Hebrews 13:1-2 “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” People are looking for genuine love in a world that doesn’t know how to give them that. The world we live in teaches us that we should focus on our own happiness, on our own favor, and on our own fame. This leads to a disingenuous love that never has the ability or power
Matthew 18:23-35 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have
Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Many times when we’re asked to do something difficult or something we don’t want to do, our first response is to find out the bare minimum required in order to still be
Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” What is the biblical definition of an enemy? In this text, an “enemy” is someone openly hostile, animated by deep-seated hatred. It implies irreconcilable hostility, proceeding out of a personal hatred, bent on inflicting harm.* Wow! An enemy is not just someone you dislike. It is someone who despises your very breath. Many times, followers of Christ let
2 Samuel 9:1-13 “And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul,
This week we have been following the rise of young David from shepherd to the anointed future king of Israel. 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and 1 Chronicles give us the account of David’s life. But we also see a part of David that these narratives don’t fully catch – through his own writings, the Psalms. 73 of the 150 psalms are attributed to David and his transparent and personal poetry reveals times of pain, times
