This spirit of humility is very rare in our day of strong-willed, proud-peacock attitudes. The clinched fist has replaced the bowed head. The big mouth and the surly stare now dominate the scene once occupied by the quiet godliness of the “poor in spirit.” How self-righteous we have become! How confident in and of ourselves! And with that attitude, how desperately unhappy we are!
Read MoreTag Archives: Matthew
The Beatitudes: Three Observations
The introduction to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is no doubt the most familiar section of His message (Matthew 5:1–12). Commonly called “The Beatitudes,” this section is the most descriptive word-portrait of a servant ever recorded. Let’s reread these immortal words slowly . . .
Read MoreJesus’ Command: “Be Different!”
The scriptural account of His “Sermon on the Mount” is found in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. If I were asked to suggest an overall theme of this grand sermon, it would be “Be different!” Time and again, Jesus states the way things were among the religious types of their day, and then He instructs them to be different.
Read MoreWhen You Grow Up
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s a favorite question we enjoy asking children. And the answers we get usually are “a police officer” or “a nurse” or maybe “a fire fighter.” Some kids are visionary. They answer “a movie star” or “a singer” or “a doctor” or “a professional ball player.” One recently told me he wanted to be either a car mechanic or a garbage collector. When I asked why, he gave the classic answer for a nine-year-old: “So I can get dirty!” I smiled as I had a flashback to my own childhood. And I understood.
Read MoreCan We Really Ever Forget?
A question flashes through my head as I write these words: can our minds actually allow us to forget? The way God has made us with that internal filing system we call “memory”—it is doubtful we can fully forget even the things we want to forget.
Read MoreWhen You Are the Offended, Part 2
Yesterday we read Jesus’s parable of the king who forgave his servant—who then refused to forgive a fellow-servant. (You may want to read it again from Matthew 18:23–35.) From this parable, we learned that to refuse to forgive is hypocritical.
Read MoreWhen You Are the Offender, Part 1
Matthew 5:23–24 describes in a nutshell the correct response and procedure to follow when we have been in the wrong and have offended someone. “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering . . .
Read MoreServants Give Anonymously
When Paul made his way through Europe, specifically the region of ancient Macedonia, he announced to the churches in that area the financial need of the church in Jerusalem. What adds to the significance of the whole episode is that Macedonia was already an economically depressed area. Macedonia was to Paul like one of our most economically depressed regions today. It would be like encouraging the poorest people in one country to send money to those who are hurting in another poor region. That kind of appeal would sound strange to us today.
Read MoreManeuvering for Me
I’ll never forget a trip I took with my older son to shoot the rapids at the Rogue River in Oregon. While we were receiving instructions from the guide (there were about fifteen of us in the entire group), I began to study the canoes with my eyes. Some were old and worn, but a few were new. Being selfish, I wanted Curt and me to get the new ones . . . so I whispered in his ear . . .
Read MoreGod IS Fulfilling the Great Commission! Are You Doing Your Part?
When I heard the numbers, I could hardly believe my ears! I was at Insight for Living Ministries international headquarters, meeting with a delegation of pastors from Jiangsu in the People’s Republic of China. They told me that as many as 109,000 people in their province are trusting Christ as their Saviour each year! Don’t let […]
Read More