It is one thing for you to own possessions, but possessions should not own you. When that happens, they’re no longer possessions; they’re idols. We must repent of and fight against a lifestyle of self-indulgence which is contrary to the Gospel. Self-indulgence breeds a hard heart towards God and others. Over the next five weeks… Continue reading A Biblical Perspective of our Possessions: Part 1 (Matthew 6:19-24)
Author: First Baptist Church of Scott City, MO
Fasting that is Pleasing to God (6:16-18)
Cornelius Plantinga once said, “Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude and self-discipline is usually its friend and generator.”1 This is because the more you indulge in something, the more likely you are to take it for granted; but, the more you discipline yourself with something, the more likely you are to appreciate it. This brings… Continue reading Fasting that is Pleasing to God (6:16-18)
New Year’s Resolutions
I usually do not make New Year’s Resolutions. It seemed to me that I would resolve to do good things (lose weight/spend less) only to quickly devolve back into my old habits. But, I discovered that the problem was not with the resolutions, but with my resolve. Marina Milyavskaya, a psychologist at Carleton University, explains… Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions
Advent: The Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)
Written within a year of his conversion, Charles Wesley penned my favorite Christmas Hymn "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". The song begins with the story of the angels proclaiming Christ’s birth to the shepherds in Luke 2, then Wesley filled the song with the reasons the angels sang out in joy. One of my favorite… Continue reading Advent: The Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)
Advent: The Announcement (Matt 1 & Luke 1)
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year “with those kids jingle-belling and everyone telling you be of good cheer”. Its music is joyful and triumphant! It’s a time for adding events to your calendar and for checking your Christmas gift list. As you are preparing your calendar and wallet/purse for Christmas, make sure… Continue reading Advent: The Announcement (Matt 1 & Luke 1)
Prayers of Confession (Matthew 6:12,14-15)
In this section of Jesus’ prayer, He tells His disciples to pray “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” In this prayer Jesus teaches them about Prayers of Confession: the need to be forgiven and to forgive. Forgive Us Our Sins When we become a Christian, God forgives all our… Continue reading Prayers of Confession (Matthew 6:12,14-15)
Prayers of Dependence (Matthew 6:10-11 Luke 11:2-3)
After instructing His disciples to pray “Father, hallowed be Your name”, He tells them to pray “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.” In this section we shall learn about Prayers of Dependence. Let’s take a closer look at this prayer. Your… Continue reading Prayers of Dependence (Matthew 6:10-11 Luke 11:2-3)
Prayers of Praise (Matthew 6:9 & Luke 11:2)
After providing examples of how His disciples ought not to pray, Jesus provides an example of how they should pray. What follows is often called “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Model Prayer”. This prayer is not meant to be recited word for word (though it is a great prayer), rather it is an example of… Continue reading Prayers of Praise (Matthew 6:9 & Luke 11:2)
How to Pray (Matthew 6:5-8)
Last week we learned that selfish giving (even if generous) is not pleasing to God. A selfish attitude pollutes everything it comes into contact with. This week, we will learn how selfish prayers are not pleasing to God. We must be very careful about how we pray and to whom we are speaking. A little… Continue reading How to Pray (Matthew 6:5-8)
Charity that is Pleasing to God (Matthew 6:1-4)
Have you heard about the recipe for misery? Chas Kingsley once said, “If you wish to be miserable, think about yourself; about what you want, what you like; what respect people ought to pay you; and then to you nothing will be pure. You will spoil everything you touch; you will make misery for yourself… Continue reading Charity that is Pleasing to God (Matthew 6:1-4)
