Free Reading Plans and Devotionals related to Matthew 5:44

Mercy Culture Church exists to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God. Each year we pray and ask God for His heart and His mind over that next year. This year, we heard the Lord say 2025 will be a year of Radical Love! Join us over the next 5 days to learn what it means to radically love God with everything you have.

This devotional draws inspiration from Benjamin E. Mays' groundbreaking work Seeking to Be Christian in Race Relations, offering reflections that challenge readers to embody justice, love, and reconciliation. Mays, a theologian, educator, and civil rights advocate, explores what it means to live out Christ’s teachings in the face of systemic inequality and social unrest.

Forgiveness is not easy, and many of us struggle with it. How do we get better at forgiving? This plan unpacks Jesus' most famous teaching on forgiveness and four key attitudes He builds in us as we accept His forgiveness ourselves. If you're not good at forgiveness, this is the plan for you!

Reflect on some of the highlights from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and consider how He teaches us to live in a way that looks upside-down to the world around us.

They weren’t pastors or religious professionals. They were “mere Christians.” But through their work they changed the world. In this reading plan, I’ll introduce you to these 5 men and women who show us what it looks like to glorify God through our seemingly “secular” work today (Fred Rogers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ole Kirk Christiansen, Hannah More, and C.S. Lewis).

Have you ever found yourself struggling to forgive someone who has hurt you repeatedly? We intuitively understand . . . three strikes, you’re out. Three failures seem to be the built-in breaking point for most of us. But the Way of Jesus says forgiveness has the final word, never failure. Micah E. Davis invites you to join him for this five-day reading plan from his new book, Three Strikes, You’re Forgiven, to discover freedom and healing from your hurt.

Matthew 5 ends with a statement from Jesus that is both incredibly clear and incredibly nerve-wracking: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 ESV) Wait… what? If perfection is the standard, then we may as well quit now, right? Prayerfully, as we study Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17-48, we will see how understanding His perfection helps us live lives that, though imperfect, stand out from the world and point other broken people to Him!

The Sermon on the Mount isn’t just a list of teachings–it’s a call to a different kind of life. The way of Jesus can feel backward at first, but it’s actually the path that leads to freedom and true transformation. In this plan, we’ll explore five “opposites” that reveal the values of God’s Kingdom and invite us to follow him more fully.

In our culture, few concepts have been misunderstood and misappropriated as much as the idea of what it means to love. Luckily, in Christ we find a perfect example of what biblical love looks like. Over the next five days, we’re going to look at the way Jesus loved people to better understand how we are called to love in return.

God offers us a beautiful gift – grace. This gift of grace will both transform you into the likeness of Christ and help you live your daily life well. Follow this plan to learn more about the gift of grace and God’s plan for your life.

Susan Binkley is the founder and president of Blue Monarch, a long-term residential recovery program for women and their children. Although she grew up in the church, it was not until Susan began her journey with Blue Monarch that she discovered the tremendous power of prayer and peeled away the many layers of this mighty tool, which is available to each of us. **NOTICE:** This content includes sensitive themes that some readers may find difficult: mentions of abuse, suicide, medical procedures, and loss. Please take care as you read.

What does real success look like in God’s kingdom? In this 5-day plan, discover Jesus’ teachings on humility, forgiveness, compassion, and living for God rather than the approval of others.

Devotionals that equip athletes and coaches to live a strong, tested faith on and off the field. Through Scripture and practical application, they help participants grow in their walk with God and live out biblical truth with confidence.

Christians often have this misconception that the Old Testament Law is irrelevant, but that was not Jesus’ approach to the Law. After establishing the significance of the Law in Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus proceeded to expound on how specific laws were meant to be lived out. In fact, Jesus actually intensified them to reveal their heart requirements. The truth is, beyond the surface observance of external rules, the Law was meant to point God’s people towards underlying attitudes required of them.

It’s important to know Jesus and what is important to Him so we understand our need for Him. Reflecting on what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, will help us draw closer to Him. This is part six of eight in the "Jesus, I Need You" series by Thistlebend Ministries. These plans can be done in any order. See also" Jesus, I Need You" (companion prayer).

Jesus wants us to live His Word from the inside out. This study looks at Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount on keeping our word and loving our enemies. Part four of eight in the "Jesus, I Want to Love You" Series, focusing on knowing and loving Jesus more. These plans, and companion prayer, can be done in any order. From Thistlebend Ministries.

In this plan we will look at Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Part five of eight in the "Jesus, I Want to Love You" Series, focusing on knowing and loving Jesus more. These plans can be done in any order. See also "Jesus, I Want to Love You" (companion prayer) by Thistlebend Ministries.

Matthew writes to God’s people and walks them on a journey that will take them from where they are to be Disciple Makers.  This is the fifth of 27 devotional plans walking us through the book of Matthew.  Jesus describes His Kingdom rules.  Jesus compares their understanding of Moses’ Law with true kingdom rules.  Let them reveal God’s heart to us. 

Leave the child's story behind and dig deeper into the spiritual depths of Jonah. Travel from Joppa through the belly of a fish to Nineveh and find shade under the shadow of God's grace. Only four chapters long, the story of this wayward prophet is packed with spiritual truths for the modern-day Jonah in all of us.

The four Gospels are filled with demands from Jesus. These demands are Jesus’ way of showing us who He is and what He expects of us. They are not harsh demands originating from a selfish desire to control but loving directions for our good and ultimate satisfaction. This Bible study will guide you through some of these demands, with the ultimate end of glorifying God through obedience to His Son.

This is part 2 of a 2-part study “How to be a Christian at work.” In this study, we discover 5 additional insights to help you live out your faith at work, in a way that honors God and is also pleasing to your boss and those you work with. Join us to find out how to BLESS others at your work today!

What advice do a few lesser known biblical figures have to give Millennials and/or Gen Z-ers? Find out in this 6-day Bible Plan.

In this devotional series, pastor Gregg Matte take us on a passage-by-passage journey through the First Letter of John. Practical, biblical, analytical, and spiritual, this series will give a major boost to your understanding of how to live the eternal truths contained within this important book of the Bible. In this sixth episode of the series we will learn how to overcome the deceit of hatred and walk in love.

Loving people isn't easy. Learn how you can begin to love others as God loves us.

Due to the pandemic, the last two years have left many without loved ones, changed an individual’s health, and for some, job loss! Are you looking for a new beginning? If you are, it is time to step out of circumstances and step inside your heart! As we make some positive changes, life can begin anew! Please join me in this 6-day devotional using God’s Word as our guide!