Month: February 2019

Digging in Deeper: 1 Corinthians 6:18

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“Flee sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

I have a pine tree next to my driveway which, if it falls, will land right on my house. It wouldn’t be a glancing blow either. As the tree guy I met with the other day told me, it would slam into the roof line, probably snap off there, the top part would roll down the rest of the roof and land in the front yard, and the main trunk would slice through the brick exterior right through our eight-year-old’s bedroom and into our garage, totaling our fairly recently paid-off minivan. In other words, it would be catastrophic. 

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Morning Musing: Matthew 5:27-28

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

Jesus said some uncomfortable things during His ministry. This particular saying is close to the top of the pile. Frankly, it’s even worse than what He says next about cutting off the hand or gouging out the eye that causes us to sin because those are obvious instances of hyperbole. This one isn’t. This one is just hard. There’s no wiggle room here. So…what do we do with it. 

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Digging in Deeper: Daniel 6:4

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“The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom. But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.” (CSB – Read the chapter) 

Everyone has a skeleton closet somewhere. That could be an anthem for our times, couldn’t it? We live in a day of mistrust and cynicism, especially toward our political leaders. We have seen elected official after elected official sacked by scandal. We have seen leaders who we all figured were scandal-ridden live down to our expectations. We have seen no-name figures gain a name for themselves because of some scandal. We have even seen folks who held character and integrity out as reasons to elect them fall to scandal, often on the very point of their character emphasis. My friends, this should not be. 

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Morning Musing: Proverbs 22:24-25

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“Don’t make friends with an angry person, and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered one, or you will learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

You’ve probably heard before the idea that bad company corrupts good character. Paul said that. Your parents probably quoted it when you were hanging out with a crowd they didn’t like. You may have said it to your kids. The fact is, the friends you keep will determine the direction and quality of your life. So, what kind of friends are you keeping? 

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Digging in Deeper: Hebrews 12:5-6

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“And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter) 

The believers who received the letter of Hebrews had a hard life. They were part of a movement that was new and unpopular and even considered by some to be an atheistic, cannibalistic cult. They faced economic hardship, social ostracism, and outright persecution on a regular basis. Their former friends who were Jews wouldn’t have anything to do with them anymore and the Roman government fed them to the lions in the arena. And, as we saw last time, the author here said the best way to handle all of this was to consider it to be the discipline of a loving father. What should they—and we—do with that? 

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