Matthew 25:40 Ministries

09/22/2026

Today’s devotion with Pastor Matthew at the shelter.

Jesus talks about storing up treasures in heaven instead of storing up treasures here on earth. He tells us that where our treasure is, our heart will be also.

So I have to ask myself:

What am I chasing after? What am I building?

Am I building my kingdom, or am I building His?

Because the more stuff we collect, the more stuff we have to worry about protecting. The more we have, the more time we can spend trying to hold on to it. And before we know it, the things we own can start owning us.

Jesus even talks about serving two masters. We can’t serve God and money at the same time. Something is going to have our heart.

And then Jesus starts talking about worry.

Don’t worry about what you’re going to eat. Don’t worry about what you’re going to drink. Don’t worry about what you’re going to wear. Look at the birds. Look at the flowers. God takes care of them.

But I think sometimes we can take that the wrong way and think Jesus is saying we never have anything to be concerned about.

That’s not what He’s saying.

He’s teaching us not to let worry become our master. Feelings can get all over the place and make us make decisions based on what we’re feeling instead of what God’s Word says.

God’s Word is still true even when I don’t feel like it is.

Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

And that word “therefore” matters because everything Jesus just taught leads up to that.

We’re supposed to seek His kingdom first.

That doesn’t mean God is promising to give us everything we want. “These things” are the basic things we need. God knows what we need, and He provides what we need to do what He has called us to do.

Look at Jesus and His disciples. They didn’t have nice homes and a bunch of possessions. Yet God provided for them as they went about doing the Father’s work.

So maybe the question isn’t, “Why don’t I have more?”

Maybe the question is, “Am I being faithful with what God has already put in my hands?”

Because one day everything we build here is going to be left behind.

Our houses, our cars, our money, our possessions, and even the earthly legacy we leave behind will eventually come to an end.

But what we do for God’s kingdom has eternal value.

And building God’s kingdom doesn’t always look like standing behind a pulpit.

It can look like going to work every day and being honest. It can look like helping somebody who needs help. It can look like taking care of your family. It can look like giving when you don’t have much to give. It can look like using what God has blessed you with to help somebody else.

I think about Mr. Billy and the way he has used what God has given him to help provide homes and support missions. That’s kingdom building too.

We don’t all have the same calling, but we can all use what God has given us for His kingdom.

And here’s the part that really hits me:

We have to stay committed.

We can’t keep changing direction every time our feelings change or every time things get hard.

God’s Word doesn’t change just because our circumstances change.

Sin has consequences. Our choices matter. But God is still calling us to surrender, to seek His righteousness, and to keep moving forward with Him.

So today, I’m asking myself:

What am I building?

Am I spending my life building something that’s going to be gone when I die?

Or am I using what God has given me to build something that will last forever?

Lord, help me not to get so caught up in what I can see that I forget what really matters.

Help me seek Your kingdom first.

Help me trust You with tomorrow.

Help me surrender what I want and follow where You lead.

And help me use whatever You have placed in my hands—not to build my kingdom, but to build Yours.

Because what are we really building if it doesn’t last beyond this life?

09/21/2026

Today’s Devotion at Matthew 25:40 Ministries

Today we continued talking about the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and what Jesus was teaching us about prayer, fasting, and building the Kingdom of God.

We talked about how Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” That means we are inviting God to build His kingdom here on earth through us.

And the Kingdom of God isn’t a building. It’s people. So if we want to build His kingdom, we have to be willing to invest in people, walk alongside people, forgive people, love people, and help one another—even in the middle of all our flaws.

Then we talked about fasting.

Fasting isn’t just about food. It can be anything we are willing to give up for a while so that we can get some of the noise out of our lives and hear God more clearly. It could be food, the phone, television, scrolling through videos, or anything else that is taking up so much of our time and attention that it is getting between us and God.

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Denying ourselves isn’t about earning salvation or making God bless us. We can’t earn God’s favor by fasting. It’s about getting the things out of the way that are blocking us from seeing God clearly.

Sometimes we are chasing after things that make us feel good for a little while, but those things can become more important to us than God.

