Being Christian Without Losing Your Mind
Jesus said to the legal experts and Pharisees, “Here’s a question for you: Is it legal on the sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” — Luke 6:9 The religious leaders in Jesus’ day loved to debate. They’d sift through all the religious laws in Scripture and …
He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out… — John 2:14-15 One Sunday morning a man whose appearance resembled our image of Jesus—long brown hair, white robe, sandals—showed up at …
All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. – Matthew 22:40 When Jesus said we had only two commandments to worry about, I thought that was a license to let grace triumph over legalism. Love God and love your neighbor. Period. That means there are asterisks we can put after some of …
“His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’” — Matthew 18:32-33 How you receive a gift reveals your heart. It shows if you’re a taker or …
Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman?” – Luke 7:44 (The Message) We get no better x-ray of Jesus’ heart than this scene. A prostitute kneels before him. She cries profusely and, having used money from her profession, bought oil and anoints his feet, a sign …
And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” – Matthew 20:11-12 (NRSV) These workers are angry because they’ve been working since dawn and the ones who were …
“I conclude that we shouldn’t create problems for Gentiles who turn to God.” – Acts 15:19 These are the words of Jesus’ brother, James. As the head of the Jerusalem church, he’s declaring what the church must always remember. He was speaking to a faction within the church that wasn’t happy that non-Jews were saved …
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” – John 1:47 The comedian Jeff Foxworthy has made a career out of that redneck line. Being from the redneck genetic lineage, I can appreciate his humor. One of my favorites of his is, “If …
NOTE: This week I’m sending a daily devotion based on reflections on Jake the Beagle. Our regular weekly/Monday meditations will resume next week. Hope these are meaningful for you! A peanut butter sandwich ranks high on my list of snacks. I was halfway through one when I put it down to close a screen door. …
NOTE: Recently our pet beagle, Jake, passed away. One person suggested doing some meditations based on reflections on our four-legged friend. So, each day this week I’ll pass on a doggie devotion. Our regular weekly/Monday meditations will resume next week. Hope these are meaningful for you! One fall afternoon, 2015, my wife was working in …