Think About It

To say that we live in uncertain times would be an understatement. With health issues, a new administration, changing political and social trends and a variety of other issues, it is easy to feel uneasy. While it would be great to be able to have the certainty of days gone by, it is impossible to go back in time or relive where we have been. So, as we face things that we have never experienced, how do we manage? Are we condemned to have to live out our lives in uncertainty? Centuries ago, when the people of Israel were facing a new leader and a new land they needed to hear a word of encouragement – and that is exactly what their aging leader gave them. Standing on the cusp of Joshua’s leadership into the land of Canaan, Moses told them, “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Reading this passage in retrospect might tend to diminish its impact. Sure, this is easy to...

One of the challenging aspects of Christianity in the modern world is the idea of “submission”. In our freedom-focused nation we don’t like to be told that we should subject ourselves to anything or anyone. We aren’t particularly inclined to want to be subject to government, nor are we too crazy about the idea of being in subjection to our leaders. With this in mind, we can imagine the idea of wives being subject to their husbands is tough to sell, yet, that is a biblical principle found in both the writings of Peter and Paul. It is awful convenient to chalk this up to 1st Century culture, but is it that easy to dismiss? The other day I was looking at Paul’s writings on family dynamics in Ephesians 5:22-32 and I found something interesting just outside that section. Prior to telling wives to be subject to their husbands and husbands to love their wives, the apostle wrote, “…and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:21). In other words, family relationshi...

Fifty-three years ago, the nation was coming to grips with the shocking news that Dr. Martin Luther King had been assassinated. In the early evening of April 4, 1968 Dr. King was shot to death at his motel in Memphis, Tennessee. This tragedy led to what ended up being an international manhunt for James Earl Ray who was arrested in June in London. Unfortunately, the death of Dr. King was just one event in a year that will be remembered as one of the darkest in U. S. history. One of more notable things about Dr. King is his quotability. He could really string together words to make people think. One of my favorite quotes comes from 1963 when he observed, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”. As often as these words have been quoted you would think that we would have figured them out by now, but have you noticed how they haven’t seemed to make as big of an impact as we would have hoped? Too often when w...

Why is it called “Good Friday”? From where I sit, I don’t see a whole lot of good in it. Jesus’ disciples had abandoned Him. The perceived leaders of His religion had rejected Him. People who just days before hailed Him as a Savior turned on Him. He was beaten, cursed, crucified and killed. He had to be placed in a temporary grave because His ministry seemed to have come to an abrupt end and He didn’t have the resources to pay for His own funeral. Is there anything good that can come out of that kind of a Friday? When we look at this day in the life of Jesus through the eyes of humanity, it is a stretch to find anything good in it, but when we see it through the lens of eternity it was a great day! Nothing can heal the hurt that humanity handed to the Lord and Savior, but what He did on that day turned our whole existence upside down. His willingness to become the Sacrifice for our sin brought hope to each and every one of us. Humanity was offered salvation because of what ...

Well, it is finally here. Opening Day, 2021. I have to admit that I was growing kind of disillusioned with Major League Baseball the last several years, then we had the debacle of 2020 – a sixty game season that started sometime in the summer and had all kinds of odd new rules. I guess you have to be glad for the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers, but everybody else is probably eager to forget MLB 2020. And that is exactly what we get to do today! No, we aren’t back to the good of days of baseball, but we are a lot closer than what we were this time last year. The boys of summer are playing in front of live people in the early days of April. Maybe that is the aroma of freshly mown grass I smell and the warmth of brilliant sunshine I feel! Every once in a while, I need a reality check and today is a good one for me. I can fuss and pout about the decline of my favorite pastime or I seek to find the good in what is still the best game in town. Yes, certain aspects of the game ...

There are times when context helps us to understand biblical passages, then there are other times when the context might divert our attention. Take, for example, I Peter 2:18, “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.”. What stands out to you when you initially read this passage? Is it easier to focus on the message or the audience? Is the lesson lessened because it is addressed to “servants” who are supposed to be “submissive to masters”? I can understand the hesitation in applying this message – especially in our nation where freedom is advocated and agued to the degree it is. Yet, if we can set aside the immediate audience for just a second and take a look at the intent, I think we can see something impressive. When Peter challenges his readers to treat people with respect – no matter who they are – he sets the tone for doing what is right because it is the right thing to do. ...

I struggle with the way our society behaves – I will be the first to admit it. I get upset when people are mean and nasty to each other on social media. I get down when organizations fuss over what seem to be simple ethical issues. I get distraught when people who seem to have lost their moral compass lash out against those who try to promote what is good and decent. I mean society should know better, shouldn’t they? The other day, I caught myself getting frustrated about what was going on around me, then I realized that the people I was getting irritated with made little pretense to be Christian, much less spiritual. Their arguments were based on human logic and they made it a point to emphasize the basis for their rationale. It dawned on me that I was getting upset that people didn’t share my values when they had made it clear they didn’t share or care about my principles. They had already explained that they weren’t going to look at things through my lenses, yet I was gettin...