By His Word “Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.” — Luke 6:37–38 (NIV) (Bible Gateway) An old injury can return to mind while we are doing something ordinary. We hear a name, pass a familiar place, or remember words spoken years ago, and the conversation begins againContinue reading “The Immensity of Forgiveness”
Category Archives: By His Word
Speak Life, Not Condemnation
By His Word “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” — Luke 6:37, NIV (Bible Gateway) A conversation can change direction with a single sentence. Someone tells us about a neighbor’s failure, a coworker’s mistake, or a decisionContinue reading “Speak Life, Not Condemnation”
Mercy That Bears the Family Resemblance
By His Word “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” —Luke 6:35–36Continue reading “Mercy That Bears the Family Resemblance”
The Love We Could Never Manufacture
By His Word “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” — Luke 6:27 When we read Jesus’ words in Luke 6, we may feel inspired for a moment—and then troubled. Loving our family and friends is understandable. Loving a stranger may be difficult, butContinue reading “The Love We Could Never Manufacture”
When Faithfulness Costs You Something
By His Word “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.” —Luke 6:22–23 Most of us want to be liked. We mayContinue reading “When Faithfulness Costs You Something”
When Empty Hands Receive the Kingdom
By His Word “Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’” — Luke 6:20 The world teaches us to measure our lives by what we possess, accomplish, and control. We learn early to admire people who appear self-sufficient. We celebrate those who have accumulatedContinue reading “When Empty Hands Receive the Kingdom”
A Sacrifice From the Heart
By His Word “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.” —Hebrews 11:4 What makes something we do commendable to God? Is it the size of the gift, the difficulty of the sacrifice, or the amount of attentionContinue reading “A Sacrifice From the Heart”
Now and Forevermore
By His Word “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” — Revelation 21:1 ESV There are days when the brokenness of this world feels unusually heavy. We hear of war, violence, disease, grief, injustice, andContinue reading “Now and Forevermore”
There Is No Other
By His Word “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” — Isaiah 45:22 Isaiah 45 speaks to people living in a world crowded with competing gods, political powers, and human promises. Israel had experienced defeat and exile, while Babylon appeared invincible.Continue reading “There Is No Other”
When God Weighs What the World Applauds
The Bible in a Year “Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” — Daniel 5:27 Daniel 5 brings us into a banquet hall filled with wealth, influence, music, and wine. King Belshazzar is entertaining a thousand nobles while Babylon appears secure around them. Yet the celebration becomes an act of openContinue reading “When God Weighs What the World Applauds”