As we look at love through the pages of the New Testament we find that in all except three occasions the word is translated from two Greek words, “Agape” and “Agapao” which convey to us the message of love, affection, benevolence, and loving in a social or moral sense. From these are revealed to us […]
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” 2 Corinthians 9:15. When we are given a gift of extraordinary value we return the appropriate action and give sincere thanks to the donor. The fact is that God has given us the greatest gift we mankind could ever wish for or receive when “He gave […]
Philippians 4:4 says “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” The Greek word here for rejoice according to the original Greek is to be filled with cheerfulness and happiness. And the word “always” means just that, being defined as “every when” or “at all times”; the importance of this in the Christian’s […]
Once again Jesus draws from agriculture to teach kingdom truth, Luke 8:4-15. The picture is that of a farmer sowing seed in his field apparently the old fashioned way scattering it by hand. The seed is the word of God so it is very good seed of which God says it “shall not return […]
Weather you view the story in Luke 16:19-31 as a parable or an actual event the “bottom line” remains the same. Material wealth in itself should not be viewed as a sign of God’s favor and blessing, neither should the lack thereof, in itself, be viewed as a sign of His disfavor or judgment! God […]
In Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus in this story likens the kingdom of heaven to a king whose son was to be married and many were invited to the reception, but those invited took it lightly and refused to come putting their own interests ahead of the kings invitation, even treating the messengers who brought the invitation […]
In Luke 15:8-10 Jesus uses the scenario of a woman that has lost a valuable silver coin. The message in this parable is exactly the same as that of the preceding one about the lost sheep, but using a different picture, the “or” in verse 8 clearly indicating this. Such coins were “often worn in […]
Jesus often used parables emphasizing the same truth but from a different viewpoint; perhaps this way more people would understand these truths, then too, repetition of a thing emphasizes its importance. Today we are returning to Matthew 13:44-46 where in our previous meditation we noted two parables pertaining to the value of the kingdom of […]
In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus gives us two examples in parable illustrating the superior value of the kingdom of heaven. In verse 44 He likens “the kingdom of heaven (to) treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys […]
From the times of ancient past viticulture (cultivation of grapes) has played an important role in Israel’s history, with their region having very favorable terrain and climate for this crop which was an important contributor to their life. In Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus uses these facts as the focal point of a parable teaching us that […]