The following article is from my dear friend George T. And it contains some very wise advice on the dangers of gossip. You’ll Never Guess What I Heard!                 Acts 21     This saying will likely garner the attention of all but the most disciplined people!  Spoken in many different ways, it is a secret…

Matthew 6:33 (NASB) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. To “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” means to put God first in your life, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey…

The details surrounding death may vary, but the reality is universal. Scenes like Lazarus’s funeral in Bethany are repeated many times around the world each day. A grieving family gathers at a graveside. Friends agonize over what to say. Their helpless silence, downcast eyes, and shuffling feet provide more distraction than comfort. When death is…

On Sunday mornings we are going through Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). This week we will look at Matthew 6:25-34 where Jesus talks about “worry“. A parallel account can be found in Luke 12:22-34. Jesus commands us not to worry. It is good to plan and work responsibly; it is bad to dwell…

Last week we looked at Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:16-18 where he focused on the third of three acts of piety practiced by the Judeans in the first century, fasting (giving, prayer 6:1-15). Jesus’ overall was not fasting but rather motivation behind spiritual acts in general. Jesus was correcting the teaching and practice of Israel’s…

Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV) “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be…

Mark 5:27-28 (NIV) When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” (NKJ) When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only…

Matthew 6:12 (NIV) And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Jesus’ model prayer, often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, now comes to the second of three requests. This plea uses terminology that literally implies debt but is used as a reference to wrongdoings. The forgiveness we’re taught to pray…

In our continuing series on Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7) we have come to jesus’ teaching on prayer (Matthew 6:5-15). Jesus talks about proper motivation when praying publicly and then teaches us how to pray. Though this is often referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer,” this passage is not something Jesus Himself prayed….

The Bible has a lot to say about our motives. A motive is the underlying reason for any action. Proverbs 16:2 says, “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” Because the human heart is very deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), we can easily fool ourselves about our own motives….