A Witness of Suffering-1 Peter 5:1
What does your suffering produce in you? Glory? Or bitterness, hatred, retaliation and anger? 1 Pet 5:1 connects suffering and glory. “Persons who have really suffered at the hands of others do not […]
Category: New Testament
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Attracted to Beauty-Matthew 5:3-12
Why are beauty products a multi-billion $ industry? Who doesn’t appreciate the beauty and majesty of nature? Who doesn’t like to look at an attractive person, or just imagine the image of that person’s beauty in one’s mind’s […]
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Humble and Humorous when Humiliated-Matthew 15
Matthew 14 suggests that we Christians should Walk on Water. In Matthew 15 we consider what constitutes (great) faith from a Canaanite woman. She was aggressively persistently humble, humorous and unrelentingly undeterred while [seemingly] humiliated (Mt 15:25-27). One who is humiliated […]
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Walk on Water-Matthew 14
From Jesus’ parables or Kingdom Stories (Mt 13), I learn how money and wealth can easily choke us/me. In Mt 14:27-30, we learn from Peter that faith obeys without fear: when Peter heard Jesus’ words (Mt 14:27), he […]
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Kingdom Stories-Matthew 13
Jesus’ kingdom stories or parables–like Jesus himself and his cross–are an open secret. It both reveals and conceals God. It’s simple yet profound. It’s easily understood yet mysterious. The trained disciples […]
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Your Words Matter-Matthew 12
What do you mean by what you say…when you say, “I believe in God, Jesus or the Bible”? …or when you say “God” or “I’m a Christian”? If you can’t explain what […]
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Following Jesus is Easy-Matthew 11
What‘s it like to follow Jesus? Never lose your temper. Never lust. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Be perfect. Never judge. Love Jesus more than your kids. Sounds impossible? […]
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Love Jesus More Than My Kids-Matthew 10
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” […]
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Mercy is the New Holiness-Matthew 9
Jesus never tarries. “As Jesus went on from there…” (Mt 9:9, 27). “Jesus got up and went with him…” (Mt 9:19). “Jesus went through all the towns and villages…” (Mt 9:33). Jesus’ life is never […]
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Outsiders In, Insiders Out-Matthew 8
The problem with insiders. Being a leader in the same church–UBF–for 35 years, I am “an insider” who knows the proclivities of the church, sermon emphasis, speech patterns, manner of […]