Posts Tagged ‘Gospel of Matthew’
Episode 482 – Seek God and Everything Else Makes Sense
In the Gospel of Matthew we hear Christ say, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” What things? ALL THINGS that we need in life. If we are willing to seek God, then our food, our health, our shelter, even our minds, will all…
Read MoreServing God VS Serving the Flesh
According to logic and the Holy Scriptures, it is impossible to serve two masters. You “will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6.24) We talk about multitasking and threading the needle, or walking a fine line, but when push comes to shove, we have only one loyalty. I once led a…
Read MoreEpisode 481 – Trust God and Follow Him
When faced with the invitation by Christ to drop everything and following Him, the disciples immediately left everything and follow Him. As humans it is natural to wonder about the future. Will we have what we need? What will the future look like? Unknowns can create anxiety, but when we learn to trust Christ, even…
Read MoreWho Enters the Kingdom of God?
The question every Christian asks is, “Will I be saved?” We live our entire life defending our answer. We all think ‘we’ are going to be with God in heaven, but Christ says, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” There is no guarantee. The defense make for…
Read MoreEpisode 480 – What does it mean to Confess God?
We are all called to be saints. On the Sunday of All Saints Christ says, “Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.” If we want to…
Read MoreBelief is not Enough
We all know that being a Christian isn’t easy. There are teachings to memorize and rules to follow. For Orthodox Christians there are Sacred Traditions to keep and spiritual disciplines to practice. Is all this necessary? Why can’t we ‘just believe’ in God? Consider today’s lesson from Saint Paul. There were many who knew God,…
Read MoreTake No Offense
We’ve all said it. We’ve all had that moment when we needed to tell someone the truth, but we knew it would hurt to hear the truth. So, we soften it with a simple warning. “No offense, but…” Let’s face it, with the wrong heart, hearing these words are always an offense. We take offense…
Read MoreWhen Light Shines
Since we were children, we have understood the power of light to reveal the truth. A glimmer of light was enough to send monsters into hiding, and a mere night light was sufficient to keep them away. There is nothing hidden when the light shines. Today the Church commemorates the appearance of the Cross as…
Read MoreI was hungry and you gave me a dollar
Many years ago, I was blessed to volunteer at a downtown mission center in Denver, Colorado. The mission center offered clothing and food supplies to the homeless and indigent population surrounding the ‘old church’ in the city. I learned a great deal from the nun who was director. She used to say to me, “God…
Read MoreEpisode 473 – Changing our Heart for God
On the cusp of Great Lent, we are called to three challenges. All three challenges have one thing in common. We are called to forgive, fast and be generous, all to prepare our hearts for God. Great Lent isn’t about food and prostration. Great Lent is about changing our hearts for God. Transcript: My brothers…
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