Think About It

When God was establishing a criminal and civil framework for the people of Israel, He established the Law of Retaliation. After laying down specific penalties for certain actions, to make sure justice was served His people were told, “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (Exodus 21:23-25). Throughout history this principle has been used to promote retaliation; however, there is another aspect to this – restraint. Inherent in this teaching is an equity for damage done. In essence it was an eye for an eye, not a life for an eye. There was not to be any one-upsmanship for revenge or excess punitive damages. It was about making someone whole, not making someone pay. When Jesus laid the foundation for a better way to live, He suspended the “eye for an eye” doctrine by teaching, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for ...

You would think that, as a rule-follower, Christianity would be the life for me. After all, Christianity comes with an easy-to-read guide about how to live life. There are some specific commands as to what to do and what to avoid. Now, while this can be a blessing, it can also create some issues – take for example, James 1:14-15, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”. Sure, the Bible provides guidance, but it also requires personal accountability. It gives us the rules, but it also tells us what happens if we don’t follow the rules and this can create anxiety in many of us rule-followers because we know that we aren’t perfect. While this passage can be a problem, it can also provide us with a bit of comfort. You see, many of us who are sticklers for rules struggle with temptation because we convince ourselves that merely being tempte...

Over the last several months I have been wrestling with an underlying feeling that I really couldn’t put my finger on. Sure, I could identify the concern that I felt when I was trying to understand a disease that appeared out of nowhere. I could also understand feeling discouraged by having to limit my travel and even the restrictions we were facing just going to the grocery stores or church. Yet, there was something more, something below the surface. After pondering it, I think I have figured it out – disappointment. I am feeling disappointed in “us”. No, I am not disappointed in “you” or “them”, I am disappointed in “us”! We are better than we have been behaving! We are better than allowing the wearing of masks divide our communities … we are better than calling each other names because of what our forefathers did … we are better than standing in the middle of the street yelling at each other about perceptions and perspectives … we are better than allowing mistrust to divide...

On January 24, 1848 a guy named James Wilson Marshall found a few flakes of gold in California’s American River near John Sutter’s Mill. This may not sound like news; but this seemingly insignificant discovery made a substantial difference in the history of the United States. When people back east heard about the discovery, there was a westward migration that resulted in what has been called California’s Gold Rush. Not only did the discovery change the landscape of California, it left its footprint (or more accurately, its wagon trails) all over the western half of the continent. I share this for more than a history lesson, I point it out to remind us that sometimes small things can have a huge impact. Just as Marshall’s discovery of an insignificant amount of gold influenced millions of people, so can other gems we find. No, I am not talking about valuable minerals, I am talking about positive character traits. When we publicly identify qualities such as peace, love, forgivenes...

“You can’t tell me what to do. You aren’t the boss of me!” Have you ever heard this? More importantly, have you ever said it? I imagine that during our sibling squabbles from days gone by we may have protested another child’s influence over us by saying this or something similar. During a time of childish independence, we advocated that we were going to be our own boss and we weren’t going to be bullied by anyone – much less those closest to us! Now, let’s fast-forward a few years and ask a very important question: do we still have this same type of hutzpah or have we become convinced that others are our bosses and do control what we believe or do? For a minute, let’s take this out of an employment setting and analyze it from other perspectives. Have we allowed our parents to determine what we could do with our lives? Have we permitted domineering friends or family members to limit our inquisitiveness or zeal for adventure? Have we cowered to a community expectation of what w...

One of my favorite parables of Jesus is called “The Parable Of The Mustard Seed”. In painting a word picture of the kingdom of God Jesus said, “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” (Mark 4:31-23). As I think about this parable, I imagine how one of the smallest of all seeds can grow into a substantial bush that not only perpetuates its own growth, but it provides protection for other species such as birds. If a mustard seed stays in its kernel form, it can be a snack for a bird to consume, but when it grows to its potential, it becomes something that keeps multiple birds safe and productive. It is easy to see the modern Christian church as small and insignificant, but when we do, we discount its value. Just as God saved the world from utte...

Jesus was having one of those days. He had recently learned abut the death of His kinsman and co-laborer, John the Baptist. He had been inundated by crowds of people who came to hear Him and have Him heal the sick. He’d had to problem-solve and feed thousands of people with five loaves and two fish. But, His most impressive accomplishment was still to come. So, what did He do? He loaded His disciples in a boat and, “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:23). Then, He did the unimaginable – not only did He walk on water, He helped Peter stroll on the lake with Him! That’s a pretty full day! A lot of lessons have come from Matthew 14, but one that is often overlooked was Jesus’ need to spend some time in solitude and prayer. The Lord accomplished a lot, but He made sure to rejuvenate Himself to be ready for the next challenges in His life. We live in a noisy, busy time. We have convinced ourselves that we need to multitask. ...