Blessed are Those Who Mourn #1
This post continues a series about the Beatitudes, the opening statements from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, starting with Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The crowds who gathered to hear Him needed to hear this Beatitude first of all because if anyone refuses to be humble before Christ, the rest of His speech won’t matter. The more we see…
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Daily Readings for August 3 – 9
Fellow travelers: For those looking for a Bible reading plan, each week I post 2 chapters to read per day as a main reading plan, and for anyone who wants to read the whole Bible in 2026, I’ll post the extra chapters to read that week. The main readings will include nearly all of the New Testament, plus Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Prophets, and a few other Old Testament books.…
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A Blogger’s Wish List
I’ve been writing this blog for over 5 years, and it’s been a great experience. As a reason for me to more fully consider thoughts I have about God, it’s been a good exercise. Instead of making a quick note about a verse or idea, having this blog provides an outlet for thinking those things through. As a way to share with others what I learn about God, it’s also…
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No Confidence in the Flesh
Today is the last post in a 5-part series on the first Beatitude from Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Today’s thought begins with how the Apostle Paul, who met Jesus on the road to Damascus[1], emphasized how being “poor in spirit” is universal across all demographic characteristics: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,…
Keep readingThe Scope of Our Need
Today is part 4 of a series on the first Beatitude from Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In this post, we begin later in the same chapter as the Beatitudes, where Jesus includes as sin matters of the soul’s inclination, which are entirely internal: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder;…
Keep readingGive Up Your Lists
Today is part 3 of a series on the first Beatitude from Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Monday covered how the statement could make both the “proud” and the “ashamed” humble and be blessed by God. Tuesday was about the rich young man who was fully set on earning his own salvation to see that it was impossible, all…
Keep readingNot a Matter of Degree
Today is part 2 of a series on the first Beatitude from Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Today’s post highlights that seeing our spiritual condition as a matter of degree or magnitude, rather than as absolute spiritual poverty, keeps us from seeing, accepting, and experiencing Jesus as He is. We’ll focus on this passage from Mark 10:17-22: “And as…
Keep readingBlessed are the Poor in Spirit
This week I’m reposting a series on the first of the Beatitudes, the series of statements at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that each begin with “Blessed are…” The first Beatitude is Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Today’s angle on it is how the statement addresses different people’s needs in such a simple way with only…
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Daily Readings for July 27 – August 2
Fellow travelers: For those looking for a Bible reading plan, each week I post 2 chapters to read per day as a main reading plan, and for anyone who wants to read the whole Bible in 2026, I’ll post the extra chapters to read that week. The main readings will include nearly all of the New Testament, plus Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Prophets, and a few other Old Testament books.…
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The Last Enemy is Death
In life there are many difficult questions, and two of the hardest are also common objections to Christianity: 1) Why doesn’t God do anything about the evil in this world? and 2) Why do bad things happen to good people? However, the Bible does not leave Christians without hope in the face of these questions. First, part of what God is doing about the evil in this world is the…
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Driving Toward the Morning Sun 