Archive

You Are the Light of the World

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 A Christian isn’t merely a person who follows a certain moral standard or believes particular doctrines. That’s part of it, of course. But a Christian is a person in whom Jesus Christ, the light of […]

Avoiding Contamination

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Matthew 5:13 Beginning in the early history of the church, monks set up monasteries and went off to deserted places […]

Salt of the Earth

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Matthew 5:13 God has left His people here on earth for a purpose. We are called to make a difference […]

Rejoicing in Suffering

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:12 Not too many people get excited at the thought of suffering. But the apostles counted it a privilege to suffer shame for Christ’s sake. When they were beaten, they did exactly […]

Persecuted for His Sake

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Matthew 5:10–11 We have lived in a relatively persecution-free environment for a long time. America has probably been […]

True Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9 When you hear the term “peacemaker,” who do you think of? The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, John Lennon? As noble as the efforts of some people have been in promoting peace, these are not the kind of people Jesus […]

Purity of Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 Jesus says here that the pure in heart will see God. Actually He’s saying only the pure in heart will see God. This is a massive problem for everyone, because if we’re honest, we all have to admit that we are anything […]

Stopping the Cycle of Vengeance

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 We know that Jesus taught us to be merciful toward those who have mistreated us. But what about when someone who has wronged us never asks for forgiveness? Or when a person who has deeply hurt us won’t admit that they’ve done anything wrong? […]

Like Father, Like Son

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 When somebody who has deeply wronged us asks us to forgive him or her, a flood of emotions can come over us. Suddenly flashing through our minds are all the wicked things that this person has done to us, and a part of us […]

Staying Hungry

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 We all know what it’s like to be physically hungry. Most of us have had the experience of feeling like we were “starving to death,” even though we weren’t. You know what I’m talking about. We sometimes hear that […]