What hit me this morning is that none of the conditions listed by Jesus are tied to the current situation of the one to be blessed. The conditions for blessing are internal and not external. They are based on choices we can make, not circumstances forced upon us.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5, ESV I read the opening verses of John this morning and the phrase quoted above grabbed my attention. Later in the same Gospel, John records Jesus acknowledging that the world brings us plenty of tribulation and trouble (John 16:33) but […]

It is hard to condemn others when we understand that flaws and rebellion are deeply seated in our own hearts and we all have need to God’s grace which has been extended to us through Jesus Christ.

Regular readers of this blog will probably see a pattern here because again it comes down to trust. Do I trust God enough to be able to have joy when my circumstances militate against joy? Do I trust that nothing takes place outside of God’s superintendence? Do I trust that God will somehow get me through the difficulty?

In Deuteronomy 9, Moses recounts some of the history of the Israelites during the time when he lead them. He recounts how angry he was when they rebelled against God and disregarded the message that Moses shared with them. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law from God, the Israelites were having an […]

“Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 9:3 (ESV) When the Israelites were to enter the promised land of Canaan the first time, they should have been bold and gone up as instructed. Instead, they carefully evaluated the circumstances and figured out […]