Daily devotions of Christian scripture and encouragement |
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. – Colossians 3:15-17 E-mail: ehwharton@Writing.com "TABLE OF CONTENTS" "KEYWORDS" Whats the meaning behind 'Doves on Distant Oaks?' ▼ What version of the Bible is used? ▼ |
Being Poor in Spirit March 21, 2020 at 1:33am Every believer would like to be part of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew used the term "Kingdom of Heaven" throughout his gospel. It's used in the sense that it's where God lives, his place of residence. So when Jesus says "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" in Matthew 5:3, it's like he is saying God invites those who are poor in spirit to live with him. He is saying my house is your house. Looking at it this way, who would not wa... [Read more] Whom Shall We Mourn? March 21, 2020 at 2:04am To never be comforted sure sounds like hell and who wants to go to hell? So when Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" in Matthew 5:4, it's obvious we need to start mourning more often so that we will, indeed, feel comforted. The question is, what are we mourning?
Certainly we grieve for our lost loved ones, our friends, or people who have touched us in a special way. But that mourning is largely for our own loss. We are sad because they are ... [Read more] To be Angry and Sin Not March 21, 2020 at 11:22pm Many a believer has been thrown by the admonition of Jesus when he said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). So, let's settle once and for all what meekness means. Certainly it doesn't mean wimpy. Paul didn't spend a great deal of time speaking about the full armor of God to have us then act in a timid manner.
The actual Greek word means gentle, forbearing, or of a soothing disposition. How many times do we read where Paul says to confr... [Read more] Hungry and Thirsting November 10, 2018 at 12:12pm Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6.
The Bible uses the word righteousness in a variety of ways that have to do with our justification. That being, how we are made right with God. The Greek word is dikaiosunē (dik-ah-yos-OO-nay). In this context, it is used in the sense of following God's divine law. That can be applied to both the external sense as well as in the internal sense. Here it means in the internal sense, or makin... [Read more] Showing Mercy November 9, 2018 at 7:25pm Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. –Matthew 5:7
This is an odd beatitude, in that the promise that follows is directly related to the preceding action. In other beatitudes, we've been promised to be comforted, satisfied, receive the Kingdom of Heaven, and inherit all the goodness of Heaven. This is the one where if we show mercy, we get mercy. That's pretty straight forward.
But what is mercy? Generally, we tend to think of it as forgive others so we can be... [Read more] Purity of Heart November 10, 2018 at 12:25pm Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8
Purity is something that has gotten so mixed up with sexuality these days that we've lost the real thrust of what it means. We talk about being morally pure, not having impure thoughts, that we think it means we almost have to be prudish. But purity, especially purity of heart, means so much more.
The Greek word for pure is katharos (kath-ar-OS) which is used metaphorically to mean sincere or upright. Its like havin... [Read more] Being a Peacemaker November 10, 2018 at 12:43pm Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9
This beatitude is most likely the most misunderstood. What it does is point out the danger of apply our own definition to biblical terms. It's so important to understand the meaning behind the words because very often, they don't really match with what we think it does. We can sit all day and offer opinions about what a word means, but the best course is to look it up, even the simple terms like peace... [Read more] Welcoming Persecution November 10, 2018 at 1:04pm Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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 5:10-12
Is persecution coming to America? A lot of followers of Christ believe so. In fact, there are many who believe the time has alread... [Read more] The Full Armor of God March 9, 2020 at 1:14pm Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:14-18
Much has been written about the armor that the apostle Paul suggests ... [Read more] The Belt of Truth March 9, 2020 at 1:12pm Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist , with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:14-18
The Truth that Paul talks about is not what you may think, that bei... [Read more] The Breastplate of Righteousness March 9, 2020 at 1:11pm Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place , and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:14-18
Righteousness is the polar opposite of sin. It's not our right... [Read more] The Gospel of Peace March 9, 2020 at 1:09pm Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace . In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:14-18
Napoleon once said, "An army marches on its stomach," but i... [Read more] The Shield of Faith March 9, 2020 at 1:09pm Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one . Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:14-18
The writer of the Book of Hebrews states, "Now faith is confide... [Read more] The Helmet of Salvation March 9, 2020 at 1:06pm Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. –Ephesians 6:14-18
God gave us brains to use. He has never asked us to turn off our ab... [Read more] The Sword of the Spirit November 9, 2018 at 7:17pm Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God . –Ephesians 6:14-18
As we look at the full armor of God that Paul describes, we notice ... [Read more] |