Walking the Narrow Way | Devotional Guide(lines)

The Sermon on the Mount is more than a collection of inspiring teachings or moral rules. In Matthew 5–7, Jesus offers his disciples a vision of an entirely different way of life: a life shaped by humility, mercy, integrity, trust, love, discernment, and faithful practice.

This devotional guide accompanies our sermon series, The Narrow Way: The Cost of Following Jesus. Its purpose is not simply to help us learn more about Jesus’ words, but to help us become people who increasingly live them. To integrate our head and heart and our hands.

Each weekday includes four simple movements:

1. Read — Spend time with a short passage of Scripture.
2. Reflect — Consider how the reading connects with the way of Jesus.
3. Consider — Sit with a question that invites honest attention to your own life.
4. Practice — Take one small, concrete step toward putting the teaching into action.

You do not need to rush through the guide or find the “right” answer. Read slowly. Notice what stands out. Pay attention to any resistance, comfort, conviction, or invitation that emerges. You may wish to journal your responses, discuss them with someone else, or simply carry the day’s question with you.

The practices are intentionally small. Discipleship is rarely formed through one dramatic decision. But rather discipleship grows through repeated practices. Over time, these ordinary practices help cultivate a life with Jesus, like Jesus, doing the things Jesus did.

Use the guide in whatever rhythm works best for you: individually, with your family, with a friend, or in a small group. Missed a day? Simply begin again. The goal is not perfect completion. The goal is to keep returning to Christ and learning to walk with him on this Narrow Way.

Week 4 — Devotional Guide

Enough

Theme: Trust
Formation goal: Disciples learn contentment by rooting their lives in God’s kingdom rather than scarcity.

Monday 08/24

• Read: Matthew 6:19–24
• Reflect: Jesus connects treasure, vision, and allegiance. What we value directs our attention, and what receives our attention gradually claims our hearts.
• Question: What currently receives your best energy, attention, and resources?
• Practice: Review one recent week of spending or screen time. Notice what it reveals about your priorities without judging yourself.

Tuesday 08/25

• Read: Exodus 16:1–21
• Reflect: Manna taught Israel to receive enough for each day. Hoarding emerged from fear that tomorrow’s provision could not be trusted.
• Question: Where are you living as though there will never be enough?
• Practice: Before each meal, pause and thank God specifically for today’s provision.

Wednesday 08/26

• Read: Matthew 6:25–34
• Reflect: Jesus does not shame anxious people. He redirects their attention toward creation, God’s care, and the kingdom already present among them.
• Question: What future concern is consuming today’s grace?
• Practice: Write down one worry. Beneath it, write one faithful action you can take today and release the rest.

Thursday 08/27

• Read: Luke 12:13–34
• Reflect: The rich man’s problem is not simply wealth; it is the belief that accumulated possessions can secure his life. Jesus offers a different kind of richness.
• Question: What do you hope possessing more would finally give you?
• Practice: Give away one useful possession you no longer need.

Friday 08/28

• Read: 1 Timothy 6:6–19
• Reflect: Contentment is not resignation. It is freedom from the illusion that life consists in acquiring more. That freedom makes generosity possible.
• Question: What would become possible if you genuinely believed you already had enough?
• Practice: Name five things for which you are grateful, including at least one ordinary thing you usually overlook.