Tell it, Lord! - Crosswalk the Devotional - April 18

Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [View this email in your browser]( [Crosswalk.com Home]( Tell it, Lord! - Crosswalk the Devotional - April 18 [Crosswalk the Devotional]( Tell it, Lord! by Shawn McEvoy, Director of Editorial He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow me!" [Matthew 9:9]( In the margin of my Bible next to [Matthew 7:11]( is a notation dated 9/1/90. It says: "I love verses with exclamation points!" That particular verse, in case you were wondering, says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" I wonder why editors chose an exclamation point there, and not a question mark. I also wish I knew the inspiration or emotion that prompted me to make the notation. All I know is that it would have been made during the first or second week of my sophomore year of college, and at the time I was a Youth Ministry major. And that the sentiment has continued. Coming across that notation again recently prompted me to look up more verses in which Jesus is credited with having expressed some extra "oomph." Of course, the original manuscripts were not inscribed with modern punctuation marks. Those have been left up to various translators through the years. In my New American Standard version of Matthew's Gospel, however, the emphasis has been added to several statements the Lord made, and some of those may be categorized as follows: Rebuke of Temptation [Matthew 4:10-11]( Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" Then the devil left Him... [Matthew 16:23]( But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Rebuke of Hypocrisy [Matthew 23:23-39]( "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!... O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!... Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" [Matthew 11:18-19]( "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." [Matthew 12:12]( "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Stern Warning [Matthew 9:30]( "And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See here, let no one know about this!" [Matthew 6:23]( "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" [Finish Reading Your Devotional Online >>]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [+1]( [Forward]( [Get Inspired >]( [Send an e-Card >]( [Watch Online >]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER --------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. You received this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive email from a Salem Web Network website. We respect and value your time and are committed to protecting your privacy. Use the links below to update your profile and subscriptions, unsubscribe from this email, or find out more about Salem Web Network (SWN). [Manage my Subscriptions]( | [Unsubscribe from this List]( | [Read about SWN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Salem Web Network | Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. | 111 Virginia St., Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219