When God commanded, “You shall not commit adultery,” he did not do it to empty our lives of joy and pleasure. God’s law directs us according to his design for a full life, and his law shows us how to truly love the people around us. May God Order Our Steps and Shape Our Hearts by his word and Spirit, and may we find joy and freedom in life as we learn to Cultivate Purity.
Matthew 5:21-22, 43-48 The Sixth Command, “You shall not murder,” is the most universally accepted commandment, yet it is also one of the most blatantly violated commandments. When we look closer at God’s intent in this commandment, we see that God isn’t simply prohibiting deliberate murder; he is promoting the protection of all people as his image-bearers. In Jesus we see the fullness of this law: love even your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. May God Order Our Steps and Shape Our Hearts by his word and Spirit so that we may truly Help Others Thrive.
Paul expresses his continued intercession in prayer for the Colossians' continued spiritual growth.
Paul rejoices that the Gospel is bearing fruit in the Colossians' lives, throughout the world, and through the preaching of the gospel.
In this short parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Jesus tells us of the stark contrast of the prayer of a self-righteous man and the one of a contrite sinner. But this parable is not about prayer. In very short order, Jesus masterfully gets to the root of our human problem of sin and the solution to that problem. Just as Jesus said later to the real tax collector, Zaccheus, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost”.