I don’t believe Jonah loved the citizens of Nineveh. My interpretation of his story is that he refused to warn them of Yahweh’s announcement of judging them. When he repented and finally went to preach to them, he simply condemned them. When they repented and Yahweh relented, he was annoyed that his prophetic word about their destruction hadn’t come to […]
If I read the Bible in order to learn right from wrong more than I read it to learn Who Jesus is and who He says I am, I am much more likely to develop a ministry of condemnation than one of redemption.
Let your imagination create in your mind the idea that you are sitting in a throne so large that Jesus is sitting in it, too, and yet there is room for more. Imagine that you can look at the face of Jesus and read His expressions of confidence and power as He observes everything that He has created, which is: […]
Moses said to the Lord, “Look, You have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I […]
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. (Ephesians 4:32 Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©) The way God forgave you in Christ was by the payment for sin on the cross of Jesus. That is the way we forgive one another, too. There is no other source of that […]
Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which […]
What characteristics of a believer’s life are common enough or basic enough to be considered “normal?” What is the difference between that definition of normal, and one that would define it based on Christ’s opinion? When does normal equate with average? Paul prayed this over the believers in the congregations of Ephesus: For this reason I bow my knees before […]
If ever you are lonely, draw someone into that cell with you by prayer. Draw them in and pray for them. Spend time seeking the Lord Who loves them regarding what He would have you ask Him for them. Then ask it. If you are still lonely after that fellowship with the Lord and one He loves, invite another in.
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They’ve […]