"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank." (Daniel 1:8)The pure in heart don't drift into purity; they decide beforehand. They don't accidentally maintain integrity in a corrupt culture; they purpose to remain undefiled. Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." An...

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8)There was a lady by the name of Anna Mae Pennica. She was 62, but she was born blind and could not see at all. She was married, had friends and associates that she interacted with regularly. She heard them and imagined what the sounds looked like, but she couldn't see.A procedure to remove cataracts had been invented about 40 ye...

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NKJV)I was at the zoo one time and saw these big, humongous bears. They were seated back almost like they were in recliners, just sitting there with their arms out. These bears were really, really big—they'd been well-fed, let's say that.You could purchase peanuts to throw at the bears. Since we ar...

"Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts." - Romans 6:11-12 (NKJV)A young child gets hurt on the playground and comes up to their parent crying like something terminal has happened to them. The parent looks the child over real good. They don't see any rea...

"And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." - 1 Peter 4:8-9 (NKJV)With eternity in mind, Peter emphasizes something crucial: we need each other. He doesn't just say love one another - he calls for fervent love. The Greek word picture describes a horse at full stride, completely focused on finishi...