Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

Reading this verse, I thought of a sister’s experience I’d ever heard of. On one occasion, God’s gospel came to her. But she didn’t cherish this opportunity, and still spent her time and energy on making money. On a rainy evening in the winter, her husband urged her to fish. And they had a good catch that day. On the way home, to lighten the boat, her husband intended to swim ashore. Seeing her husband swam away, she hoped she could return home luckily. However, the boat sank, she fell into the water and she couldn’t swim. With strong fear and choking feeling, she cried to God desperately in the struggle, “Almighty God, help me!” After that, a miracle happened—the paddle split from the boat. She surfaced by the buoyancy of paddle … After she was out of danger, she truly experienced that no matter how much money one earns, it is powerless before death. Money cannot save our lives. If one only blindly seeks material enjoyments but doesn’t come before God to worship Him, he may face danger and death at any moment without God’s care and protection.

Continue reading “Matthew 16:26 – Money Can’t Buy Life” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

In the past, when I read this verse, I only knew that the people of Noah’s time were too evil and corrupt so they were destroyed by God. Not until I read a passage of words in a gospel book did I understand that the destruction of the world by the flood contains God’s disposition.

It says, “There is another revelation of God’s disposition here: In God’s eyes, there is a limit to His patience toward man’s corruption, toward the filthiness, violence, and disobedience of all flesh. What is His limit? It’s as God said: ‘God looked on the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth.’ What does the phrase ‘for all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth’ mean? It means any living thing, including those who followed God, those who called on the name of God, those who once sacrificed burnt offerings to God, those who verbally acknowledged God and even praised God—once their behavior was full of corruption and reached God’s eyes, He would have to destroy them. That was God’s limit. So to what extent did God remain patient to man and the corruption of all flesh? To the extent that all people, whether followers of God or unbelievers, were not walking the right path. To the extent that man was not just morally corrupt and full of evil, but where there was no one who believed in God’s existence, let alone anyone who believed that the world is ruled by God and that God can bring people light and the right path. To the extent that man despised God’s existence and did not permit God to exist. Once man’s corruption reached this point, God would no longer have patience. What would replace it instead? The coming of God’s wrath and God’s punishment.”

Continue reading “Knowing God’s Unoffendable Disposition From His Flooding the World. A Commentary on Genesis 6:13” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

From this verse, we can see that God’s words are the foundation of our life. Without the supply of God’s words, no matter how good the material life we enjoy is, it is of no benefit to our life. However, we are often toiling for the flesh, and think it is our proper pursuit. Some people even spend their lives pursuing fleshly enjoyment. In fact, material enjoyment only brings us spiritual emptiness and distress besides momentary pleasure, for material things cannot be man’s life. As created beings, we should listen to and obey God’s words, for God’s words are life. They are the guarantee that ensures our survival, and they are the way of life that we should seek.

Continue reading “John 6:63 – God’s Word Is Life” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

In the last days, God will do the work of judgment. The Lord Jesus once predicted: “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jhn 12:47-48). “For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (Jhn 5:22). “And has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man” (Jhn 5:27). From these verses, we can confirm that the Lord will do the work of judgment and purification when He comes again. Then how will He do this work? Not long ago, I read a passage of words: “The work of judgment is God’s own work, so it should naturally be done by God Himself; it cannot be done by man in His stead. Because judgment is the conquering of the human race through the truth, it is unquestionable that God still appears as the incarnate image to do this work among men. That is to say, in the last days, Christ shall use the truth to teach men around the earth and make all truths known to them. This is God’s work of judgment.” God will show all the truths to us when He returns, and teach us with truths. If we follow His footsteps and accept all of the truths He expresses, we will gain the life, that is to say, we can gain the eternal life. How exciting it is!

Continue reading “1 Peter 4:17 – Judgment of the Last Days” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

This verse records that three Magi from the East followed the guidance of a star and found the newly born Lord Jesus. This story is thought-provoking. The three Magi from the East came to Jerusalem to look for the born King of the Jews according to the guidance of the star. They thought that the king should be born in a royal palace, so they went to the royal palace to inquire of King Herod at first. Dispatched to Bethlehem by the King Herod, they continued to follow the star guidance and found the newly born Lord Jesus, bowing down to worship Him and presenting gifts, finally, they received instructions from the Lord in a dream and they did not go back and tell the King Herod. It can be seen that the Magi are follower of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. No matter where Jesus was born, they all believed He is the King of the Jews. They did not refuse to accept the Lord Jesus because of the place where the Lord Jesus was born, and ultimately they did follow the instructions of the Lord to leave instead of obeying Herod’s orders, which avoided the Lord being known by King Herod. This record is a great inspiration to us Christians. At that time, the scribes and Pharisees wantonly condemned, judged and blasphemed the Lord Jesus because the Lord Jesus’ birth and His preachings didn’t conform to people’s notions, eventually they crucified the Lord Jesus, committing the heinous crime of resisting God. From this we can see that we humans are too arrogant and too rebellious! Revealed as God’s Word: “The Jews of the time all read from the Old Testament and knew of Isaiah’s prophecy that a male infant would be born in a manger. Why then, with this knowledge, did they still persecute Jesus? Is this not because of their rebellious nature and ignorance of the work of the Holy Spirit? At that time, the Pharisees believed that the work of Jesus was unlike what they knew of the prophesied male infant; … Can you be such that you accept without question all the work of the Holy Spirit? If it is the work of the Holy Spirit, then it is the right stream. You should accept it without the slightest misgivings, rather than picking and choosing what to accept. If you gain some knowledge from God and exercise some caution against Him, is this not an act truly uncalled for?” It can be seen that only those who always obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit can seek the appearance of God. It is the same when it comes to the return of the Lord Jesus. No matter what God does, only those who seek, accept , and obey God can seek the appearance of God.

