365 Reflections

Are you like me? Do you languish over the state of our world? Do you see the oppression and injustice and long to give up? Do you wonder where hope is to be found? That was Solomon's case in Ecclesiastes 4.  Ecclesiastes 4:1 (ESV) Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. The world is full of oppressors and oppression. They are those who take power or gain power and abuse power over those whom they overpower. It hurts to see and it causes many to question God's existence.  What is at the heart of oppression? It is segregation of mankind. The division of brother and sister, neighbors, boss and employee or ruler and citizen. When we forget that we belong to each other, oppression is one of the inevitable results.  Then Solomon looks at the rat race: Ecclesiastes 4:4 (ESV) Then I saw that all ...

The importance of peace within a community cannot be overstated. Without neighborly peace, life is unbearable. People move from neighborhoods, communities, states and countries when violence is an epidemic to their locale. We inherently know that people must care for one another and respect their neighbors treating each other fairly. This is the basis of God's laws to Israel. In Deuteronomy 21, the whole community was to be involved in working and contributing to the maintenance of peace. We learn this through a strange sacramental practice concerning an unsolved murder within the land. Deuteronomy 21:1–4 (ESV) “If in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess someone is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure the distance to the surrounding cities. 3 And the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer that has never been worked ...

Jesus would rather have no church in a community than a dead church. That is what is made clear in the first three chapters of Revelation. With every encouragement, challenge or correction given to the 7 churches in Asia Minor Jesus promises to remove the lamp stands of those churches that do not heed His word and walk in His ways. But before there were churches in Asia Minor, there were seven lamps in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. Numbers 8:1–4 (ESV) Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” 3 And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. The holy place of the tabernacle was to remain continually lit. W...

Have you ever been to one of those churches where they wash each other's feet? How gross. I mean, I can appreciate the sentiment... taking Jesus' words from John 13:14 literally and baring our toes for those who would willingly wash one of the top 5 nastiest parts of our bodies. But really, we need to dig a little more into what Jesus did before we lose our socks. The job of washing feet was the job of a slave, and Jews were barred from doing so at all for each other. Simply put, the lowest member of society washed feet, no one else. Jesus does this for His disciples as an illustration of the cross. He's going to serve as a slave and hang as a criminal though he is truly neither... for us. In washing their feet He is illustrating the cleansing work His death will accomplish for them. That is why He rebukes Peter (something a slave could not do) with the statement:  John 13:8 (ESV) “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” The washing of water and bl...

We Christians need to get something straight. We are bound to each other. The privileges of a community where we give and receive love inevitably limits our freedom. Freedom for the Christian is not some sort of self-actualization wherein I can become the real me at the expense of others, refuse to receive correction and live how I want to live. Consider the case of 1 Corinthians 8. The chapter on food sacrificed to idols. In the church, some had no problem eating such meat while others were terribly disturbed by such an action. Paul makes clear that we understand idols are false, there is only one true God. Therefore, any meat offered to some pagan deity was actually offered to nothingness. The freedom of knowing the truth of Christ and His Gospel allowed for any Christian to eat as one wished. However, there were some in the church who were "weak". They could not allow themselves to partake due to conscience. God had saved them from idolatry. How could they continue in ...

What do you need to survive? Air, Water, Food, Fire, Shelter?  In that order if you watch Survivor Man. What do you need to survive if you are a scientist?  Vitamins, trace minerals, etc... What do you need to survive as a Christian?  You need other Christians. Hebrews moves right from admonishing us to encourage each other and meet together to warning us about sinning and falling away... Hebrews 10:24–27 (ESV)  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.      26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. The conjunctive word in this passage is "for"... Keep stirring each other up, keep encouragi...