Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
James 3:13-18 Controlling our words requires wisdom, and true wisdom comes from God. Wisdom from above is pure, peaceful, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere (v.17). The US has been increasingly divided among philosophical, political, and social lines for too long. Like many empires of the ancient world,… Continue reading Wisdom in action
James 3:1-12 Teaching is a calling. I don't think there are many other vocations that have the power to permanently change people's lives. Whether the class is made up of pre-schoolers, teenagers, or adults, the truly effective teachers do one thing consistently: watch their words. Words have the power to heal or destroy, to build… Continue reading Teaching in action
My God!, how happy we should be if we could love Thee as we ought; Thou, Who hast prepared for us such good things, such rich blessings. Hold fast to this amid all the various trials with which you are surrounded in this present world. How can we better manifest our faithfulness than by being faithful amid distractions.
Faith is available to everyone, not the select few
James 2:14-26 Faith without works is dead This part of James' letter is familiar to most churchgoers. Faith without works is nothing. Times were hard for James' audience as both State and Religion tried desperately to squelch the new Church. Times are hard now for most people as COVIC-19 wreaks havoc on the health of… Continue reading Faith in action, part 1
James 2:1-13 No matter what is going on in the world or in our culture, our testimony for Jesus is borne out by the way we honor our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to ONE body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, serving ONE God (Ephesians 4). Showing any kind of partiality… Continue reading Mercy and love in action
James 1:19-27 There's a poem by Kipling that begins with "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs..." that could well apply to the current state of the world. Social media reflects the fear, anger, and impatience of the people who post and those who argue with them. James offers… Continue reading Acting in the middle
James 1:9-18 Steadfastness implies disciplined stability under stressful circumstances. There is no question that we are living in stressful times that test our faith, interrupt our focus, and tempt us to fear. When we are steadfastly persistent in our time with the Father, He will teach us what we can learn in the middle of… Continue reading Steadfast in the middle
Nahum chapters 2&3(Image credit unknown) Article © Christopher Jones 2016 The great palaces of Nineveh are long gone. What is left is uninhabitable rubble and dust. Even that was unseen until archaeologists unearthed it. And what archaeologists discovered in the last century was blown up by ISIS (Daesh) forces five years ago. Every great culture… Continue reading What will we build?
Matthew 14:14-33 At the church I attend here in Las Vegas we are working through a study of what it means to be a Jesus follower. This morning's reading included then section of Matthew where Jesus walked on water. I went back a few verses for context and I think someone who reads this may… Continue reading Take heart.
Defaulting to Grace 