“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be…
“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.” Amos 5:14-15 Amos sings a funeral dirge over impenitent Israel,…
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 “Follow God’s example” … the chief way to imitate God is to forgive and to love in a sacrificial…
“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” 1 Peter 1:13 The context is that salvation is fully revealed in Christ’s return, His second coming. “Alert and fully sober” indicates Peter’s concern here is spiritual…
“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:16-17 God must do this through His means; we cannot deliver ourselves. “Seek justice … case…
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 The term “O mortal” means that Micah is directing each individual to the Word (Bible), where the Lord tells us in very…
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…” Titus 2:11-12 “Grace of God has appeared” means Jesus Christ is the living manifestation of God’s grace. God stepped…
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 This request for wisdom leads to a series of petitions, beginning with a true understanding of human life, that we realize how few are the days we actually have, and how we need to turn to God for security…
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “In Christ” can mean “by or through Christ,” as the agent of our salvation. Christ is also the One in whom we find God’s gifts. We are baptized “into Christ” (as Galatians 3:26–27…
“This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and…