“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Sometimes you come across something in the Scriptures that, if you think about it very hard, can make you break out in a cold sweat. It doesn’t happen so often as to make you read with armor on, but you’ve still got to watch out for it. This is one of those places.
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This post and this afternoon’s post of yesterday’s sermon will be the only two posts this week. Enjoy celebrating Christmas with your family tomorrow and see you on Monday of next week! Merry Christmas!
“And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
How did you respond the last time God asked you to do something hard? Were you ready to go, or were you more hesitant in the face of the great unknown stretching out before you? When God calls us on an adventure of some kind, that’s a scary place to be. His adventures tend to go well beyond what we can manage or handle on our own. But in that unease is the promise of life.
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“‘How can I know this?’ Zechariah asked the angel. ‘For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)
Have you ever received news that was totally unbelievable based on everything you knew and didn’t believe it? Each of us has a level of disbelief we are capable of suspending in a given situation. We can only handle so much wonder. That level tends to be higher the younger we are (which is why, for instance, my boys wake up every morning these days asking where Elfie is and delighting in searching for and finding him), but grows smaller and smaller the older we get. When we are asked to suspend more than our max level, we tend to put on our suspicious hats and remain incredulous until we see proof. That’s normal. When it comes to the things of God, though, it can get us into trouble.
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“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is one of those sayings of Jesus that have given people trouble for a long, long time. What did He mean by this? Was He being literal with this command? Was this a one time thing or something He intended for a broader application? Is this something we can reinterpret as metaphorical, or was He somehow saying that just poor people can get into Heaven? What are we supposed to do with this? Read the rest…
This week we kicked off a brand new teaching series called Gravity: Overcoming the Weight of Our Stuff. For the next few weeks we are going to take a look at the pull that our stuff can have on our lives, including keeping us from drawing as near to God as we would like, and how we can overcome it. In this first part, we look at just how strong this pull can be. Thanks for being a part of this conversation.
Wealth Has Gravity
Rich people have it made, don’t they? I mean, if you’re rich and something breaks, you can just call someone to come fix it. Better yet, you can just throw the old one out and get a new one. When you’re rich and a new version of something you have comes out, you can just go and get an upgrade. When you’re rich, you don’t have to do things like wait in line at a theme park. You can just pay extra money and walk right to the front. When you’re rich, you don’t have to worry about transportation. You can just drive one of the multiple cars you own. Or, forget that, you can hire someone to drive for you. Think about that: When you’re rich, you can get someone whose job is to drive people around and have them drive you around wherever you want to go. And oh, the things you can buy. Read the rest…
The Nexus 