Tagged: Bible Reading & Meditation
“You say, ‘Had we lived in our forefathers’ time we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ ” —Matthew 23:30 The “religious” people of Jesus’ time insisted that they would not have committed the sins of their ancestors. We likewise don’t believe we would ever again perpetrate the racism and slavery of our forefathers. We can’t imagine ourselves staffing concentration camps and bombing civilian populations. We think we would never treat women like animals. Jesus told the people of His time that they were in what psychologists call “denial.” Jesus says the same thing to us. We...
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“Fresh from the humiliation we had suffered at Philippi — about which you know — we drew courage from our God to preach His good tidings to you in the face of great opposition.” —1 Thessalonians 2:2 When we’ve just been humiliated, we tend to focus on ourselves, be unforgiving and resentful, lick our wounds, and/or have a pity party. However, such a time of humiliation can be just the right time to proclaim the Gospel. The humiliation we suffered may have been a defensive maneuver by the devil to try to stop us from receiving an exceptional outpouring of...
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“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you frauds!” —Matthew 23:13, 15 Jesus called the religious leaders of His day “frauds,” “blind guides” (Mt 23:16), and “blind fools” (Mt 23:17), among other things. Jesus did not say these things in sinful anger. He was simply being forthright in correcting the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus continues to deal forthrightly with religious leaders. He knows they must render an account to Him for the people they are responsible to lead (Heb 13:17). They need our help desperately. We give thanks for our religious leaders. It takes courage to turn their life over to...
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“Someone asked Him, ‘Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?’ ” —Luke 13:23 To be saved, we must confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord (Rm 10:9). However, we human beings have trouble saying “Yes” when we mean “Yes” and “No” when we mean “No” (Mt 5:37). We have trouble telling the truth because we speak from our hearts’ abundance (Lk 6:45) and our hearts are twisted and deceitful (Jer 17:9). We must find a way to straighten out our twisted hearts so we can truly acknowledge Jesus as Lord. The Lord has given His...
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“Philip sought out Nathanael…” —John 1:45 In the world of social media, the word “friend” has taken on a nebulous meaning. St. Philip shows the power of a true friend. Jesus calls Philip to follow Him (Jn 1:43). The first thing Philip does is seek out his good friend Nathanael (also called Bartholomew) (Jn 1:45). Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus, ignores his friend’s sarcastic response, and invites Nathanael to come and see for himself (Jn 1:45-46). Then Philip gets out of the way and allows Jesus to take over (see Jn 3:30). Nathanael’s friendship with Philip overcame any of his...
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