As You Are

Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. (1 Corinthians 7:17) Read: Nehemiah 1:1 – 3:14, 1 Corinthians 7:1-24, Psalm 31:19-24, Proverbs 21:4 Relate: Using marriage, circumcision, slavery Paul gives three…

You shot me!

It hurts to be shot in the heart by those we love and trust. Sometimes it is their fault (betrayal), sometimes it is ours (their reaction to the same), and sometimes it is just the circumstances of life or its ending that is shooting us in the heart.

What If?

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask…

Fragile

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7) Read: Job 34:1 – 36:33, 2 Corinthians 4:1-12, Psalm 44:1-8, Proverbs 22:10-12 Relate: I was climbing one of the cliffs…

Believe and Declare

Respect for someone else’s religion is not about glossing over the differences but openly acknowledging them and then building reasoned dialogue around them. If I am unwilling to truly discover what someone else believes or acknowledge that we are truly not the same, then I am being the very opposite of respectful.

The Good Samaritan

The teacher of the law asked, “Who is my neighbor?” This is a good and very legitimate question. It is one that we each should be asking as well, but I want to flip it for a second. “Who is the Good Samaritan?”