Tag: Following Jesus

Digging in Deeper: Proverbs 22:3

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“A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever wanted something really badly, but couldn’t seem to get there for some reason? Maybe you didn’t have the resources to achieve it. Perhaps there was something physical holding you back. It could be that culture simply wasn’t allowing for it. Whatever the reason, you were feeling denied something you really wanted or even felt like should be yours by right. What did you do then? Did you give up and go in another direction, or did you keep right on going, pressing on until you got it no matter what the cost happened to be? The newest Marvel offering from Disney+ is about just such a character. She couldn’t get what she wanted on her own, so she just kept pushing until she got it. And that’s the problem. Let’s talk today about Ironheart.

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Beautiful Feet

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This was a standalone week between series. So, I took the opportunity to share with the congregation something I’ve been studying in my own devotional time. I’ve been working my way through Romans, and I’ve made it as far as chapter 10. Paul writes about salvation there in terms that are crucial for followers of Jesus today to understand. Let’s explore what he has to say.

Beautiful Feet

Have you ever washed a bottle with a small opening? I’ll admit: I hate doing that. You can use a bottle brush, and those are moderately effective, but I find the best approach is to squirt some soap down into them, fill them a bit, and then shake the mixture up really, really well. As long as the bottle isn’t just completely filthy on the inside, that usually does the trick. The only problem with this method is that you have to rinse it really thoroughly or else the next person who uses it gets a mouthful of soap. You can accomplish this in one of two ways. You can carefully run water down the side of the bottle, shake it up with the clean water, dump it out, and do it again. And again. And again. Until after about 100 repeats the bottle is ready to go. The second approach is a whole lot more wasteful, but also more effective. And faster. You just hold the bottle under the tap, turn it on full, and let the clean water run into the bottle until the water coming out of the bottle is clean. 

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 8:28

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“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There are some verses in the Bible that just lend themselves to bumper stickers and cheap, Christian-themed wall art from places like Hobby Lobby. The promise they seem to make or the encouragement they seem to offer is so good that even the least cynical person almost can’t help but wonder if it’s too good to be true. Regular skeptics immediately start thinking of all the obvious exceptions and counterexamples to show why it’s not, and therefore why none of the Bible can be trusted. This is one of those verses. Let’s talk about what Paul is saying here, what exactly he means by it, and why it’s such good news.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 8:24-25

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“Now in this hope we were saved, but hope  that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Faith is a word that is essentially connected with the message of the Gospel that can be hard for someone who has not yet embraced it to understand. The nature of Gospel faith is often misunderstood—including by Jesus’ own followers. Another Gospel concept that can be similarly challenging to wrap our minds around is the word hope. Gospel hope is often mischaracterized as little more than wishful thinking. Yet that falls woefully short of what it actually is. Let’s talk a bit about hope, why it is so essential to the Gospel, and what it actually means.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 10:13

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“These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

It’s hard to work at one thing for a long time. It’s especially hard to do that nowadays when our attention spans have been shortened so much by television and smart phones and a digital media culture that gives preference to the quick glance over long engagement. It’s almost impossibly hard to do when we don’t ever see the end result of our efforts. Achieving that sort of thing takes vision; powerful vision. I’ve just finally finished watching the latest Star Wars property on Disney+. The second and final season of Andor is all about having just such a vision. Let’s talk about why you should watch it.

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