Matthew 7 Matthew 7:1 is one of the most misused verses in the Bible. From the NIV- 1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Too often we use this verse as a defense against someone confronting us about one of our sins or something we are doing w...

Matthew 6 Where do you find comfort and security? Your job Your savings Shopping Food Circumstances A politician The problem with most of the places we turn to find comfort and security is that there's nothing secure about them. The last 10 years have made it perfectly clear how uncertain the job market, our investments, and the political climate are. Food an...

Matthew 5 Matthew chapter 5 begins Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. I believe that it is, hands down, the best sermon ever preached! Of course, when God Himself is preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit and ever word He speaks is Scripture, can there be any competition? John Stott referred to the Sermon on the Mount as, "The nearest thing to a manifesto that Jesus ever utt...

Matthew 4 A lot happens in Matthew chapter 4, but I am going to focus in on The Temptation of Jesus at the very beginning of the chapter. Even in these first few verses there are a ton of application points! In verses 1-11 Satan is tempting Jesus to try and throw off God's plan of redemption. He is trying to get Jesus to fall into sin, in order to disqualify him as the...

Matthew 3 There are so many things in Matthew 3 that had me thinking and truly wanting to dig into and focus on this one chapter â€" which is something that I don’t know if I have ever done before myself. And within this story of Jesus’ baptism, I found more than just one story… The image we receive of John the Baptist is that of a true man of God:...

Matthew 2 Over my life time there has been a significant change in who is a hero, a star and role model. When I was a boy I dreamed of being a soldier or a sports star. I wanted to be like Mickey Mantle and play baseball in the majors. Those were the days of Mickey Mantle before he was outed as an alcoholic. But in the sixties news traveled as fast as your daily paper cou...

Matthew 1 If you've spent much time reader either the Old Testament or the gospels, you've noticed there is a tendency for the writers to make long lists of names. The Old Testament is so committed to making long lists of names that there's actually an entire bookdedicated to this task, Numbers. So why were the Bible writers so dedicated to genealogies? The Genealogies P...

James 5 One of the things I really love about the book of James is that it doesn't end. By that I mean that James is sharing hard truth and calling for clear application until his very last word. James has a lot to say and packs it into five brief chapters. For me, the most moving part of chapter 5 is when James describes the return of his big brother. In words that so...

James 4 James 4 is set in the context of James' broader discussion of our speech and, more broadly, our demeanor: James 3 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. ...

James 3 God has an amazing sense of humor. Why? I get to blog on James 3 "Taming of the tongue". There should be no question that God is at work in our quiet times and even in this blogging. As everyone who knows me more than as a simple acquaintance can attest to, I struggle with this greatly. I am quick to speak and can say things that I should have filtered. I can u...