The familiar verse “the righteous will live by his faith” is quoted multiple times in the New Testament to remind us of God’s grace through faith. But, it’s point doesn’t stop there — it also assures us of God’s faithfulness in times of trouble.
What does wisdom really look like? Do we really know as much as we think we do? As we begin a series on Agur’s wise words in Prov. 30, we consider how he challenges our view of wisdom.
We’ve all stepped into a conflict hoping to bring peace and walked out having made things worse—turns out we didn’t understand the system as well as we thought. Jesus calls the peacemakers blessed in Matthew 5:9, promising they shall be called sons of God, so the question worth sitting with is: what kind of peace does He actually have in mind?
What are our motives as we “protect” things we care about? Is it to do what is right or to watch out for our own interests?
We’re good at looking pure—saying the right things, following the right rules, putting on the kind of life that earns approving nods—and that’s precisely the trap Jesus names in Matthew 5:8 when he calls the pure in heart blessed, not the pure in appearance.
Uncertain times are a perfect time to turn to our latest Psalms — 64, 65 and 66 — which remind us of a God who is righteous, in control and faithful.
As we move to the New Testament, we look at the story of Felix. He invites conversation with Paul, yet with significant barriers he erects. How do we do the same?
Blessed are the merciful—it sounds really good when we are the ones receiving mercy. That call suddenly sounds a lot worse when we’re the ones called to show mercy. Jesus calls us to that mercy, against our natural inclination for payback.
Where do we place our hope? How do we think of those who would seem to have the upper hand as they do things displeasing to God? Let’s turn with Pastor Tim to the next three Psalms, Ps. 61-63, to find out!
This week, we turn to Hezekiah’s son Manasseh and the implications of generations of sin. How does our own sin affect us, those around us and those who come after us?