Daily Meditations on the Bible
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life …
Summary: Worry is a word that describes us imagining things that could go wrong. The fear that results from worry causes us to react. Driven by fear, we fall into the temptation to seek false safety.
Continue reading “Matthew 6:25 – The Antidote”“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”… 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”This, then, is how you should pray …
Summary: In this meditation, we look at the second part of the Lord’s Prayer. Where the first part reminds us to acknowledge God, the second part focuses on our needs.
Continue reading “Matthew 6: 9 — Give Us”
… as to a light shining in a dark place,
Summary: Peter leans on an illustration that would have been common in his day, but is not so common today.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:19d — Two Kinds of Light”
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…
Let us be clear on this point: Tempting and testing are two different things.
Testing is a processed used to measure or strengthen. (e.g. – I took a test to see if I qualified for a job I wanted. See James 1: 12)
Tempting is an attempt to entice a person to do what they know is wrong. (e.g. – A coworker tried to tell me it is okay to steal supplies from work.)
God is okay with testing people. Testing has a wide range of uses in the Bible. God is not okay with people doing what they know is wrong.
James is clear on this point and we need to be, too.
Continue reading “Tempting or Testing? – James 1: 13”