“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Proverbs 27:1 As Jesus did in His teaching, the Psalmist of ancient Israel warned about a concern for tomorrow that overshadows the needs of today. Jesus said, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your…
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” 1 Peter 1:3 “In His great mercy” is a phrase to remind us of His act of compassion toward us…
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25 To really understand this verse, remember that the word “fear” in the Old Testament is understood to mean honor, respect, reverence … entirely different than our current understanding of that word. The underlying message here…
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when … persecuted” is a…
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…
“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:20-21 People…
“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 An unbeliever does not have the Spirit of God, in contrast to the Christian who does have the Spirit….
“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 of…
“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…