Full disclosure. I have been divorced and have remarried. Jesus has some very clear instructions on marriage and divorce. This …
I get angry. I say things I shouldn’t and clearly regret later on. I say them though. It isn’t pretty. …
Jesus continues His manifesto. I have a lot to learn here. Jesus is being clear, as He always is. …
I sure feel like this some days. I do good (or at least I think I do). What do I …
Jesus is all about forgiveness. That is the reason God sent him to us. I need forgiveness and the good …
Jesus makes a declaration about His followers in the Jesus Manifesto (Matthew 5 – 7). We are the light of …
Can I pass the test? Let’s call it the mercy test. Jesus orders me to be merciful. Am I? Jesus …
We have a great promise from Jesus the Messiah. It is joy and happiness. Jesus wants me to have joy. …
There was a pastor who became involved immorally with a married woman in his congregation. They each divorced their respective …
Sanctify I avoid some things because they sound very geeky and smack of theology. Jesus talks about sanctification. Maybe I …
Jesus continues His manifesto. I have a lot to learn here. Jesus is being clear, as He always is. This …
The Jesus Manifesto continues with Jesus laying out for me what I need to be like in this world. I …
The purpose of the Law was, basically, to bring us to the Messiah. It is essential to start here. Once …
Jesus is clear. His apostle John is clear. My heart testifies to me what I ought to do. There …
There is much to be said about self denial and the scripture repeats this theme over and over. Jesus is …
There is no doubt that persecution is a stark reality of living for a disciple of Jesus. For a disciple …
How did Jesus expect me to react under persecution? Rejoice and be glad! That is right. I’m jump up and down for …
Is my heart pure? That is an essential issue to address. Jesus lays it out in His manifesto (Matthew 5 — …
Jesus clearly calls me to do good works! The purpose of my good works is to glorify the amazing and …
Mercifulness is an attitude of compassion and care, grounded in the nature of God himself, made manifest in the life …
The Jesus Manifesto continues. It may seem strange that Jesus should pass from peacemaking to persecution, from the work of reconciliation …
According to the Bible, though, hell is just as real as heaven. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell …
What is my mission? My mission, given to me by Jesus, is to love. That is it. That should be my …
God’s promises to the meek is good news! Humility is the name of the game. Jesus challenges me to be …
Goodness and good works are acts designed specifically to benefit others, which are characteristic of God. I can be good …
I want mercy in my life. Compassion is a wonderful gift from God. I am challenged by Jesus to replicate …
How am I doing with being selfless on behalf of others? It is a pretty telling question if I answer it …
Jesus continues with His radical Manifesto. We all know what it is like to be hungry or thirsty. We can’t …
How am I doing with being selfless on behalf of others? It is a pretty telling question if I answer …
Jesus is a kind, loving King. Jesus is not angry with me. Jesus wants me to be kind and gentle. …
“Happy (aka Blessed) are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” ~Jesus Source: Matthew 5:9 (NASB) Jesus continues on with his …
Jesus says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The commendation of peacemakers – It …
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a …
Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. | Matthew 5:4 (ESV) Jesus is ushering in the Kingdom of …
It is a challenge. I see the homeless. Do I give them some money? Won’t they just use it to …
Happy (aka Blessed) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” ~Jesus Source: Matthew 5:3 (English Standard Version) …
Jesus intends for us to have great relationships with people in our world. That is His goal for us. Jesus …
Jesus is clear about using “religious language”. Don’t do it. I should be genuine. I should use contemporary and understandable …
Light does amazing things. It is very hard to replicate in a photo what it is doing some days. Jesus …
I love to eat. Almost anything, anytime. There is nothing like a great meal with family or friends. I have …
Am I caring enough? Am I full of care? That is what it is all about. Jesus had this focus. …
I have enemies. Jesus knows that and is clear on it. I have done things to offend others. They don’t …
God is so very generous to me. Although I don’t deserve it, He lavishes me with every gift imaginable. I …
What is permanent in life? Not the things I think most days. Jesus is clear however. The 2 most important …
All that striving is useless!! Can I be content with who I am? Is that it? That is all there …
Jesus has a standard that is different than what religious leaders try to make us follow. His standard is one …
Jesus loves the word of God. He also knows the legalism can be taken to the extreme. I certainly have …
Are people putting me down because of my following Jesus? Do I make others uncomfortable with my passion of our …
Jesus is clear on what God has said. His word is like Him. It is here to stay. Nothing can …
Jesus is very clear. There is no doubt about what I am to do. The choice is will I obey Him? …
