Sunday, February 5, 2023

Pastor Cheryl Arnold

God’s Promise of Guidance

Scripture

Psalm 112:1-10 Common English Bible

1  Praise the Lord!
    Those who honor the Lord,
    who adore God’s commandments, are truly happy!
2 Their descendants will be strong throughout the land.
    The offspring of those who do right will be blessed;
3     wealth and riches will be in their houses.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
4 They shine in the dark for others who do right.
    They are merciful, compassionate, and righteous.
5 Those who lend generously are good people—
    as are those who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Yes, these sorts of people will never be shaken;
    the righteous will be remembered forever!
7 They won’t be frightened at bad news.
    Their hearts are steady, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are firm; they aren’t afraid.
    In the end, they will witness their enemies’ defeat.
9 They give freely to those in need.
    Their righteousness stands forever.
    Their strength increases gloriously.
10 The wicked see all this and fume;
        they grind their teeth, but disappear to nothing.
    What the wicked want to see happen comes to nothing!.

Matthew 5:13-20 Common English Bible

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.

17 “Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them. 18 I say to you very seriously that as long as heaven and earth exist, neither the smallest letter nor even the smallest stroke of a pen will be erased from the Law until everything there becomes a reality. 19 Therefore, whoever ignores one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called the lowest in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps these commands and teaches people to keep them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 I say to you that unless your righteousness is greater than the righteousness of the legal experts and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.