Who does?

 Although he was faithful to God in every way, Job suffered greatly (Job 23). Job's suffering reminds us of our inability to judge other's devotion or situation. The theme of Job, and maybe the Bible itself, is that we should be humble enough to see ourselves in those who suffer and to offer assistance and comfort. The core of Christianity is that we cannot save ourselves, we need Christ's intervention. May we be like Christ.

That's Just Your Interpretation...

 Many commentators note the hard rebuke Jesus gives to Peter when Peter insists that Jesus, as the Christ, must not die (Mark 8). Peter believed that the Messiah would be a military leader who kills His enemies, but Jesus seemed to prefer sacrifice to violence. Do your interpretations of Messiah look like Jesus or like the military leader? Do you think Jesus would rebuke you for your interpretation? 

Awesome not hearing you

 In Mark 7 Jesus heals a man's deafness and asks that no one advertise the miracle. Those who witnessed the act could not seem to help themselves and soon the miracle no longer belonged to the man, but it had been appropriated for the crowd's purpose of promoting Jesus as the Messiah. We might notice how quickly the man disappears from the story to be replaced by the crowd's agenda.

Who are you?

 In Deuteronomy 4 God's people are encouraged to remember all that God had done for them, and all that God promised for them. The message reminded Israel to remember where they came from and what values defined them. What values to do we demonstrate to show that we are followers of Christ? Do we value our rules and laws more than we value the neighbor that Jesus told to us to love as ourselves?

The Big Shopper

 Joshua 24:15 is often quoted as a declaration of our commitment to worshipping God and God alone. While printing the shortened version of this verse on various pieces of merchandise may serve as a passive declaration to put God first, it could also be a substitute for actively acting like Jesus. Are we more interested in looking like a Christian than in we are in loving like Christ loved?

Doggone it

 When Jesus spoke the words the Church now uses to celebrate the "Lord's Supper," He gave no moral requirements, He simply provided spiritual nourishment to those who would come. Do we help others come to the table of Jesus? Do we demand more than Jesus Himself or maybe we mistakenly offer physical nourishment and wealth in place of spiritual. Let us embrace the true gospel of Christ.

They will know us by our forceful pressing of doctrine and creed

 

While the apostle Paul is best known for his strong doctrine and logical arguments, he also recommends and reminds us that the guiding principle of Christ's followers is love. In Ephesians, Paul used the words rooted and grounded to describe how our beliefs are less about logic and obedience and are really more about love. How do you demonstrate God's love to those around you?

A Terrible Call to Ministry

Like most prophets, Ezekiel was called to live a difficult life with seemingly little reward (Ezekiel 2). Perhaps driven by a wonderful vision of God, Ezekiel did endure ridicule and saw little to no change in those he ministered to. They wanted to be encouraged to continue in their sin. What prophetic voices do you ignore today? Are you unconcerned with those who suffer injustice like the poor and the refugee?

Saul sees Saul and not David

 David was Saul's best solider and military leader. After killing Goliath and winning the war with the Philistines, David was cheered and loved by his people. This success caused Saul to become bitterly jealous. It seems like Saul projected his own faults onto David and could not accept that David was being used by God to bolster the kingdom (I Sam 18). Who do you secretly fear and envy?

Memorial Day 2024

 As Christians we should hate war and the death it brings. We should also rejoice in the coming day when no such sacrifices will be made and the arbitrary divisions of national borders will be erased. Until that day, we honor those willing to give themselves to keep us safe (John 15:13) from those who would expand their power and influence by hurting others. May we repent of the times we have done so.

We want more

 While the book of Luke gives a lot of information about Jesus and His teachings, it also leaves us wondering what wasn't recorded. It might be tempting to over-examine the Bible looking for what's not there, instead of immersing ourselves in the stories that point to Jesus, His ministry and His mission. Can you see how Jesus is featured in every scripture? Luke 24:25-27

Laying down your life...one cookie at a time

 1 John 3:16 defines love in the strongest terms possible. The verse tells us that God loved us enough to die for us, and we should do the same for each other. We might do well to consider how we do this in our everyday lives. As we give our time and treasure to others, are we slowly, bit by bit laying down our lives for others or are we hording our rights and privileges for our own?  

Be Afraid, be very afraid

 Many Christians deem certain actions or beliefs as necessary and then use fear to scare others into obeying those actions. When Christ appears to His disciples, He tells them NOT to be afraid (John 20:19-31). He even reassures the group by offering to let them touch His wounds. How do you dispel fear from those you encounter? Do you show them a God who reassures them?

NOW He's gone too far!

 

Jesus's ministry demonstrated radical rule-breaking, specifically to help those abused by the systems and rulers of the day. When Jesus actually broke death, by raising a young girl and his own friend, Lazarus, Jesus had good too far. The religious leaders could not explain the miracles, but decided that Jesus must not be allowed to continue to bring this kind of healing (John 11). What kinds of healing do you oppose?

Jesus is Coming! What Does that mean to you?

 

Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem was met with great joy and with great fear. The religious leaders of the day understood that Jesus was dangerous to their power structures and might bring unwanted attention from the Roman government (John 12:12-16). How do you comfort others, when your great joy and triumph comes at their expense? 

Do we know what is right?

Jeremiah 31 speaks of a time when everyone will know who God is and What God wants us to do. Similarly, in Romans 2 Paul describes a kind of natural law which calls our conscience. The shared shame of humanity is that all of us have 'sinned' by not doing what we believe is the right, regardless of how we define 'right.' The good news of the gospel is that we don't have live with that shame.
 

BigGuy gets 'snaked'

Numbers 21 relates the story of God's people being plagued with a snake infestation that resulted in many sicknesses and deaths. The remedy was to simply look at a replica of the problem, a snake. Looking at the bronze image brought immediate relief and healing. Maybe the Church needs to look at Jesus and what He taught so that healing can come. How can you look to Jesus for the love that you need to give today?

The Foolishness of Christ

 The way of Christ is so contrary to the violence and greed of our world that it seems like foolishness to those who don't practice it. Even more disturbing to those around us might be the willingness of Christ to include anyone from any background, even the disagreeable. (1 Co 1:18-26). Is this the 'foolishness of Christ' you see in the Church, or do you see the Church excluding, bickering, and conquering?

Big Umbrella

 Often Christians seek to limit access to Christ by rejecting others. Paul seemed to do just the opposite, in1 Co 9:16-23 Paul declares that he is 'all things to all people'. Paul's willingness to open the door of the church to all who would come caused discomfort and clashes between devout followers of both the Hebrew God and the pagan deities. Who would you exclude in order to be more comfortable?

Who are you calling weak?

 The term 'weaker brother' is describes a Christian who is offended by certain behaviors (1 Co 8). While the passage is often used to bolster our opinions of our own spirituality or worse, to condemn others who exhibit behaviors we dislike, the point of the passage seems to be the need to demonstrate love. Paul is willing to limit his freedoms in order to show love to his brothers. How do you show love to the Church?