Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12 Being the ultimate wordsmith, Jesus has saved the most significant words until the last. What you are about to read is commonly called the Golden Rule. […]

Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. Matthew 7:6 Our Lord neither extols the virtues of gullibility (there are none), nor does He wink at a lack of discernment. To walk with God in a quiet, […]

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you […]

Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:33–34 Do you really want to live a worry-free life? I mean, are you serious about getting […]

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life— whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. […]

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.” Matthew 6:16 Just as Jesus dealt with giving and praying, He now deals […]

But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 Most of us have three major realms of relationship in which we live: an immediate realm of family, an intermediate realm of friends, and a broad general realm that certainly would include some enemies. Thinking in terms of three […]

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those […]

But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. Matthew 5:32 I am fully aware of the unhappiness in many marriages. Having served in the pastorate for many years and having spent untold hours […]