Grace …
Summary: What a word means depends to some extent on its context. The usage tells us what the author or speaker intends it to mean.
Continue reading “Galatians 1:3a – From Grump to Grace”Ephesians 4:32b – Avoiding Hell
… forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Summary: Today’s passage is for many the heart of the Gospel message: In Christ, we are forgiven for the things we have done to hurt others, offend God, and that ultimately wound our own souls.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:32b – Avoiding Hell”Ephesians 4:32a – Road Rage
Be kind and compassionate to one another …
Summary: Why does Paul tell us to be both kind and compassionate? They are very different and both are necessary, if we are to successfully share God’s love.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:32a – Road Rage”1 Peter 3: 17 — The Up Side of Suffering
For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Summary: Suffering is a part of life. When we embrace it while trusting God, we grow in faith and learn a few things along the way.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3: 17 — The Up Side of Suffering”1 Peter 3:8 (d) — The Hammer
… be compassionate …
Summary: Compassion flows from a tender heart. It is a desire to help coupled with wisdom to know when and how to help.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:8 (d) — The Hammer”Compassion – John 11: 33-34
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ”Where have you laid him?” he asked.
”Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus is man and also is God. As God, he is able to “know” what is in the hearts of men. He doesn’t have to ask what people are thinking. He knows. Time and again we see this aspect of Jesus’ nature in the Gospel stories.
Jesus is also a man. In particular, he is a man who has suffered. As if normal suffering wasn’t enough for our Creator, he was required to suffer forty days in the wilderness without food. At the end of that time, hungry and weak, he was tested by Satan. Jesus knows what it means to go through hard times.
Continue reading “Compassion – John 11: 33-34”