Perhaps the first reaction many of us have to this verse about the pure in heart is, “I won’t plan on seeing God any time soon because my heart is far from pure.” We often believe God is good to and blesses those who are pure while also believing we don’t fit into that category….
Rather than hungering and thirsting for self-justification, Jesus urges hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Those who do will be filled by Christ in the kingdom of heaven as we see in the Gospels. In the kingdom, the merciful will not be taken advantage of, ridiculed or judged as they so often are today when they…
In the midst of a mass of raw humanity gathered to hear Jesus on that hillside, Jesus teaches on the meaning of the availability and nearness of God. In front of him were people of every condition and situation, and so he said and I am paraphrasing, “Blessed are the spiritually bankrupt, the deprived and…
What Jesus saw, was a group of people that felt entitled. We don’t know how big or how small group was. What we know is that there was a group of people, who felt very confident in their own righteousness. They believed in their own strength and their own abilities, so did not need anybody…
Each of us chooses whether we will be grumblers like the early workers, or generous souls like the owner of the vineyard. Let’s not be envious because God is generous. Let’s celebrate the generosity of God, who rewards us, and our neighbors, far beyond what we deserve. The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon said, “It is…
The Ten Commandments, including the command to observe a Sabbath day, are given by God as a gift to provide us with boundaries that encourage human relationships and community. Who wouldn’t want to live in a community where family relationships are respected, where there’s no murder, everyone is faithful to his or her spouse, there’s…
Paul’s trying to make the point that athletes will sacrifice and discipline themselves through hard, punishing training in order to be able to win a medal, trophy, title or championship and the possible fortune and fame that may come with it. What are we prepared to do to win the race of life in terms…
If we’re going to run the race of faith, we need to leave behind things that would slow us down and prevent us from running freely and unencumbered. Each of us has to ask and answer the question for ourselves – what is it in me, in my life, that is preventing me from running…
This passage from Isaiah 40 has always been a favorite of mine. It’s on the cover of my Bible and on my business card. It communicates so much it just a few words. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth….