(Originally posted on the Bibles for America Blog.) In Philippians 4:6, Paul exhorted the believers to do something that seems to be impossible: “In nothing be anxious.” The world today is full of large-scale catastrophic events—war, pandemics, economic uncertainty, senseless violence, and social unrest. Things we never thought would happen have suddenly come upon us, affecting all of us. And...
What Does It Mean to Be Pure in Heart?
(Originally posted on the Bibles for America Blog.) The Sermon on the Mount, the traditional name for what Jesus spoke in Matthew chapters 5-7, begins with nine blessings known as the Beatitudes. These blessings are full of rich meaning for our Christian life today. In a previous post, we discussed the meaning of the very first blessing recorded in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”...
What Does It Mean to Be Poor in Spirit?
(Originally posted on the Bibles for America Blog.) As believers in Christ, we all desire to be under His blessing. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Have you ever wondered what that means and how it applies to you? In this post, we’ll take a close look at this phrase in the Bible. With the help of notes from the New Testament Recovery Version, we’ll dig into the...
How to Experience Christ Living in You
Originally posted on the Bibles for America Blog. In a previous post we saw that when the apostle Paul said, “Jesus Christ is in you,” he was not speaking metaphorically. He was speaking of the wonderful fact that Christ as the life-giving Spirit actually comes into those who believe in Him. We looked at eight verses that confirm and enrich our understanding of this wonderful reality...
8 Verses that Show Jesus Christ Lives in You
(Originally posted on the Bibles for America Blog.) In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the apostle Paul asks the Corinthian believers a question: “Or do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?”In writing Jesus Christ is in you, Paul wasn’t speaking poetically or metaphorically. He meant that Jesus Christ was literally dwelling within them. Just like the Corinthians, we...
What Does It Mean to Love God with All Your Heart?
(Originally posted on the Bibles for America Blog.) The Lord Jesus said in Mark 12:30: “And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.” What does it mean to love the Lord from our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind, and our whole strength? Do we even have...