Christian Resources

“Judge not that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, ESV). Here, Jesus warns us not to judge others by our own standards, “for with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged” (verse 2, KJV). 

Indeed, how we treat others will come back to us for good or evil. What we sow, we reap.

Furthermore, Jesus points out the hypocrisy of those who are quick to find fault in others while not considering their own. As He said in verse 3 of the same chapter (NIV), “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Commenting on that, Ellen White says, “No one has ever been reclaimed from a wrong position by censure and reproach; but many have thus been driven from Christ and led to seal their hearts against conviction. A tender spirit, a gentle, winning deportment, may save the erring and hide a multitude of sins” (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 128).

In verse 6 of Matthew 7 (ESV), Jesus said, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”

Christ never forces anyone to follow Him. He only seeks to draw them through love. However, some “have no desire to escape from the slavery of sin.” For this, “the servants of Christ should not allow themselves to be hindered by those who would make the gospel only a matter of contention and ridicule” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 129).

Jesus invites us to come to Him and believe that He is able to do all things. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7, ESV). “The Lord specifies no conditions except that you hunger for His mercy, desire His counsel, and long for His love” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 130).

Turning to our relationship with others, Jesus gives us the Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12, NIV). “In your association with others, put yourself in their place. Enter into their feelings, their difficulties, their disappointments, their joys, and their sorrows” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 134).

Nearing the end of His sermon, Jesus reminds His followers to “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV).

While it is easy to follow the crowd—doing what is acceptable to the majority—Christ urges us to take up our cross and follow Him. He knows every trial we face and promises to be with us all the way.

Finally, Jesus ends His sermon with a powerful illustration comparing two houses, one built on the rock and the other on the sand. 

In the case of the wise man, when “the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (verse 25 of the same chapter, NIV). But in the case of the foolish man, “it fell with a great crash” (verse 27, NIV).

This reminds us “a storm is coming, relentless in its fury” (Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, volume 8, page 315). 

Are we ready for the storm?

By God’s grace, we can be ready for this as we build our faith upon the rock of His Word.

To learn more about this topic, read Ellen White’s book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and download its digital copy at https://egwwritings.org/.

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Jesus’ disciples often saw Him praying and asked Him to teach them how to pray. In response, Jesus again presented His prayer recorded in Matthew 6:9-13.

The Lord’s Prayer begins with the invocation “Our Father,” assuring us God is our Father and we are His children.

“If you call God your Father, you acknowledge yourselves [as] His children, to be guided by His wisdom and to be obedient in all things, knowing that His love is changeless. You will accept His plan for your life…you will hold His honor, His character, His family, His work, as the objects of your highest interest” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 105).

The prayer continues, “Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10, KJV).

When we pray, we should speak God’s name with reverence and ask that it may be hallowed in us. “In every act of life, you are to make manifest the name of God. This petition calls upon you to possess His character…This you can do only through the acceptance of the grace and righteousness of Christ” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 107).

Moving on, the fact that Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Thy kingdom come,” is an assurance that He will definitely come again. And we have a part to play in hastening His coming.

Following that is the part mentioning, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,” which is a petition for evil to end, sin to be forever destroyed, and God’s righteousness to be established.

After this, the prayer turns to our needs, saying, “Give us this day our daily bread.” It includes not only physical food but also the spiritual bread that nourishes the soul. With this, Jesus is “the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever” (John 6:51, KJV).

The next part of the prayer focuses on forgiveness, saying, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4, KJV). Here, Jesus emphasizes in as much as He is willing to forgive us for our sins, we should also forgive those who have wronged us. This is, however, not easy to do. But by realizing God’s love, we can extend compassion and forgiveness to others.

Moving on, Satan seeks to bring us into temptation so he may claim us as his own. However, if we turn to God in prayer, He will “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13, NIV).

“In offering the prayer that Christ has given, we surrender ourselves to the guidance of God, asking Him to lead us in safe paths…We shall wait for His hand to lead us; we shall listen to His voice, saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it’ (Isaiah 30:21)” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 117).

The Lord’s Prayer ends pointing to the Father, saying, “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13, KJV). This assures us God is in control and His promises will be fulfilled. 

As Ellen White said, “The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations, as well as the concerns of His church, in His own charge…He who slumbers not, who is continually at work for the accomplishment of His designs, will carry forward His own work…When the strongholds of kings shall be overthrown, when the arrows of wrath shall strike through the hearts of His enemies, His people will be safe in His hands” (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 121).

What a privilege to pray to God! 

May The Lord’s Prayer be the inspiration for our prayers too.

To learn more about this topic, read Ellen White’s book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and download its digital copy at https://egwwritings.org/.

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“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1). Here, Jesus strikes at the core of human nature—the desire for self-glory.

When we perform acts of charity, “we are to give in sincerity, not to make a show of our good deeds, but from pity and love to the suffering ones,” writes Ellen White. “Sincerity of purpose, real kindness of heart, is the motive that Heaven values” (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 81).

Unlike the Pharisees, who prayed out loud in public for self-glorification, Jesus instructed, “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father Who is in the secret place; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).

