Some hunger for the righteousness that promises earthly rewards and some heavenly, but the better way––whether in the hereafter or the here and now––is to live the best version of ourselves while enjoying intimacy with the Rewarder himself. The most exquisite rewards are those that come from living so near him that you hear his …
Mourning Mammonism
Blessed are those who mourn. It’s impossible to serve the true God and the false god called “Mammon” at the same time, yet we keep trying to do just that. Ouch! Having sanctified, spiritualized, and sanitized Mammonism, a segment of the American Church might be the most culpable of all. Instead of mourning the money-madness …
The Groan of the Godly
“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Lament is an indispensable posture for the person who loves Jesus and loves the same people he loves. Those who do it are “comforted” by the fact that they are loving people in a way similar to the way Jesus loves them and are therefore …
Addicted to Positivity
Blessed are those who mourn. I’m a charismatic. Joyful songs, lifting hands, shouts of triumph along with some dancing peppered in when I have the strength are all part of my preferred hour (or two) of congregational worship. We “Spirit-filled” folk love services that we can experience palpably, while at the same time we tend …
How Hungry?
The kind of surpassing righteousness Jesus prescribes involves a daily dying to everything for which our lower selves clamor. The life he invites us into involves lugging around a heavy piece of timber designed for nothing short of execution of that lower self. Fortunately this execution is routinely followed by resurrection! Many Christians want to …
