Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” We show intolerance to those who are intolerant. We judge those who are judgmental. We readily dismiss the ideas of Continue Reading…
Micah 7:18 “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives…?” “Easter is my favorite time of the year” echoes through my mind during Passion Week. My dad often spoke those endearing words the last few years of his life. It’s no wonder. After sixty-five years of rebellion and regret, Continue Reading…
Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” “Little Bunny Foo Foo, hopping through the forest, scooping up the field mice and boppin’ them on the head…” If you’ve Continue Reading…
Matthew 12:25 “…Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” Divide and conquer. It’s one of the enemy’s most successful strategies against the human race. It’s intensifying. I can’t remember a time when the fissures have run so deep. Continue Reading…
Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Not a suggestion. Not an option. Not even an inch of wiggle room. Jesus makes it pretty clear that one of the duties Continue Reading…
Matthew 5:39 “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” Bullying: the use of superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants. As Continue Reading…
Psalm 38:4 “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.” It makes us uncomfortable. Like gum-soled shoes on a pavement, it stops us in our tracks. It gnaws away at our peace and disrupts our direction. Yet it stands as the force behind all repentance and Continue Reading…
Matthew 8:3 “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” I am willing. What words of power! Of healing. Of love. Words every single person needs to hear. The man who came to Jesus was a leper. The only Continue Reading…
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one misses the grace of God….” Picture a mountain of doom, one more ominous than anything conceived in the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien or the artistry of Peter Jackson. This mountain radiates darkness, gloom and storm. It burns so fiercely, that even if Continue Reading…
Psalm 28:3 “…who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.” The immortal words from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address—with malice toward none, with charity for all—reminds me of the great civil war that rages within our souls in the aftermath of hurt and deception. The Continue Reading…