Justice and Grace
“When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight. Stop doing evil. Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the […]
What is “Doing Justice?”
“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NASB95) There are a lot of competing theories in our world about how to “do justice.” The debate is part of the […]
Everything that can be Shaken
“But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ,” (Philippians 3:20, The Message) That verse came to mind Wednesday as I watched the unbelievable images from our Nation’s Capital. Regardless of your political views, I’m sure you’d agree that our […]
Do You See what I See?
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had […]
God Moves Deliberately
“And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) God’s in the business of meeting needs: When Adam and Eve discovered they were unclothed…God made them coverings from animal skins When the world needed saving from a flood, God gave us Noah When Abraham needed […]
Thanksgiving 2020
“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” (Hebrews 11:23) The author of Hebrews tells us that Moses’ parents defied Pharaoh for two reasons: vision and courage. They had a vision of the […]
A Change in Perspective
“If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3) Jesus said that to his disciples on the night of the “Last Supper.” He had just explained to them that he would be betrayed, denied, […]
Blessed are the Meek?
In his same Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, he also said this: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, NIV84) Later, Jesus would describe himself with the same term: “Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in […]
Peace: Step by Step
We live in a world of conflict…a world that thrives on conflict…that even loves it! Yet Jesus encouraged us: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” How can we be peacemakers in today’s environment? It isn’t easy, which is why there are more peace fakers and peace breakers than […]
Peacemaking and Rebuke?
I don’t know about you, but several of Jesus’ commands to his disciples make me uncomfortable. Here’s one: “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to […]
When Conflict Strikes
Job’s friend Eliphaz said: “…humans are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7) And it often seems that trouble comes out of nowhere, doesn’t it? A spouse suggesting divorce. A pink slip with 20 minutes to clear out your desk. A call from the principal…or from jail. Even in church – […]
Growing through Conflict
“You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.” (Genesis 50:20) That’s the famous conclusion of Joseph’s story in Genesis. He said it to his brothers when they came down to Egypt and he revealed himself to them. Here’s how we often interpret it, […]
