“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and He began to teach them …” Matthew 5:1-2

111: A Call to the Life of the Kingdom …

Hello friend! I imagine you are wondering what the number 111 stands for in the title of this book! Well, this brand new devotional emcompasses the 111 verses that comprise Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, found in Chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s Gospel.

Many Christ followers, including myself, consider the Beatitudes as some of the most beautiful Scripture verses ever written in the Bible. In the beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12), Jesus provides us a picture of what God’s Kingdom looks like, and the rest of His Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:13-7:29) goes on to describe what it looks like when we walk out the Beatitudes in this world we live in.

In Phil 3:20, the Apostle Paul reminds us that we are citizens of Heaven where our Lord Jesus Christ lives and we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. And the Lord mentions this when He prayed for His disciples in the Gospel of John: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it” John 17:16 NIV.

So as followers of Christ, we know we are physically in this world but not of this world. But what would that look like in our day to day lives? Well, Jesus addresses this in His Sermon on the Mount, which introduces a completely radical and counter-cultural way of living in our world today.

But how many of us have invested the time to sit down at our Master’s feet and really focus on His words while digging deeply into the truth behind each verse? All while prayerfully asking the Lord to shine His light into the hidden pockets of our hearts to expose anything that may be keeping us from walking out the Beatitudes in our lives. I know I have not done this until now.

Meet Author Mark Hampton, whose heart is to guide us through this process in his brand new book. In his very first class in Bible College, he and his classmates were required to memorize the Sermon on the Mount in its entirety. At first believing this task might be impossible, he then wholeheartedly pursued the assignment and in the process discovered that his life was radically transformed by Christ’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.

In the Author’s own words …

“Never before had I encountered God’s Word in such a powerful way. Each day, as I allowed the words of the Sermon to pour over me, I was continually formed, shaped, and refashioned by God’s Word. I was also given a profoundly intimate knowledge of the text, knowing the intricacies and nuances of the text and how each part related to the whole. I was able to see things I would not have seen if I had just read through it once or twice. This is one of the experiences that has left an indelible mark on my pursuit of Christ. In fact, nothing else has ever really come close. I completed countless other assignments in Bible College and seminary, but none has had such a profound effect as this nor gave birth to such a rich experience with God’s Word. At countless moments, it was as if I were sitting right there with the Master himself, hearing the words as they were first spoken.”

I am so thankful that the Lord led Mark to write this devotional to help guide us to have a similar, rich experience with the Lord. For me, this devotional has been a huge blessing. I have not even come close to memorizing the entire Sermon on the Mount yet but have taken the author’s suggestion to read and process each verse from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) in the following pattern for 111 days:

• Day 1—Read Matt 5:1 from my Bible, then Day 1 from book, then process questions.
• Day 2—Read Matt 5:1-2 from my Bible, then Day 2 from book, then process questions.
• Day 3—Read Matt 5:1-5:3 from my Bible, then Day 3 from book, then process questions.
• And continue on until …
• Day 111—Read Matt 5:1-7:29 from Bible, Day 111 from book, process questions.

Once again, in Mark’s own words … “The Sermon on the Mount takes about 15 minutes or less to read on its own, and each devotional should not take longer than 5 minutes. As you do this, I also encourage you to memorize the verse for the day. By the end of 111 days, you will then have memorized the entire sermon. You will be well acquainted with God’s Word and you will possess an intimacy with God’s Word you cannot possibly imagine. When you do this, you are writing the kingdom on your heart. Then, once written on your heart, it will unfold in your life, blessing God, your neighbor, and yourself.”

The time I’ve spent prayerfully working through this devotional with the Holy Spirit has been a very deep and meaningful process. Some days I almost felt there was not enough time to think about and completely process through everything the Lord had for me before moving on to the next day’s verse. Because of this, I will be working through the book again this year and giving myself more time to sit at the Lord’s feet to process whatever He has for me.

One aspect of this devotional that got my attention was how the Author unpacked some of the verses in a way I had never thought of before. When I first began reading this book, I expected God would speak to me in certain areas of my life, for instance in not letting anxiety consume me. But what I didn’t see coming was how very personal certain other verses became. Verses that I had previously skimmed over.

For instance, this is from Day 55:

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” Matthew 6:7.

I’ve heard this verse applied to the Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12 who droned on with his self-righteous prayer. I misinterpreted Jesus saying: “that they will be heard for their many words,” to mean this Pharisee desired to be heard by other people and admired for his many words. But I was wrong. This day’s teaching opened my eyes that the Pharisee felt the need to ramble on to be heard by God. I am probably the only person who didn’t realize this but this verse is more about our own disconnect in how we see our God and His character when we pray, whether it be by me, by you or by this pharisee. 