Continue reading “Matthew 2:11 – Accept the Work of the Holy Spirit” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

From this scripture we can see that those who truly love God are those who are able to abide by the Lord’s way and that God loves such kind of people. This is because those who love God are able to worry about God’s worries and think about God’s thoughts, be of one mind with God, obey and revere God, and do everything in accordance with God’s will. Take the Lord Jesus’ disciple Peter for example. He pursued to love God and satisfy God all his life. He accepted God’s commission to shepherd God’s sheep without his personal plans and considerations. So the Lord Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Peter achieved an ultimate love for God and obedience unto death, creating a beautiful and resounding testimony for God. It can be seen that Peter is after God’s heart and his pursuit is praised by God. Therefore, we should imitate Peter and pursue to be a person who can obey, revere, and love God. By doing so, we can have God’s presence and blessings and inherit God’s promises. Just as God says, “The reason why only those who truly love God have the most value and meaning in their lives, and only they truly believe in God, is because these people live in God’s light, they are able to live for God’s work and management; they do not live in darkness, but live in the light; they do not live meaningless lives, but lives that have been blessed by God. Only those who love God are able to testify to God, only they are God’s witnesses, only they are blessed by God, and only they are able to receive God’s promises. Those who love God are God’s intimates, they are the people beloved by God, and they can enjoy blessings together with God. Only people such as this will live to eternity, and only they will forever live under God’s care and protection” (“Those Who Love God Will Forever Live Within His Light”).

From: Grow in Christ

Continue reading “Those Who Love God Are Those Who Follow the Lord’s Way.” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

This verse tells us that when there is a conflict or a gap in our interactions with others, we should forbear and forgive others. The Bible recorded such a thing: “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said to him, I say not to you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22). From the exchange between Jesus Christ and Peter, we can feel God’s will. He hopes that we can learn to forgive others, love one another, and get along well with others. If someone offends us, we think it is enough to forgive him seven times. But Jesus Christ asked us to forgive others seventy times seven. This is the principle of getting along with others given by God. He hopes that we can forgive others and take it as our responsibility, as a mandatory lesson for loving and satisfying God. This is what should be possessed by normal humanity.

Continue reading “Colossians 3:13 – Forgiving One Another” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

This is the Lord Jesus’ demands on us. No matter what we do, regardless of whether it is a big thing or a small thing, God hopes that we should do it before God not before man, in order to obey God and satisfy God’s requirements, not to obtain honor of others. But a lot of time, we do things to make our brothers and sisters think highly of us, as well as to win the praise of pastors and elders, just as God says: “Everything he did was actually human goodness and he did not at all seek the truth, and everything he has done was in vain because it was all done in front of people and not before God, and moreover was not practiced in accordance with God’s requirements and in accordance with the truth. Everything he did was not practicing the truth or God’s word, and moreover was not carrying out God’s will. Rather, he was using man’s kind-heartedness and good behavior to help people. In summation, he did not seek God’s intentions in anything he did, nor did he do it in accordance with God’s requirements. Therefore, in God’s eyes, people’s good behavior is condemned and not commemorated” (“Knowing Yourself Requires Knowing Your Deep-rooted Thoughts and Views”). God’s words make me think of hypocritical Pharisees. When they donated, they deliberately let others see. When they prayed, they stood at crossroads on purpose. They pretended godly before men. On the contrary, they didn’t obey the commandments and demands of God. All that they have done is to establish themselves and bring man before them, so they were not commemorated by God, but condemned by God. Today, if we see brothers and sisters in a passive state, we’ll provide and support them. If we see someone in trouble, we will help them. But if what we do is just to let others praise us, and have our place in their hearts, not to care about and carry out God’s will, in the same way, such “good deeds” as we do are in vain, and we shall not receive God’s praise.

Continue reading “Matthew 6:1 – God’s Requirements for Us” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

Here the Lord Jesus teaches us to understand and forgive others. If we do this, our mistakes will also be understood and forgiven by others when we do something wrong. Just as we are deeply corrupted before the Lord, yet the Lord still saves us with His supreme love. As Christians, we should live out the Lord’s love and always put ourselves in others’ shoes to understand and forgive others, just like the Lord Jesus telling Peter to forgive others seventy times seven. Each of us has weakness and some shortcomings. If people’s relationship cannot be built on the basis of loving and forgiving one another, they cannot achieve harmony and show love and mercy to one another, thus they cannot get along with one another. The Lord is unwilling to see this situation. However, in real life, we always have barriers with others because of some small things, and always request others to understand us first. In order to get along well with others, what should we do? Some God’s words came to me, “A proper relationship between people is established on the foundation of giving their heart to God; it is not achieved through human effort. Without God, relationships between people are merely relationships of the flesh. They are not proper, but are indulgent of lust—they are relationships that God detests, that He loathes” (from “Establishing a Proper Relationship With God Is Very Important”). In fact, if we want to be able to show love, mercy and understanding to others, first we should have a normal relationship with God. Only if we have a normal relationship with God and understand God’s will can we know how to treat others. God will also guide us.

Continue reading “Matthew 5:7 – We Should Have a Merciful Heart” →

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

The Lord Jesus clearly told His disciples to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the upper ranks of the Jewish religion of that time. Why did the Lord Jesus teach His disciples to guard against them? I wondered: What did the Pharisees and the Sadducees do at that time?

Continue reading “Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees. A Commentary on Matthew 16:6” →