Category: Memory Verse

“Praise no man before he speaks, for it is then that men are tested.” –Sirach 27:7 When we open our mouths and speak, we open our inner selves and reveal publicly: our “heart’s abundance” (Lk 6:45), our faults and sins (Sir 27:4), and the bent of our minds (Sir 27:6). Therefore, be “slow to speak” (Jas 1:19), don’t talk too much (Prv 10:19), and “let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29, RSV-CE). “All of us...

“People were bringing their little children to Him to have Him touch them, but the disciples were scolding them…Jesus became indignant when He noticed it and said to them: ‘Let the children come to Me and do not hinder them.’ ” –Mark 10:13-14 Jesus loves children. He created children. He’s the only Person Who ever intentionally became a Child. He embraces and blesses children (Mk 10:16). He makes children a sign, a sacrament of His kingdom (Mk 10:15). Jesus wants His disciples to imitate Him in His love for children. He wants: married couples to joyfully conceive children, children to...

“Therefore let no man separate what God has joined.” –Mark 10:9 If Jesus is not God, He has not saved us by His death on the cross and Christianity is false. Yet we know that Jesus is God because: He rose from the dead by His own power, and only God can do that (see Rm 1:4). Jesus’ disciples are living in a holiness, freedom, and purity which is humanly impossible. Only God can make us new creations. One of the greatest examples of living a new life in the divine Jesus is Christian marriage. For millennia in every culture,...

“Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart.” –Sirach 5:2 How many times have we said: “No problem,” “I have the power,” “Everything’s under control,” “Who can prevail against me?” (see Sir 5:1, 3) Those are famous last words. We don’t have it together, and we never will. “You have no idea what kind of life will be yours tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears briefly and vanishes. Instead of saying, ‘If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that,’ all you can do is make arrogant and pretentious claims” (Jas...

“John said to Him, ‘Teacher, we saw a man using Your name to expel demons.’ ” –Mark 9:38 Because of past wars, large areas of several countries are still land-mined. These mines cause devastating injuries and death even years after a war is over. Jesus’ war on earth with the devil is over. “It was to destroy the devil’s works that the Son of God revealed Himself” (1 Jn 3:8). Jesus is totally victorious. He “took His seat forever at the right hand of God; now He waits until His enemies are placed beneath His feet” (Heb 10:12-13). The war...