Tag Archives: hope

Heart Trouble!

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Don Merritt

“Blessed are the pure in heart,    for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) A person who is ‘pure in heart’ is someone who is going to place a high priority on doing things the right way.  This is not a … Continue reading →

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Sunday Bible Study Notes: January 22

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Don Merritt

Cleaning House   Today’s Text:              John 2:13-22 Introduction   This is an account of Jesus clearing theTemple.  John includes three such accounts (possibly four) while the Synoptics have two (Mark only has one).  Since Jewish men were obligated to attend … Continue reading →

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Meekness as Strength

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Don Merritt

“Blessed are the meek,    for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) Being “meek” is not often thought of as strength, but in fact it is.  If a person is meek, they are not prideful… they are humble.  In a … Continue reading →

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Comfort

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Don Merritt

“Blessed are those who mourn,    for they will be comforted.”  (Matthew 5:4) OK, I’ll admit that you may not think of someone who is mourning as being happy or joyous; in fact you might say that mourning is just the … Continue reading →

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Poor in spirit; great in reward

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Don Merritt

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “ (Matthew 5:3) What is happiness?  Happiness is being poor in spirit… this sounds a little counter-intuitive doesn’t it? Please understand that the word “blessed” is another … Continue reading →

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Quote of the Week

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Don Merritt

“Study the Constitution. Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislatures, and enforced in courts of justice.” — Abraham Lincoln What a shocking thought!

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What are you hungry for?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Don Merritt

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,    for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) What do you hunger for: righteousness or evil? To hunger and thirst for righteousness means to fill one’s mind, time and life with things … Continue reading →

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A Random Thought

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Don Merritt

Well, Happy Saturday! I thought that I would do something entirely different today, and run with a quote from C.S. Lewis who is one of the foremost Christian theologians of the 20th century.  Here, Lewis expresses his thoughts about those … Continue reading →

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Glory to God in Culture

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Don Merritt

We Christians can be critical of culture; I include myself in this statement.  It is actually quite easy to be critical of culture since culture involves so many questionable things; especially present day culture.  We would be making a mistake, … Continue reading →

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Nature’s Break

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Don Merritt

Here in Northwestern Illinois nature has been taking a break; winter has more or less been absent for a few weeks.  Even on my recent trip our west winter seemed to be on holiday. The weatherman says Old Man Winter … Continue reading →

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