Those Who Mourn Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.—Matthew 5:4 God wants us to experience His joy (John 15:11). Yet we cannot experience His joy until we have mourned over our sin. If we do not grieve over the weight of our sin, we have noRead More …

The Poor in Spirit Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.—Matthew 5:3 The Bible presents many paradoxes that challenge our human way of thinking. We think of the poor as possessing very little, yet Jesus said the riches of heaven belong to the poorRead More …

Daily Bread Give us today our daily bread.—Matthew 6:11 Jesus often reminded His followers not to worry. He told them not to be anxious about tomorrow’s needs or potential problems (Matt. 6:25). Rather, Jesus stressed a daily reliance on the Father, who provides for His children day by day. AsRead More …

May God Rule in Our Midst Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.—Matthew 6:10 In heaven, God’s will is the only priority. A word from God brings angels to do His bidding, immediately and without question. Jesus instructed us to pray that GodRead More …

Hallowed Be Your Name Your name be honored as holy.—Matthew 6:9b Our calling as Christians is to bring glory to the name of God. God’s name represents His character. Taking the name of God in vain misrepresents God’s character to others (Exod. 20:7). As Christians, we carry the name ofRead More …

Victory over Sin —that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presentedRead More …

Can We Continue in Sin? What should we say then? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?—Romans 6:1–2 A Christian has died to sin. Sin has no control over a corpse. Temptation canRead More …

Showing Grace And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.—Ephesians 4:32 The Book of Ephesians describes the behavior that ought to characterize Christians as they relate to one another. Our actions ought to be permeated with kindness. Kindness isRead More …

The Fragrance of His Knowledge But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ, and spreads through us in every place the scent of knowing Him. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who areRead More …

Pleasing God, Pleasing Others For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.—Galatians 1:10 At times you will have to make a choiceRead More …