Matthew By Don Ruhl Matthew draws us to Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms as well as the kingdom or church of God. Matthew Introduces Jesus Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus. Why is that? Since Matthew wrote primarily for a Jewish audience, he had to establish […]
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To Have Paradise on Earth: Be Happy When You Are Hated
Can Christians be happy when people say evil things about them? By Don Ruhl There are some people you want to say good things about you and there are some people that you do not want to say good things about you. You do not want the devil saying good things about you. […]
To Have Paradise on Earth: Make Peace
There are plenty of troublemakers in the world; we need peacemakers By Don Ruhl You may remember the photograph of nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc from the Vietnam War. Napalm (Napthenic Acid and Palmitate [jellied incendiary used in bombs]) was dropped on her village. Two of her brothers were killed and she was badly […]
To Have Paradise on Earth: Be Transparent
The religion of God goes right to the heart of the matter By Don Ruhl People may mock you as puritanical, strict and old-fashioned, but Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matt 5.8). Purity of heart flows from the Beatitudes in the previous verses, that […]
To Have Paradise on Earth: Hunger
Are you as hungry for righteousness as you are for food? By Don Ruhl A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. (Pro. 27:7). If you are filled with food, even the sweetest dessert is repulsive. To the starving man, distasteful things become sweet. Solomon is […]
To Have Paradise on Earth: Be Meek
Is meekness a compliment or an insult? By Don Ruhl If someone says that you are meek, will that be a compliment or an insult? Would you think that he is calling you weak or a geek? Is meekness something to acquire or become, or something to avoid? If someone said to […]
To Have Paradise on Earth: Mourn
Can anything good come out of mourning? By Don Ruhl To have paradise on earth, grieve. The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 widen the gulf between the disciple of Christ and the disciple of the world. In the second Beatitude, Jesus says, Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. (Mat. […]
