Tag: Christian living

Woman voting at a polling booth with multiple negative campaign signs

Summer Reruns: Thinking About Government Properly

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This will be the last post for this week as well as our final summer rerun before getting back to our journey through Proverbs next Tuesday, so let’s take a bit deeper of a dive for a Wednesday than we normally do. Today’s rerun is a sermon from a couple of years ago. This one falls toward the middle of a series called Who Do You Want to Be? Inspired by a question Peter asked late in his second letter, the series invited us to consider the kind of people we want to be in light of the fact that this world won’t last forever. This third part of the series took a look at the question of our relationship with the government as followers of Jesus. I wrote this message in the waning months leading up to a deeply divided, heavily partisan election season…and look where we are once again two years later. The message is still timely. Also, this happens to be Mark’s version of the passage in Matthew’s Gospel that we are going to be talking about in one week when our Wednesday night Bible study time returns. All in all, this felt like a worthwhile post to look at with fresh eyes today. Enjoy!

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Terraced olive grove on hillside with person harvesting olives near a coastal village

Summer Reruns: Humble and Intentional Faith

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I had somebody ask me the other day if I had ever gone back to read an old post or sermon and found that I had written something in the past that I no longer agree with or believe. I was happily able to assure him that this wasn’t the case. I haven’t read anywhere in the universe of every post I’ve ever written to be sure, but my thinking on a number of issues has remained pretty stable over the past decade. I say that because here is a post from way back near the very beginning of the blog reflecting on a passage that I wrote about not too long ago on our journey through Romans. While I bring out some different angles on the passage here than I explored more recently, I still heartily endorse everything I wrote back then. Let take a trip down memory lane today and reflect on the humility and the intentionality the Christian faith requires.

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Toddler sitting with arms crossed in timeout while parent watches with hand on forehead

Summer Reruns: When Happiness Isn’t Enough

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In this post from 2020, a reflection on parenting proves to be an invitation to a broader reflection on God’s commitment to seeing us become more fully who He made us to be. The challenge here is that He made us to be perfect reflections of His holiness and righteousness. Perhaps you have noticed, but we are not a particularly holy or righteous people on our own. Getting us to that point takes some work on His part. It is work He is willing to do, but it is work that we are not likely to enjoy, especially if we are very committed to the sin currently standing in the way of our reaching that point. Our happiness isn’t God’s goal. Our holiness is. Let’s look back together today to see some of what this means for us.

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Worry About Yourself First

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Last week, I was out of town, and Pastor Dave did a great job walking everyone through the second part of Matthew 6. This week we are getting into the final third of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus opens this next section talking about judgment, and specifically not judging others. Or does He? What Jesus has to say about judgment here is more nuanced than it seems, often misunderstood, and absolutely vital for us to get right. Let’s dive in.

Worry About Yourself First

Have you ever been judged before? I don’t mean in a court of law. I mean you did something somebody else didn’t think you should have done and they made sure you knew it. Now, as for how they communicated this disapproval, the options are manifold. Maybe they just told you to your face that you were wrong. The direct approach usually does get the job done. Perhaps they didn’t use their words, but their face said plenty. I’ve been told I can sometimes use my outside voice without ever opening my mouth. Anybody else struggle with an overly expressive face? They could have been more indirect with their judgment as well, expressing their distaste for your chosen path in how they treated you thereafter. However they made their thoughts plain to you, if you were confident in your chosen course of action, you probably processed a single thought in your mind: I sure wish they would quit judging me. 

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Woman using laptop at a cozy desk with notebook, mug, and sleeping cat

Summer Reruns: Real Religion, Part 2

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Yesterday, we took a look at an old post from James that has our Lord’s half-brother describing what real, good, God-honoring religion should look like. What that first part of this two-part reflection established is that even people who profess to have no religion at all are a whole lot more religious than they think. This second part has us diving further into what James describes as the right kind of religion. The bottom line is this: real religion should accomplish kingdom good. If it’s not, then it’s bad religion. And there are few things worse than bad religion. Let’s take a closer look together at just what makes the kind of religion that is worth having.

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