This Week With Jesus

Proverbs 30:5 KJV "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him". Pontius Pilate: To Jesus And what is 'truth'? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths. Are mine the same as yours?  What is truth? Pilate’s answer to hos own question could be a question asked in despair. How do we know right and wrong, good and evil, what is the right thing to do in any situation? How can anyone believe in a universal truth that transcends this world of suffering and despair? Whatever his motive, he didn't get an answer because the truth was right there, standing in front of him. Today we , like Pilate, do not recognize the truth. The truth was standing in front of Pilate, to be judged to die or live. Yet he was asking? I will quote Bob Kaylor when he says " For Pilate, anything that got him advanced in status in the eyes of the emperor was truth. Truth is whatever you decide it is, whatever is most pragmatic, kind of like throwing darts

Proverbs 11: 24-25 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.. 26 - He that witholdeth corn the people shall curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.  The eastern text reads a little differently - he who holds back grain in the day of distress shall fall into the hands of his enemies but a blessing shall be on the head of the man who sells it. It is very difficult to part with something very dear or something that promises profit. So when called upon to do so, do we readily agree or do we grudge and grumble? God won't ask us for what we don't have, but sometimes He will ask  for something we really want to keep. Why? To see if there is anything we value more than Him or His word. Remember Abraham? God could be asking for us to give up a bad habit, or help someone in need with our resources or time. Or

Proverbs 2:5 "Then thou shall understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" As we continue our study of the Book of  Proverbs, we have already established that fear is referring to reverence and love and respect, not fear as we know it in the world today. It's not the fear of a dictator but reverence for God who has given us free will. The verses preceding verse 5 are the 5 conditions and steps to attaining understanding and reverence of God. "My son,(A) if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding(B)— 3 indeed, if you call out for insight(C) and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,(D) 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God". So five things - 1. Accept Gods word, through hearing or reading or listening, and above all having a teacha

Ask, Seek and Knock.  Matthew &:7 says - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you". But how do we know if what we are asking for is the Will of God? Pastor Rajiv discusses this very important aspect of the ASK principle today in his message.      

Forewarned is forearmed The definition of a proverb is a short saying that is widely used to express an obvious truth. Proverbs were used in ancient days to convey a truth in a picturesque form. They were used frequently in the Vedas as well as the Bible. The Book of Proverbs is a book of the Bible that contains truths or words of wisdom from Solomon (considered the wisest King of Israel),  and other wise Israelis, or general sayings which are considered wise. Given this we start today a daily series on the Book of Proverbs. We will draw extensively from the Aramaic and Greek versions so as to get to the true meaning of what is written, and not lost through translations. So today we focus on what is wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding .” The Greek word used in the original texts is "phobos" which means respect, reverence, awe. It's a combination of all three. It us the continual aware

We are not Robots. We all have the ultimate freedom - the freedom of choice. “Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee” (Moses 3:17). We are also free to choose between good and bad and live our life the way we choose to. God has given us this gift, the gift of free will, the freedom to choose. Why? Because He would have us as His children, not as His slaves. God created humanity in the image of God and called them to partner with him in expanding his creation. But partnership requires trust, so God gave humanity the freedom to make their own choices. So we can either choose to work and live with God, following His ways or we can choose to live our life, according to our minds and heart. Sadly, humans often make the choice to trust their own wisdom over God’s. What really influences our choices is our subconscious or conscious  belief, or non belief, that physical death is not  final. If we believe that physical death is not final and that our God awaits us after our l

Yesterday we talked about Love and Joy, we continue today with the rest of the seven. Peace - eirene The Biblical concept of peace, εἰρήνη (eirene) in Greek, is:  inclusive of life without conflict, as well as wholeness and harmony with God and others. A life of peace is safe and secure both physically and mentally. “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6) “Peace is a result of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and minds. When we have peace, we are from fear and worry about finances, our safety, our salvation, and our eternal life. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is seen in the peace that comes even when our circumstances are far from tranquil. (Penny Noyes) Jesus encouraged his followers in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Forbearance - makrothumia Makrothumia is used to express a sl