“He that spareth his rod hateth his son; But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” (Proverbs 13:24) Dear Friends – I love the poetic wording of this quote from an earlier edition of Proverbs because of the richness in sound and meaning. A more current, common rendering would be, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” The curtness of that rendition gets the message across superficially, but our immediate …
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: ‘NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU, NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU.’ So we say with confidence: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’” (Hebrews 13:5-6) Dear Friends – God’s words are concise and always trustworthy, so when He says, NEVER, He means exactly that! Just because things are …
“A person will reap only what he sows. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8) Dear Friends – Experiencing consequences for one’s actions has fallen by the wayside in a secular materialistic world, but never so in God’s world. The very ones who need to …
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? You are the light of the world. Your light must shine before people in such away that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 13:14,16) Dear Friends – Jesus sent His disciples out with the above words to fortify their endeavors, …
“If this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39) Dear Friends – The immense zeal of the Apostles couldn’t be contained after Christ’s resurrection, for they were inflamed by the Holy Spirit to announce the Good News to the whole world, …
“Ah! sinful nation, people laden with wickedness, evil race, corrupt children! They have forsaken the Lord, spurned the Holy One. Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:4, 16-18) Dear Friends – Amazing, that those …
“If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4) Dear Friends ~ Pointing out one’s sins to another is not an easy thing to do… in fact, it is one of the hardest things you will ever do because the consequences …
“The winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come…” (Song of Solomon 2:11-12) Dear Friends – Such joy arrives with the first vestiges of spring; the buds are bursting on the barren branches ready to explode under growing warmth, while the daffodils also eager to bloom, push their green stems onward and upward. Oh, what delight it …