Author: Dwight Clough

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. — Matthew 5:7Where does mercy come from? Doesn’t it come from a heart that has been touched by God? The saint and the sinner are made out of the same clay. The saint knows this, and this is why he holds out hope for the sinner. We forgive because Christ has paid the debt the offender cannot pay. We show mercy because we are sons and daughters of the King. God recognizes the heart that has created margin for others. He will not be stingy with that man or woman. …

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. — Matthew 5:6This is good news for all of us who grew up knowing we were sinners. We want to please God. We don’t know how. We don’t have the ability to. We fail in all sorts of ways. But wait! God has a promise for us. The accent is on the second half of the sentence. They will be filled. All around us we have the "what" of Christianity. You should be kind. You should be loving. You should be generous. Etc. Etc. But Jesus…

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. — Matthew 5:5I remember Pastor Warren Wiersbe almost thirty years ago telling us, "Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control." I don’t know if that’s original with him, but I like it.A day is coming when the Lord will tear the earth away from the arrogant and the oppressors. Then it will be parceled up among those who never used their power to bring fear or grief to others. This is a statement about the meek, but it is a bigger statement about our God. He sees, He…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. — Matthew 5:4Who hasn’t mourned? All of us have felt grief and loss, sorrow and pain. Here we have God’s heart response to our pain: comfort. The other day my little girl came into my office with a scarcely visible scratch on her foot. For me, it was a delight to pick her up and comfort her and let her know how much I care about her.Do you want to find the heart of God? I don’t wish on you any new pain, but you may need to feel the…

Recipes wanted! (And thanks to you who sent recipes yesterday!) Kim and I are getting ready to launch a personal chef business. That involves coming to a customer’s home, preparing several meals from scratch, that the customer can pop into an oven or microwave and easily make on the day the meal will be served. We have good recipes, but we are looking for more recipes that reheat well, especially any fish recipes. Contact us at: http://www.dwightclough.com/contact.htmlBlessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew 5:3We have our treasure in earthen vessels — clay…

Recipes wanted! Kim and I are getting ready to launch a personal chef business. That involves coming to a customer’s home, preparing several meals from scratch, that the customer can pop into an oven or microwave and easily make on the day the meal will be served. We have good recipes, but we are looking for more recipes that reheat well, especially any fish recipes. Contact us at: http://www.dwightclough.com/contact.html"What kind of Man is this?" — Matthew 8:27The disciples had theology before they got out on the lake. They were familiar with Jesus — more than any of us are. But…

… being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. — Philippians 1:6 Jubilee BibleGod is at work. Sometimes it helps to stop and consider Who is working. This is God. He took you on, and He took me on knowing all our faults, all our false beliefs, all our apathy and stubbornness. Evidently, all the wrong inside us doesn’t scare God away.Years ago when my heart had grown cold toward the Lord, I wanted to come back, but I didn’t know how. It…

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. — Proverbs 21:31Even David had five smooth stones and a sling. Sometimes we need to look at the weapons we fight with and the tools build with. Do we walk into battle wearing Saul’s armor? Do we build kitchen cabinets with a sledge hammer and a chainsaw? David’s sling and stone were useless without the presence of God. Our programs, approaches, techniques, weapons, tools, insights and whatever else we may have do nothing until energized by the powerful presence of God.The widow had oil,…

I thought this was an interesting article about understanding the persecuted church:http://www.pastors.com/rwmt/default.asp?id=281&artid=9921&expand=1"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." — Matthew 4:19Jesus is so efficient. In His very call, He has already given His first lesson. If we want to win people, if we want to set people free, we must enter their world and speak their language. Why do we know almost nothing about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life? Because He invested that time immersing Himself in our world, learning our language. He wasn’t drawing attention to Himself. Who are the most…

"… the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." — Matthew 4:16Where is the land of darkness? It is inside us.Read the verse, study the chapter and consider: The darkness is within. There wasn’t some fog over Galilee any more than there is some special fog over the place you live or the place I live. Whenever there is darkness, it is within.So where does Jesus need to be revealed? He needs to be revealed inside each of us. When I originally wrote…