New Testament: Matt 23.14

To read the Bible in a year, read Matthew 23.1–22 on February 4, In the year of our Lord Christ 2023

By Don Ruhl 

The Lord wants to hear prayer, even long prayer, but not as a coverup for one’s sin. Therefore, he denounced the Pharisees, who did this very thing: 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”

– Matthew 23.14 

If you were God, and you heard the Pharisees praying to you, just after they had devoured a widow’s house, would you be impressed with the prayer? No, you would be angry, and you would demand that the Pharisee treat others well. 

Questions: 

• How do you treat all people? 
• Have you ever prayed for a long time? 
• What is a long time to you? 

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Don preaches with the Savage Street Church of Christ in Grants Pass, Oregon. 

Listen to his sermons here: GrantsPassChurchOfChrist.com