Jesus said “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you” Matthew 7:7. To me that sounds like persistence which He also teaches in Luke 18:2-8; no, this is not trying to “twist” God’s arm or to manipulate Him, but by persistently pursuing […]
Paul was not a Pastor; he was an Apostle (a delegate, ambassador, or commissioner) of Jesus Christ, an office he refers to many times as he writes his epistles. He visited many cities either starting, or strengthening and edifying churches. As he moved on to other cities, the love and concern for the people he […]
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 […]
In Psalm 4:1 David’s prayer was “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!” Did God answer his prayer? Oh yes He did. In Psalm 40:1 he said, “I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry” (He bowed down listening to my prayer). Interestingly, the words […]
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, Matthew5:10-12. To be persecuted is to be afflicted so as to cause you injury, distress, and annoyance. Now if being reviled and persecuted come because you have done something stupid, or you have acted outside of wisdom, and without […]
“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 […]
“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 […]
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, this is the first of nine blessed’s in Matthew 5:3-12. The Greek here means to be supremely blessed, and through extension to be fortunate or well off, the Amplified Bible using happy as an alternate or explanatory word. To be poor in […]
The story of Christ’s Crucifixion is brought to us by all four gospel writers, but would be incomplete without the accompanying account of His Resurrection. Atonement for sin was made through His Crucifixion and the shedding of His blood, but New Life is obtained through His Resurrection! On that Resurrection morning more than two thousand […]
You may ask, Does God really hear my prayer, and if so does He answer the prayer of mere men? The Bible says “whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved’ Joel 2:32, a fact restated in Acts 2:21. That means even if you are not yet a Christian all you need […]