Matthew 7:15-16 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

I remember shopping for a new watch during my high school years in Kenya. My previous watch had been stolen and I needed something. I was in Nairobi and I saw a watch that looked pretty decent. Nothing fancy except for the name on the watch. In Kenya there is a large market of almost brand name goods. In this case, the watch I bought was branded “NIKF” and at a casual glance you would think it read “NIKE” That watch lasted me not quite a year, but during that year I enjoyed watching people see my watch and saying “Cool! Where did you ever find a Nike watch like that?” and then I would watch their face when I told them it was actually a “Nikf” watch. It was easy to be tricked into thinking it was the real thing at first glance, but a closer look always showed that it was counterfeit. In recent years the US treasury has been re-designing all the bills because of counterfeiters. These guys are good! It looks almost the same and feels the same, but there are a few differences. The counterfeit bills are harder to spot than my counterfeit watch, but if you know what to look for, you can find out which are real and which are faked.

In an ideal world, there would be no fake or counterfeit believers. However, we live in an imperfect world and so we have false Christians in church, false Christians in leadership positions of the church, and even counterfeit Christians in positions of great respect in the Christian world. Some are easily spotted after a second look like my old Nikf watch, but some are very difficult to spot. They look almost the same, they act the same, but there are small differences. We walk with Christ and have the utmost confidence in Him and His mighty power over everything. How we act shows this. The counterfeit Christian does not experience the mighty power of God, and so can not walk in the full knowledge and confidence. The true Christian has the word of God to show the way to a closer relationship with God. The counterfeit Christian may know the Bible backwards and forwards but they do not know the Saviour personally and it shows in everything they do. We need to pray for these false Christians while being on guard and examining everything they say and do.

One of the saddest things, however, is that while there are people out there who purposefully counterfeit righteousness for personal gain, many more people think they are truly Christian who have never really had a relationship with Christ. They say the right things, they act the right way, but they have not internalized their walk and truly reckoned themselves as dead to the world and alive in Christ. These people try their best to walk according to the Bible, but they do not have the love and desire for it that they could have. These people sometimes even seem more Christian that people who have come to the full knowledge and realization of Christ crucified and risen, to the understanding that we now walk by grace! We can not say “Do not do anything with these people” because that is not what Christ would do. We need to be as Christ to them; we should pray for them and walk with them, let them see what Christ is to us. We are to be an example to everyone and an encouragement to the struggling. To those who have chosen counterfeit Christ we should leave in prayer before God and that is all we should do; to everyone else - those who seem Christian and count themselves so but have not truly been resurrected with Christ and those who have accepted Christ's salvation but don't walk with Him as they should – we must not only pray for them but be an example and a teacher. We should continuously witness Christ crucified and risen so that they may be encouraged to seek Christ. We must encourage them to choose the narrow Gate and to aid them along the difficult path instead of the wide and easy way towards destruction. Just as we are His, He wants them to be His as well.

Who do we know that our lives can be an encouragement to as we consciously choose to walk with Christ?

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

During my time as a boarding school student in Zambia, once a month those of us in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade would walk to the local church. We, along with a couple teachers, would walk across the bridge to the school and down the road for a couple kilometers to get to this small local church where we couldn't understand a word they said, but sang along since we all knew the songs and had the little song books the teachers passed out. After the service, we would walk back to the school. Now the road was mostly gravel and dirt since the school truck had driven along it so many times and every semester the caravans of parents would drive up to pick up their children at the end of semester, or drop them off at the beginning. For a back-country road in the middle of nowhere it saw a lot of use. It was a nice, easy road to walk. The trees shaded the road and the fences kept the cows out of it. However, we boys found another route and we would ask the teachers' permission to take our route home. They usually agreed with the only stipulation not being late for lunch (which was not a good idea in any case).

Our route took a different track. We would follow a set of well-worn ruts up towards the local large farmer's place, but then at a certain spot we would turn aside and cross a fence into the cow pastures. To cross the fence was a little cattle gate and a small “L” shaped section of fencing on the other side. The gate was only big enough for one person to get through, and anyways, the cows could not get enough room inside that little “L” to turn and even try and cross the cattle gate. Through the little gate we would go and then hike cross country avoiding the bulls and the cow patties, dressed in our Sunday best. Down hills and up others. Through rocks and puddles, our little way would wind until we would arrive at another fence, which we would climb (if we were at the wrong spot) or go through a similar gate to the one earlier (if we were at the right spot). We would then be on the school's airstrip which we would run down, laughing at each other and then take the path to the school, where we would race into the dorm, comb our hair, wash our face and run just in time for lunch.

Our hike was longer and more strenuous than the easy walk on the “main” road, but those hikes were always more fun and fulfilling than the boring, easy walk with the teachers and girls. Life is similar. We can take the easy way, the well-worn path with lots of people around and take the less strenuous route, or we can take the longer, harder, mostly non-traveled path. That little path can be tricky. If you stray just a little bit you could end up stepping in a cow-pie or soaking your shoes in a puddle. You could take a misstep on the rocks and fall down, scraping yourself up, or you could take a turn and find yourself face to face with a disgruntled bull. That wide road then seems the better choice, but if you take it, the easy walk, the gentle shadows on the road, the smoothness of your efforts and the loss of adventure takes its toll. You always find yourself wishing for more, wondering why you didn't take the risk and have yourself a little adventure.

