Are you a forgiving person? How does a person become forgiving? Here’s one key. Jesus told his disciples, “The one who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47). There’s something about being...
There is no place where we reflect more of Jesus than when we forgive others.
The Lord’s Prayer is only seven verses long. You can pray it in less than a minute, but in that brief time, Jesus teaches us twice to pray to receive and also to...
There are multiple ways to translate the word debts in the Lord’s Prayer, so we’ve devoted three reflections to that word. First, we considered sin which means not being in the place we...
What changes might you consider making to shift from selfish ambition to one of stewardship?
As a wide-eyed 20-year-old new believer, I was ready to conquer the world. I was also a young woman on the verge of becoming a young professional.
Jesus teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” because life is a fundamentally physical experience. Then Jesus teaches...
I once learned that when writing it can be helpful to put the subject in the middle of a circle and then use your imagination to walk around the subject, viewing it from...
The second half of the Lord’s Prayer shifts from aspects of the spiritual life to physical and...
When Jesus speaks of God’s will being done both on earth and in heaven, it makes me wonder what heaven will be like. It is certainly true that for all its beauty, this...
So far Jesus’ teaching on prayer has taken the form of a warning about two things, audience and length. Having told us how not to pray, now Jesus tells how to pray. ...
Once again Jesus teaches us to think of and address God as “Our Father.” The significance of this cannot be overstated. The power at the center of the universe, the brilliant mind behind...
Jesus’ world was jam-packed with gods. Remember the Greek gods? They stretched from A to Z, from Aphrodite to Zeus.
Jesus warned that hypocrites pray before people, but his disciples were to pray to God. Specifically he said, “Pray to your Father...
In Jesus’ day there was no government funded welfare or Medicare system. Needy people were on their own and at the mercy of those with the means to help. Hebrew society was known...
Help us grow in self-awareness, not merely for the sake of controlling our own behavior but to show your unconditional love to...
What does Jesus mean when he refers to “practicing your piety”?
Once again Jesus pushes the reset button on what we understand the good life to be. His formula, “You have heard it said … but I say to you,” makes it clear that...
In writing these daily reflections, I am very fortunate to work with an excellent editor.
Show no pity! That was the prevailing worldview in Jesus’ day. For nearly fifteen hundred years, the rule had been, “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand...