Jesus is tough on religious leaders. He doesn’t cut them any slack. He challenges me that I can do better than how …
Jesus knows that following Him may not be a “bed of roses”. Jesus tells us about it in advance. We …
Jesus knows something and he wants religious people to understand it. Who we are is a result of what we …
Jesus demands that I get my life in order before I can see God in a real way. He knows it is not …
Jesus has a great way to simplify what He is saying. Jesus is very direct and doesn’t beat around the bush. So, Jesus challenges me to …
I have heard from Jesus to be like a child. I also hear Him challenge me to grow up. Which is it? Be …
Jesus challenges me to do things differently than the way people of this world do things. He is not subtle at …
Jesus, the Messiah, demands that I care. He insists on it if I want to live in His world. Being full of …
Jesus demands that I take His way seriously. There is nothing frivolous about it at all. My job, my mission, …
Am I starving for God? Do I have a good appetite for Him? Is all I think of my next …
We live in a culture of competition. It’s a fact. It’s not pretty. And, worse, we seem to thrive on …
Jesus, the Messiah and our Master, challenges us to be radical in our love for God. Do I want to …
Jesus knows us. Jesus, the Messiah and our Master, challenges us to not “be religious”. If we say we will pray, …
King Jesus, the Messiah, wants us to radically open. He links this to being generous. Everything we are belongs to …
Jesus, the Messiah, challenges us to be public, to tell all about His Father’s love, to be radical in our …
Jesus is not after behavior modification. Jesus wants heart and mind transformation. That is His challenge to us. Will we love …
We are always looking for more. We want to be better. We want to develop. The reality of who we …
I am to be a light. I should bring out God’s colors into the world. God is not a secret to …
When there is less of what we want and more of what God wants, that is a good thing. It …
Jesus challenges us to be radically different from most Christians and religious types of people. It will get us in …
Jesus has it all together. All the complexity we see. All we don’t understand. Jesus sees it simply. He understands it …
Jesus lives in a clear world. He is light. There is no darkness in Him at all. Our heavenly Father is …
Jesus warns us to be careful about what we say to others. Our mandate is to love. Anything other than …
Now who hides a light? It seems like a silly question. No one does. Well, children do when they are …
We live in a world where there is conventional wisdom. We have a culture of success and infatuation with the …
God’s generosity extends to everyone. He includes the evil, the bad and the nasty in His plans to redeem and …
Sometimes we are very good at pretending. We want it to look easy. We don’t want anyone to know that …
We say something we regret. We excuse it by saying, “I didn’t mean it”. That doesn’t cut it in God’s …
Jesus sets standards for us based on a whole different world. It is His Father’s world. It is a world …
We know we all do it. We “pretend” nothing is wrong. We pretend we are something we are not. We …
There are people in our lives that simple challenge us. Many times that challenge clearly brings out the worst in …
How often do I act like God is a secret? Unfortunately, more than I want to admit. I take credit …
We miss God’s goal when our goal is to get our own way. Jesus stops us dead in our track by …
Jesus challenges us to live a real life, versus a fake spiritual one. God commands us to love one another. …
Jesus challenges us to see how corrupt our heart can be and it is about our heart. Jesus says don’t …
Our heavenly Father is in a good mood. He always is and never waivers from that feeling. No ups and …
Jesus clearly has a different way. MLK understood it. The right thing to do is love. Now that is hard …
Jesus challenges us to go beyond what the rules say. He knows we focus on “what the rule says” and …
Our culture tends to be one of retaliation. Someone hurts us, we envision a way to get them back. There …
Wow. Jesus is direct. Grow up!! OK, that makes sense. We can be very childish. We live in God’s World …
Jesus challenges not to retaliate. It is in our core, when someone hurts us, to strike back. Jesus has a …
Jesus challenges us to be the person God wants us to be. It is not about us or our unique …
In listening to Jesus, much of what He is saying (see Matthew 5) goes against the grain of what I …
Jesus challenges us to make sure our words are clear and genuine. They should reflect all of His love. Embellishing …
It happens all the time. Someone uses us for their own advantage. We get upset. It’s just not right. We …
Jesus challenges us to mean what we say. Religious jargon and trite sayings are useless. It is the power of …
Jesus challenges us to look at whether meeting the “letter of the law” means we are living right in God. …
Jesus, God’s Son, shows how He completes what was started in the Old Covenant (Testament). Everything in the Old Covenant …
This is tough stuff. It doesn’t feel right. Our natural reactions, in relationships, can get us in trouble. Jesus has …
Jesus doesn’t want us to play a game of hide and go seek. Now think about it. He is light. …
