the most part, I start out my days with good intentions and good behavior. I exercise early and I eat well through most of the…
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Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. Matthew 3:13 Most of us are pretty good at seeing the mistakes of others. As a physician, it’s no different. I’m quite capable of identifying the destructive behavior of patients. It’s easy to see when someone needs to lose weight, stop smoking,…
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He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. Matthew 3:11 Whenever I’ve accomplished something that required hard work, I’ve looked back with pride at the effort it took to get there. I didn’t get here by accident. I got here by working for this. Whenever I’ve…
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