Day 1

The Jesus Clubs

Day 1

January 1, 2023 • Matthew 5

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Matthew 5:3

Here we jump into Matthew 5-7, the first segment of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount - the Beatitudes! Right from the start, Jesus reveals that the secret of entering the Kingdom of God starts by realizing that we need Him!

Recognizing our need for Jesus is not only the catalyst for how we enter into God's Kingdom, but an invitation for us to receive the Gospel as well. In order for us to receive the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that wiped us from our sins, we need to acknowledge that we need a Savior first. We need to be saved from our sinful nature, our brokenness, and our separation from God!

Jesus is the only cure for the incurable sickness that humanity has been suffering from since the Garden of Eden: sin. Through sin, we have been separated from God and, in the process, lost understanding of who we are and who God is. The human soul continues to live in dysfunction because we don’t know our original function. I can't think of a better way to start this 31 day devotional than an invitation to accept the Gospel! Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). In short, when Jesus died on the cross, we switched places with Him; Jesus was treated like a sinner, and we are now treated like Jesus! What an AMAZING deal!

This is the Good News, also known as the Gospel: Jesus died for your sins to be removed from both the Heavenly record and your soul. We no longer have to live under the weight of sin anymore - Jesus can take away your depression, anxiety, fear, shame, addiction, dysmorphia, insomnia, brokenness, trauma, and everything that the human soul was never designed to have! And, in the process, Jesus gives us the right to be God’s children, freedom from sin, abundant life, authority over the devil’s kingdom, the list goes on and on! The Holy Spirit, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us and enables us to live a sin-free life.

Maybe you are already a Christian, but you realized that you haven't been walking with Jesus as closely as you wanted to. Luckily, repentance is so easy that it only takes a moment! All you have to do is apologize to God for your wanderings, accept His forgiveness, turn from your old ways, and *BOOM* - you’re forgiven!

I want you to pray the prayer below out loud, even if you are already walking with the Lord. Take the time today to meditate on the Gospel, and how Jesus’ sacrifice has brought you into the Upside Down Kingdom!

Welcome to Day 1 of Learning the Upside Down Kingdom - the Kingdom of God!

Questions for Application

- Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

- What do you expect/believe God will do through these next 31 days?

Prayer

"Father, thank you for what you did on the cross. Forgive me for _____. Thank you for saving me from my sins and removing my guilt and shame. Heal my heart, restore my mind, and allow me to enter into your Kingdom. I receive your salvation, and I surrender to you as my Lord and Savior!"

More from Living in The Upside-Down Kingdom

Day 31

January 31, 2023

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 8:24-27 Congratulations on completing the 31 Days! I hope that these last 31 days have allowed you to experience the Kingdom of God fully! You may be asking, "What do I do now?" I want to call attention to the first sentence of this passage: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock." The reality is that we may know the truth about the Upside Down Kingdom - that is the Kingdom of God - but it won't transform anyone's life until they obey it. If you were to build a house, one of the most unreliable foundations you can build it on is sand. Why? Because it isn't stable - it moves, it shifts, it fluctuates based on the time of day, the weather, the season, the location, and so on! Similarly, when we build our life upon unreliable sources, such as money, emotions, jobs, people, seasons of life - all things that can change at a moment's notice - we are setting ourselves up for failure. If you are going to build a house, you want a sturdy foundation, like rock. It never moves, shifts, or fluctuates based on the time of day or weather. Similarly, Jesus' teachings are 100% truth! And if the teachings of Jesus are the truth, then it is something that will never change. When we build our life upon the commandments of Jesus, we are setting up our life for success! Our foundation for our life is consistent, reliable, and never changes or moves. So what do you do now after these 31 days? You take what you have learned from this devotional, and apply it to your everyday life. You will see some changes in your everyday life the more you apply His teachings - healthier mindsets, internal healings, more victories in the challenges of life, joy returning, and a closer and more intimate relationship with the Lord! Now I will commission you to do the same thing that Jesus said to the Disciples before He ascended into Heaven: 'Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”' Matthew 28:19-20 As you apply Jesus' teachings in your life, share what you have learned with a friend! That is what it means to "make disciples" - take what you know about the Kingdom of God, and teach a friend what you know. You don't need to be a pastor or a missionary to preach the Gospel - you just need a Bible and the Holy Spirit! Welcome to the Kingdom of God - now go share the Good News and expand His Kingdom! Questions for Application - What did God speak to you through these 31 days? - How has your life changed since then? - What are ways you are going to share the Good News and expand His kingdom? Prayer “Father, thank You for these last 31 days with You. Thank You for teaching me how to live for Your Upside-down kingdom, and how to follow You with my whole heart. Teach me how to continue to follow You no matter what, and to obey Your commands! I love you.”

