Tagged: Bible Study

“As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you; your holiness forbids this.” –Ephesians 5:3 As long as they don’t commit adultery or fornication, many people feel they have done all right. Yet the Bible tells us to be pure as Jesus is pure (1 Jn 3:3), not even to look lustfully (Mt 5:28) or mention sexual impurity. So much for dirty jokes and the vast majority of TV programs and commercials. The Lord considers our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit. He’s the Owner of our bodies, including our...

” ‘Rabboni,’ the blind man said, ‘I want to see.’ Jesus said in reply, ‘Be on your way! Your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and started to follow Him up the road.” –Mark 10:51-52 To live God’s Word (see Jas 1:22), we must pray God’s Word. I invite you to pray a novena to be free from spiritual blindness. For nine days, pray: “I want to see” (Mk 10:51). Most Christians believe that other people, including their spouses, family members, neighbors, and fellow workers, need to see much better spiritually. The sin, injustice, abortion, racism, and...

“Be children no longer.” –Ephesians 4:14 We Christians are called to be child-like, not childish (1 Cor 14:20). Being childish means being “tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine that originates in human trickery and skill in proposing error” (Eph 4:14). It means being manipulated and enslaved. The way to freedom from childishness is to profess the truth in love (Eph 4:15). The truth will set us free (Jn 8:32) and have us “grow to the full maturity of Christ the Head” (Eph 4:15). We grow up and grow out of childishness by obeying apostles, prophets,...

“May He strengthen you inwardly through the working of His Spirit.” –Ephesians 3:16 When the Holy Spirit came to us in Baptism, Confirmation, and other occasions, we received power (Acts 1:8). In fact, we were clothed from head to toe with power from on high (Lk 24:49). We can move mountains with only a tiny use of our power (Mt 17:20). There is nothing impossible for us in the power of Jesus (Mt 17:20). A problem for Christians is not that we need more power but that we need to open the eyes of our hearts to know “the immeasurable...

“When much has been given a man, much will be required of him. More will be asked of a man to whom more has been entrusted.” –Luke 12:48 Jesus makes it very clear in today’s Gospel reading that He expects His disciples to continue to bear ever-increasing fruit. “This sort of talk is hard to endure!” (Jn 6:60) Do we, as His disciples, find this divine expectation of “more” and “much” (Lk 12:48) to be “too much” for us? (Mk 6:3) “Does it shake your faith?” (Jn 6:61) Or does Jesus’ challenge prompt you to embrace His expectation of you,...