Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 131
We all have, or have had, a best friend at one time or another. Best friends spend time doing things together; they share things with each other, especially secrets, because they know that they can trust them! Best friends will do anything for each other. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” and Proverbs 18:24 says, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” It seems that God created us with the need to have a friend th...
In my daily Bible reading, I have been going through the book of Psalm. If you ever want to be encouraged and strengthened about the trials you are going through and learn how to praise God while going through them, you need to read the book of Psalm. King David wrote a lot of the verses of which we have received over one hundred of our hymns today. Many of the chapters, not all written by David, have so much emotion about life’s struggles and victories that they are an inspiration to everyone who reads them. As many of you already know, P...
Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” The Hebrew word for “pure” here is defined as a morally and ethically pure or clean heart. With so many sinful and evil things going on in the world around us today, it’s hard to keep from being influenced by the different media that is available and the events going on around the world. Everywhere we turn there is violence, perverse sexuality, slander, and a host of other sinfully, influential things. It’s hard for today’s Christian to keep focus on...
In Matthew chapter 8, verses 5-13, there is an incredible story told of a soldier who comes to Jesus to seek his healing power. Jesus had just come down off the mountain after preaching the most powerful sermon in history! This centurion has a servant whom he loved and had an incredible trust in. He simply describes to Jesus that his servant is paralyzed and greatly suffering. Jesus responds to him by asking the centurion if he would like him to come and heal him. The centurion then tells Jesus that he is not worthy to have Jesus come under...
Recently, my wife and I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest. We decided to drive to Seattle, Washington, and as we traveled west, we were so in awe of the beautiful landscape we had never seen before. So many mountain ranges were simply gorgeous, especially those that still had snow on the top Salt Lake City was an incredibly beautiful place, surrounded by huge mountains, and of course, the Great Salt Lake. We saw rock formations, beautiful green valleys, rolling hills filled with wine vineyards and valleys with farms raising a variety of...
How long is forever? Can anyone really understand eternity? We, as Christians, want to live forever, but do we really understand just how long or even what that is? I have talked to many people over the years and the definitions I get of eternity vary from “it’s a very long time” to “it’s forever, man!” Here’s something very interesting, I read in an article from the National Institutes of Health that it is estimated that well over 100 billion people have lived on this planet since it was created. I like to define eternity this way. As a Chr...
Back in 1973, there was a movie that came out titled, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which has been described as a rock opera musical that depicted the last days of our Lord Jesus Christ as a superstar who gave his life for mankind. There were both positive and negative reactions by many different groups to this movie. Many Christians didn’t like the romantic relationship that Jesus supposedly had with Mary Magdalene. Others didn’t like the film’s sympathetic view of Judas Iscariot, the Lord’s betrayer. Still others didn’t appreciate Jesus being d...
I love the condiment mustard a whole lot! I love mustard on hot dogs, brats, scrambled eggs, and many other foods. Our Lord Jesus Christ loves mustard as well, so much so that he compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus uses the tiny size of the mustard seed when planted, and the resulting growth to a tree-sized plant, to indicate the powerful growth of the church. Jesus again uses the tiny size of the mustard seed in Matthew, Chapter 17, and compares it to the power of one’s faith. The disciples c...
Have you ever felt called to do something? Maybe you have felt called to serve on the local school board or sit on the city council or the board of some charitable organization. You may have felt called to some profession such as a teacher, doctor or social worker. Whatever the case may be, there is something that drives us to participate in a variety of functions for a common good. Some people admit that they are called by God to participate in the ministry of the kingdom of God. But think about this for a moment, we are all called into the...
Shhh! Did you hear that? Shhhhh! Did you hear that? It sounds like music coming from somewhere. I was driving my bus the other day when I heard music coming from somewhere in the back of the bus. I thought I might be hearing someone’s electronic device playing a song, but it was actually the kids singing some new song that this old man didn’t recognize (lol!) and it was so pleasant to hear the voices of these beautiful young people expressing the joy in their hearts in song! Music is a beautiful gift that the Lord has given us to bring enj...
I know that Easter is now over but the thought of Jesus’ resurrection and overcoming death lingers in my mind. Many sermons this past Sunday spoke of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the power he displayed by overcoming death! Not just a physical death, but a spiritual death as well! Remember that Jesus took on the sins of the world when he died on that cross, and he was temporarily separated from God, thus the words he uttered, “my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.” But Jesus’ death on that cross gives us a resurre...
We recently came to the end of studying the book of the prophet Ezekiel several weeks ago in our adult Bible class. I asked the group what we should study next, and a resounding request to study the book of Job was their reply. I was quite surprised by this request as the book of Job describes his sorrow and struggles with both his friends and the Lord Almighty himself! But it was the overwhelming choice, so we began to delve into what I thought was going to be a long, sad and boring book. To my surprise, reading the book of Job again brought...
As we finish up this week on the Beatitudes, we find that the last one is a little lengthier in description than the previous ones. One reason might be because, as the Christian lives out these calls to be Christ like, the world rejects any teaching that is tied to the son of God. Remember what Jesus said in all four of the gospels, twice in Matthew and John, that we will be hated by the world. Matthew 10:22 says, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” This theme of being hated and...
