Matthew 10.37 warns, whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
This is one of God’s requirements we read about and dismiss quickly. It’s easily understood but hard to comprehend it’s application. Two thousand and more years ago, parents proved their love for a god more than their children by sacrificing their children to the god. A deplorable practice the one true God never required and always forbid from His people. (more…)
Matthew 6.8 observes, your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. So why pray?
Knowing everything is an integral character quality for being God. Since God knows everything why should I pray? The God-Man, Jesus the Savior, makes this observation. So why pray?
We really can’t help but pray. We will pray. Everyone prays. We don’t have to live long on this earth before realizing we need someone greater than ourselves to be in control and to gain control of this world. In our darkest hours all people pray. (more…)
Matthew 3.8 commands. produce fruit that proves your repentance.
To the religious, to those who think they are approved by God, to those who know they are ‘right’ theologically; God says, ‘produce fruit that proves your repentance.’ This command is offensive because we like to be measured on our knowledge and intentions rather than the result of our actions.
Indeed, this command was offensive to the religious leaders who first heard it. (more…)
Revelation 22.19 records, if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take
away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
If there really is a God doesn’t it make sense that He gets to make the rules for how we should live? This is important if our concept of God includes a day of accountability before this God. This accountability would seem to be a review of our life’s deeds compared to the rules or commands this God made for people to follow. (more…)
Isaiah 48.15 I have spoken – yes, I have summoned him; I lead him and he will succeed.
Everyone wants to be successful. It comes from our being created in the image of God, Who described His pleasure in making the universe and all it contains as being very good. After every thing God made He would step back and say to Himself, ‘that is good.’ When He made humanity He was even more pleased, stating, ‘this is very good.’ (more…)
Deuteronomy 18.18 promises, I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I 
command.
This promise has already been literally fulfilled. It is one of more than 300 promises Jesus fulfilled making Him the unequivocal option for Messiah the Jews have always longed for. However, what this promise communicates and what Jesus communicated, is that God is committed to using people for marketing His Personal reality and His ultimate destiny for humanity. (more…)
John 20.21 observes, just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. Jesus' first appearance to the disciples has Him restating His purpose for not taking them with…
Deuteronomy 10.12 declares, what does the LORD your God require of you except to revere Him, to obey all His commandments, to love Him, to serve Him with all your mind and being.
Repeatedly the Bible makes clear what we must do if we are to pass successfully the judgement to come. So many assume they will argue with God about His standards upon meeting Him face to face in order to justify their behavior while they lived upon the earth. How ludicrous. God holds all of the cards. Why should He change His standards upon meeting us? (more…)
John 14.9 records, the person who has seen Me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the
Father’?
Jesus is the only ‘prophet’ Who claimed to be God. It was this claim that made Him so hard to believe in by those who lived with Him during His three years of ministry. All of us would no doubt similarly struggle were a friend we had known for 30 years suddenly leave his skilled trade to enter ministry claiming to be God. It really wasn’t until His resurrection from the dead that the disciples finally ‘believed.’ (more…)
