Bildad can hardly wait to get into the conversation with his own wisdom! Know anyone like that? Of course we all do. Sometimes it’s us.
His argument isn’t really any different from that of Eliphaz but he is more brutal in his attack. “You’re full of hot air, Job. Stop complaining. Listen to what we have all been taught. God doesn’t pervert justice. Your children died because of their sin—so smarten up and start living right.
Read More hopelessness, challenge, conformWe called it “The Lincoln speech”. It happened on the last day of the US History class. This talk was so popular that some took the course just to hear it. In most years the white-haired professor got a standing ovation. But then he retired and it was gone. The times had changed. But now once again last lectures are popular, as The Last Lecture viewer numbers prove.
In Deuteronomy we have the collected speeches Moses made to Israel.
Read More challenge, leadership
It is impossible to rest upon the fine edge of a sword and remain intact. The very purpose of a sword is to separate.
The claim that Christ came as the Son of God, was sentenced to death and rose to life by the power of God’s hand creates a point of division on which we must fall to one side or the other. We either acknowledge this or reject it.
Read More challenge, choice, loyalty, pruning
Read Reflect It easy to say, “What can one person do?” Or, “With such odds stacked against me, how can I change my circumstances?” We settle into fatalistic thinking, which usually breeds cynicism. It is hardly a joyful way to live. Today’s proverbs challenge helpless resignation. Can we change all that is wrong with the […]
Read More challenge, responsibility, effectivenessWe need to remind ourselves that sweetened food is a modern phenomenon. In Old Testament times food only rarely came sweetened. Honey stood out as a treat, refreshingly different from the rest of the diet. Imagine that rich dessert most of us occasionally enjoy. Wisdom is like this special treat. It brightens our lives with its goodness and makes life richer.
Read More challenge, wisdom, joy, worth-while life, flourishing
By the time Paul and his companions reach Derbe, they are remarkably close to his home town of Tarsus. Perhaps he could have stopped in to visit family and then taken a relatively speedy route back to their home base.
Read More challenge, courage, short-cuts, (life of) faith
Read Reflect This passage challenges me. For most of my life, I felt it was important to be friends with everyone. Yet here we read that we shouldn’t be friends with anyone who rebels against God (v 21). Let’s face it, many popular world views fly in the face of what the Lord says is […]
Read More friends, challenge, wisdom
Read Reflect It is a sad development in our political discourse when “fact-checking” is employed after every public debate or speech. We would hope that those who strive for high office would be honest and tell the truth but increasingly we (and our media) doubt this. In this section of Jeremiah God is angry with […]
Read More challenge, truth, false prophets, fact-checkingOver the years of Christian mission abroad there have been harrowing tales of missionaries who faced danger and death. However no one could have had a more difficult assignment than Paul and his companions as they faced their enemies in Jerusalem. Paul tried to make them understand his strong roots in Jewish religion.
Read More challenge, witness, conversion