“Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman?’” (Luke 7:44) A Pharisee named Simon had invited Jesus to dinner. Not long after Jesus had sat down, “a woman in the city, who was a sinner” (7:37) began to bathe His feet with her tears. Although Simon was interested …
Tag: trust
Belonging to the Lord Jesus
“‘In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.’ Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.’” …
Entering the Kingdom of God
Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell…” (Mark 9:43) Jesus says these bracing and brutal words because He wants nothing to get in the way of our entering the Kingdom of …
Jesus is at Our Side
“If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post, for calmness will undo great offenses.” (Ecclesiastes 10:4) Today’s scripture can directly apply to our lives. In the first line, instead of reading “ruler,” substitute the important people in your life. So, if your spouse or kids or boss or employees …
Godly Grief Leads to Life
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.” (2 Cor. 7:10) I’ve made many mistakes. Some of my mistakes were fairly harmless, but some led to huge losses. Some were just dumb, but some were willful. Some caused great pain to others, and …
The Realness of Our Faith
“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” (James 2:15-16) I was visiting with a group who had come to …
Our Surrender and Empowerment
Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.’ (Jn. 5:19) Given that Jesus was the freest person who ever lived, it may seem strange to hear Him say …
The Uniqueness of Jesus
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” (John 6:35) In some circles, it can be offensive to say that Jesus is unique. Some people are inclined to say, “There are many paths to God, and …
Faith In Jesus
“They said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’” (John 6:28-29) The crowd wanted to know what “works” they needed to do to get right with God. Instead of giving them …
Receiving the Grace of Jesus
“Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:3) The Christian life is about giving our time, support, service, and love. Many pieces of scripture encourage us to give. Even though all …