… to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Summary: Being holy and blameless is not something we can achieve on our own. We need help! Fortunately for us, God has a plan. The plan is Jesus.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:4b – The Plan is Jesus”1 John 5:19 – A Messy Business
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
Summary: If life is like a football game, everyone on the field is getting pushed around.
Continue reading “1 John 5:19 – A Messy Business”Matthew 6:13 – What is the Bullseye?
…but deliver us from the evil one.
Summary: We need deliverance from the evil one every day. If we don’t understand why, we need understanding, too.
Continue reading “Matthew 6:13 – What is the Bullseye?”Matthew 26:41 – Watch and Pray
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
Summary: Understanding how temptation works and the battle between our flesh and our spirit is key to understanding how to avoid temptation and stay on track to follow our Lord Jesus.
Continue reading “Matthew 26:41 – Watch and Pray”Matthew 4:9 – Heart, Soul and Mind
“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Summary: Sometimes our behavior is predictable, and when that happens the devil can use our natural instincts against us.
Continue reading “Matthew 4:9 – Heart, Soul and Mind”Matthew 4:6 – If / Then
… throw yourself down.
Summary: The second temptation of Jesus is a doozy. Satan appeals to Jesus’ ego to see if he can find a crack in the armor of the Son of God.
Continue reading “Matthew 4:6 – If / Then”Matthew 5:39 – Slap Happy
If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
Summary: Allowing someone to slap us and then inviting them to slap us again is counter-intuitive. Why would anybody do that?
Continue reading “Matthew 5:39 – Slap Happy”Matthew 18:21 – A Clean Slate
Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister …?
Summary: Being forgiven is a great gift, but one that we don’t always appreciate as we should.
Continue reading “Matthew 18:21 – A Clean Slate”Matthew 4:4 – Food for the Soul
Man shall not live on bread alone …
Summary: There are two kinds of “bread” in the story about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. One is bread for the body, the other is bread for the soul.
Continue reading “Matthew 4:4 – Food for the Soul”1 John 2:6 – Merry Christmas!
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Summary: What kind of gift should we give our Creator this Christmas? John gives us a clue.
Continue reading “1 John 2:6 – Merry Christmas!”