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Keeping It Simple
In Matthew 5:37, Jesus says, “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ’No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.”
We seem to have a difficult time standing for our beliefs as a nation. Most people aren’t even sure what their country let alone themselves believe anymore. People like to flip flop their position on certain topics to gain the approval of the public and to be politically correct. As we have seen in the last elections, you never really know what anybody’s stance is on anything. Yet, these are the people we passionately put our faith in to run the country we pay taxes in. More >
No More Vows
In Matthew 5:34-36, Jesus says, “But I say to you,make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.”
We have no need to “Swear to God,” make promises, or my favorite, say, “In front of God.” The Law handed down to Moses only did enough to keep society going, but the perfect nature of God goes above and beyond More >
Trust Issues
In Matthew 5:33, Jesus says, “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’”
My sister and I grew up believing and knowing that it was wrong to “Swear to God.” Instead we would make promises to each other that we were telling the truth and when it was REALLY serious, use the tag line, “In front of God.” That made a world of difference for us. As humans, we have so little faith and trust in each other that we need a second level of confirmation. In court, people have to More >
What Matters Most
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.”
Many people miss the true heart of God because they are blinded by themselves and modern day society. They think that giving money, going to church, and saying, “Praise the Lord” every other sentence is what God truly desires for our lives. However, throughout the Bible, God’s heart is dedicated to justice, mercy, and faith. Now, I’ve seen over the past few days Christians protesting justice More >
What Matters Most
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.”
Many people miss the true heart of God because they are blinded by themselves and modern day society. They think that giving money, going to church, and saying, “Praise the Lord” every other sentence is what God truly desires for our lives. However, throughout the Bible, God’s heart is dedicated to justice, mercy, and faith. Now, I’ve seen over the past few days Christians protesting justice More >
Man’s Weak Vows
In Matthew 23:20-22, Jesus continues on the Pharisees, “Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.”
A lot of people like to make promises, take vows, and “swear to God” that they will do or not do something. I’m always hesitant when someone has to swear to God. It leads me to believe they are unreliable. I vowed to God about More >
A Recipe for Disaster!
In Matthew 5:31-32, Jesus says, “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
50% of first time marriages, 67% of second time marriages, and 74% of third time marriages end in divorce in the United States. In around the 1940s, the United States was around its highest rate of marriage of around 450,000 people. Also, married people were close to the lowest levels of divorce. About 63,000 at a More >
Hate Sin? Trust Jesus!
In Matthew 5:29-30, Jesus says, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Does God hate sin? Based on the words of Jesus, it is pretty evident how much God hates sin. The better question to ask is ‘Do More >
The Greatest Gift Giver
In Matthew 23:19, Jesus continues on the Pharisees, “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?”
Which is more important to us? When we receive a gift from a person, is it the gift which is more important or the person who gives us the gift? We can easily get caught up in materialism and the accumulation of “stuff” that we totally miss what is really important. Look around your house. How many things have you bought that you actually use on a regular basis? Unfortunately for me, the answer is very little. If we More >
Intolerant to Evil
In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Christians are so intolerant! That is the current outcry of many liberal and secular people. However, if we look deeply, we are only considered intolerant towards the things they disagree with us on. They don’t practice their tolerance towards all the areas of their lives. God has specifically detailed to society what is wrong. Some people rebel against those things. Jesus More >
