Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long. – Psalm 25:4-5

Jesus’ time on earth was short and there was still so much he wanted his disciples to know. He took advantage of these last few days to teach his followers and prepare them for how they should live as they wait for his return.

6. BE GENEROUS: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law – justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!” – (Matthew 23:23-24)

Justice – more than 3000 unborn babies are aborted every day but we argue about the style of worship in our services or the color of the carpet and the topic of abortion is rarely discussed.

Mercy – we are quick to judge those who have walked away from the church instead of reaching out and loving them as Jesus would.

Faith – we say we have faith in God but do we trust Him with immediate obedience when He asks us to do something?

It’s not enough to attend church every time the doors are open, teach a Sunday School class, and tithe. It’s more than just meeting a minimum standard, it’s giving our lives!

7. INWARD CONDITION, not OUTWARD APPEARANCES: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy – full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

“…For you are whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (23:25-28).

Jesus, forgive me for all the times I have worried about what other people would think. Lord, wash me from the inside out. Purify my heart, Oh God!

8. ENDURE: “Then you will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” (24:9-14).

9. KEEP WATCH: “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (24:42-44).

10. BE FAITHFUL: “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (24:45-51).

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long. – Psalm 25:4-5