Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
Psalm 119:41-48 There is a clear and distinct connection between God's love and God's law; they co-exist. Our testimony as believers is rooted in how we both reconcile and live out both love and law. It's recursive: the law shows us our utter helplessness to be holy, His love provided our salvation, and our appropriate… Continue reading WAW
Psalm 119: 33-40 I'm currently listening to the Bible's history books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. Two phrases stand out to me about the rulers of Israel and Judah: "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" and "He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord." No recorded king… Continue reading HE
Psalm 119: 25-32 COVID19 quarantine orders are beginning to lift in many places, and people are stepping outside to regain some kind of control over their lives. With relaxed shelter-in-place advice, people are beginning the process of making meaning of the last two months. Arguments over blame for the pandemic and conspiracy theories are replacing… Continue reading DALETH
Psalm 119: 17-24 We are living in strange times, but that shouldn't change our reliance on God. The author of Psalm 119 also lived in strange times filled with uncertainty. Traditionally, most scholars believe King David composed this Psalm, perhaps using it as a way to teach his children their letters. Other scholars believe it… Continue reading GIMEL
Psalm 119:1-8 The more we know God, the better equipped we are to authentically praise Him no matter what our circumstances may be. Life is hard sometimes. Life is challenging most of the time. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 disrupted the whirlwind we reaped by sowing the wind of competition the last 90 years or… Continue reading ALEPH
Psalm 119:9-16 I sat down this morning and started to write, but before I could think about this section of Psalm 119, I wrote two full pages reflecting on this pause button called COVID19. I am in week 8 of quarantine, which is a lot even for an introvert. Once I made the surreal trek… Continue reading BETH
James 5:13-20 This passage made me think. This section of the letter is where some current religions get the idea that prayer equals manipulating God for physical healing and that staying sick or continuing to suffer is the fault of the sufferer for a lack of faith. But this teaching is wrong. It is not… Continue reading Raised to life everlasting
James 5:12 Don Miguel Ruiz wrote a book several years ago called The Four Agreements. In it, he shares Toltec philosophy for living a happy life. While not remotely Christian, the actual agreements themselves have biblical undertones. For me, it is evidence that God makes Himself known through His creation and in multiple ways (Romans… Continue reading Impeccable to the end
James 5:1-11 Throughout this letter, James wrote about the lure of materialism and the danger of believing that success was God's reward. At the end of chapter 4, James called out those who claimed their success was a measure of God's pleasure, saying they boasted in arrogance. James continued his condemnation of that arrogance, being… Continue reading Steadfast to the end
James 4 Commitment to God is a continuing action of submission to Him. How we treat others is evidence of our submission to Him. James starts by telling his readers that wanting what other people have is not an attitude of submission. Similarly, complaining that we don't have something we think we need is pointless,… Continue reading Submission in action
Defaulting to Grace 