Those with a pure heart can โsee Godโ because their sight isnโt impaired by trying to focus on more than one thing at the same time. The outlook of cross-eyed Christians is blurred by competing concerns. The only thing worse than spiritual blindness is thinking you can see when you canโt (Revelation 3:18). Viewing God …
“Love Your Enemies” Suggestion or Command?
The enemy-love message is not exactly what youโd call โattractional.โ Sadly, itโs easier to gather a crowd with the message about a God who blesses our battles and hates our enemies as much as we do. Fear, anger, and hate are more popular than love and more natural to our darker selves. Unrestricted love is …
Continue reading "“Love Your Enemies” Suggestion or Command?"
Love Who?
If I could Iโd invent a loophole to get me off the hook of loving my enemies, believe me I wouldยฌยฌโโmaybe something along the lines of pleading insanity. Iโve made a few failed attempts at the โunrealistic-for-postmodern-timesโ excuse for not following him in enemy-love. If nothing else, I could hide behind the popular alibi that …
THE BENEFIT OF PERSECUTION
"Wouldnโt our detractors just love it if we gave up our pursuit of whatโs right? Yet far from reneging on our allegiance to live as citizens of his subversive Kingdom, we can actually be โgladโ about the pressure they put on us. In truth, our persecutorsโ unintended consequence crowds us to Christ! And instead of …
The Groan of the Godly
The Groan of the Godly โBlessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.โ (Matthew 5:4) โThere is a timeโฆ to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to danceโฆโ (Ecclesiastes 3:4) Jesusโ ancestors and contemporaries knew how to face their sufferings in such a way as to …
