Think About It

If you haven’t noticed, 2019 marks the four hundredth anniversary of a significant event in North America and the United States in particular.In August, 1619 the first African slaves arrived on the American mainland.What began that day has had an impact on our nation and our society ever since. Recently, as I thought about the African slaves it reminded me of lesson all of us can learn.When the Apostle Paul wrote to the earliest Christians, “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” (Ephesians 6:5-6) he established a standard of behavior for all of us.By calling upon slaves to remain faithful to God in their condition he challenged all of us to live our lives for God no matter where we find ourselves.Whether we are enslaved, in prison, in a bad family situation, in a bad work envi…

I have been reading the Bible for several years and there are things that I know I know and things that I think I know.  Every once in a while I will come across something I thought I knew, but in all reality, I didn’t really know it.  Take for example when Jesus cleansed the temple from those selling merchandise in the house of God.  Each of the Gospels (Mathew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19 and John 2) include an account of this and all pretty much say it the way Luke does, “Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling,saying to them, ‘It is written, ‘An My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a robbers’ den.’” In essence, Jesus found people who were selling items in the temple to make a personal profit and He forcibly cast them out.  While this story is well known, there is something that I didn’t find when I recently read all the accounts – not one of them mentioned Jesus’ anger.  Yes, He was very pointed in what He said and did, but none of the …