Category: Daily Reflections
“Love your enemies.” –Luke 6:27 Jesus commanded His followers: “To you who hear Me, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Lk 6:27). A few verses later, Jesus repeated: “Love your enemy and do good” (Lk 6:35). This may be the use of the literary device called an inclusion. Ancient texts had no paragraphs. An inclusion is one way the author could indicate when the treatment of a subject begins and ends. The use of an inclusion greatly affects the interpretation of these verses. Jesus may be commanding us to show our love to our...
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“The world as we know it is passing away.” –1 Corinthians 7:31 The Israelites in the desert preferred the food of slavery rather than the food of freedom (Nm 11:5). It was apparently easier for God to get the Israelites physically out of Egypt than it was to get Egypt out of Israel, that is to detach the Israelites from their attachment to the benefits and foods they had while they were slaves in Egypt. Is anything holding you bound so that you cannot follow God? Ask Him to break those chains and set you free. Ask Jesus for the...
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“It was of her that Jesus Who is called the Messiah was born.” —Matthew 1:16 We are Christians. We love Jesus. We love everything about Jesus. We love what He loves and treasure what He treasures. We love His mother Mary, His foster-father Joseph, His grandparents, and all His ancestors (Mt 1:1ff). We love all Jesus’ adopted brothers and sisters, because Jesus loves them. Because we are Christians, we are born again, “begotten from above” (Jn 3:3). We received a new birth through the waters of baptism (Ti 3:5). We are “born of the Spirit” (see Jn 3:8). We’ve been...
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“If your brother should sin against you, go and point out his sin.” —Matthew 18:15, our translation Jesus prays that His Church would be one as He and His Father are one (Jn 17:21). Jesus has exceptionally high standards for unity in His Church so that the world would believe that the Father sent Jesus (Jn 17:21). This may come as a surprise to us, for our experience in our local churches may be that of denominational and factional disunity. Yet Jesus never changes His standards. He insists on His Church reflecting the unity of the Trinity. To prevent disunity,...
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“If your brother should sin against you, go and point out his sin.” –Matthew 18:15, our translation Jesus prays that His Church would be one as He and His Father are one (Jn 17:21). Jesus has exceptionally high standards for unity in His Church so that the world would believe that the Father sent Jesus (Jn 17:21). This may come as a surprise to us, for our experience in our local churches may be that of denominational and factional disunity. Yet Jesus never changes His standards. He insists on His Church reflecting the unity of the Trinity. To prevent disunity,...
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