Have you heard about the power of childlike faith? Have you ever faced a prayer need and wished you possessed the seemingly magical power of the faith of a child? Jesus said to come to God like a little child (Luke 18:17) and many can share testimonies of the amazing ways God has answered theContinue reading “AGENCY: Adult-Like Faith. Matthew 8:5-10.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
More Blessed than Mary. Luke 11:28
Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees that their ancestors loved Solomon, “but one greater than Solomon is here,” and the people of Nineveh listened to Jonah, “but one greater than Jonah is here.” Is that bragging? No. He is speaking the truth in love. They needed to hear the truth from Him directly. Then aContinue reading “More Blessed than Mary. Luke 11:28”
Your Mouth is Number One! Proverbs 18:24.
The reason we should eat healthy is because food is the number one way you interact with the environment. Forget air pollution or germs or sunburns or floods or poison. The biggest impact on your health is what you SWALLOW. In the same way, we must control our words, because our words are the numberContinue reading “Your Mouth is Number One! Proverbs 18:24.”
PRAY HARD! Luke 11:5-10.
Have you persisted in prayer? Have you? Have you really, really prayed hard? Have you prayed for a long time? Have you ever had something on a prayer list that you came back to day-after-day for a long time? Have you prayed consistently, while days turned to weeks and weeks to months and months toContinue reading “PRAY HARD! Luke 11:5-10.”
BAD FRUIT/GOOD FRUIT. Matthew 7:16-17.
Some bear only good fruit. With them I am energized and restored, my tank filled, my joy renewed. These are believers who have walked with Jesus for a lifetime. Others are in the middle: their impact may be sweet, but sour notes remain. Finally, there are those who take you to dark places, though everyContinue reading “BAD FRUIT/GOOD FRUIT. Matthew 7:16-17.”
ARE RUINS IN YOUR FUTURE? Matthew 7:24-26.
I just re-read Matthew 5-7, Jesus’s first recorded sermon, commonly called “The Sermon on the Mount.” There is so much in there! It is as if Jesus packed a year’s worth of sermons into three chapters. Imagine the millions of sermons based on these well-known scriptures. He touches on so many topics: worship, fasting, giving,Continue reading “ARE RUINS IN YOUR FUTURE? Matthew 7:24-26.”
Pray for Discernment. Matthew 7:15-17, 20.
One of the toughest challenges of modern life is knowing whom to trust. Whom can you date? Whom can you trust with your secrets? Whom can you hire? Whom can you elect? Which preacher is worthy of your attention? Which reporter or news organization can you trust to give you all sides of complex stories?Continue reading “Pray for Discernment. Matthew 7:15-17, 20.”
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART. Revelation 14:4-5.
Do you hear stories of those who have participated in every sin the world offers, then come to Jesus and seem to share the most exciting testimonies? Do you read about King David who—as if being king were not reward enough—also had 1,000 beautiful wives? (The Bible does not say all 1,000 were beautiful, butContinue reading “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART. Revelation 14:4-5.”
SERMON ON THE MOUNT: Matthew 6 is About the HEART. Matthew 6:33.
Yesterday I wrote that the Beatitudes (the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount) are about the heart. This is a theme of the Son of God’s first and most important sermon: your heart. The Old Testament encouraged God’s people to obey the law. And the words of Jesus are consistent with that. HeContinue reading “SERMON ON THE MOUNT: Matthew 6 is About the HEART. Matthew 6:33.”
SERMON ON THE MOUNT:You Are Worth More Than Many Sparrows. Matthew 5-7.
I try to read the Bible with fresh eyes. It’s hard to read the familiar Sermon on the Mount as though I were hearing it for the first time. But I try. Jesus created images, ideas, and poetry as rich as anything by Shakespeare or MLK. And what a poetic opening! “Blessed are the poorContinue reading “SERMON ON THE MOUNT:You Are Worth More Than Many Sparrows. Matthew 5-7.”
Household Words: 