We talked about one of the men who stayed here at the shelter. When he would get a text from his family, it could completely change his whole day. It made him so happy. His family meant everything to him, and he was constantly chasing after that.

There’s nothing wrong with loving your family. But the problem comes when anything—even something good—takes the place that belongs to God.

We told him that if he would stop chasing after his family and start chasing after God first, God could work on the rest. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

It’s about what we put on the throne of our heart.

Jesus also said we can’t serve two masters. We can’t chase after God while making the things of this world our master. That doesn’t mean we can’t have a job, a family, a nice home, a car, or build a business. It means those things cannot become what we live for.

We can work, make money, raise a family, and enjoy the blessings God gives us while still making the Kingdom of God our first priority.

The question we have to ask ourselves is simple:

What am I really chasing after?

Am I chasing after God, or am I chasing after something in this world?

What is standing between me and God?

What am I unwilling to give up?

Fasting is one way of removing some of those things so that our spiritual eyes can become clearer. When we deny ourselves, we begin to see things we couldn’t see before.

And sometimes the thing we need to give up isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It may just be something that has become too important to us.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

So today, the challenge for all of us—including me—is to look at our own hearts and ask God:

“Lord, show me what is blocking me from seeing You. Show me what I’m putting before You. Help me deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You. I want to seek Your kingdom first.”

09/19/2026

Today’s Devotion at the shelter with Pastor Matthew

Matthew 25:40 Ministries

The Lord’s Prayer

Today we talked about the Lord’s Prayer and what Jesus was really teaching us about prayer.

Matthew records Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray, while in Luke 11:1 we see the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. Either way, Jesus starts with something very important:

“Our Father.”

Prayer begins with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Because of what Jesus did for us, the way into God’s presence was opened. When Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn. We can come before the Father through Christ.

Then Jesus says:

“Hallowed be Your name.”

Before we start asking God for what we want, we recognize who He is.

Father, You are holy. You are awesome. You are powerful. Your name is above every name.

Then comes:

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

This changes the whole direction of prayer.

We’re not asking God to bless our kingdom. We’re asking God to build His kingdom through us.

God has given us our time, our abilities, our resources, our bodies, our minds, and the opportunities we have. We can use those things to build our own kingdom, or we can give them back to God and say, “Lord, use what You’ve given me to build Yours.”

Then Jesus says:

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

We’re asking God to give us what we need to do what He has called us to do.

It’s like the landlord providing the materials to build his house. God gives us the materials, and we do the work. We don’t take what He gives us and use it to build our own kingdom. We use it for His.

Then Jesus says:

“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

We’re going to miss the mark sometimes, and so are the people around us.

There are no perfect people building God’s kingdom. The disciples weren’t perfect. The people in the early church weren’t perfect. And we’re not perfect.

People are going to disappoint us, hurt us, and do things we don’t agree with. But if we’re going to build the kingdom together, we have to learn to forgive.

We can’t spend all our time complaining about what somebody else is doing wrong and forget what God called us to do.

Then Jesus says:

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

We’re asking God to lead us as we build His kingdom and keep us from the temptation to quit, turn against one another, or go back to building our own kingdom.

The enemy loves division. If he can get God’s people fighting, offended, and refusing to forgive, he can stop the work we’re trying to do together.

And then Jesus ends with:

“For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.”

That’s where we have to finish.

When the work gets done, we don’t say, “Look what I built.”

We say, “Look what God did.”

It’s His kingdom. His power. His glory.

The Lord’s Prayer isn’t just something we’re supposed to repeat. It’s teaching us how to live:

Father, I belong to You.
Your name is holy.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done through me.
Give me what I need today to do Your work.
Forgive me when I miss the mark, and help me forgive others.
Lead me away from temptation.
Deliver me from the enemy who wants to divide us.
And when it’s all over, let all the glory belong to You.

It’s not about building our kingdom. It’s about giving our lives back to God and letting Him build His kingdom through us.

09/17/2026

Today we said goodbye to Daylon. He got all his paperwork finished and was able to go back home to Texas with his family. We are so happy for him and thankful that God gave us the opportunity to have him here with us at Matthew 25:40 Ministries.

