Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 WEB James begins chapter four of his epistle with an appeal to submit to God rather than follow worldly ambitions. He rhetorically questions the cause of quarrels...
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:18 KJV It is important to note that by “the Jews” John means the religious leaders of Jerusalem. The translation from the Greek...
There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without meaning. 1 Corinthians 14:10 WEB To begin chapter fourteen of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul encourages the church to follow the way of love and eagerly seek spiritual gifts. He places emphasis on...
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it. John 1:5 WEB The word translated as ”overcome” in this scripture is sometimes translated as “comprehend.” It is a reference to wicked people failing to grasp or understand the godly nature of Christ. With these words, John...
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. 1 Peter 1:23 KJV Jesus called Peter to discipleship along with his brother Andrew. His name was Simon at the time but the Lord gave him a new name. In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks...
Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12 WEB Isaiah’s prophetic words...
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23 WEB King Solomon’s words about the wellspring of life encourage us to maintain our hearts with self-control and diligence in keeping with the good things of God. The heart is the source of our attitudes and...
For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. Luke 7:8 WEB In chapter seven of Luke’s gospel account, Jesus entered Capernaum. In this chapter, Luke...
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it. Mark 8:35 WEB These profound words of Jesus make clear the danger of following him during the time of his ministry. In addition, Jesus’ statement indicates the...
The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Romans 4:23-24 NIV With these words, Paul reminds his readers of God crediting the patriarch Abraham’s faith...
Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 WEB With these words, Jesus makes a bold assertion. This is one of many statements Jesus makes that begin with the words “I am.”...
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 NIV Of all men who lived on earth, only one completely fulfilled the will of God. Jesus Christ is the only human to...
