“Blessed are the poor in spirit”: the Beatitudes turn the world’s idea of success upside down
The Beatitudes open Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Each begins with "Blessed are" and names people the world overlooks: the poor in spirit,…
Category
Teachings
Biblical insights, sermons, and thought-provoking articles from a Christian perspective.
The fish is the least surprising part of Jonah. The prophet was angry that God forgave his enemies
Most people remember Jonah for the great fish. The book itself ends with a question: the prophet sulks under a withered plant, angry that God spared…
Paul wrote “Be careful for nothing” from a prison cell. Philippians 4 and the peace that makes no sense
In Philippians 4:6 and 7, Paul tells believers not to be anxious but to pray with thanksgiving, promising the peace of God that passes understanding. He…
Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem’s wall in 52 days, with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other
The book of Nehemiah tells how a Jewish official in the Persian court returned to Jerusalem and led the rebuilding of the city walls in 52…
Jesus answered “Who is my neighbour?” with a story in which the hero was the man his listeners despised
In Luke 10, a lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?" Jesus answered with the parable of a man beaten by robbers, passed by a priest…
After his greatest victory, Elijah lay under a tree and asked to die. God’s first answer was food and sleep
In 1 Kings 19, days after the triumph on Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah fled for his life, sat under a broom tree and asked God…
David turned down the king’s armour before he faced Goliath. That detail is the lesson
Before he fought Goliath, David tried on King Saul's armour and took it off because he had not tested it. He went out with a sling…
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” was a poem for a mother across an ocean
Joseph Scriven, an Irish immigrant in Canada, wrote "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" around 1855 as a poem to comfort his mother in Ireland.…
No tragedy behind it: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” was written about ordinary days
Thomas Chisholm wrote "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" in 1923, and William Runyan set it to music. Unlike many famous hymns, it was not born from a…
“Love is patient, love is kind” is read at weddings. Paul wrote it to a church that was tearing itself apart
1 Corinthians 13, the chapter on love, is read at weddings around the world. Paul wrote it to a divided church in Corinth that was proud…