To this girl who has felt unheard and misunderstood for a good portion of my younger life, I always felt it was because I could not articulate my thoughts or feelings very well. No matter if I was connecting with one trusted friend over lunch or speaking in a ladies small group, I would tend to ask “Do you know what I mean?” over and over. Several friends have brought this to my attention, lovingly reminding me that they know my heart and they understand me.   

But God, in His mercy, opened my eyes to the fact that I do this with Him at times, too. I needed to ask myself why I couldn’t just be direct with my loving God Who already knows me, my heart and my circumstances better than I do myself. In another part of this devotional, the Author writes that we must be whole and consistent in all that we are, internally and externally. I reassure other women that God hears their prayers with a loving Father’s heart. But I needed this encouragement for myself because God hasn’t seen this belief fully manifest itself consistently in my own prayers to Him.

There were also quotes within this book that I will never forget, including the following found on Day 32, in which we read the verse about divorce from Matthew 5:32:  

“It is crucial that our marriages be united, for it is not simply our own marriages that are at stake. As we saw earlier, it is the proclamation of the gospel itself that is also at stake (Eph 5:31-32). When our marriages are broken, they proclaim a fractured gospel. They profess a gospel in which Christ is content to be estranged from his bride, the Church. However, we know this is not the good news of the gospel. Therefore, let us be lovingly committed to our spouses in every way.”

Wow, if this isn’t the ultimate and highest calling for us to be committed to fighting for our marriages (where there isn’t infidelity or abuse involved), I don’t know what is! 

I could share more but I won’t because I want you to seek your own rich encounter with the Lord when you process through this book for yourself! 

This book calls us to accountability in a very merciful, straightfoward way. We can’t fix what we don’t see in ourselves. But if we prayerfully process each verse for ourselves, the Holy Spirit will open our eyes (as He did mine) to any area of our relationship with the Father that may be fractured. God desires for us to be healed and whole in Christ. Not just for our own good but to enable us to walk securely as disciples of Christ so we can shine brightly in this dark and lost world!  

Some of the questions I have asked myself while processing through this book have been:

1. When I am reviled against, do I entrust myself to the One Who judges justly?
2. When others seek to do me harm, do I remain content in Christ?
3. Is Christ enough for me?
4. Do I love my enemies the same way Christ loved me and died for me when I was a lost sinner.
5. Am I becoming whole and complete in Christ as God would want me to?
6. Am I operating consistently inwardly and outwardly, in my speech, thoughts and actions?
7. Do I seek to honor God, or am I seeking my own honor and to serve myself?
8. Am I laying up treasures in Heaven or are my treasures rusting away here on earth?
9. Do I really know and understand my Heavenly Father’s heart for me?
10. Am I walking in the footsteps of Christ, Who (in the Author’s words) upended the kingdoms of this world, and the cross became a symbol of victory, not defeat.

I wholeheartedly recommend for you to read this book! I pray you will take time to process through it with the Holy Spirit in 2023! This book may be small but it packs a punch and you will find yourself evaluating your heart and your part in God’s Kingdom in a whole new way! Like me, I’m sure you will be challenged as a Christ follower to evaluate what it means to live in this modern world as a citizen of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

GIVEAWAY TIME:

The Author has generously provided for one of our readers to receive a copy of his new book. Entering this giveaway is easy: please share below your thoughts on this book/post or your favorite verse(s) from the Sermon on the Mount. One random reader will be selected on February 28th to receive their own copy of this brand new devotional! Winner will be notified here in this post and via the email address they used when commenting.

UPDATE: We have drawn the winner’s name and it is Stacey Pardoe!  Yay, we will also reach out to you via the email address you provided when you commented! Congratulations and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. Thank you for participating in this giveaway!

Blessings,

111: A Call to the Life of the Kingdom | Book Review and Giveaway @ freshgracefortoday.com

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About Us

Photo Credits: Canva Pro

Mark D. Hampton is a preacher, teacher, and minister. He currently serves as the Director of College Counseling at Westminster Schools of Augusta and has also worked on the mission field, in the church, and in higher education. Mark holds a BA in Biblical Studies from Criswell College and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School, and he has a passion for seeing people’s faith come alive through the study of Scripture. In his free time, Mark can be found serving at his church, sampling the local restaurants, exploring a walking or hiking trail, or attempting to play golf. He and his wife, Laura, live in Augusta, Georgia.

“Jesus preached that the “kingdom is at hand,” and in the Sermon he now calls for his disciples to live out the values of the Kingdom of Heaven,” – Mark D. Hampton.