And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…” Philippians 1:9-10 Fallen human nature continually produces counterfeit notions of love. Paul prays that…
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 “To seek … His kingdom of God and His righteousness” means to desire God’s righteous rule (His salvation) on this earth. In other words, you desire above all to live under the rule…
“For we know Him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:30-31 The author quotes two passages from Deuteronomy 32 to make the point that judgment belongs to the…
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1 With fatherly concern, the aged apostle John addresses his readers affectionately as children. He uses this Greek word seven times in this…
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36 The author of Hebrews is addressing former Jews and is simply telling them that to return to the safety of…
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7 “Then” is a transition to introduce the conclusion of the discussion begun in 14:1, where Paul deals with quarrels over opinions and here resolves them. Paul began chapter 14 with the command to receive the weak believer….
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 Paul articulates the reality of the blessed Trinity in this benediction to his letter. The gifts associated with the three divine persons who make one God (thus the…
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:3-4 With God as our foundation, we relinquish concern for ourselves in order to care for others. Here Paul attempts to correct…
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children…” Ephesians 5:1 Believers are to follow the example of God’s actions. He loved us when we were still His enemies. As imitators of God, believers should demonstrate that type of self-sacrificial love. Therefore, the chief way to imitate God is to forgive and to love others in…
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 “Wise and understanding” is a reference to the teachers mentioned earlier in verse 1, who claimed to be faithful but were acting otherwise. “Humility that comes from wisdom”…