Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“Then who can be saved?” –Mark 10:26 We should rejoice when we “suffer the distress of many trials” (1 Pt 1:6), if these trials will help us achieve “faith’s goal, [our] salvation” (1 Pt 1:9). We should be quite willing to sell everything we have and give the proceeds to the poor (Mk 10:21), if this is the way the Lord wants us to work out our salvation (Phil 2:12). We should even be willing to die at a young age “lest wickedness pervert” our minds “or deceit beguile” our souls (Wis 4:11). We have only one goal in life:...

“All that the Father has belongs to Me (Jesus). That is why I said that what He (the Holy Spirit) will announce to you He will have from Me.” –John 16:15 God is one. He is uniquely one, for He is three Persons in one God. God is Trinity. He is Family and Community. God is a community of eternal begetting and “begottenness.” The Father has been begetting and is always begetting the Son. Therefore, the Son is uniquely begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the eternal Fruit of this love of the Father and the Son. God is a...

“They in turn are to pray over him.” –James 5:14 The Christians addressed by James were divided and lukewarm. They needed help desperately. After dealing with an array of problems, the author came to the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to pray. He reiterates: “If anyone among you is suffering hardship, he must pray” (Jas 5:13). “This prayer uttered in faith will reclaim the one who is ill” (Jas 5:15). “Pray for one another, that you may find healing. The fervent petition of a holy man is powerful indeed. Elijah was only a man like us,...

“They are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore let no man separate what God has joined.” –Mark 10:8-9 The name Jesus means: “Yahweh saves.” We need Jesus to save us not only from sin and death but also from the impossible dilemmas of marriage. For example, human beings are social and sexual. Therefore, we want to be with others and are attracted to have sexual relations with some of these people. Human beings also want to be loved deeply and forever. We do not want to be used, “dumped,” and rejected. Therefore, we are made to seek a permanent...

“Like sheep they are herded into the nether world.” –Psalm 49:15 Years ago, preachers and people in general talked about hell frequently. Today, although the word “hell” is repeatedly mentioned by those using profanity, hell is denied by many people, even Christians, or it is greatly de-emphasized. How much “hell” should we give people, that is, how often should we seriously mention hell at church and other places? This question is difficult to answer. A possible rule of thumb is to mention hell as often as Jesus does in the Gospels. Jesus wasn’t always talking about hell. His favorite subjects...