Living Hope's Verse of The Week-Matthew 6:22

Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 6: 20-21

Matthew 6:20-21 
²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

^{-We are doing a gift exchange this advent season at Living Hope.   I believe in giving and I am looking forward to buying the person whose name I drew a gift.  God gave so we give.  Not only are we giving away small gifts, but we also are praying for that persona specifically in December.  So we are giving that person our material wealth, our time, and our concern.  I think that is a good thing.}

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 6:19

Matthew 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

-The anti Black Friday and Cyber Monday verse.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week-Matthew 6:17-18

Matthew 6:17-18 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

-Try fasting a meal this week.  I recommend lunch Friday.  Pray the Lord's prayer and your personal prayer list during the time you would have had lunch.  And wash your face.  I do not recommend the oil part for our culture.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 6:16

Matthew 6:16 When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week-Matthew 6:15

Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

There is a group, which I will not promote, their motto is, "We do not forgive, we do not forget."  I do not want to live like that.  Life is too short for those entanglements.  And eternity is too long to miss it.  Also, I have been forgiven so much, how can I not forgive others.  I am so unworthy, I have been treated much better than I deserve.  I guess that's how this grace thing works.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week-Matthew 6:14

Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.


Following the tragic Amish school shooting of 10 young schoolgirls in a one-room Amish school in October 2006, reporters from throughout the world invaded Lancaster County, PA to cover the story. However, in the hours and days following the shooting a different, an unexpected story developed.

In the midst of their grief over this shocking loss, the Amish community didn't cast blame, they didn't point fingers, they didn't hold a press conference with attorneys at their sides. Instead, they reached out with grace and compassion toward the killer's family.

The afternoon of the shooting an Amish grandfather of one of the girls who was killed expressed forgiveness toward the killer, Charles Roberts. That same day Amish neighbors visited the Roberts family to comfort them in their sorrow and pain.

Later that week the Roberts family was invited to the funeral of one of the Amish girls who had been killed. And Amish mourners outnumbered the non-Amish at Charles Roberts' funeral.

It's ironic that the killer was tormented for nine years by the pre-mature death of his young daughter. He never forgave God for her death. Yet, after he cold-bloodedly shot 10 innocent Amish school girls, the Amish almost immediately forgave him and showed compassion toward his family.

In a world at war and in a society that often points fingers and blames others, this reaction was unheard of. Many reporters and interested followers of the story asked, "How could they forgive such a terrible, unprovoked act of violence against innocent lives?"

The Amish culture closely follows the teachings of Jesus, who taught his followers to forgive one another, to place the needs of others before themselves, and to rest in the knowledge that God is still in control and can bring good out of any situation. Love and compassion toward others is to be life's theme. Vengeance and revenge is to be left to God.

Read through some of the passages regarding Biblical forgiveness and love toward others and you'll better understand how the Amish were able to forgive.

All of Lancaster County mourns the loss of these young girls and the terrible affect this has had on so many lives. We request your prayers for the families of the children who died, as well as those children and adults who have lived through this terrible ordeal. We also ask your prayers for the wife and three young children of the man who committed this senseless act. They, too, will have to live with this for the rest of their lives.
http://www.800padutch.com/amishforgiveness.shtml 

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week-Matthew 6:9-10

Matthew 6:9-10 9 “This, then, is how you should pray:“‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come,your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

If someone asked you the question, "How do I pray?" Our answer would most likely be, "Just talk to God."  While there is a lot of truth in that, it falls short of answering the question.  Many times we have trouble just talking to those who are closest to us, so how am I just suppose to talk to God.  Just talk to God, would never be Jesus answer.  The disciples did ask Jesus to teach them to pray, and Jesus taught them a prayer, what we call "The Lord's Prayer."  A prayer that we should all pray, daily.  This prayer forms us, so that we can pray rightly.  And as we are formed we  can, "Just talk to God." 

Living Hope's Verse of The Week- Matthew 6:5 7 Ways to hypocrite proof your life.

Matthew 6:5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

7 Ways to hypocrite proof your life.

1. Be humble.
2. Don't want public standing ovations.(as I post this to social media)
3. Be ready to give praise not receive it.
4. Look for the good in others.
5. Realize you have not arrived.
6. Be ready to listen.
7. "I was wrong, please forgive me" is something hypocrites do not say.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 6:2

Matthew 6:2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

-When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks.

-Just do it—quietly and without drawing attention to yourself.

-That is the way your God, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 6:1

Matthew 6:1 Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

-Doing good is, well, good.  But when we turn it into a performance, into a Netflix movie, we may get an applause but it will not be from God.

-Everyone look at me, my blog, me sermon, my gifts, my talents, my intelligence, my beauty.  It is all in 3D and HD.  

-What do I do?  It is so easy to perform.  Jesus tells us to "be careful."  Move forward humbly and cautiously.  Be Careful.

-Father forgive me when I have put on a show.  Examine my motives and give me a heart that acts right.

-Now I must go and share this post on social media, oh the irony.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 5:47-48

-Matthew 5:47-48 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

-Perfect means complete, mature, grown.  In other words children and immature people love only those that are like them.  Mature Christ followers grow up and love even their enemies.

-Jesus uses the word "mercy" instead of "perfect" in his sermon on the plain in Luke 6.

Luke 6
³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

-So apparently mercy and perfection, completeness, being mature are connected.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 5:46

Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 5:43-45

Matthew 5:43-45 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

-It is easier to protest.

-It is easier to condemn.

-It is easier to not like.

-But we are called to follow the Jesus Way.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 5:42

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 5:40-41

Matthew 5:40-41
40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

-Just live this verse for a month and see how radical it is.

-We fight those who take our stuff, we don't give them more.

-And they better not try and force us to do anything, or it is on.

-The Jesus way is very counter cultural.

-Lord have mercy. 

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week- Matthew 5:38-39

Matthew 5:38-39 You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 

Living Hope's Verse Of The Week

Matthew 5:36-37
³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.