Where was the failure in the picture of the descendants of Israel being brought from lives of slavery in Egypt to being laid in sandy graves on the trip to Palestine? Should Moses have done a better job communicating the vision Yahweh had for His People? Should the people have spent more time studying the Scriptures? Can’t be that – there were no Scriptures. Should the people have been hungrier […]
Category Archives: Kingdom
Ekklesia Ruling
Every time the church has tried to rule in public affairs, the result has resembled the Holy Roman Empire: corruption, slaughters and darkness. Every time believers have entered into the rule of public affairs, the result has resembled the influences of William Wilberforce and Amy Carmichael: laws being changed or created that invite and empower righteousness, freedom, life and light. Through the centuries, the work of individuals and groups of […]
Secure, so Humble
Now by the time of supper, the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Him. Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. Next, He poured water […]
Commands / Invitations
When Jesus instructs us, His commands are invitations. He is hanging from a crane in a Lifeboat and tells us to jump from the sinking ship into the boat He will pilot. When we stop trying to imagine having the strength and courage to jump that far, and realize the command is actually simply to release our grip on the sinking vessel, His strength will draw us into the air […]
Seeking Christ’s Interests
Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I also may be encouraged when I hear news about you. For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.(Philippians 2:19-21 HCSB ©®) So many distractions swirl around us. Family needs, work demands, property maintenance, food, gas, lights… Where is […]
Who Goes First?
But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to […]
Problems and Causes
Problems frequently lead us into people’s lives with opportunities to introduce them to Jesus or to direct them back to Jesus regarding His access to their lives. Our own problems frequently give us opportunities to be re-acquainted with His power to lead and protect and deliver and heal us. Finding the source of a problem is important, because if we notice that the house is full of rats because the […]
Listening to Yahweh
All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. “You speak to us, and we will listen,” they said to Moses, “but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.” Moses responded to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so […]
Leading to Learn
Perhaps the best leaders have been the best learners. Someone observed to me recently that Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody, then spent 40 years learning he was nobody, and then spent 40 years learning what Yahweh can do with a nobody. Saul had his kingdom torn from his hands. David received that kingdom. David did many, much more costly things wrong than Saul did, but didn’t lose […]
Circumstances & Responses
Responsibility = response-ability Our responses to situations are the sources and causes of successes and failures in our lives. Your circumstances do not produce your person and identity. Your responses to your circumstances do. When your responses are listed in Galatians 5:19-21, you will suffer costly failures, and so will the people who depend on you. When your responses are empowered by the list of Spiritual characteristics listed in Galatians […]