Tagged: verse for the day

“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...

“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...

“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,...

“We have become the world’s refuse, the scum of all; that is the present state of affairs.” –1 Corinthians 4:13 When Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be a “sign of contradiction” (Lk 2:34, our transl). This was shockingly exhibited by the fact that Jesus was crucified. Jesus’ followers are also signs of contradiction. We will be persecuted (see Mt 5:11), and some will be martyred. In this way, the world tries to manipulate us into compromising the truth of the Gospel. Therefore, we must be willing to suffer any degree of rejection, insult, or...