Most of us know the story of the Prodigal Son. I think there were two parts to the story, Jesus had two lessons in mind. First, God loves us all like sons and daughters. And, no matter what we have done in life, He still loves us and wants us to come back to Him. As it says in 2 Peter 3:9, He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Second, we should not be jealous of others and we need to be humble and not self-righteous, because we all fall short. As Paul says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Continue reading “We Are All Prodigals”Knowing and Discerning
Jesus often talked about discerning the truth. We should not follow someone blindly, but be sure that what others teach is the truth. He reminds us that there are many false teachers out there. He also reminds us that we should have enough knowledge and wisdom to know if a teaching is true or not. If you are a part of a church, find out what their beliefs and teachings are. Does it follow the word of God? Do they teach from scripture? If not, find another one. Do they compromise what the Bible says to fit in with the world? If so, find another church. Jesus chastises the leaders of His day that they can discern the simple things but they do not see the truth that He is who He is. We need to be discerning and know what we believe. John says to not follow the world, but to follow Christ.
Continue reading “Knowing and Discerning”Being a Good Samaritan
One of the most popular parables in the Bible is the Good Samaritan. What is Jesus trying to teach us? What does it mean to love your neighbor? Who is your neighbor? As Jesus often does, He takes it a step farther. This is not about salvation. Doing good deeds to your fellow man or woman does not save you. But it is the right thing to do. It is what a saved person would do. And as we discussed in the previous post, there are no excuses.
Continue reading “Being a Good Samaritan”Come to Dinner
Jesus told a few different parables about someone inviting his friends to dinner. One was about those you would expect to go, but they made excuses, so others are invited. One was about a person’s pride who finds the best seats in the house until being humbled. One is about people making light of the wedding and even some being hostile towards those inviting them, and not being prepared for the wedding. So what is Jesus talking about in these three parables? Let’s discuss them.
Continue reading “Come to Dinner”Sin is More Than a Mistake
We all make mistakes. We all sin. Are they the same? No! Should we dwell on either one of them? No! We have hope. I once heard someone say God forgives our mistakes. No! Jesus paid for our sins. He saved us from our evil (sinful) nature, from what is in our hearts. If we accept that gift, we are saved from sin, we will receive God’s grace. Unfortunately, we have to live with our mistakes, but we can also learn from them. But sin is much more serious. Sin leads to death. Without the blood that Christ shed for us, we are doomed for hell. But, when we trust in Jesus, we have an inheritance in heaven. No matter what we have done in the past, He will forgive us.
Continue reading “Sin is More Than a Mistake”
My Daily Scriptures 