Summary: Jesus gives us an impossible task when He commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. How can we do that? Only with the help and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Introduction In my last post, I discussed oaths and retaliation.…
Summary: Jesus teaches us a new way of reacting to our offenders. He calls us to have godly integrity and character, to not steal the character of others and to not retaliate or try to get our own justice. Introduction In my last post, I talked about what Jesus says…
Summary: Jesus internalizes the seventh commandment to not commit adultery in our hearts through lust. Lust is a cancer to our relationship with Jesus and our spouse. We must keep our covenantal commitments. Introduction In my lust post, I talked about the core issue of anger that causes murder in…
Summary: When you hold anger against another Christian or an unbeliever, you must take the first step to reconcile your relationship and bring peace between you and God again. Introduction In my last post, I talked about how Jesus fulfills the law and how we become great in God’s kingdom.…
Summary: How do we obey the commands and teachings of Jesus? Jesus declares that He fulfilled the old covenant from the laws to the prophets. We must ask the Holy Spirit to help us do everything the law says. Introduction In my last post, I talked about being salt and…
Summary: Jesus teaches us as His disciples to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world for Him. This profound teaching calls us to represent Jesus in a dark world. Introduction In my last post, I concluded the Beatitudes by talking about being peacemakers and suffering…
Summary: How do we deal with the hatred and anger in our world? We become peacemakers and allow the Holy Spirit to give us God’s strength to face persecution for Jesus’s name. Introduction In my last post, I taught on the middle three Beatitudes of hungering and thirsting for righteousness,…
Summary: Jesus’s disciples relied on Kingdom character God is cultivating in them rather than the ways of this world. We practice the Beatitudes of poor in spirit, mourning, and meekness. Introduction In my last post, I finished talking about spiritual disciplines by teaching on confession, guidance, and service. In this…
Summary: We don’t like to practice the spiritual disciplines of confession, guidance, and service, but there is freedom in practicing them. We practice them out of obedience to Jesus. Introduction In my last post, I talked about becoming a lifelong learner as a disciple of Jesus. In this post, I…
Summary: As disciples of Jesus, we should never stop learning and growing. We have teachers and students, people we learn from and people we teach. This reciprocal relationship helps us become well-rounded disciples. Introduction In my last post, I finished talking about the spiritual discipline of evangelism by providing opportunities…