Category Archives: Uncategorized

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). I’ve always struggled with this statement of Jesus. Schooled in the evangelical view of salvation by … Continue reading →

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are not ours, for ever and ever, Amen. There is no Scripture reference for this, even when it’s not in my ‘reversed’ version. That’s because it isn’t in Scripture, in either Matthew’s … Continue reading →

And do not bring us to the time of trial,but rescue us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). In my Mennonite church, we used a modern translation of the Lord’s Prayer where the first line of this verse was rendered … Continue reading →

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48) Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36) I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also … Continue reading →

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  (Matthew 6:12) It’s no accident that it’s taken me nearly nine months to get back to this blog and especially this verse. Yes, a lot of hard things … Continue reading →

Give us this day our daily bread Matthew 6:11 This is the line that makes this a prayer to be used by the poor. We rich, and I include myself and most people reading this, generally know where our next … Continue reading →

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 What would it mean for God’s kingdom to come? How would we know? Ultimately, it would mean the fulfilment of that bit of ‘realized … Continue reading →

Hallowed be your name Matthew 6:9b All right, all right. I know. I start a new series and then disappear for two and a half months. What can I say? There’s blogging, and then there’s life. And without life, what … Continue reading →

‘Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven’ Matthew 6:9 For some time I’ve been meaning to write a short series on what we call ‘the Lord’s Prayer’, so a couple of weeks into Lent seems as good a … Continue reading →

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So … Continue reading →