Day 30

January 30, 2023

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.” Matthew 7:21-23 I think we can agree that this is one of the scariest realities: being rejected by God. But, let me ease your mind a little bit. This passage is not about Jesus rejecting people who failed His expectations, who weren't spiritual enough, or who didn't have the intimacy with God as other Christians do - read the last verse: "… You who break God's laws!" When we are born again, sin no longer has a voice in our life. We don’t live under its rule, we don't enjoy it, and we choose to live a life of righteousness by obeying God's commandments. There are people who claim they are Christians, but their life doesn't change. They still continue to live a life of sin and there is no transformation. The reality is these people are not born again. If they were born again, they would be obeying God's commandments and would be transformed by the word of God. It's worth noting that this is different from habitual sin. Sometimes sin doesn't go away as easily as we wanted to. There are addictions, bad habits, trauma and emotional brokenness that we have to continuously crucify our flesh and allow the Lord to sanctify in us. We must learn to discipline ourselves to live a life of righteousness by the grace of God. In this scripture, Jesus is talking about these people: those who claim they are Christians and you deny Jesus by their lifestyle. Maybe you are the person that I'm referring to – who claimed Jesus as your Lord and Savior and yet your lifestyle denotes His power and His commandments. I want you to know that there is no shame or condemnation in Christ Jesus, and anybody who wants to repent will always be accepted by the Father. If that is you, I want you to pray this prayer to renew your vows to the Lord. Questions for Application - What are your first thoughts when you read this scripture in Matthew 7? - How has following Jesus transformed your life? What changes have you noticed in your life since becoming a Christian? Prayer “Father, I repent for any way I have not truly made You Lord of my life. I’m sorry. I don’t want to live a double life. Search me, and know me. If there’s anything in my heart, and in my life that does not honor You or glorify You, remove it. I want to be transformed by You, and I want to live for You alone. Today, I surrender again and turn back to You. I choose You! Be Lord over my life. You have full reign. I believe in my heart that You are the Son of God, and I confess with my mouth that You are my Lord. I love you.”

Day 29

January 29, 2023

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” Matthew 7:15-20 As we all know, there are people who do not teach the Bible honestly or truthfully. With the Bible being vast, sometimes people can teach the Bible based on their opinions and not on the truth of God’s words. But, this passage gives us a shortcut of how we can discern who is a citizen in the Upside Down Kingdom, And who is a false prophet: their fruit. It would be weird if an apple tree produced an orange. Apple trees produce apples. Orange trees produce oranges. Similarly, somebody who is rooted in Jesus will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Somebody who preaches a false gospel will produce false fruit. We can tell because they're fruit doesn't match the description of the Vine. Jesus explains what kind of fruits the Holy Spirit produces Galatians 5:23: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If somebody is not producing any of these qualities in their lives, odds are they don't know the Holy Spirit and are not rooted in Jesus. Maybe you just read the list of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and you realize that you don't display any of these qualities. Ask the Holy Spirit to meet you right now, so that you can have a stronger relationship with Him. Jesus doesn't have to think about or force fruits to come about; it’s who He is. Likewise, when we walk with the Holy Spirit, we just naturally start to look like Jesus. We become like the One we behold. Questions for Application - Read John 15:4-16 and reflect on how to personally abide in the true vine; Jesus. - List out the fruit of the spirits mentioned in Galatians 5, and ask the Lord to increase those fruits in your life. - How can you tell that someone is a false prophet, based on what Matthew 7:15-20 says? Prayer “Father, thank You for producing the fruits of Your Holy Spirit in me. Would you continue to teach me how to abide in You, and how to not be deceived by the world? I want to be rooted in You! Help me to root my life in You, and to stand on Your words only. I love you!"