The story of Zacchaeus recorded in Luke 19:1-10 is a true picture of one truly seeking to know God; Jesus was passing by and Zacchaeus had a real desire to see Him, an inner urge that in Matthew 5:6 Jesus called “hunger and thirst” saying, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for […]
After the death of Moses God spoke to his assistant Joshua placing the responsibility of leading the Israelites on him. The time had come for them to claim and conquer the land God had promised, which they had failed to do approximately 40 years earlier. It must have brought awe and fear to Joshua, however […]
God is a communicating God that loves to communicate with His people. Often we want to communicate to Him telling Him our needs and requests; but never forget that He wants to communicate with us as well! Certainly the Scripture encourages us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with […]
Colossians 3:12-17 begins by saying “Therefore, as the elect of God…” which means that God has chosen and picked us out from the masses of earth’s population to be His special people, a position enjoyed by “as many as received Him” (Jesus), John 1:12. In this transition God places a new spirit within us that […]
In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said “You are the light of the world…” But wait a minute, did He not say in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world”? Yes He did, and He is “the true light that gives light to every man coming into the world” John 1:9. Again He said in […]
“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God” Matthew 5:8. Pure is one of the words that explain the Greek word Katharos that is used here; other words of definition for it are Clean, Undefiled, and Without blemish. It is essential that we understand this purity is of the heart. When the […]
“Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” Matthew 5:7. The Greek word that is used here is ELEEMON which means “compassionate”. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:4 that God “is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us”. And in Titus 3:5 “according to His mercy He […]
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” Matthew 5:6. Using our natural desire for daily food and water, Jesus portrays a person that manifests a strong desire, yes even craving, for righteousness (“uprightness and right standing with God)” Amplified Bible. We were created with this instinct within us, however, we like ancient civilizations […]
In Matthew 5:5 Jesus said “Blessed are the meek”. So how do we define meekness? It is not to be confused with weakness, indeed it is quite the opposite. The Greek word Jesus used here means mild and by implication humble, not weak. Looking at Bible examples of people who were meek I see it […]
“Blessed are those who mourn…” Matthew 5:3; the Greek here means to grieve or lament. Jesus is not necessarily or primarily speaking here of sharing the grief of someone that has experienced bereavement, although such sharing is taught in Scripture and definitely has its rewards. The mourning we see here is that of those who […]