Month: January 2026

Matthew 16:21 – From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

²² But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”  ²³ Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. ²⁵ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. ²⁶ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (NLT)

In today’s reading, Jesus had been telling his disciples of the things that would soon take place in Jerusalem.  Just a few verses before today’s reading, Jesus had praised Peter for being blessed with the spiritual insight to recognize Jesus for who he was – the Son of the Living God.  Here, however, Jesus rebukes him strongly, saying, “Get away from me Satan!”  How could Peter get turned around so quickly?  The same way that we can get quickly turned around.  The answer is there in verse twenty-three: “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

I don’t believe that Peter was aware that he had become a spokesperson for Satan.  I’m sure that he spoke out of a genuine concern and love for Jesus, but he was not seeing things from God’s point of view.  Peter was genuinely concerned, but he was still wrong.  When we take our eyes off of God, we, like Peter, can be well intentioned and still become a spokesperson for Satan.  There can be times in the life of any disciple of Jesus in which they do not make a deliberate choice to reject the things of God, and yet still stand opposed to the things of God.   

How can we make sure that we are seeing things from God’s point of view?  We see things from God’s point of view by staying in constant contact with God.  We stay in God’s Word.  We stay in contact with trusted Christian friends who hold us accountable.  We maintain a spirit of worship.  We pray before we react.  These are the things that we must continually strive to do so that we will not unknowingly reject the things of God.   

Today, let us stay connected to God so that we will see things from God’s point of view. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Amos 5:18 – Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?
    That day will be darkness, not light.
¹⁹ It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.
²⁰ Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

²¹ “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
    your assemblies are a stench to me.
²² Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.
²³ Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.
²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river,
    righteousness like a never-failing stream!

 Today, across our nation, many will gather to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.  They will gather to remember not only the life of a man, but the life of a movement. This great movement, which for this country found its voice in Martin Luther King, did not begin with Martin Luther King.  This movement did not begin in this country.  From our reading from an ancient prophet, we hear that this movement was alive some twenty-eight centuries ago. 

 “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”  These words were spoken by a simple herdsmen named Amos who could not understand how a people who claimed to worship a God of justice could then turn around and use their system of human justice as an instrument of their own greed.  Indeed, in the days of Amos the name of God was used to oppress the poor, and Amos, a simple herdsmen by trade, could not stand idly by and watch as the children of God were ruthlessly burdened in the name of justice.  So, the prophet cried out, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

 Amos was not blind to the fact that the government of the land, which by all rights should have stood up for those who could not stand for themselves, was corrupt and unjust. The courts were easily swayed by money. Not only were the poor oppressed, but the opportunity for a fair trial was non-existent. Perhaps worst of all, Amos recognized that the religious institutions of the day, while busy with its various religious activities, was totally oblivious to the living conditions of the common people.  To be sure, there were sacrifices and prayers of every kind, but what did all this religion amount to except to nurture a false hope?

Likewise, Martin Luther King could clearly see things that many people refused to see.  He had the power to speak out against injustice.  Most of all, he realized that if religion was to be true to its nature it must be concerned not just with religious rituals and prayers, but that it must be concerned with all of life.  While still a young man Martin Luther King had the courage to face those who hated him and boldly proclaim that: “Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is a dry-as-dust religion.”

 It was a dry as dust religion that Amos sought to change.  Through Amos, God spoke to the people. God told them that it was not sacrifices that satisfied the heart of God.  It was not feasts; it was not elaborate shows of fanciful assemblies.  The songs that God’s children offered up in praise of God were nothing more than noise.  Indeed, God refused to even listen to their music!  What made Amos a visionary is the same quality that made Martin Luther King a visionary.  Like Amos, Martin Luther King challenged the entire religious system.  He did not challenge a few.  He did not challenge the black church. He did not challenge the white church. He challenged the Church – all of Christianity. He challenged the whole system, from smallest congregation in the backwaters of Mississippi to the largest and fanciest churches in New York City.  Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged the church to understand the true nature of God.

The issue for Amos came down to the understanding of the very nature of God.  That was the issue for Martin Luther King, Jr., as well.  This must be our issue today.  Our actions, our behavior, must be modeled after our beliefs and concepts of God Almighty.  This is true for our congregations, and this is true for us as individual Christians.  Because of our understanding of the nature of God, each of us must seek to relate to one another as God would, not as we would like. 

Amos, though he lived thousands of years ago, was ahead of his time when it came to spiritual insight.  Martin Luther King, Jr., knew those same insights.  And we, three millennia after Amos, six decades after Martin Luther King, Jr., must continue to strive to achieve what they could see so well – injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.  Whatever we do to the least of the children of God, we do to God. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Acts 24:10 – The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you. ¹¹ You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple. ¹² My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city. ¹³ These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing. 

¹⁴ “But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets. ¹⁵ I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. ¹⁶ Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.

¹⁷ “After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God. ¹⁸ My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting. ¹⁹ But some Jews from the province of Asia were there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me! ²⁰ Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council found me guilty of, ²¹ except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’” (NLT)

Historically speaking, this passage is rather straight forward.  Paul had arrived in Jerusalem and was quickly arrested (Acts 21).  Paul reveals that he is a Roman citizen, and his case is moved to a Roman official. He is taken from Jerusalem to Caesarea, where the local Roman Governor will officiate over his trial.  In today’s passage, Paul is given his opportunity to speak.

There is one line in Paul’s defense that I find striking: “I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!”  What if we were on trial for what we believe?  Would we be able to defend ourselves?  When I consider Paul’s testimony, I am reminded of what the Apostle Peter wrote:  “If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

There are many programs, books, and seminars that would teach us how to share our faith.  I have had personal experience with a number of these.  Some are great, some are rather harsh.  Yet, the truth remains: As Christians we should always be prepared to explain why we put our hope and trust in Jesus, and we must do this in a way that is respectful to those who are listening.

If you cannot plainly explain the hope that you have in Jesus, I encourage you to learn how.  Your pastor will probably know some great resources for you, or perhaps your pastor will teach you. 

Today, prepare yourself to share with others the hope that you have! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

2 Peter 1:1 – This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.  I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.

² May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. ³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

⁵ In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.  ⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. (NLT)

It’s a new year and many people have made resolutions to better themselves.  Have you ever wondered how much money is spent on books, seminars and workshops that are designed to help people become better parents, or a better spouse?  Many men and women truly desire to be better, and in this passage we are told that God has already given us everything we need to be a better person.  In fact, “God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (verse 3).  I am not saying that all the books and seminars and workshops designed to help us become better in our relationships are wrong (I’ve spent my fair share of money on them), but I am saying that if they are not based upon biblical principles, then they probably won’t produce much change. 

We are told that all that we need for living a godly life comes from God’s divine power.  How do we tap into this divine power?  Is there a secret formula?  The answer is also there in verse three:  “We have received all of this by coming to know him.”  God does supply us with all we need to live a godly life, but we must nurture our relationship with God in order to receive what we need.  Nurturing a relationship takes time and effort.  We live in a time when many people do not bother putting forth the effort to foster and maintain good relationships.  Good marriages do not happen by accident, they take work.  Those who truly seek to live a Christ like life are called disciples for a reason – it takes discipline.

Today let us resolve to discipline ourselves. Let us nurture our relationship with God through Jesus Christ so that we can receive all that we need today for living a godly life.   

Posted by Ramón Torres