When I read Matthew 5:7, I am perplexed. Jesus declares, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” I thought that the mercy that God showed to me was not dependent upon me being merciful to others. So I had to ask God to unpack this for me. Is this beatitude, nestled within […]
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:3 To be poor in spirit is not about financial poverty or low self-esteem. It’s a spiritual posture—an honest recognition of our deep need for God. The Greek word used for “poor” here, ptōchos, refers to absolute destitution. Jesus is […]
Whether you believe it or not, your sin has condemned you to an eternal life separated from God. Whenever men and women turn their backs on God, evil fills the vacuum with hate, misery, pain, suffering, and alienation, supplanting love, joy, happiness, and belonging. Therefore, a wise person would recognize the importance of redemption. Redemption […]
Many people will answer that adultery is unfaithfulness to your spouse. However, the seventh commandment, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14), is so much more than a prohibition against marital infidelity—it is a divine call to faithfulness, integrity, and covenantal loyalty. Throughout history, Bible scholars and religious leaders have interpreted this commandment not only […]
At a time when failed marriages, broken homes, spousal abuse, and neglect affect way too many households, the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,” presents a real challenge for millions of children. That wasn’t as big an issue when I was growing up, as all of my friends and neighbors lived in two-parent […]
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines belief as “to accept something as true, genuine, or real.” Another of its definitions is “to have a firm or wholehearted religious conviction or persuasion: to regard the existence of God as a fact.” When we, as Christians, use the word believe, we think of the second definition, the idea that we […]
When millions of Christians around the world recite the Apostles Creed they boldly state that they believe in the forgiveness of sins. This declaration stems from the core belief that Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was sufficient penalty to atone for the sins of individuals. Sin is anything that separates men and women from God […]
All humans sin. God knew when He created us that we would not be perfect. Even with our best intentions we still sin. Only God has the authority to forgive sins. God loves us so much that he sent Jesus, his only son, to walk the earth and make the perfect sacrifice so that we […]
There is nothing good about Good Friday until you see it from God’s perspective. Jesus didn’t have to give himself up to be crucified on a Roman cross. He didn’t have to die. However, he loved you and me so much that he chose to die in our place so that we would not have […]
Sin is an intentional or unintentional thought or act that separates us from our relationship with God or our oneness with God. It can be generally characterized as any serious failure in thought or deed that could have been avoided. At a minimum, it is a failure to live up to God’s standards starting with […]
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