Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! —Matthew 18:21-22 Have you truly forgiven that person? To forgive means to never bring it up again. We may not forget it and there may still be hurt that we have to work through, but to forgive is to “let it go.” To not forgive is to “hold on to it.” So, who is it you have not forgiven, but need to? Forgiveness— we cannot really understand it until we understand the forgiveness that the Lord God Almighty extends to…

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” —Matthew 17:5-7 Someone of importance comes to town people flock to hear what they have to say. It could be a world figure, a political figure or some other celebrity. Thousands of dollars are forked over just to have a meal in the presence of one of these people or to buy tickets to…

Watch out! Beware of … the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees—Matthew 16:6, 12 There is much deception by communication. Many use their words to intentionally deceive others. We need not be paranoid, but we also don’t want to be gullible. It is the gullible that deceivers seek to deceive. Deceptive communication is when someone speaks what they appear to honestly believe to be true but they are intentionally misleading those they are communicating to. Today’s media does this all too often. I am very leery of today’s so-called journalism and do not take my “news” just from one source. This type of deceptive communication not only occurs outside…

I feel sorry for these people… they have nothing left to eat. —Matthew 15:32 Compassion—- When was the last time you had compassion for someone? Do you feel compassion for those who are hungry? For those who are thirsty? For those who are homeless? For those who need clothing? For those who are sick? For those who are in prison? For those who are facing injustice? For those who are oppressed? Do you have compassion on them? Jesus did when people had been with Him for a few days, but they had nothing to eat. He was concerned for them. He had compassion on them and He was moved to…

And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? …And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. —Matthew 15:2, 6 Hypocrites! Many people say that is why they do not want anything to do with church. Unfortunately, sometimes those who are “religious” do give opportunity for those who do not attend church to see their hypocrisy. Nobody is perfect so I am not talking about failing on occasion and we need to be transparent about that. No Christian is perfect. What I am talking about is not being obedient to the Word of God just to keep some “religious”…

Take courage. I am here! —Matthew 14:27 Discouragement is the lack of courage. Courage has left the person. To encourage someone is to put courage back into them. Will you do that today? In the context of the verse above the disciples believed they had seen a ghost and were terrified. But it was Jesus walking on the water and He told them not to be afraid, but to take courage. Peter took courage and walked on the water toward Jesus. He was encouraged, but he lost that courage when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves the strong wind was creating. He became terrified and…

For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” —Matthew 14:3-4 Some people’s voices rise in decibels when they can’t persuade someone in a conversation. The idea is something like “If you don’t have the information to persuade a person, just raise your voice to intimidate them.” But now our world is seeing a new level of intimidation. We are seeing those who cannot persuade others over to their side killing their opposition. Convert or die is surely not the Biblical Christian gospel.…

Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son… Matthew 13:55 Years ago I was getting my hair cut at a salon and the woman cutting my hair kept calling me by the name of Steve. After she did this a few times I said, “My name is actually Ted, not Steve.” She came around the front of chair, looked me right in the face and said, “Are you sure?” I replied, “Yes, do you want to see my license”? She was amazed that I was not Steve. Apparently, Steve and I looked somewhat alike. Talk about mistaken identity. This has happened to Jesus multitudes of times since He was on…

Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. —Matthew 13:3 Here in New Hampshire the landscape is covered with snow and it is 0 degrees F or about -18 degrees C. There will be no planting of seeds outside today or for some months yet. But when the time comes there is always anticipation of pants growing and producing when seeds are planted. It is wonderful to watch! So it is in the spiritual realm. When seed, the Word of God, is planted in people’s hearts transformation can take place. But just as when planting seeds the soil has to be prepared so also the heart of a person…

Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. —Matthew 12:30 Friend or foe? Are you with Jesus or opposing Him? Are you working with Him or working against Him? There is no middle road. There is no neutral ground. As in any war, there are two sides and so it is in the spiritual warfare that encompasses this whole planet. People are either for Jesus and working with Him or they are opposing Him and working against Him. Someone may say, “I don’t oppose Jesus. I am just living my life and don’t follow anyone.” This is the great…