"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1).
It is a mistake if devout folk suppose their connection to God obtains by means of things they know; the quality of their religious intelligence; their theological acumen. Never before has the world known as much as it does now. Yet, the knowing is not on its own enough to rid the earth of injustice. Far too often advanced education has served to multiply cruelty and suffering. There is a certain emptiness in knowledge, as suggested by the word 'puff.' But love! Love is f
“Oh . . . . that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off! Then I woul
When I was just a boy, my leg was run over by a horse-drawn wagon. Nothing was broken, and I soon got over it. But at the time, the world was made up of my suffering alone. It would not have made any difference to me if someone had been shot right beside me. My pain filled the universe. Job was so overcome with his troubles that he wanted to find a way to express the sheer magnitude of them to his friends. It is so with all of us—throughout our days. There is never and s
“Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.” (Job 5:2).
Proverbs are the considered reflections of individuals who have been around for a while and know a thing or two about how things go in the world. This wise observer sees that resentment and envy have a negative effect on persons in whom they are nurtured. Harsh and unfair things may happen, but the wiser man will choose not to pity himself.
"Yet, O Lord, you are our father, we are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of y
Deep truth about our existence, its meaning, possibilities and prospects are here outlined. We are not chance mutations with significance in no way superior to that of rocks and trees. We are children of the Father; brought to be out of high purpose, and the subjects of a protective concern. Our own offspring are born out of a will, not their own, and--at least for the for their formative years--totally dependent on our benevolent objectives on their account. So through all
"In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them . . . &q
There is no friend to compare with the friend who identifies him/herself so closely with my needs, my concerns, my feelings, my distress, my hopes and fears--than the friend who FEELS them with me. Fellow-feeling is no idle virtue. No one can negotiate the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune successfully without the help that such friendship supplies. Whenever we are served by it, God, its author and chief example is near.
“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You sh
In Eden, Mankind was specified in terms of his relation to the Creator. Since the world environment is now compromised through sin, humanity can still experience its creator God, but only within a relationship of salvation. Men and women must need access the infinite creative resources of God, as beings in need of deliverance. It can be well for us only as we approach God deeply conscious of his concern for our plight, and as we never forget what he has done to set us free
" . . . Just take the plank out of your own eye and you will see clearly to remove the speck fr
Our ability to see clearly enough to pass judgment on another person is severely compromised. Whatever that person's fault we cannot condemn him/her from a position of innocence or purity of motive. The other person is our brother, not just because he is human, but because we too are wrongdoers. If I am to constructively critique another person we must do so as one who is also wounded and in need of healing.
"Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, Or Jesus who is called Christ?" (Ma
It was a barbed question, asked by Pilate. He knew the Jews rankled at the very idea that Jesus was the Christ. They would rather that the Roman clemency yield for them the release of a known rabble rouser and murderer than that Jesus of Nazareth be permitted to go free. The Sanhedrin had failed to find genuine guilt in Jesus and Pilate could find no fault in him either. What cauldron of bitterness boiled up such a steam of hostility? Why did goodness provoke such hatred? W
"Lord, by such things men live, and my spirit finds life in them too . . . . Surely it was for
God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him that his illness would end in death and to put his house in order. Hezekiah prayed hard and the Lord added a further fifteen years to his life. It was after his death had been delayed that Hezekiah was able to say that his trauma had been good for him. Beforehand, his prayer was sulking and wheedling. Would anyone else's have been different? Few of us are willing to make the confession that tribulation is good for us. Only in retro
"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in ric
Material comfort and circumstantial ease is not the generator of virtue. Truth to tell, those conditions are more likely than not to stymie moral beauty. Visitors to undeveloped countries often notice that people there with almost none of the comforts of Western living are nevertheless joyous and kind. In my prayers, what do I ask? Do I want to be better off, or just better?
