Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
“You have heard it said…but I say to you…” — Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32 There were 613 religious laws in Jesus’ day. The legal experts (“lawyers”), rabbis, priests, and groups like the Pharisees and Sadduccees really enjoyed debating them. What constituted work on the sabbath? What made you clean or unclean? Along with such debating …
He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” — John 21:17 I think the true test of our discipleship is …
It’s a blessing that this country has ordained a holiday centered on giving thanks. In an era when we are too easily drawn to fear and anxiety, taking stock of what has been given us is soul medicine. Here’s a three-part guide for this holiday. First: Be mindful of the gifts you have. Psalm 95:1-2 …
Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?” Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times. — Matthew 18:21-22 If Hollywood followed Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness and reconciliation, we’d have a …
“You are the salt of the earth.” — Matthew 5:13 When Jesus said this, he was referring to salt’s tastiness. Who could eat a baked potato without it? But there’s another use for salt that also applies. If a piece breaks off from an ice sculpture, the artist will apply salt to the broken areas …
Elijah was terrified. He got up and ran for his life. He arrived at Beer-sheba in Judah and left his assistant there. — 1 Kings 19:3 I’ve always associated the prophet Elijah with a tough-guy character. Pick any hyper-masculine Hollywood actor–maybe Liam Neeson or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson–and you have Elijah. So, it is odd …
Elijah opened his eyes and saw flatbread baked on glowing coals and a jar of water right by his head. He ate and drank, and then went back to sleep. –– 1 Kings 19:6 If an angel tapped me on the shoulder, pointed to a freshly-divinely baked breakfast, and told me to enjoy it, there …
When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him…The the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. — Matthew 3:16, 4:1 There’s a popular …
Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. — Matthew 6:34 I’ve always been a bit puzzled by the last part of this verse. The first part is something that we hear preached to us all the time. Today is all we have, so let’s make the …
On the next Sabbath, almost everyone in the city gathered to hear the Lord’s word. — Acts 13:44 Whenever Paul visited a town, he went first to the local synagogue. When a Scripture passage was read, he would expound on it, showing how it related in some way to Jesus. Once, when he’d finished, everyone …