Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3 Do you consider hopelessness as a prerequisite for salvation? The truth is, before we can drink from the fountain of God’s abundant and saving grace, we must first despair of the existence of any other fountain. The Gospel is not …
Usually, I try to avoid “hot take” articles. If I’m addressing a trending cultural issue, I like to give a few weeks or months of space before addressing it. But I’ll break that pattern here because I recently finished listening to the twelve-part serial podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill from Christianity Today …
Note: This is an edited version of a commencement speech I gave earlier this month. The world preaches the power of passion, autonomy, and self-discovery to young people. David Brooks pointed this out in a 2011 opinion piece for the New York Times. He writes: “If you sample some of the commencement addresses being broadcast …
There are various degrees of care. Think of it like a ladder. The bottom step is apathy, which is a lack of care. Apathy doesn’t care or feel sorry for what someone else is going through. The next step up is sympathy. Sympathy feels bad for another’s suffering. Sympathy is recognition, acknowledgement, and understanding of …
Our culture is obsessed with the idol of personal happiness. Everywhere we look we see people desperately trying to find happiness and security while minimizing pain and suffering in their lives. People look for meaning and fulfillment in their careers, their families, their possessions, and other identities. In the last fifteen months or so, we …
So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:30-31, ESV We place far too much weight in having answers and far too little weight …
Imagine the chaotic scene: a city in turmoil as enemies bear down on it. Preparations are being made hastily to flee the coming onslaught. To make matters more complex, the enemies are the other side of a civil war. They are not a foreign army. They are brothers and countrymen. Allegiances are shifting. Hearts are …
One of the fascinating things about Jesus is how he reconciles things that seem to mix as well as oil and water. He has total power and authority and yet describes himself as meek. He speaks the truth and acts in love. Paul Miller points out that Jesus is others-focused but also self-proclaiming. He is …
In this series on Matthew 5:5 we’ve explored biblical meekness in the character of God and in the Scriptures. Now we turn to the practical application in our current cultural moment. Our culture now, both inside and outside the church, is wrestling with the issue of power. Outside the church, the issues of power, privilege …
Blessed are the Meek, Part 4: Meekness and Modern Culture Read More »
In this series, we’ve examined the definition of biblical meekness and how it flows from the character of God. Now we come to an exploration of how God instructs us to live in light of biblical meekness. When Jesus declares a blessing over the meek in Matthew 5:5, he speaks in alignment with the rest …
Blessed are the Meek, Part 3: Gentle Living in Scripture Read More »
