Discipleship
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."Matthew 7:21
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70 Times 7
“Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice, you wives of Lamech, give heed to my speech, for I have killed a man for wounding me; and a boy for striking me; if Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Genesis 4:24 NASB Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV Some modern translations render “seventy times seven” in both cases as seventy-seven times. But if “sevenfold” means seven times, then…
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Where Have Those Feet Been?
Foot-washing was a very common practice in ancient times, since all roadways were generally regular old dusty dirt . . . with an added bonus. Folks all wore sandals of some fashion, but those nearly bare feet, combined with often hours of travel, resulted in quite filthy feet indeed. Keep in mind, of course, in those days, people weren’t driving Toyotas, Fords, Chevys or Subarus, replete with their toxic emissions. No, they were driving camels, oxen, sheep, donkeys and goats, replete with their toxic emissions! Such transportation and walking cargo did not “hold it” until the next gas station. The animals relieved themselves as they moved, which was on the…
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Slavery Is Easy
I know, I know. But let’s talk about this. Heading back to the Old Testament book of Exodus, we’re reminded that God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, not to the Promised Land . . . but into the Wilderness. Christians tend to consider the Wilderness as only that place of wandering we sometimes stumble into from time to time. But the reality is that the Wilderness is where we live, and there is no leaving it until such time as we are granted admission into the Promised Land at the end of our great journey. We look at the history of the Israelites having spent several generations…
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Making the List
Blessings or curses. Wrath or favor. Heaven or hell. Why did we all grow up believing that either God rewards or punishes us based on our behavior? Some of us have come to believe that we're either in or out of God's grace because of our deeds. And since we all know (deep down) that we are inherently failures according to God's glorious standard (Romans 3:23), we kind of already know we won't be rewarded by being allowed into Heaven. Some of us try to play the game and attempt to be "good persons" (at least better than the other guy), expecting that, on that Day of Judgment, God will…
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Slaves of Righteousness
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:5-7 NIV When one is enslaved, he has been taken against his will to live and serve a new master in constant fear. Initially, the slave’s desire is simply to escape and return to what he used to know. But as…
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No One Left Behind
It should be pretty clear by now that being a follower of Christ is an active process. You see, Jesus is never standing still; he is always in motion: healing, loving, turning over tables, sharing the Good News, walking on water, and performing miracles. And it was these actions, in concert, that demonstrated his love for others and for us, providing numerous examples of just how we might “love our neighbors as ourselves.” Jesus is (and has always been) God’s Word in action. That’s why his ministry kept him moving all the time. He rarely stayed in one place for very long; but when he did—and while he was traveling…
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Undermining Our Foundation
When we “mine under” something, we mine, drill or excavate, ultimately removing the material that supports the foundation something is built upon. As a result, the foundation itself loses the integrity it needs to support the structure on which it stands. Typically, we don’t pay much attention to the foundation once it’s been laid. Since the foundation is typically immovable, we usually don’t expect it to shift or change over time. Ironically, however, experience tells us that foundations do shift over time, because the earth beneath it is ever-changing. Since the planet we live upon was created from kinetic components (even the hardest rock is made up of moving particles),…
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The Little Things
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10 While Jesus spoke these words to admonish us to take care in handling what’s been entrusted to us, it’s interesting to see how this truth applies to us in the way in which we deal with our relationships; especially the one we have with Him.
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As the Arrow Flies
The term “sin” has often been commonly related to an archaic archery term that meant to miss the mark (or target). But this term is more effectively translated as falling short of the target. However, when we casualize sin in this way, we blind ourselves to the truth of how God defines sin. It is certainly written in that “all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard Romans 3:23,” and must realize that nobody who has ever lived, or will live, apart from Jesus, did so without sin. But there’s more to the context of this passage than just a passing reference. But while “falling short” does match…
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Second Place
Pride is a wonderful thing. It gives us an amazing power to achieve great things. The only drawback is that it directs us to accomplish things that only give us glory, instead of God. We seek that glorious prize—a 1st place trophy, a trophy home, a trophy car, or a trophy life—and we do so with a fervor that allows us to sacrifice better things to have it. Over time, we become convinced that reaching that goal is the most important thing, and that once there, everything will be better than it was. We set goals and often work overtime to achieve them, only to get there and find that…
