Category Archives: Matthew

The Right Reward

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Pete

Mission accomplished isn’t always success. Winning the race doesn’t necessarily mean getting the gold medal. Hitting a bullseye may still mean you missed the mark. Getting your reward may not be much of a prize at all if it’s the … Continue reading →

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Be Perfect. Really?

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Pete

It’s a verse that, at first read, I’d just as soon skip over. Mark it “not applicable.” After all everyone knows nobody’s perfect. Jesus is setting the bar pretty high in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:21-47). Angry with … Continue reading →

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On My Account

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Pete

Hovering over the Beatitudes this morning. Simple laws of the kingdom. Laws concerning what renders someone blessed, what makes someone happy. Not laws as in edicts to be followed in order to reside in the kingdom, but laws as in … Continue reading →

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No Angels Required

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Pete

You gotta love him! One moment he’s sleeping, the next, he’s swinging a sword. Though there’s no doubt his “flesh was weak”, there can equally be no doubt that his “spirit was willing.” Willing to be a lone warrior, he … Continue reading →

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The Terror and The Touch

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Pete

If the New Testament had already been written and he had already read it, maybe at that moment Peter was thinking, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). Or perhaps verses … Continue reading →

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An Abounding Righteousness

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Pete

Can’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable every time I read through Jesus’ sermon on the mount. I like the “blessed are you” part. Who doesn’t want to be blessed? But then I get to the “you are” part and … Continue reading →

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Jesus Aware

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Pete

I suppose He might have seen the look on the faces of those who were offended and guessed what thoughts were running through their heads. Or perhaps during the woman’s display of extravagant worship He could have overhead the grumbling … Continue reading →

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Divine Permission

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Pete

I think I get the point of Jesus’ story in the first 16 verses of Matthew 20. Those who had received a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s labor really shouldn’t have had any gripe with the master of … Continue reading →

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Starts with the Right Question

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Pete

It occurs to me that we live in an age which, for the most part, has been duped into asking the wrong question. We’ve become focused on the preliminaries and not on the main event. We’ve come to believe that … Continue reading →

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The Devil Left

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Pete

What a week! Monday started out with great plans for the day which were never realized. And now it’s Friday already and I feel like maybe our feet are somewhat back underneath us. Forty-eight hours in the hospital with very … Continue reading →

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