Matthew

When my older brother heard the Gospel and believed, he was instantaneously delivered from drug addiction and began praying for my salvation. Due to the fact that my own drug use caused heightened tension with my parents, I decided to run away from home in Miami and return to Philadelphia. The night before I left home my brother called, and I told him of my plan to run away. He again told me that he was praying for me and…

Matthew 2 tells the spectacular story of the wise men who came from the east following a star which would lead them to the King of the Jews. These men were Gentile astrologists who had seen signs in the heavens that made them curious enough to make the long journey to Israel for the singular purpose of worshipping this precious child born to be king. They stopped in Jerusalem to ask those who should have known about this event which…

“A Voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Matt. 3:3). The Old Testament begins with the beautiful account of the creation and then very quickly turns sad as we read that sin entered the world by the 3rd chapter of Genesis. Along with the curse, God also gives us a promise that one day he would break the curse: “…he will crush your head and you will strike his heel”…

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Matthew 4:1-3  How would you respond if someone walked up to you and asked: “Who are you?”. On a surface level, it’s an obvious question having a wide range of meanings and could be answered…

What is the meaning of life? We humans seem to be hard-wired to ask questions like this. What is the best possible kind of life? What is right and wrong? What is the best moral system? For thousands of years, thinking men and women have had these kinds of nagging thoughts, and for good reason: they draw us to something beyond ourselves, and they profoundly affect the way we live our lives. In the fifth chapter of the gospel of…

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Mt. 6.34 In Matthew 6.25-34, Jesus teaches us that it never pays to worry. Instead, we must learn to trust God to meet our every need. It’s true that we all have things in life that can distress us and cause us to be anxious so that we often dwell on our difficulties and troubles. Jesus’ word on…

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”   “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did…

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”                                                                                                                                                                 Romans 13:1-2 I think we can all relate to how it feels to have a loved one severely ill and in need of healing by the chief physician. I think back to when both my daughter…

Sometimes we wait patiently on the Lord. And then, sometimes we are called to take bold action, to move forward in our faith, to have courageous confidence in Jesus’ desire to change our situation. It is easy to fall into a pit of passivity, wallowing in the weakness or oppression in which we find ourselves. Matthew chapter nine shows us five instances where people actively bring their problems to Jesus in faith. And, importantly, Jesus was impressed by that faith…

Matthew 10 is a familiar passage for us as we witness Jesus giving instructions to the disciples prior to sending them on a journey to share the Gospel. There is much to be gleaned from this passage, but I will focus on the first implication of the Lord’s instructions. As they evangelize, the Lord desires the disciples to rely on faith and discernment fully. One gift, not commonly discussed, is discernment. Discernment plays a vital role in our daily walk…