Posts Tagged ‘obedience’
Thinking About Authority
I used to carry a company VISA card with my name on it. It was a card I used for tools and software I needed to do my job, or to cover travel expenses if I needed to be on the road. I had been granted authority to use that card, but that authority had…
Read MoreRemember
There is an oft-rehearsed quote from Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist George Santayana. You have heard at least a part of it, and may have quoted that segment to others. You’ll recognize it in this larger context. The Quote Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains…
Read MoreWalking 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 MoreListen Well / Hear Well
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. Fess up! If you have kids you’ve performed that aria. Indeed, many of you read it with the melody playing in your head as…
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…
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