If there is a progression in Jesus’ Declaration of a New Day, then hungering and thirsting for righteousness bears the seeds of what he says next. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.” (Matt 5:7) Showing up for this Operation Rescue is an indication of having seen the undeserved relief of misery that […]
Along the way, we’ve talked among ourselves about what happens when others hear us refer to righteousness —as if those who believe in Jesus are morally good people while those outside of him are not. We probably self-describe like this because that’s the way the Bible speaks of us. We find it natural to think […]
After offering his reasons for declaring as blessed those who are poor in spirit; and those who mourn, Jesus said, blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth (Matt 5:3-5). Of the word for “meek” Thayer’s Hebrew lexicon offers the opinion that, “Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we […]
One of the riddles of the kingdom of God is found in Jesus’ words, “Cry now, laugh later”; Laugh now, cry later” (Luke 6:21; Luke 6:25). It was not a new thought. For centuries his people had been singing songs and hearing prophets talk about being deeply troubled by the silence of God before seeing […]
The word “manifesto” is often associated with the Socialist Manifesto of Marx and Engels (1842). But in a more general sense it is a public declaration of intentions as issued by a government or a political party. If Jesus had a manifesto, or inaugural address, it probably would be what we now call his Sermon […]
Over the years I’ve heard of those who have left the church saying that they have not been allowed to ask their questions. My guess is that for some of them, the issue has not been that they always expected answers, but rather that they were not allowed to honestly ask. Admittedly, questions can be […]
Imagine falling asleep, and having God come to us in a dream the way he did to Solomon (1Kings 3:5). But instead of saying, “What do you want? Ask me.” He says, “Ask 3 questions you’d like me to answer”. Then he adds: “1 question about this life, 1 question about the next one, and […]
While doing some reading on this year’s prestigious Nobel awards, I bumped into the video of a little boy who insists that jalapeno peppers are not hot. Then I continued reading about the recognition given to 3 researchers who have been honored in the category of physiology and medicine. Together and individually they have discovered […]
I’ve been involved in some conversations the last few days that might have a bearing on what we’ve been trying to work through together. One of those discussions had to do with the way the Scriptures point us—sometimes in very subtle ways— to Christ, and to our need of the God he reveals. For example, […]
In general usage the idea of a persecution complex refers to an unhealthy state of mind that causes persons or groups to assume that they are the victims of an evil conspiracy that has singled them out because they are different than the mainstream. The term therefore is apt to cause many of us to […]
