Love God and Love Others In the Old Testament God gives hundreds of commands for his people to follow. We call this the Law or the Law of Moses (since God gives it to Moses to tell to the people). But over time the people add more rules to it, some 20,000 more. They call […]
Take Care What You’re Known For In our world of political correctness, there seems to be one group of people who it’s socially acceptable to harass and hate: Christian evangelicals and fundamentalists. In a world that values tolerance, there is one group that it’s okay to not tolerate: evangelicals. It’s politically permissible to mock them, […]
Each of the four biographies of Jesus in the Bible reflect the perspective of its author. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain many similarities, John’s account is the most different. He offers a unique perspective on the life and teaching of Jesus. Some refer to the book of John as the gospel of love because […]
Look for Ways to Honor God In his letter to the Christians living in Rome, Paul talks about people who attempt to live life according to a bunch of religious rules, that is, the law. The result is that God is disrespected, not so much by the people themselves, but by those on the outside […]
Most people whose faith is more than in name only, have certain religious rituals as part of their spiritual practices. A common one is church attendance. Another may be giving money or tithing to the church. Participation in a Bible study, small group, or midweek meeting is a third practice many people pursue. Introspective spiritual […]
With a knowing wink and a smile that was too practiced, the preacher said, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.” This irritated me. I couldn’t tell if he was being snarky, condescending, or wise. How can we truly separate the deed from its doer? Should we even try to make the distinction? After all, […]
In our society we value information and knowledge. We pursue it at great cost (just consider the price of a college education). In many situations, knowing the right answer is what matters most, and knowing more than someone else is the way to win. Many people who study religious stuff also pursue knowledge, often making […]
I’m a fan of Dr. Gary Chapman’s classic book The Five Love Languages. The basic premise is there are five ways people express and receive love. The five love languages are: Though we may use several of these love languages or even all of them, we each have a primary mode we default to in […]
A year or so ago I made a bold statement to some close friends. As a group, we enjoy the freedom to ask pointed questions and the expectation to give honest answers; being transparent is our norm. Yet, I surprised myself by proclaiming, “I’m more in love with God today than ever before.” Yeah, it […]
For the past two weeks, I’ve been sharing a progression of thought about God as it relates to love and fear. Consider: We are to fear God, which begins to produce understanding and wisdom. We grow to understand that God is love and ultimately that perfect love—as embodied by Jesus—removes our fear. Though we may […]