In Luke 7:36-50 Jesus has been invited to dinner at a Pharisees house when a sinner woman (possibly a prostitute, at any rate a known sinner) shows up at the banquet room; according to H. H. Haley “an oriental banquet was a sort of public affair” so in accordance with that culture she had the […]
In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus spoke a parable to all those that trust in their ancestry or their good works for salvation. In this parable He contrasts a Pharisee and a tax collector: the Pharisee, one of the religious elite, comes to the temple to pray and begins by telling God how good he is, he […]
In Luke 16:1-13 Jesus used the illustration of a man that hired a manager or administrator setting him over his estate. This man was later accused of mishandling his master’s goods, and was notified that he would be terminated from his position. He begins to ponder his future, and to establish relationships for his advantage. […]
In Luke 16:16 Jesus said “…the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.” In another statement found in 17:21 He said “…the kingdom of God is within you.” Today the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom established within those who believe on Jesus as their personal Redeemer and Savior. […]
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 […]
Today we are looking at a sequel to last week’s thought, as we consider becoming mature in Christ, and the correlation between being as little children and mature children of our Father. Ephesians 4:15-16 instructs that the church should grow “up in all things into Him”, and what is intended for the entire church begins […]
The Bible has much to say about little children with reference to Christians. In Mark 10:13-16 people brought little children to Jesus to be touched by Him; the disciples apparently thought it was a hindrance and “rebuked” them, but Jesus “was greatly displeased” with that and said, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God […]
Through Psalm 40 David expresses his reliance on the Lord, confidence in His provision, (cf. verses 6-8 with Hebrews 10:5-7) commitment to Him, and his prayer for deliverance from his enemies. Then wrapping up the Psalm the last verse begins by saying “But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me …” […]
Humility is an attitude of the heart; it is not self-condemnation, rather it views self as being insufficient in its own strength, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” Pride says “I have attained this”; […]
In Daniel 4 Nebuchadnezzar had witnessed the works of Yahwah (Jehovah) God and acknowledges them in words, and that the Spirit of God was in Daniel (a distinction that every child of God should have) but had not submitted to His ruler-ship over his own life and kingdom. He failed to break off from his […]