Obedience
Walking in Absurd Obedience
Our church family has been studying through the Gospel of Luke on Sunday mornings. The sermons have been rich and challenging. We have just entered Jerusalem for the Passover and, as you probably know, Jesus is now just days away from his crucifixion. This past Sunday, I was honored to be allowed to bring the…
Read MoreAt Your Bidding
A common practice of Jesus and his contemporaries is for crowds to following teachers as they walk and talk. In Luke 5, we find that practice being played out with Jesus, however, in that instance the crowd is becoming too numerous, and is described as “pressing” upon Jesus and listening to the word of God.1…
Read MoreThe Peril of Willful Disobedience
Some people are oblivious. Or perhaps they are aware but simply do not care. Or maybe it is that they are aware but don’t believe X, Y, or Z applies to them. For months, now, our local Safeway store has had arrows on the floor designating one-way aisles. I have been diligent to observe these…
Read MoreFaith, Forgiveness & Difficult Commands
This past week, I was engaged in a lively Twitter discussion that revolved around the importance of, effect of, and motivation for obedience – specifically, obedience to the commands of Christ. Obedience is not optional, but neither is it the end in itself. Jesus never said, “Obey me, and here’s the outcome of that,” but…
Read MoreForgive and Forgive and Forgive
A Hypothetical Tom and Jack are co-workers on the swing shift at Dirk’s Doumafladgie Manufacturing. Two weeks ago, a horrible explosion at the plant left Jack trapped in an interior room with a wall of fire blocking his only exit. Further complicating the matter, the explosion caused sufficient injury to Jack’s legs that he was…
Read MoreDo Whatever He Tells You
It was a gathering of university students, eager, young followers of Jesus. The leader of the discussion asked what was the most important part of being a Christ-follower. A flurry of answers engulfed us, answers like, “faith” or “love” or “trust.” Each such response elicited a host of “yeah” or “uh-huh” or “amen” statements indicating…
Read MoreHe’s Coming! Keep Your Wick Trimmed and Your Lamp Lit
This coming Sunday (August 11, 2019), I have the privilege of bringing the word of God to the family of faith at Victory Christian Fellowship in Lynden, Washington. We will be talking about the nobleman who went away to receive a kingdom and then returned (Luke 19:12-27). With so many unknowns in the world, so…
Read MoreHow Do I Imitate Jesus?
Imitation I suspect it is the practice of almost every toddler to step into mom or dad’s shoes. My granddaughter, Peyton, is intrigued by my shoes and looks adorable trying to wear them. Grandpa wears these things, so it must be important for me to wear them too, just like grandpa. We imitate those we deem…
Read More…and His Commands are not Burdensome
Late last evening, following the completion of a tiring “garage project” I relaxed with some cheese and crackers, and an episode of the retro series, Gunsmoke. This particular episode featured a family working its way toward California. There was no mother; just a nasty, selfish, hard father with his two cowering sons and terrified daughter.…
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