Tagged: Daily Reflection

“This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” –John 15:12 Jesus commands us not only to love one another but to love as He has loved us! That means that we are to lay down our lives for our friends (Jn 15:13) and even for our enemies (Rm 5:8, 10). In this way, we will be recognizable as Jesus’ disciples, because no one except Jesus loves his enemies by dying for them (Lk 5:27ff). How are we, with all our selfishness, to love so divinely? The Holy Spirit will purify us by obedience to the truth...

“We ought not to cause God’s Gentile converts any difficulties.” –Acts 15:19 The leaders of the early Church discerned that the Holy Spirit was not requiring Gentile Christians to observe the Mosaic law except for abstaining “from anything contaminated by idols, from illicit sexual union, from the meat of strangled animals, and from eating blood” (Acts 15:20). We have no Biblical record of the Gentile Christians having any problems with abstaining “from the meat of strangled animals and from eating blood.” However, some Gentile Christians had serious problems in obeying the first two commands. Paul warned the Corinthian Christians that...

“He prunes away every barren branch, but the fruitful ones He trims clean to increase their yield.” –John 15:2 A glance at Scripture paints a picture of the Lord as a rather inconsistent Farmer. First, He goes crazy with the pruning shears, snipping off everything in sight, both fruitful and barren branches (Jn 15:2). In the next scene, the Lord cuts nothing at all. He refuses to cut weeds which threaten the fruitfulness of the adjoining wheat (Mt 13:30). Then the Lord allows an unproductive fig tree to go yet another year without fruit, so that it can have one...

“They gave their disciples reassurances, and encouraged them to persevere in the faith.” –Acts 14:22 After being beaten unconscious, dragged out of the town of Lystra, and left for dead, St. Paul regained consciousness and went back into Lystra (Acts 14:19-20). Paul was fearless, unstoppable, and persevering. After leaving Lystra, he soon returned to reassure the disciples and encourage “them to persevere in the faith” (Acts 14:22). Paul had credibility when he talked about perseverance. He had cuts, wounds, and bruises, which were the price of perseverance. Paul proclaimed: “I put no value on my life if only I can...

“Lord, why is it that You will reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” –John 14:22 Jesus had told His disciples the world would not accept His revelation (Jn 14:17), but He would reveal Himself to His disciples (Jn 14:21). His disciple Jude asked Jesus why He would reveal Himself to the disciples, but not to the world (Jn 14:22). This is a good question that is addressed throughout the entire Bible. Jesus does reveal Himself to the world, but it doesn’t fully listen to Him. Many listen to Jesus without hearing, and look without seeing (Mt 13:14-15)....