Proverbs 24:16 Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. The big question is not whether we experience problems, but what we do when they happen. The writer is clear that the person who k...
Proverbs 23:29-30 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. The abuse of alcohol is clearly not a new proble...
Proverbs 23:17-18 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. The writer of Proverbs tells us here that we shouldn’t envy sinners. T...
Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!” I love the book of Proverbs. There is so much blunt truth, and here the writer laughs his socks off at the sluggard or lazy person who has always got...
Proverbs 22:3 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. This proverb, like so many of them, is just sheer good sense. It’s the kind of statement that could easily be turned into a fridge magnet! At one...
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let yo...
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” I have often heard people say that they are happ...
Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The life to which Jesus calls us is one of blessing. This is life at its very best. But Jesus never tried to disguise the fact that H...
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. In this beatitude, Jesus isn’t talking about being peace-lovers but peacemakers, and that’s something very different. A peace-lover will often do anything to avoid...
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. If you have any gold or silver, you will know that it is vital for the metal to be free from all impurity. If it is even slightly impure it will be worth only a fraction of the val...
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Jesus told many stories that make us sit up. One of the most powerful was the story of the king who was owed millions of pounds by one of his servants (Matthew 18:21-35). The man...
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. I wonder when you last felt painfully hungry or thirsty. I suspect for most of us that if it has ever happened, it is a distant memory. However, it is...
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Meekness and humility lie at the heart of the kingdom of God. As previously mentioned, Jesus once told His disciples that the only way to enter the kingdom was to become as humbl...
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. The word used for ‘mourn’ here is also used in the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, to describe Jacob’s grief when he was led to believe that Joseph, his trea...
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Today’s verse is the first of the so-called beatitudes. Before we launch into it, we need to be clear what Jesus meant by the kingdom of heaven, because it’s an expr...
