Aaron Brown

There’s plenty to learn about Jesus throughout Scripture, but the New Testament provides a more focused view. That’s why our first in-depth picture comes in the first book of the New Testament, the Book of Matthew.

Would you consider yourself wise or a fool? What would other people estimate about you? Scripture speaks plenty about wisdom, and multiple times portrays the wise in direct contrast with the foolish.

The word humility appears various times throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. Where we read about humility, we see that this trait is something God desires for His people. Humility is beneficial for us, for God, and for those around us.

The more we can see everyone as being made in God’s image, the less we will see them as an enemy (Genesis 1:26). Praying for others will be easier, and in turn, there may be less persecution, at the very least from Christians.

Though we can conclude now that God is the same, what did the writer of Hebrews 13:8 mean when they said it thousands of years ago? How did they know?

Trauma has a way of surfacing in our lives following an unfortunate circumstance. Additionally, time does not always erase the impact of that trauma. Paul’s words may seem to exaggerate God’s ability, but his words are true. We can find evidence of this by looking at Paul’s life.

There are moments when we separate ourselves from God in sin, and “squander” in our own unique ways. However, God’s love is not contingent on our behaviors and His mercies are new every morning.

God’s limitless mercy explains why He has chosen to love humanity since the time of Adam and Eve in the garden. His love extends into today where we still study the Bible in an effort to better comprehend the mysteries of God. With a better understanding of this verse and its implications, we will better understand why God’s love has no end and why that news is encouraging.

Ask any child or adult to describe their lives and more than likely they will share personal stories of both positive and negative experiences. This is true for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Scientifically, life is defined by the state of existing, even having a soul. Though when people describe life in their own words, they talk through experiences.

As people on Earth, we may live to see joyful moments such as a graduation, marriage, even the birth of a baby. However, we may also encounter tragedies including divorce, the death of a loved one, or loss of a relationship.

God’s initial design for Earth was ideal, free of any and every tragedy. This was the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis. The paradise God created didn’t last though.

Due to the original sin of Adam and Eve, the ideal paradise created for humanity was lost (Genesis 3:14-19). Mankind was cast out with a number of consequences, all because of one choice. Now, there is no way to escape a life of suffering. Anyone who lives a full life will have happy moments, but they will have sad days too.

Jesus expressed this truth best.

 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Knowing that life will naturally incur difficulties means that we as believers will face our own set of challenges. Yet, Jesus tells us to be of “good cheer,” which lets us know that we don’t have to succumb to our misfortunes.

The question then becomes how do we as Christians remain cheerful no matter our circumstance? The answer to that question is provided in the Bible.

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The best way to identify a generational curse is to find the origin. Parents who behave a certain way may have witnessed such behaviors in their own parents. Without awareness, the cycle will likely continue. Another important detail when pinpointing a generational curse is to discern whether multiple people struggle with the same problem.