We all have both good things and bad things that happen in our lives. Sometimes the bad things seem to come a little more often, and in sequences of two to three happenings at a time. It could be as severe as losing our job or a loved one, or it might be as simple as dropping some jewelry or some other small object, like loose change, in between the unforgiving cushions of the couch, where they will be hidden away for years to come. When this occurs, we sometimes let it get us down and dampen our spirits to the point of giving up. We want to...
It’s so intriguing how the scriptures in the Bible fit together so well, especially when it comes to the teachings of God. This next Beatitude in Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” I’ve often thought of this scripture as someone who barters peace between two warring factions, but as I study God’s Word, I believe it means that we ourselves are to be at peace, not only with God, but everyone around us. Peace is such a delicate thing, as in the example of two countries or just two ordinary...
When we think of something that is pure, we usually think of it as the real deal, authentic, or genuine. This next Beatitude states that the “pure in heart” will see God. Christians are many times labeled as hypocrites because people may see them not living the way of righteousness that the Lord teaches us. Being a hypocrite about any ideology can often be categorized as not being true to that way of thinking. People would see such a person as not the real deal, not authentic, or not true to the type of person they claim to be. Jesus, in the...
We are moving right along in the Beatitudes, and we come to one that is really hard for a lot of us. Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” The Greek definition for the word “merciful” is basically having compassion on others. This definition of compassion covers a lot of area in our relationship with others. Christ had compassion on many people, on many occasions, when he was going from town to town proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. In Matthew 9:36 it says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassio...
As we continue to study the beatitudes in Matthew Chapter 5, we turn to verse 6, which says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Now when we say that we’re hungry or thirsty in everyday life, that could mean various levels of hunger or thirsting. In our natural bodies, the feelings of hunger and thirst grow slowly from just beginning to feel that way, to a full-blown pain of either or both. What that means is that when the feeling of either hunger or thirst starts out, it’s just noticea...
This beatitude is especially hard for me because I, by nature, am not a meek person. The definition for this word “meek” deals with being a submissive, mild mannered, easily-imposed-upon person. If you’re like me that is hard to do when you feel like people are opposing or coming against you in some sort of demeaning or threatening way. Our chests bow up and we automatically want to win the battle of whatever issue is coming between us. A teaching of God’s Holy scripture comes to mind that is a pattern of this definition. God wants us to be a...
As we continue to take a good look at the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5, we’re going to concentrate this week on verse 4, which says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” The Greek word for “blessed” means to be fortunate, well off, and mostly it means to be happy. This seems to be a little contradictory if we think about going through mourning so that we can be happy. I mean, who wants to be sad just so that we can be happy? All of us have been through rough and trying times that grieve our very souls. Several y...
In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus begins an incredible presentation we call the “Sermon on the Mount.” Verse two of this chapter begins by stating that Jesus sat down, his disciples came to him and “he opened his mouth and began to teach them.” What came next was nine verses of some of the most powerful instructions we have in the New Testament. I will be taking these verses one by one and expanding on them as they were, are, and will be powerful principal teachings of our Lord that we really need to put into practice. Verse three o...
What is our worth? I mean, are we really worthy of anything? There is an old saying about people we consider to be not worthy of much, it goes something like “they aren’t worth a plug nickel.” In the New Testament scriptures, the word “worthy” comes up a lot. Several of the Greek words used for the word “worthy” are defined as weight of value, or being sufficient, and being judged worthy. Now, the question sometimes comes up as Christians, “Are we worthy of Jesus Christ?” To this question, the answer is no, but Christ makes us worthy if we w...
I really wish that my life would go better. I wish I had a better job, I wish my car would run better, I wish my family would be healthier, I wish I could leap tall buildings with a single bound, I wish, I wish, I wish! We certainly wish for a lot of things, but do we ever wish we could know God better, and have a stronger relationship with Him? As humans, we do spend a lot of time thinking about ourselves and our own desires, but do we spend much time thinking and dwelling upon what God desires? God certainly spends a lot of time thinking...
Oh, it’s that time of the year again, yes, the very first of what we hope will be a fantastic one. Most of us have made plans or some kind of resolutions for the year 2024 that we are so excited to fulfill. Well, if you’re like me, sometimes those plans and resolutions start out gangbusters, but then something seems to derail those plans. I call this situation the “Blurp!” It’s like when you’re playing a paintball game. You’ve planned your strategy to outflank your opponent, you’ve snuck up on your enemy and you’re ready to give the kill shot,...
What is the most valuable item in this world today? Is it gold, silver or some precious stone? Maybe it’s a valuable piece of artwork or sports memorabilia, or a strategic parcel of land. There are a lot of highly intelligent people on this earth who own one or more of the afore mentioned things, but are they wise? I am reading the Book of Job in the Old Testament, and I was struck in awe by Chapter 28. Job describes how mankind goes searching far and wide for the things he considers valuable: gold, silver, ore, copper and all kinds of precious...
