Category Archives: Lent: Luke Encounters

“Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven butContinue reading “A Lamp on a Stand”

“Do not be deceived.  God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one that sows to please his sinful nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life.”   Paul, Galatians 6:7, 8 God created me – and you – to live with a single,Continue reading “The Parable of the Sower”

“I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.  [The Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  I delight in weaknesses, in insults, inContinue reading “Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman”

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because any one who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:1, 6 Healing becomes the opportunityContinue reading “The Faith of the Centurion”

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  ButContinue reading “The Sermon on the Plain Part V – The Wise and Foolish Builders”

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”   Paul, Galatians 5:22, 23 The spiritual journey is all about uniting our will with God’s will, wanting what he wants, loving what he loves, living a life that in all its aspectsContinue reading “The Sermon on the Plain Part IV – A Tree and Its Fruit”

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  Brothers do not slander one another.  Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it.  When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting on judgment on it.  There is only one Lawgiver andContinue reading “The Sermon on the Plain Part III – Judging Others”

“God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.  There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, becauseContinue reading “The Sermon on the Plain Part II – Love For Enemies”

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.  For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. Continue reading “The Sermon on the Plain Part 1 – Blessings and Woes”

“I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”   Jesus, John 15:5 Jesus, it must be remembered, restricted nine-tenths of his ministry to twelve Jews because it was the only way to redeem allContinue reading “Jesus Designates the Apostles”