July ⁽⁹⁸⁾

Passage Read: Matthew 5-6 Meditation Verse: 5:7 Thought How do you show mercy? Because I want to be shown mercy. Surely it includes forgiving those who seek forgiveness from you. Mercy doesn't hammer someone who shows repentance and humility, but extends grace and kindness and…

Passage Read: Matthew 3-4 Meditation Verses: 3:7-10 Thought Right out of the gate, John seems pretty hostile to the Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious people. It's as if he recognizes that they have a problem with appearances over substance. They're all about looking right, but…

Passage Read: Matthew 1-2 Meditation Verse: 1:5 Thought Boaz's mother was Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute/innkeeper who hid the Israelite spies and pleaded for her life and the life of her family. Surely she was held in honor by that generation, though it is possible some…

Passage Read: Malachi 1-4 Meditation Verse: 2:17 Thought There is so much in this book about dishonoring the Lord. People and priest treat Him with contempt in so many ways. Behind it all is a lack of fear of Him. In this verse, they say…

Ever feel like you said something in all innocence, and someone else blew it up, all out of proportion? You throw your hands up and ask, "What did I say?" Feels like Jesus' disciples would be having that kind of moment, as Jesus describes some…