In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that love does what is unexpected. “But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offerContinue reading “Doing the Unexpected”
Tag Archives: bible
Love Ye Your Enemies
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples the necessity of a godly or godlike love. The Jews were familiar with the Old Testament charge “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:17). But Jesus wanted to show that the true expectation of that commandment contemplated all people, even one’s enemies. InContinue reading “Love Ye Your Enemies”
Conviction, Commitment, and Courage
It takes courage to fight the Lord’s battles. Most are familiar with the record of David’s battle with the giant, Goliath. It took great courage for a young man to face a much larger opponent who was a trained soldier with only a sling and some stones. Yet, he did so, and he won theContinue reading “Conviction, Commitment, and Courage”
What is That in Thy Hand?
God appeared to Moses in the midst of the burning bush on the backside of the desert at Mount Horeb. It was there that the LORD revealed to Moses that he was chosen to lead his people, the Jews, out of Egypt. Moses resisted God’s plan for himself and offered a number of excuses asContinue reading “What is That in Thy Hand?”
Warning and Reward
In Psalm 19, David testifies to God’s revelation of himself through creation and through his written word. He uses the terms law, testimony, statutes, commandment, judgments to refer to the Scriptures that were available to him at that time. Today, we have the completed revelation of God in what we call our Bible. David’s inspiredContinue reading “Warning and Reward”
The Love of the Saints for the Saints
One of the earmarks of true Christianity is the love that believers have for one another. Shortly before his passion, the Lord instructed his disciples “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know thatContinue reading “The Love of the Saints for the Saints”
The Goodness of God
Have you considered the goodness of God? The Scriptures tell us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Every good gift is from God. Not only is it from God, but itContinue reading “The Goodness of God”
The God Who Holds History
Most of us are familiar with the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was a man of supernatural strength granted to him by the Lord to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Delilah, a woman of the Philistines, captured Samson’s attention with her beauty. She used her feminine charms to get Samson to divulge the secretContinue reading “The God Who Holds History”
The Deceit of Pride
Pride is a deceptive resident of every human heart. Paul admonished each of the believers in Rome regarding spiritual gifts “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3). He reiterated that warning of self-deception to the churches of Galatia. “For if a man think himself to be something, whenContinue reading “The Deceit of Pride”
The Danger of Prosperity
The Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, delivered a series of warnings from God to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem to turn from their sin and to keep the covenant they had with God from the time of their exodus out of Egypt. Jeremiah gave some of these messages to the kings in Judah throughout theContinue reading “The Danger of Prosperity”