friendly connection

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is found one of the most well-known statements in all of Scripture. It is often called the “Golden Rule.” It’s easy for modern readers to forget how much Jesus’ teachings transformed the world and how deeply some of His ideas have become part of Western culture. This statement is somewhat like remarks made by other spiritual leaders in history, but Jesus’ words carry a very different perspective.

Key points

1. Whatever you wish others would do to you. Jesus wasn’t the first to praise evaluating behavior based on how you’d want to be treated. Some Jewish and Greek teachers also expressed this idea, often as a negative injunction: “Don’t do to anyone what you would not want done to you.” Jesus’ wording goes much further: positive action is part of the rule.

2. Part of God’s Plan from the start. The Law and Prophets consistently call for justice, compassion, and care for the vulnerable, demonstrating love for God through love for His people. 

3. It’s decision time. The first decision is between the narrow gate, which leads to a more difficult path, and the wide gate, which leads to an easier one. While this analogy is intentionally simple, it holds several layers of meaning.

Main Text 

Matthew 7:12-14 (ESV)

Read Romans 8:15 (ESV)

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most cherished expressions of the Christian faith, beginning with the powerful words, “Our Father.” Addressing God as Father is now fundamental among Christians, woven into prayers, worship gatherings, and everywhere. This act is part of the bedrock of Christian faith and identity.

We publish on Medium at 5:43 pm (CST)

https://medium.com/@pastorchuckhartman/58aceb6dbe1e

Being fully present and attentive when God communicates with us is crucial so that the Holy Spirit can work within us.

Main Text: Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

Jesus indicates that the illness of thanklessness poses a greater threat than leprosy. Thankfully, there is a remedy available.

Main Text: Romans 1:21 (ESV)

Gratitude is a powerful tool that softens our hearts to receive God’s word and experience joy. It aligns our thoughts with His goodness, fostering trust instead of negativity. Each expression of gratitude prepares our hearts, making them open to the fullness of God and the Spirit’s fruit.

Main Text: Ephesians 5:20 & Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

Paul encouraged the Colossian Church to cultivate a grateful heart—a crucial trait of the Christian life. The word Paul uses for this thankfulness, “abounding,” comes from a common Greek word, “perisseuo.” In other parts of Scripture and various English translations, its root is translated as “overflowing.” Paul’s message is clear: when people encounter these believers, the outpouring, he stresses, should be one of gratitude.

Main Text: Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV)

Could you imagine living near a cemetery where a man lived among the tombs? Could you imagine him crying out all day and all night in torment? Could you imagine nothing being strong enough to bind him? His only hope was God’s unmerited grace.  

Key points

1. Grace made the enslaved free. In many of Jesus’ miracles, we see faith, belief, or both in operation.

2. Grace brought deliverance. Our biggest problems are no match for God’s grace. 

3. Grace responds unexpectedly. The man from the tombs begins spreading the gospel throughout the Decapolis. This man becomes a forerunner of Jesus in the Decapolis (Mark 7:31–37). By the time of the apostles, Christianity would have spread. 2 Corinthians 4:15: For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 

Main Text 

Mark 5:1-20 (ESV)

Recently, someone shared a story they read about a dog sleeping through a neighbor being shot in his backyard by an intruder, but the same dog went ballistic, barking and staring out the window, ready to attack a small squirrel. The dog slept through the gunshot but was alert and barking at this non-lethal tree-dwelling rodent. How often are we like this dog? How frequently do we “bark” at the wrong things?

Main Text: Matthew 6:24-34 (ESV)

Today, I want to consider the question: What if God grants my desire or dream in a way I do not expect?

Main Text: Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

Today, I want to consider the question: What if God grants my desire or dream in a way I do not expect?

Main Text: Psalm 37:4 (ESV)