We’re good at looking pure—saying the right things, following the right rules, putting on the kind of life that earns approving nods—and that’s precisely the trap Jesus names in Matthew 5:8 when he calls the pure *in heart* blessed, not the pure in appearance.
As we move to the New Testament, we look at the story of Felix. He invites conversation with Paul, yet with significant barriers he erects. How do we do the same?
Blessed are the merciful—it sounds really good when we are the ones receiving mercy. That call suddenly sounds a lot worse when we’re the ones called to _show_ mercy. Jesus calls us to that mercy, against our natural inclination for payback.
Where do we place our hope? How do we think of those who would seem to have the upper hand as they do things displeasing to God? Let’s turn with Pastor Tim to the next three Psalms, Ps. 61-63, to find out!
This week, we turn to Hezekiah’s son Manasseh and the implications of generations of sin. How does our own sin affect us, those around us and those who come after us?
Most of us have never gone without a meal, yet Jesus in Matthew 5:6 calls us to feel that ravenous, stomach-aching hunger—not for food, but for righteousness. Do we feel that craving?
Mothers mourn over children falling away, over ones they’ve outlived, over the ache of children they never had. That grief feels heavy for Mother’s Day, yet Jesus declares in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn.” How is it blessed to mourn?
Continuing our series Bad Attitudes, we turn to a story about two of Aaron’s sons and their reckless approach before God… and how we can fall into the same traps.
