Think About It

I have a confession to make – I am a sufferer of gout.   Now, if you don’t know what this is, consider yourselves fortunate.   If you have had gout, you may not know what causes it, but you know when you have it.   From what I have been able to learn it is caused by extra uric acid in your body.   Depending on who you ask, it can be caused by a variety of things; however, when the pain is keeping you awake at night knowledge is a lot less important than relief.   Rarely do I give much thought to the joint on my left big toe, but during an attack, that’s about all I can think about! The reason I bring up gout is something Paul wrote in I Corinthians where he described the church as a body.   As he begins summing up his thoughts, he notes, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (I Corinthians 12:26).   As I read this, I have flashbacks to gout.   The ...

In yesterday’s post I mentioned the need to study the Bible.   The Word of God is readily available to us, let’s take advantage of it.   Now, while this is a noble concept, have you ever thought about what we need to be studying?   The Bible is a big book full of incredible ideals – where do we start?   I realize it is tempting to focus on the “does and don’ts” of the book, but what could happen if we expanded our search for deeper meanings.   I don’t mean to disparage the search for the rules of righteousness, but the Bible is more than some moral rule book.   Not only can it control our behavior, it can also enhance our lives. When the writer, David, was contemplating the message(s) of God, he requested, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.” (Psalm 119:18).   Are we willing to take a page from his book and ask that God guide us in our question for spiritual development?   Rather than merely seeking the answer to a...

How many Bibles do you have?   I remember a time when having a Bible was a pretty big deal.   We received them on certain special occasions and, if you had the money or the connections, your family might have had a fancy one that sat on the coffee table.   In today’s society, owning a Bible probably isn’t as big of a deal because multiple translations are available through discount marketers or online and as apps on our devices.   The importance of the Bible hasn’t changed, it has just become more accessible. Since the books have become easier to obtain, the question now becomes, “What are we doing with the Bibles we have?”.   There are few excuses for not having access to the Scriptures and that correlates to limited reasons for not knowing (or doing) what is found in the Word of God.   Years ago, when the printed word was much harder to find, Christians were informed, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for...

If you are somewhere near retirement age, you probably know exactly where you were on this date in 1969.   After centuries of dreaming and years of planning, humans finally landed on the moon and then, not long after, walked on the lunar surface.   As a child of the “Space Race”, it was a big deal at our house.   This moment fulfilled one president’s dream and mankind’s quest.   The nuance of reaching the moon has lost some of its luster in the last few decades, but as I look back on it, it is still incredible.   Even using today’s technology, it would be impressive – but imagine doing it with what we had on hand at the end of the 1960s.   It took insight, desire, creativity, perseverance and a sense of mission to pull it off!   Now, that leads us to a question for the 21 st Century – what do we need today to make the earth a better place?   We have conquered the moon, now what should we be doing to make the most of this planet?   We are m...

Have you noticed how habitual we are?    Whether for good or for bad, humans tend to be drawn to habits.   I have noticed this in my life.   When I get into a good fitness routine, I find it easy to go to the gym.   I plan my day to make sure I get in my exercise and actually tend to miss it during my off days.   Now, as good as that sounds, I am just as habitual when I am being a slug.   It doesn’t take me too many off days to get into bad habits and find ways to sit in my recliner and eat ice cream.   Our habits may not define us, but they tend to guide us. While we are pretty comfortable talking about our fitness habits, are we just as aware of our spiritual habits?   Are we in the habit of doing acts of righteousness – including practicing our worship – or have we comfortable not doing them?   It may not be that we are overtly irreligious; we may have just gotten into some bad habits.   It is easy to talk about overcoming ...

When Jesus came to the earth, one of His tasks seems to have been to bring clarity to religion.   Sure, there was godly religion (and had been for centuries), but with the new movement came a refocus on what was important.   Many of these principles are outlined in the Sermon on the Mount.   One of these observations probably raised quite a few eyes.   When Jesus noted, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) He may not have made many friends.   What makes this so interesting is that some of the most religious people of this society were thought to be the scribes and Pharisees.   They seemed to know the Law, but they appear to be lacking in righteousness.   The may have sounded good … they may have looked good … but they just weren’t good. It is easy for us to criticize the pseudo-religious of the First Century, but we need...