In our walk with Christ, In our seeking for Godliness and Christ-likeness, let us remember that the greatest adventure is the hardest to travel. We have already chosen Christ and forsaken the world. Let us endure the hike and press onwards constantly. The blisters will heal, the scrapes and scratches will fade, the mud will wash off, and Christ himself shall hug us with arms outstretched and then wash our feet and faces when He welcomes us Home!

Up, and away, while the blush of the morning
Tips every leaf with its pure, bright ray;
Up, while the springtime the earth is adorning,
Come, while the Savior is calling today.

Matthew 7:12 “So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets.” (Amplified)

I read this verse and thought “How many times have I heard this!” It seems that every other Sunday it is used in church, or in prayer meeting, or in Sunday school. I hear it all the time from all corners of society. I hear it from the little old lady at the cash register at the grocery store, I hear it from my tattoo-ed, foul mouthed co-worker, I hear given as advice everywhere, and yet how often is it followed? What and where and how does this apply?

We are sinful men and women. From our childhood we have always been rotten little brats. While we could not keep a secret as a child, we could most definitely tell fibs and lies to get ourselves out of trouble or to gain some sort of personal advantage. We are self-centered, selfish, self-deceiving, and self-serving individuals. In short we are sinful. We tend to treat others in a manner to further our own gains. We know that the Law and the prophets are there to show us how sinful we are. It is through Christ, however, that we are freed from the penalty of the Law, and therefore we can better keep this verse. While under the rule of sinfulness and of selfish desires, there is no way that we could keep this instruction. But now that we are members of Christ's body, now that we are walking in His measured steps, we can treat others how we would like to be treated.

This is not the whole intent and meaning that can be found here, though. When we see this verse, we should mentally remove the word “others” and replace it with “Christ.” It reads this way then “...whatever you desire that Christ would do to and for you, even so do also to and for Him...” To us as believers and seekers after His heart, this draws us closer and makes much more sense in our hectic lives. We desire mercy and grace from Him. We desire help and healing. We desire comfort and encouragement. We have been given redemption, salvation, and righteousness. What then can we do to return this? How? Where is Christ to treat Him as He has treated us? He is the sick and the invalid that we visit, the homeless we shelter, the naked we clothe, and the blind that we lead. He died for everyone in this world and thus He has shown and treated them the same as He has us. We can do no less for them! For the believers, we are all together part of His body. For the non-believer, we can pray and help them and believe that someday they will understand, hopefully before it is too late. This is what it means to do to others the same as you want them to do to you. We must do to others the same as Christ has done to you and I.

Servant of all, to toil for man
Thou didst not, Lord, refuse;
Thy majesty did not disdain
To be employed for us.

Servant of all, to toil for man
Thou didst not, Lord, refuse;
Thy majesty did not disdain
To be employed for us.

Matthew 7:9-11 “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

I heard a pastor tell a story a few years ago. He spoke of a boy from a privileged family, a boy who had everything he ever wanted since his dad was very wealthy. This boy went to a private higher-educational concern and as he was approaching graduation, he noticed that all his friends – also from wealthy, privileged families – were receiving new automobiles for graduation gifts. He told his father that a new car was what he wanted for a graduation gift, and so he and his Dad went car hunting for the perfect car, and the found it! The boy was so excited! On graduation day, the ceremony took forever. The boy wanted nothing more than to go drive his new car. After the ceremony, the family went out to eat and then finally they went home. The boy was craning his head around looking for tell-tale signs of the new car, but didn't see anything. When they arrived at the house, the father said “Son, I have something for you, the most precious thing in the whole world” and pulled out a package. The son opened the package, thinking it was the auto manual and a key, but alas, it was only a nice, leather-bound Bible with his name engraved on it. The boy was crushed. He shouted some things he should not have – things involving the words “hate” “never see” “you” again” etc. And the boy ran out the door. Years later the father died. The boy, keeping his angry words, didn't even go see him in his final hours, but the boy did go home to the old house after the funeral. Walking around the house, he saw his graduation Bible standing proudly, there on the shelf, next to his Father's worn bible. He pulled the Bible down and opened it, and there on the dedication page he saw a personal note from his Father and a check for the exact amount for the car he had wanted those decades ago.

Our heavenly Father is a loving father, just like the one in the story. He loves to dote on us, but at the same time He wants what is best for us. What if we asked for a snake or a scorpion? What if He gave us bread and we said that we wanted rocks instead? He knows what is best for us; a rock will not feed our hunger! But often times we ask for the wrong things and things we think are best for us. God knows and so He does not give it to us. He would rather give us that nice warm loaf of bread than the stone we want to chew on. When He does give us the bread instead of the stone we pout and throw a tantrum because it was not what we wanted! God knows it is better for us! In the story the boy wanted a car, His dad gave him something more valuable than the car, but because the boy did not see anything related to the car and ran away, he didn't get the car as well.

People use these verses to justify asking for things, for stuff, for toys, for gratification. That isn't what these verses are about. These verses are about God's provision for us. We need to learn what to ask for. So how do we do that? We need to pray. We need to pray to know God's will. We need to pay to receive the blessings and guidance that He wants to give us and shower us with. We need to pray that instead of concentrating our efforts on achieving the right grades or doing well in our ministries or jobs, we are instead concentrating all of our self to being in God's will. When we are firmly ensconced in His perfect will, everything we ask for is Good! Let us pray then – pray for ourselves, our neighbors, our friends, and our leaders to know the will of the Most High.

The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am His,
and He is mine forever.