Jesus had certain places for communion with the Father. Likewise, we should find a place where we can pour everything out to Him and only He can hear.

“The soul that turns to God for its help, its support, its power, by daily, earnest prayer, will have noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth and duty, lofty purposes of action, and a continual hungering and thirsting after righteousness. By maintaining a connection with God, we shall be enabled to diffuse to others…the light, the peace, the serenity that rule in our hearts” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 85).

Jesus also urges us to “not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). In connection to this, we are to return a faithful title and support His work with financial offerings and our talents and gifts.

Also, He encourages whole-hearted devotion to Him, warning us that “no man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Instead of saying “will not” or “shall not,” He says that we cannot because there is no neutral position in choosing between God and anyone or anything else to serve.

Lastly, He says, “Do not worry” (verse 25), reminding us that He takes care of us and even the smallest creatures on earth. Instead of worrying, we are invited to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (verse 33).

On page 100 of her book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, Ellen White summarizes these principles, saying: “When we take into our hands the management of things with which we have to do, and depend upon our own wisdom for success, we are taking a burden which God has not given us, and are trying to bear it without His aid.”

“We are taking upon ourselves the responsibility that belongs to God, and thus are really putting ourselves in His place. We may well have anxiety and anticipate danger and loss, for it is certain to befall us. But when we really believe that God loves us and means to do us good, we shall cease to worry about the future. We shall trust God as a child trusts a loving parent. Then our troubles and torments will disappear, for our will is swallowed up in the will of God.”

In closing, may we have the true motive in service—to glorify not ourselves but God and God alone.

To learn more about this topic, read Ellen White’s book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and download its digital copy at https://egwwritings.org/.

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In this episode, Pastor Ted Wilson talks about the spirituality of the law, as part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

People think that spirituality and the law are two separate things. But they blend together perfectly.

Ellen White says, “The law given upon Sinai was the enunciation of the principle of love, a revelation to earth of the law of heaven. It was…spoken by Him through Whose power the hearts of men could be brought into harmony with its principles” (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 46).

Unfortunately, the law is often seen as a list of instructions. But Jesus shows us that spirituality is more than just keeping the letter of the law.

“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19-20).

Here, Jesus points out that the law goes deeper than outward appearances. For instance, in the sixth commandment, “you shall not kill,” cultivating hatred and anger is as serious as the act of murder. The same goes in the case of the seventh commandment, “you shall not commit adultery,” for Jesus said, “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (verse 28).

To keep the commandments of God means being reconciled with our fellow men (verse 24), turning the other cheek (verse 39) when other people mistreat us, and going the second mile (verse 41) even for those who don’t deserve it.

God asks us to do these seemingly impossible things so we can be like Him. “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (verse 48). And it will only be possible with God (Matthew 19:26).

“By His own obedience to the law, Christ testified to its immutable character and proved that through His grace, it could be perfectly obeyed by every son and daughter of Adam…Because the law of the Lord is perfect and therefore changeless, it is impossible for sinful men in themselves to meet the standard of its requirement. This was why Jesus came as our Redeemer. It was His mission, by making men partakers of the divine nature, to bring them into harmony with the principles of the law of heaven” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 50).

Therefore, let us surrender ourselves to Jesus and have His law written in our hearts so we can be more like Him.

To learn more about this topic, read Ellen White’s book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and download its digital copy at https://egwwritings.org/.

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Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot…” (Matthew 5:13).

Salt not only brings flavor; it also serves as a preservative.

When Jesus calls us to be like salt, He invites us to become agents in saving others. “Christians who are purified through the truth will possess saving qualities that preserve the world from utter moral corruption” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 35).

To accomplish this mission, we must mingle with others through caring, personal contact. They must see Christ’s love and righteousness in our lives, allowing the Holy Spirit to win their hearts as they see our Christ-like love for them. 

However, this does not come by our own power but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Ellen White says, “Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Savior, it is impossible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. We cannot give to others that which we do not ourselves possess. It is in proportion to our own devotion and consecration to Christ that we exert an influence for the blessing and uplifting of mankind” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 36).

Aside from salt, Jesus also compared His followers to light. “You are the light of the world,” He said. “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Then, He instructed, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

We have no light within ourselves. But when Jesus, the Light of the World, comes into our lives, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

As Jesus gives us His light, we must share His truth with other people. We are to “look upon every needy soul as our neighbor and the world as our field,” Ellen White writes. “If the church of Christ were fulfilling the purpose of our Lord, light would be shed upon all that sit in darkness…Instead of congregating together and shunning responsibility and cross bearing, the members of the church would scatter into all lands, letting the light of Christ shine out from them, working as He did for the salvation of souls, and this ‘gospel of the kingdom’ would speedily be carried to all the world” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pages 42-43).

Are you ready to be like salt, preserving others for God’s kingdom? Are you willing to go and let His light shine through you and on everyone you come in contact with?

To learn more about this topic, read Ellen White’s book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and download its digital copy at https://egwwritings.org/.

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