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Key Verse: 1 Peter 5:6,7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Peter concludes this letter with some words for the church leaders (the elders). He encourages them to focus on pastoring and to […]

Matthew 5 The Peacemakers v. 9 In Israel the standard “Hello” is “Shalom”. The standard “Goodbye” is “Shalom”. “Shalom” also means “Peace”. Ironically, “peace” is not the standard state of the atmosphere in Israel, or anywhere else in the Middle East for that matter. But “shalom” is the heart’s cry of the world. Imagine the […]

Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:7, 8 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (NIV). The New Testament writers were all conscious of the “end of all things”. They expected the […]

Key Verse: 1 Peter 3:15, 16a “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience…” There’s a difference between being able to “give a defence” and […]

Key Verse: 1 Peter 2:2 “…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby…” A newborn baby is voracious — he lives to eat. His whole world is committed to survival. And his parents (especially his mother!) must align their lives to that infant’s appetite for life. One of […]

Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an in hesitance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in […]

Key Verse: James 5:20 “…Whoever turns a sinner from the error his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (NIV). In the context, the key verse is the continuation of a sentence which begins, “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring […]

Key Verse: James 4:7, 8a “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Years ago the American comedian Flip Wilson used to get lots of laughs when he would look innocently into the camera and explain some fictional bad […]

Matthew 5  The Pure in Heart v.8 – Part 2 Long before Jesus, the Psalms expressed the genius of the pure in heart: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol […]

  Recently my wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We’re a bit in shock. How does this happen? We feel like it’s been around 20 years. 50 means we’re really old no? But the clock won’t be stopped. The only comfort is that we’re all aging, and at the same rate! At a […]

Key Verse: James 3:2 “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” If, indeed, the writer of this letter was Jesus’ half-brother, then it should comfort us to hear him say, “We all stumble in many things”. […]

Key Verse: James 2:18 “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” One of the great statements from the letter of James is, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: […]