dW 03.10.11

scripture

 

Ester 4:12-16

When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

 

En Espanol, Ester 4:12-16

 

quote

 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

 

jewish holiday

 

The Festival of Purim commemorates a major victory over oppression and is recounted in the Megillah, the scroll of the story of Esther. Purim takes place on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar, the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar. This year Purim is March 19-20.  It begins at sundown on the 19th.

 

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www.the-daily-Word.blogspot.com

dW 03.09.11

scripture

 

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 

En Espanol, Hechos 2:42-47

 

quote

 

One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organizations do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team. The first requisite is life, always.
Aiden Wilson Tozer

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If you want to share your thoughts or ask a question, then go to today’s post and leave a comment.

www.the-daily-Word.blogspot.com

 

dW 03.07.11

scripture

 

Isaiah 57:20-21

But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

 

En Espanol, Isaias 57:20-21

 

quote

 

If the Lord should bring a wicked man to heaven, heaven would be hell to him; for he who loves not grace upon earth will never love it in heaven.
Christopher Love

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If you want to share your thoughts or ask a question, then go to today’s post and leave a comment.

www.the-daily-Word.blogspot.com

dW 03.03.11

scripture

 

Mark 10:21-22

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

En Espanol, Marcos 10:21-22

 

quote

 

Hold on to the things of this world lightly, because it hurts when God has to pry your fingers open.

Corrie ten Boom

 

discussion

 

Does Jesus require that we sell all we have to serve Him?

If you want to share your thoughts or ask a question, then go to today’s post and leave a comment.

 

www.the-daily-Word.blogspot.com

dW 03.02.11

scripture

 

Matthew 26:11

The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

 

Ref: Deuteronomy 15:11 “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”

 

En Espanol, Mateo 26:11 (Deuteronomio 15:11)

 

quote

 

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.
Mother Teresa

thought

 

Why will there always be poor in the land?

dW 03.01.11

scripture

 

Romans 1:29-32

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

 

En Espanol, Romanos 1:29-32

 

quote

 

All human sin seems so much worse in its consequences than in its intentions.
Reinhold Niebuhr

dW 02.25.11

scripture

 

John 8:42-47

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

 

 

En Espanol, Juan 8:42-47

 

quote

 

Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man.
Dwight L. Moody

dW 02.24.11

scripture

 

Matthew 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

En Espanol, Mateo 5:43-48

 

quote

 

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

dW 02.22.11

scripture

Mark 10:23-25

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

En Espanol, Marcos 10:23-25

thought

Some people believe that Jesus is referring to a sowing needle. Others believe He is referring to holes in the outer wall of a city, which were called eyes of a needle because of their shape. For a camel to enter through one of these holes, its owner had to remove the load off it’s back and have the camel crouch down to get through the hole. Once through the eye of the needle, the owner would then put the load back onto the camel’s back. Either way, it is commonly understood that riches, more often than not, are a hindrance of righteousness.

quote

Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

King Solomon (Proverbs 30:8)

online

What does the website offer?

1. Archive (left), posts (middle), and resource links (right).

2. Discussion à Below each post is a link to comment. Click the link and go to a page where you can enter questions or comments to that post.

3. Search à Located in the upper left is a field where you can enter keyword(s) to find within the archive. For example, if you want to see emails that mention “forgiveness”, then enter it in the search field and hit enter. You will be directed to the post(s) that contain that keyword(s).

4. Sharing à Send a post to a friend by clicking on the white envelope at the bottom of the post.

dW 02.18.11

thought

In case you haven’t noticed, I have chosen to do a series of the hard teachings of our Lord. Let’s use today to consider yesterday’s dW a bit more in depth. May you be blessed as I have been blessed to put this together.

Kyle

scripture

Matthew 5:27-30

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

En Espanol, Mateo 5:27-30

teaching

Theologians like to call what Jesus did here, as He did in other teachings also, Torah Intensification. Torah is the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament), which includes teachings, prophets, writings. Jesus here in Matthew 5:27-30 is referring to the Law of Moses, which is recorded for us in Torah.

Background

1- Exodus 20:14 says, “You shall not commit adultery”.

2- Within the Mosaic Law are also laws describing retribution. For example, Exodus 21:23-25 says, “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” This “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” concept was not new. This concept likely originated from Hammurabi, the sixth king of Babylon. He wrote 282 laws which have been termed Hammurabi’s Code. This code dates back to 1700 BC. Here are two examples, “If a man puts out the eye of an equal, his eye shall be put out. If a man knocks the teeth out of another man, his own teeth will be knocked out.” Laws of retribution were made to keep people from seeking revenge for the injury of another by killing the one who caused the injury. Basically, the punishment should fit the crime.

What is the key attribute of God? I would submit to you that this attribute is Holiness, which is the essence of all His other attributes. God says in Leviticus 11:44, “be holy, because I am holy”. Therefore, since God is holy, His chief concern with His creation is for it to be holy.

Jesus asked his disciples, “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them” (Matthew 15:16-20).

Lust = Heart Adultery

Is it then enough that we do not commit physical sin? No, it is not. Why? Because God is concerned with our full holiness. If lust fills our heart, then we are still filled with sin. Have you ever tried to remove a rosebush from your yard? If you don’t get every last root out of the ground, then that stinking rosebush will come back. We cannot simply remove what is above ground, ie adultery, while neglecting to take care of what is below the surface, ie lust.

Sin is Serious

The reason I chose a quote from Origen to be paired with Matthew 5:27-30 is because Origen understood how heinous sin is to a Holy God and how it jettisons His creation from His presence. Jesus said, “It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell”. Origen took this literally and chose to castrate himself rather than to continue in sin. Origen later wrote extensively about the mistake he made. Even though he had removed the “offending member”, doing so did not remove the problem because the problem was within his heart. Jesus used this illustration to convey the point that sin is serious and we must take great care to guard our hearts.

comments

I’d love for there to be continued discussion on this post or any other you’d like to engage with. If you are interested in posting a comment or question on today’s dW, then go to the blog (www.the-daily-Word.blogspot.com), find the post you wish to comment on, then…

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