Quoting Jesus

Jesus is, as you would expect, quoted a lot in the Gospels.  But how much is He quoted in the rest of the New Testament? I found the answer to be surprising.  If you consider all his letters, Paul quotes Jesus … exactly once (I Corinthians 11:24-25, regarding what Jesus said at the last supper, … [Read more…]

Some Notes on Acts, Mostly Questions

As the one Gentile author in the Bible, Luke alone came from a background in which the very concept of Scripture was, presumably, unfamiliar.  Yet, as a new Christian, he was quite aware of the Holy Spirit.  So was he conscious of being inspired to write God’s word in Acts even if, beforehand, such writing … [Read more…]

Trade-Last and Christian Living

When I was growing up, my mom would from time to time offer me a “t.l.” or “trade last.”  She’d explain, “Somebody said something nice about you to me, and I’ll tell you what it was, but first you have to tell me something nice someone said about me.”  I never heard anyone else use … [Read more…]

Keeping the Top Two Commandments

The top two commandments are to love God and to love others.   See Matthew 22:37-40:  “Jesus said unto him [i.e., a Pharisee — and a lawyer, to boot — asking Him what was “the great commandment in the law”], Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy … [Read more…]

Prayer Thought for the Month

My regular, as opposed to spontaneous, prayers each day include grace at each meal as well as the Lord’s Prayer and one prayer devoted to each of the four classic categories, spelling A-C-T-S:  one for adoration, one for confession, one for thanksgiving, and one for supplication.  I’m not bragging, by the way — far from … [Read more…]