Application of God's Word

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[ g ] and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,[ h ] 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren[ i ] only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors[ j ] do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 Oh how easy it is to love those who love you and hate those who hate you. It just seems logical don't it? But Jesus didn't come to preach what was logical or the "in" thing to do. In fact he made reference to what we have been conditioned to think and r...

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[ f ] 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." What would compel someone to do the exact opposite of what is expected of them? Can you imagine even doing something like what Jesus is asking us to do? It seems outrageous, doesn’t it? Well, it's not outrageous, it’s Christ-like. Jesus looks at what the past culture was, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Then He says to go beyond our vengeful nature and tap into our loving nature. If we are truly in the realm of love, everything we do would be out of love. Love would be dripping from our very pores. We would not even consider repa...

Life keeps moving forward, even when you are having a bad day or when things do not go as planned. It doesn't stop to give you a moment to gather yourself, the clock keeps ticking.   The only true refuge is God, our source of strength, wisdom, love and so much more. When you feel exhausted and overwhelmed in every area of your life, it is a sign to pause and draw closer to God. Retreat into His presence and remain there, for He can carry you through the toughest days and turn the good ones into something extraordinary.  In this life... Every day is a blessing Every new person you meet is a meeting with God's creation Every conversation is honored  Every smile is heartwarming Every hug is a delight Every kiss is adored Every kind word or word of encouragement is a manifestation of love Every tear is cleansing Every frustration is a test Every trial is strengthening Every prayer is bonding time between Father and His child I'm only here for ...

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. - Matthew 5:31-37 Heaven is God's throne and the Earth His footstool, Jesus reiterated this as it was written in Isaiah 66:1 . Can we truly understand the magnitude of that concept? Can we even imagine what that means? If we can, the mere thought of swearing by heaven or earth wouldn't even

Right after speaking about Adultery, Jesus' next topic, surprisingly, deals with marriage and this is what he has to say in his sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:31-32 : 31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. I can't think of marriage without thinking about my parents. They didn't believe in divorce, for better or worse they stuck it out even when they said they would leave, they stayed together. As children, my brothers, sister, and I growing up, we got to see what a real marriage

Can you truly commit adultery in your heart? Well, Jesus said you can and if He said it - it's the truth. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues to reveal to us the sins of the heart and how those sins have eternal consequences. Let's continue our bible study on Matthew 5:27-30 . 27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old,[ c ] ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[ d ] 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Firstly Jesus looked at "Do not commit murder." Now he refers to another commandment, "You sh...

Matthew 5: 21-26 continues Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a pure heart. 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,[ a ] and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause[ b ] shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get ou...