Matthew 5:16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Thought:Imagine your life as a mirror meant to reflect the beauty of Christ. Pride, bitterness, and self-righteousness are like cracks and smudges that distort the reflection. People looking at that mirror may think God is harsh or unapproachable because the image they see i...

2 Corinthians 3:2Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.Thought:Paul told the Corinthians that their lives were like letters that people could read. Long before most people open a Bible, they watch those who claim to belong to Jesus. Your reactions, your tone, your choices, and your relationships are all preaching something about what you truly believe God is like. The...

Luke 18:14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.Thought:Jesus shocked his hearers by declaring that the despised tax collector went home justified while the respected Pharisee did not. Justification is God’s legal declaration that a guilty sinner is righteous in ...

Luke 18:13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.Thought:The tax collector had no list of religious achievements and no defense to offer. He felt the weight of his guilt so deeply that he could not even lift his eyes. His posture and his words revealed a heart that had stopped pretend...

Luke 18:11–12The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.Thought:The Pharisee did not lie about his religious activities. He truly fasted, gave tithes, and likely avoided many public sins. The problem was not what he did b...