There's no altruism in finding fault. A person who is forever critical and complaining about what others do is not doing it as a public service. The same psychology is at work in flattery; always the grumbler/flatterer is seeking his/her own advantage. We each ought to test our motivations when we speak of other people. Negative commentary is easy; edifying observations require more intellectual and moral effort.

There's no altruism in finding fault. A person who is forever critical and complaining about what others do is not doing it as a public service. The same psychology is at work in flattery; always the grumbler/flatterer is seeking his/her own advantage. We each ought to test our motivations when we speak of other people. Negative commentary is easy; edifying observations require more intellectual and moral effort.

There's no altruism in finding fault. A person who is forever critical and complaining about what others do is not doing it as a public service. The same psychology is at work in flattery; always the grumbler/flatterer is seeking his/her own advantage. We each ought to test our motivations when we speak of other people. Negative commentary is easy; edifying observations require more intellectual and moral effort.

There's no altruism in finding fault. A person who is forever critical and complaining about what others do is not doing it as a public service. The same psychology is at work in flattery; always the grumbler/flatterer is seeking his/her own advantage. We each ought to test our motivations when we speak of other people. Negative commentary is easy; edifying observations require more intellectual and moral effort.

The gospel is nothing if not shared. It is intrinsically mutual. "There's a wideness in God's mercy," says the old hymn. The sheer broadness of God's embrace invests his salvation with a creative bias toward fellowship. The church is implied by the gospel. It is most natural for the individual experience of God's goodness to seek the company of others with whom to celebrate.

The gospel is nothing if not shared. It is intrinsically mutual. "There's a wideness in God's mercy," says the old hymn. The sheer broadness of God's embrace invests his salvation with a creative bias toward fellowship. The church is implied by the gospel. It is most natural for the individual experience of God's goodness to seek the company of others with whom to celebrate.

All men are brothers. All who are Christian men (women included) are especially so. Political aspirations and motivations are no more foreign to believers than to other humans. When new or visiting persons arrive in the community, there is an antecedent and underlying relationship between us and them which ought to have full play. Because they are humans, they are brothers. If they are believers in Jesus, they belong to us and us to them, even more.

All men are brothers. All who are Christian men (women included) are especially so. Political aspirations and motivations are no more foreign to believers than to other humans. When new or visiting persons arrive in the community, there is an antecedent and underlying relationship between us and them which ought to have full play. Because they are humans, they are brothers. If they are believers in Jesus, they belong to us and us to them, even more.

Jeremiah was addressing Jehoahaz king of Judah. But his words are for us too. Ours is an era of sodden materialism. It is easy to imbibe the wisdom of the age which invites us to invest in things rather than sacred realities. The trouble with things and stuff is that they do not satisfy; one always wants more cedar. To seek first that which is good and right and just is the proper order. Material necessities such as food and drink will follow. The all will be well.

Note the thrust of God's love: it bears in the direction of others like ourselves, whom he loves--our fellow human beings. One of the temptations for those who would be religious is to practice a so-called godliness which focuses on impersonal forms, ceremonies, traditions and ideas. These are not central. God has made this clear by his attention to US. Our moral indebtedness to one another is measured out by nothing less than the magnitude of God's loving act in Jesus.