Daylon is one of those guys who is really going to be missed around here. He was at every church service, every class, every Bible study, and every devotion. He would sit there and listen so intently. You could see it on his face. He was hungry to learn about the Lord, and he would ask question after question.

But Daylon was more than just a likable guy. He was always willing to lend a hand. He was there when somebody needed support, prayer, or sometimes just somebody to laugh with.

We are going to miss you, brother, but we are also filled with joy knowing you are moving forward and getting back home with your family. We are thankful for the time we got to spend with you and for the opportunity to meet you and be a small part of your journey.

We pray that God continues to work in your life. Stay hungry for the Lord. Keep seeking Him and keep moving forward.

God bless you, Daylon. We love you, brother, and you will be missed around here.

09/17/2026

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This morning at the shelter, we talked about Matthew 5:17–20, where Jesus said He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He also said that our righteousness has to surpass that of the Pharisees.

That really got me thinking.

Man has always tried to do right by following rules. But the problem is, we can’t even keep all the rules. We try, we fail, we try again, and sooner or later we mess up. The law can show us what is right and what is wrong, but the law can’t change what is going on inside of us.

That’s where Jesus comes in.

Jesus didn’t just come to forgive us for the things we’ve done in the past. The cross took care of our sin, but the resurrection gives us the power to become a different person.

When we surrender ourselves to God, He starts changing us from the inside out. It’s like He rewrites our DNA. He changes who we are.

And when grace becomes the thing ruling our life, we don’t just follow the law because we’re afraid of the consequences. We start wanting to do what is right because God has changed our heart.

The law says, “Don’t steal.”

Grace says, “Not only am I not going to steal from you, I’m going to help you if I can.”

The law says, “Don’t commit adultery.”

Grace says, “I’m going to love my wife the way Christ loved the church.”

The law says, “Don’t murder.”

Grace says, “I’m not even going to hold that hatred and anger in my heart toward somebody.”

That’s what Jesus meant when He talked about our righteousness surpassing the Pharisees. It’s not about just looking like we’re doing right. It’s about God changing us on the inside.

And I believe that’s what being born again really means. It’s not just getting forgiven and then going back to being the same person. Jesus changes you.

We are still going to be tempted. Jesus was tempted. Temptation isn’t the sin. But when Christ changes who you are, there are things you used to want that you don’t want anymore. You can look at something and say, “That ain’t me anymore. That’s not who I am.”

And that’s the power of the resurrection.

So I’m thankful for God’s grace. Not a grace that gives me permission to keep doing wrong, but a grace that gives me the power to become the man God is calling me to be.

I can’t do this by myself. None of us can.

But Jesus can change a man’s heart.

And when He does, He doesn’t just help us follow the law.

He changes us so that our lives can go far beyond simply following the rules.

09/17/2026

TODAY’S DEVOTION — MATTHEW 25:40 MINISTRIES

Today we talked about the Sermon on the Mount, and one thing really stood out to me.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

We talked about how God changes us.

First, we come to the place where we realize something in our life needs to change. Then we begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. And Jesus said if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we shall be filled.

But if we don’t hunger and thirst for it, we’re going to stay stuck right where we’re at.

That really made me think.

Sometimes we know there are things in our lives that aren’t right. We pray about them. We get aggravated with ourselves because we keep dealing with the same things.

But God keeps showing us the next thing.

It’s a work in progress.

It’s kind of like going to school. You learn one lesson, and then the teacher gives you another lesson. You don’t get mad because there’s another lesson. You keep learning.

And that’s how God works with us.

We can’t get discouraged because we’re not where we want to be yet. But we also can’t get comfortable and decide, “Well, this is just the way I am.”

God wants to change us.

And then we got into something that I think a lot of Christians need to really think about.

A lot of Christians talk about being “saved,” but what do we mean when we say that?

A lot of the time, when people say they got saved, what they’re talking about is being saved from going to hell. And let’s be honest, nobody wants to go there. It’s a scary place, and we don’t want to face the consequences of our sin.

And yes, Jesus saves us from the consequences of sin.

But we can’t stop there.

Jesus didn’t come just to save us from the consequences of sin. He came to save us from sin itself.

He came to save us from the power of sin that has control over our lives and keeps destroying us.

