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You Missed the Chance
I heard the saddest words today. Two believers in Christ were discussing an issue about which they had differing opinions. The older of the two seemed smug as he wielded Scripture like a weapon, chopping away at the things he saw as wrong in the other’s life. The younger man just seemed weary of the lecture, weary of the other person, and discouraged.
As the exchange drew to a close, the older man commented on the other’s apparent disinterest. “You used to be eager,” he started, and then abruptly quit. “I don’t know what it is you want.”
“You missed the chance…
Did Jesus Really Tell Us Not to Judge?
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” We’ve all read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1. It’s a popular verse that’s often used to rebuke Christians for judging the lifestyles, practices, or values of other people.
A powerful exchange between Jesus and a religious lawyer
The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the greatest short stories Jesus ever told. Today we take a look at the stirring conclusion to a powerful exchange.
3 Reasons Why We Gossip
One of my earliest memories as a child was waiting for a doctor’s appointment with my mother. We were seated side by side in a nondescript waiting room, and seated diagonally across from us was a little girl with her mother.
Faultfinders Anonymous
Like many people, when I read a newspaper or magazine I notice the misteaks in grammar and spelling. (You saw that, didn’t you!) I’m not trying to find errors; they leap off the page at me! My usual reaction is to criticize the publication and the people who produce it. “Why don’t they use ‘spell check’ or hire a proofreader?”
You may have a similar experience in your area of expertise. It seems that often, the more we know about something, the more judgmental we become over mistakes. It can infect our relationships with people as well.
Yet Philippians 1:9…
Whose Mess?
“Could they not carry their own garbage this far?” I grumbled to Jay as I picked up empty bottles from the beach and tossed them into the trash bin less than 20 feet away. “Did leaving the beach a mess for others make them feel better about themselves? I sure hope these people are tourists. I don’t want to think that any locals would treat our beach with such disrespect.”
The very next day I came across a prayer I had written years earlier about judging others. My own words reminded me of how wrong I was to take pride in…
compassion—not condemnation
An episode of the BBC show Call the Midwife, set years ago in London, tells the story of a mother who reluctantly prepared to have her unborn baby adopted as soon as she was born. She did so because the child hadn’t been fathered by her husband. And it was likely to be obvious, for the skin color of the baby’s biological father was black while the woman and her husband were white.
Seeing a needy world in a new way
The actions and attitudes of an unbelieving world can be shocking at times. The behavior of unbelievers shouldn’t surprise us. God doesn’t ask people to behave in order to belong.
The Parable Of The Sting
I can still see Jay Elliott’s shocked face as I burst through his front door almost 50 years ago with a “gang” of bees swirling around me. As I raced out his back door, I realized the bees were gone. Well, sort of—I’d left them in Jay’s house! Moments later, he came racing out his back door—chased by the bees I had brought to him.
pass the bacon
As Peter was waiting for lunch, he slipped into a trance and saw a sheet drop from the sky full of unclean animals. The image must have startled him—Why was a good Jew like him having a filthy dream like this? What he heard next shocked him: “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean” (Acts 10:13-14).
impressions
A hazy morning at a harbor. Chalky, gray mist shrouds the boats, but a peach-colored sunrise warms the scene. Claude Monet captured this scene in his masterpiece “Impression, Sunrise.” Created in 1872, this painting was not well-received. French critic Louis Leroy slammed the painting as little more than a sketch that could barely be considered a finished work. Over time, however, opinions within the art world changed. Today, historians credit Monet’s harbor scene with having sparked the Impressionist movement.
Why Cause Grief?
Pastors make an easy target for criticism. Every week they are on display, carefully explaining God’s Word, challenging us toward Christlike living. But sometimes we look to find things to criticize. It’s easy to overlook all the good things a pastor does and focus on our personal opinions.
Overcoming Bias
A Washington Post article reported that recent studies into the nature of prejudice found that almost everyone harbors biases, and these attitudes affect even those who actively resist them. A University of Kentucky psychologist says that much of our self-esteem comes from feeling better about ourselves than about others because of the group we belong to. Prejudice is not easy to overcome, even within the family of God.
Biblical encouragement concerning our daily struggle with sin
Satan has had centuries to perfect his crafty strategies, and has the resources to implement his devious plans. What chance do we possibly have against such an insurmountable enemy? If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, you have resources too! Resources that can help you win the battle.
Discover the meaning behind Jesus’ metaphors
In the middle of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turned to His followers and gave them a seemingly odd piece of advice; “Don’t feed your pearls to your pigs.” We're putting the pieces together.
