Tag: kingdom

  • Who Wears Your Crown?

    Who Wears Your Crown?

    Matthew 5:13–16; Mark 9:43–50; Hebrews 2:1–18 In a recent Church Leaders Podcast, the host (Jason Daye) said something that should deeply concern all of us. It’s not what was said was false or wrong. It’s that what was said was true. “…many people are quicker to share their political views—who they think is right, who…

  • Intimate Purity of Heart

    Intimate Purity of Heart

    Leviticus 18:6–18; Jeremiah 13:1–11; Hosea 1:1–3; Hosea 3:1–5 Sexual purity has long been a staple of Christian culture, and with good reason. Even as the culture around Christianity has changed and some Christians’ perspectives have changed about what is sexual purity, sexual purity remains important. While we could go down the road of what is…

  • Do It Good

    Do It Good

    Psalm 34; Amos 5:4–24; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–22 Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it. —Psalm 34:14 Pursue good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD, the God of Armies, will be with you as you have claimed. —Amos 5:14 See to it that no…

  • On the Other Side of This

    On the Other Side of This

    Matthew 18:15–20; 1 Peter 1:13–24 (read online ⧉) Once, an old warrior told a young man that the young man’s father was killed by a certain individual. The young man later confronted the certain individual and learned that the certain individual was actually his father. The young man then confronted the old warrior said that…

  • Kneel

    Kneel

    Matthew 16:21–28; Mark 14:32–42 (read online ⧉) Peter was concerned about the kingdom here on earth, not the kingdom that Jesus was ushering in. Jesus would have nothing to do with that thinking. Jesus chose the will of God the Father over his earthly will. It’s not as if the human side of Jesus wasn’t…

  • Planned Disruption

    Planned Disruption

    1 Samuel 16:1–5; Luke 14:28–33; James 4:13–17 (read online ⧉) But mouse-friend, you are not alone in proving foresight may be vain:the best-laid schemes of Mice and Men go oft awry,and leave us only grief and pain, for promised joy! Still, friend, you’re blessed compared with me! Only present dangers make you flee:But, ouch!, behind…

  • Waiting in Trust

    Waiting in Trust

    John 16:5–15; Acts 1:1–8 (read online ⧉) Wait for the promise to be fulfilled. Jesus directed his disciples to wait. They couldn’t even wait when Jesus was with them after the Resurrection. “Hey, Jesus, are we going to take over the world, now?” Of course, they really didn’t say that. Not even close. However, restoring…

  • Easy Listening

    Easy Listening

    Jeremiah 26:20–24; Matthew 23:29–24:2 (read online ⧉) The most famous Uriah in the Bible is not the one we read about in Jeremiah. The famous Uriah died because the king slept with his wife. He was…inconvenient for the king. Perhaps being named Uriah isn’t a blessing? Uriah, son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, was also inconvenient.…