Just before talking about the common practices of giving, praying, and fasting, Jesus gives his hearers this warning: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Mt 6:1, NIV).
There are at least two things to make note of with that statement.
Parables, by their very nature, are not easy to understand… at least, not at first.
A parable is a unique type of story designed to promote observation, meditation, and action. A parable that does not invite this sort of deep thinking and eventual active response to the meaning contained within the story is not a parable after all.
I was listening to a podcast on Jesus’s parables and, as the host introduced the episode by giving a quick rundown of what was going to be discussed—as all good hosts do—he said something that caught my ear. While setting up the importance of Jesus’s parables he referenced a place in Mark’s gospel where the evangelist writes about Jesus’s teaching style and this host said, “It even says specifically that when Jesus taught the masses…he taught exclusively in parables.”
In the longest chapter of one of the longest books of the Bible, the psalmist wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps 119:11, NIV).
All 176 verses of this psalm are dedicated to the written revelation of God, because of its supreme value. In particular, this psalmist at the time valued it for how it might help keep him from sin.
What is holiness? I see a picture of some saint in my head, holding up three fingers, alone on a hill, staring longingly up at the sky, with a halo around his head (sometimes her head, but mostly his head). Or, are we talking about "His Holiness, the Pope?" Or, something set aside for a specific purpose? Or, is that sanctification? Is it the same thing?
A friend asked me what I have learned from teaching my daughter about Jesus. However, I could not come up with an answer. After thinking about it for some time, I realized that I do not teach my little girl about Jesus. If I want her to know her Savior, I have learned that I have to show my child who Jesus is.
From: Paul
To: All in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people.
From: Paul and Sosthenes
To: The church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.
From: Paul and Timothy
To: The church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia.
From: Paul and all the brothers and sisters with him
To: The churches in Galatia.
From: Paul
To: God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.
From: Paul and Timothy
To: All God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.
From: Paul and Timothy
To: God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.
From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy
To: The church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy
To: The church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
From: Paul
To: Timothy, my true son in the faith.
From: Paul
To: Timothy, my dear son.
From: Paul
To: Titus, my true son in our common faith.
From: Paul and Timothy
To: Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your homes.
From: Unknown (possibly Paul, Luke, or Apollos)
To: Unknown (probably Christians who had recently came out of the Old Covenant system that was previously established).
From: James
To: The twelve tribes scattered among the nations.
From: Peter
To: God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythinia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.
From: Peter
To: Those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have receieved faith as precious as ours.
From: Unknown (probably John—the disciple whom Jesus loved)
To: Unknown (probably Christian’s under John’s care).
From: The elder (probably John, the disciple whom Jesus loved)
To: The lady chosen by God and to her children whom I love in the truth (probably the local church and the members of that church).
From: Unknown (probably John, the disciple whom Jesus loved)
To: My dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
From: Jude
To: Those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
The movie, Sully, is about the real life event of when Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger safely landed a commercial aircraft on the Hudson River after losing both engines from a bird strike shortly after takeoff. Throughout the movie the NTSB (the National Transportation Safety Board) had been investigating the water landing to determine if Sully had actually made a mistake by going for the Hudson when he could have—and should have—headed for a nearby airport.