And then we have to look at what Jesus actually said in the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Now that’s a pretty strong statement.

Because if we spend our whole Christian life hearing that we’re just dirty old sinners and we’re going to keep sinning until we die and finally make it to the sweet by and by, then what do we do with the words Jesus actually spoke?

Why would Jesus tell us to be perfect if He only came to forgive us and leave us trapped under the power of sin?

The point isn’t that we become perfect because we’re so good or because we can do it ourselves.

The point is that Jesus has the power to change us.

Jesus came to forgive us, but He also came to transform us.

He wants to take us from being controlled by sin to walking in holiness and righteousness.

And that’s where the Johnson grass example really made sense.

If you’ve ever dealt with Johnson grass, you know you can cut the top off today, and it’s going to come right back.

You can keep chopping it down over and over again, but the root is still down there.

And that’s how sin can be.

We can spend our whole life just cutting the top off the problem. We mess up, ask God to forgive us, try to do better, and then that same problem comes back again.

But Jesus is powerful enough to do more than that.

Jesus didn’t just come to cut the top off the Johnson grass. He came to pull the root out.

He can deliver us from the consequences of sin.

He can deliver us from the power of sin.

And He can deal with the root of sin that’s underneath it.

If greed is what keeps causing somebody to steal, God doesn’t just want to forgive them for stealing. He wants to change their heart so that greed is no longer controlling them.

He can replace greed with generosity.

If pride is the root of the problem, God can replace pride with humility.

That’s not just learning how to manage your sin better.

That’s God changing you from the inside out.

Jesus is big enough to deliver us from the consequences of sin, the power of sin, and even the root of sin.

That’s a much bigger salvation than just saying, “I’m forgiven, so one day I’ll go to heaven.”

Jesus came to save us from our sin.

He wants to change the way we think, the way we act, and the way we live.

And that’s where the hunger and thirst comes in.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

If you don’t hunger and thirst for righteousness, you’re going to stay stuck right where you’re at.

But when you really begin to hunger and thirst for God to change you, Jesus said you shall be filled.

And that filling isn’t something we do ourselves.

God does it.

So don’t settle for just cutting the grass down.

Don’t settle for saying, “Well, that’s just the way I am.”

Ask God to pull the root out.

Ask Him to change your heart.

Ask Him to show you the next lesson.

And then keep going.

Because the point of today’s devotion was simple:

Jesus didn’t come just to save us from hell. He came to save us from sin. And He is powerful enough to change us all the way down to the root.

There is a better way to live.

And Jesus is big enough to take us there.

— Rick

09/15/2026

09/15/2026

This morning at the shelter, we talked about Matthew 5:17–20, where Jesus said He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He also said that our righteousness has to surpass that of the Pharisees.

That really got me thinking.

Man has always tried to do right by following rules. But the problem is, we can’t even keep all the rules. We try, we fail, we try again, and sooner or later we mess up. The law can show us what is right and what is wrong, but the law can’t change what is going on inside of us.

That’s where Jesus comes in.

Jesus didn’t just come to forgive us for the things we’ve done in the past. The cross took care of our sin, but the resurrection gives us the power to become a different person.

When we surrender ourselves to God, He starts changing us from the inside out. It’s like He rewrites our DNA. He changes who we are.

And when grace becomes the thing ruling our life, we don’t just follow the law because we’re afraid of the consequences. We start wanting to do what is right because God has changed our heart.

The law says, “Don’t steal.”

Grace says, “Not only am I not going to steal from you, I’m going to help you if I can.”

The law says, “Don’t commit adultery.”

Grace says, “I’m going to love my wife the way Christ loved the church.”

The law says, “Don’t murder.”

Grace says, “I’m not even going to hold that hatred and anger in my heart toward somebody.”

That’s what Jesus meant when He talked about our righteousness surpassing the Pharisees. It’s not about just looking like we’re doing right. It’s about God changing us on the inside.

And I believe that’s what being born again really means. It’s not just getting forgiven and then going back to being the same person. Jesus changes you.

We are still going to be tempted. Jesus was tempted. Temptation isn’t the sin. But when Christ changes who you are, there are things you used to want that you don’t want anymore. You can look at something and say, “That ain’t me anymore. That’s not who I am.”

