Do you have ears of faith to hear the Lord speak through His word and Spirit- If you hear Him, do not harden your hearts but seek Him out with joy and gladness.

A controversy arose in the early Church that could have divided and destroyed the Church before it ever left Jerusalem. But God graciously used that controversy to introduce the office of Deacon that continues today in the Church to demonstrate the truth of the Gospel through deeds of mercy. Through this office the Church is blessed and God is glorified.

Many Christians are longing for the day when they can once again gather together with God's people for corporate public worship. But even when there's no pandemic, faithful believers long for the worship assembly each Lord's Day as it reminds us of how much we long for the greater glory of eternal worship in the glorious presence of our God and Savior.

It's not easy to forgive someone, especially when you've already forgiven them many times before. But before we put a limit on forgiveness, we ought to remember the huge debt of sin that God, through Jesus Christ, graciously, freely, and abundantly forgave us. If the Lord so loved us, shouldn't we so love one another-

Jesus gives orderly steps for believers to follow as they seek to reconcile with their brothers and sisters to preserve the peace and unity of the Church.

Jesus concludes His discussion of the -little ones- by reminding His disciples that they ought not to despise one another, for God values each one chosen before the foundation of the world. He values them so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to suffer and die on the Cross for their sins.

As precious little ones of the Heavenly Father, believers in Christ need to be on guard against the temptations and stumbling blocks placed before us. And though Jesus warns that the judgment upon those who tempt others to sin will be very severe- we must remember that this doesn't excuse us from the responsibility of the sins we commit. Let's be challenged to look to the Lord for protection against temptations- and when we do sin, let's look to the Lord for mercy and forgiveness secured for us through Jesus Christ.

In response to a foolish question, Jesus uses a little child to illustrate to His disciples that they must turn away from pride and selfishness and humble themselves before God and one another if they're going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the midst of a plague sweeping the globe, the people of God have no reason to fear or panic, because our God is the One True Living God and He is sovereign over all that He's created. At such difficult times, let's rest in the Lord and find comfort in His sovereignty.

The death of Jesus was as certain as the obligation to pay the Temple tax. This is ultimately a good thing, because through the death of Jesus our debt has been paid in full and we now live as free sons, freed from the condemnation of sin and death.