Matthew 5:10-12SummaryAll the beatitudes call for us to live a certain way, to live like Jesus. And today we find where this living leads us – of course to blessing but perhaps surprisingly to persecu...  Read More

Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Biblical peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is shalom, the wholeness and flourishing of life as God intende...  Read More

Jesus tells us that true happiness is found not in wealth, comfort, recognition, or even the best things this world can offer, but in seeing God. We were made for him, and nothing less can finally sat...  Read More

Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Mercy is not simply something Christians do from time to time; it is something that increasingly defines who we are. Those who hav...  Read More

Matthew 5:6SummaryIn the fourth Beatitude, Jesus declares, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” As we move through the Beatitudes, we see a progres...  Read More

Matthew 5:5SummaryWhen we hear the word meek, we often contrast it with strength. I was recently watching the Wizard of Oz with my children, and after Dorothy and her friends meet the wizard who intro...  Read More

Jesus declares, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Christian mourning is not hopeless misery, nor is it opposed to genuine joy. It is the sorrow of those who see the seriousne...  Read More

Jesus begins the Beatitudes with a surprising declaration: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The world admires strength, confidence, and self-sufficiency, but King...  Read More

This week we begin a new series through the Sermon on the Mount by looking at Jesus’ opening words in the Beatitudes. Before Jesus tells his disciples what to do, he shows them the kind of people they...  Read More

Daniel 6:1-28SummaryThe book of Daniel shows how God’s people ought to live in a pagan culture devoted to the praise of man and man’s achievements. Daniel lived through the transition of power between...  Read More

After all the encouragement, correction, and warning of 1 Corinthians, Paul calls God’s people to action. We are to keep our eyes open to the work of God, the danger of the enemy, and the weakness of ...  Read More

In 1 Corinthians 15:50–58, Paul brings his great chapter on the resurrection to a triumphant conclusion: death is not merely a natural part of life to be accepted, but an enemy Christ has conquered....  Read More