All will pass, except The Word

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Matthew 24:35 We often think of living in two planes: earth in this life; heaven in the next. Jesus calls our attention away from this dichotomy, away from the linear progression from earth to heaven. Jesus calls us to an eternal message that spans …

Becoming like little children

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4 This passage comes shortly after Jesus twice reveals He will die, and to follow Him we must take …

Who’s supposed to build the kingdom?

As Christians, there’s very little we could do with our time that is more important than prayer. At some point we must get off our knees and enact that which we find in our conversations with God. But, without that prayerful guidance, the work of our hands, hearts and tongues can be aimless, even counterproductive …

Anointing ourselves in unity

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even …

Align off the true cornerstone

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Psalm 118:22-24 When a mason constructs a foundation, the first and most important stone is the cornerstone. The placement, elevation and orientation of this stone …

Focusing on our common bonds in Christ

Christians have worked for 500 years to break up and diminish the Body of Christ. From the wars of Reformation and Counter-Reformation to centuries of hatred, persecution and misunderstanding between our various (and many) denominations, Christianity over the last half-millennium has struggled to be a cohesive faith with a unified message. We’ve made great strides …

Surrender to trust

There is perhaps no greater force drawing us away from God’s love than our fear. Our regrets over the past are fears of inadequacy, and for our place in this world. Our longing for the past is based in the fear that our best is behind us. Our anxieties over the future represent innumerable fears …

Searching our hearts for Jonah

Wednesday in the First Week of Lent "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" Jonah’s warning to the Ninevites – after his unsuccessful attempt to run from God, and his three-day encounter with a rather large fish – rings as true to us today as it did some 2,800 years ago. There’s some obvious …

Choosing our paths

“We have freedom to do good or evil; yet to make choice of evil, is not to use, but to abuse our freedom.” This brief quote from Saint Francis de Sales underscores an important aspect of our Lenten journey: the examination of the paths we have taken, the choices we have made, and how that …

The Promised Land within

“Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15 God gives this promise to Jacob: that he will inherit the land on which he’s standing, and …