Just Looking Good Isn’t Enough Just looking good isn’t enough for God. As long as my focus is on my goodness and my effort to be good—or even my effort to be good in front of others, this section makes no sense because Jesus is not talking about meeting minimum standards, looking good, or just getting by. He is talking …
Salt and Righteousness, Devotional Matthew 5:13-20
Salt and righteousness, seek that which is real instead of the appearance of it. If something loses the essence of what it is and only the appearance remains, it is useless. In Jesus’ day, salt had many impurities, and when the salt washed away, the impurities remained. Then as now, many people like the Pharisees are concerned about the outward …
Poor In Spirit: The Beginning, Devotional, Matthew 5:1-12
First of the beatitudes, Am I poor in spirit? Matthew 5:1-12 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. After he sat down his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them by saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will …
Temptation: It Depends on Your Direction, Devotional, Matthew 4:1-11
Temptation: Relevance? A discussion of temptation is only relevant when I seek a relationship with God. If my desire conforms to my own definition of good or to a casual, convenient, socially, postmodern, acceptable definition of good; a discussion of temptation remains relative. With no outside standard, I do essentially what I want as long as I don’t commit a …
Miracles Part of the Journey Not the End: June 3, Devotional Readings
This post Miracles Part of the Journey Not the End and the previous two are an experiment to make the blog more relevant and useful to readers. Starting with tomorrow’s post, I will narrow the discussion to one chapter from the New Testament. Miracles part of the spiritual journey, not the end, in other words, the purpose of miracles was …
Your Best Life Now? I Thought that Came Later
Your best life now depends more on the angle of your view rather than on your circumstances. Although anyone dealing with difficult circumstances, chronic disease, economic hardship, persecution, or difficult people agrees that it would be better if these circumstances would change, having your best life now is more about your inner life than your outward life. Perhaps Jesus wanted to …
Limited Time to Read, Read the Bible First
Limited time to read? Read what sustains and transforms you. In order to make disciples, we must be disciples. And disciples must have a direct relationship with God. We cannot expect to be disciples if we don’t regularly talk with and listen to God. We must understand that he is not only Savior but is also Lord. He speaks to …