Tag Archives: conflict

The blessing of persecution

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Jesus ended the Beatitudes saying, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10 MEV)

That statement is so counterintuitive that he repeated it: “Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be very glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).

We can’t earn salvation, but we can earn blessings by exhibiting certain characteristics. Each Beatitude builds on the one before.… Read the rest

Fire, quail, and a worldly church

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

 

Have you ever noticed that some people just like to complain? They don’t even need a legitimate reason. Alas, you can easily find them in churches.

But here’s a better question. What is the effect when griping goes into overdrive? It would try the patience of a saint. Or in the case of an Old Testament illustration, Moses. Nobody comes out looking good in the sorry story told in Numbers 11.

We often refer to the people Moses led out of Egypt as the children of Israel. They never acted like grownups, did they? But according to Exodus 12:37-38, 600,000 Israelite men left Egypt, plus the women and children—plus a large number of other people.… Read the rest

Construction tools and weapons: spiritual multitasking

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Nehemiah’s best-known accomplishment is getting a wall built. Lots of people have supervised similar construction projects. Not many have done so in the face of armed opposition that forced them to resort to multitasking. And even fewer have had their stories enshrined in Scripture so that thousands of years later, we can learn spiritual lessons.

Nowadays, multitasking seems to be the rule, not the exception. I have long observed people who claim they can be more efficient by doing several things at once. Usually I observe that they do at least one of the tasks so badly that they have to do it over.… Read the rest

Being spiritually dressed

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

gatting dressedPaul had quite a lot to say about clothing.

No, I don’t mean any comment that looks like a dress code. We all have earthly clothing. We have to take it off from time to time to wash both it and our bodies. It wears out and we have to repair or replace it.

Spiritual clothing is different. We need to have that on at all times. We are already clean, and spiritual clothing can never wear out or become soiled.

… Read the rest

Raising Ebenezer

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

Ebenezer“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” has been a favorite American hymn for about 200 years. The second verse notoriously starts, “Here I raise mine Ebenezer.”

I say notoriously, because it has been generations since large numbers of church goers have understood the meaning of “Ebenezer.” It’s a stone of remembrance, set up by the judge and prophet Samuel on an occasion well worth remembering.

… Read the rest

Why Christians should not be critical

Grace and Judgment Posted on by

There is no excuse for Christians to be critical of one another. Jesus’ only prayer for the entire church is that we would be unified. Perhaps that’s why the church is divided into so many denomination and so many congregations are divided into cliques. As soon as we recognize that we have gotten into habits inspired by the devil, why, we just have to break them and develop new ones in their place.

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul instructs not to be conformed to the world but to become a living sacrifice. In one way or another, every word from their to the end of the book describes or defines what a living sacrifice acts and looks like.… Read the rest