And that’s the power of the resurrection.

So I’m thankful for God’s grace. Not a grace that gives me permission to keep doing wrong, but a grace that gives me the power to become the man God is calling me to be.

I can’t do this by myself. None of us can.

But Jesus can change a man’s heart.

And when He does, He doesn’t just help us follow the law.

He changes us so that our lives can go far beyond simply following the rules.

09/11/2026

The Order of Salvation as Jesus Gave It in the Beatitudes

Today at the shelter, our devotional was about something I had never really looked at this way before: the order of salvation as Jesus gave it in the Beatitudes.

When Jesus gave us the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, He wasn’t just giving us a list of nice sayings. There is a progression here. There is an order. One step leads to another.

For thousands of years, God had been working through history, through His people, through the prophets and through His Word, preparing the way for Jesus. Then Jesus comes and begins teaching about what life in the Kingdom of God looks like.

And when we look at the Beatitudes, we can see a picture of how God works in a person’s life.

1. Poor in spirit — Matthew 5:3

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor in spirit doesn’t mean poor financially. It means coming to the place of poverty of spirit—where you recognize that you have nothing in yourself that can make you right with God.

It’s when you can finally say:

“I have a problem. I have sinned. I can’t fix myself. I need God.”

That’s poverty of spirit.

It’s realizing, “I don’t have the righteousness I need. I can’t earn my way into God’s kingdom. I can’t save myself. I need Jesus.”

This is where it starts.

2. Those who mourn — Matthew 5:4

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

This isn’t talking about being so sad that you’re mourning.

Jesus is talking about something deeper.

It’s mourning over our sin. It’s coming to the place where we’re truly grieved because we realize we’re not where God wants us to be.

It’s conviction.

It’s not saying, “Oh well, everybody sins.”

It’s when our heart begins to hurt over the things that separate us from God.

3. The meek — Matthew 5:5

Then Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

This is where humility begins.

It’s when we stop trying to run everything ourselves and surrender to God.

“God, I need You. I need You to fix this. I can’t do this on my own.”

Meekness isn’t weakness. It’s surrender.

4. Hunger and thirst for righteousness — Matthew 5:6

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Now we don’t just want to stop doing wrong. We actually start wanting to do right.

We begin to hunger for God’s Word. We want to pray. We want to walk right, live right, and chase what is right.

5. The merciful — Matthew 5:7

Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

We can’t get to a place where we think we’re better than everybody else.

God has shown us mercy, so we need to show mercy to other people.

We can correct somebody without condemning them. We can speak truth without beating them down.

6. Pure in heart — Matthew 5:8

Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Now we’re getting deeper than just changing our outside behavior.

God begins working on what’s inside of us—our heart, our motives, and our desires.

It’s not just about looking like a Christian. It’s about God changing us on the inside.

7. The peacemakers — Matthew 5:9

Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

A peacemaker isn’t just somebody who breaks up an argument.

It’s somebody who helps bring people back together, including helping people find their way back to God.

8. Persecuted for righteousness — Matthew 5:10–12

And then Jesus gets to the last part.

He says there will be times when you are persecuted because you are doing what is right.

People may not understand you. People may talk about you. People may not like the changes they see in you.

But Jesus says there is blessing in standing for righteousness.

And there’s an important difference: sometimes we suffer because we’re doing wrong, and sometimes we suffer because we’re doing what’s right. Jesus is talking about the second one.

⸻

The more I think about this, the more I see why you can’t just skip steps.

You can’t push somebody into righteousness when they haven’t even gotten to the place of admitting they have a problem.

You can’t expect somebody to hunger and thirst for righteousness when they haven’t yet become poor in spirit.

This is especially important for us at the shelter.

We’re dealing with broken people, and sometimes the first thing they need is somebody who will love them, build a relationship with them, and listen to them.

Then, when they know we really care about them, maybe they’ll be willing to listen when we talk about Jesus.

There is an order. There is a process. And we shouldn’t try to do God’s work faster than God is doing it.

Our job is to love people, speak the truth, live it out in front of them, and let the Holy Spirit do what only He can do.