Read Reflect Well, isn’t this ironic? I am writing this meditation of the evening of the first Presidential Candidate’s Debates in the 2016 electoral campaign in the United States. Sentences in today’s passage are not unlike the brash declarations being heard in this most bizarre of campaigns. “Run for you lives”, “Light a signal fire”, […]

Read Reflect How do we do what’s right and good when tolerance, complacency, permissiveness, selfishness, moral decline, and pleasure seeking abound? How do we “discover the right route for our souls” (v 16, Msg) when even believers are lazy and content, congregate around preachers who tell them what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3), […]

Read Reflect When one of my grandchildren is being disciplined, the parent often says, “(Name of child) … LISTEN TO ME!” When the parent says, “Listen to me!” it’s more than a hearing exercise. They expect the child to stop what they’re doing, make eye contact, give them their undivided attention, apologize, and clean up […]

Read Reflect How do we know when someone is a true believer in God? When he/she obeys God. Now keep on reading … Intuitively most of us don’t like the word “obey”. When we hear it, we shut down. When we read it in the Bible we often think it’s a strident, harsh, cold, or […]

Read Reflect There are two movements to the drama of the text: Jeremiah’s prayer and God’s response. Jeremiah’s prayer is one of desperation and anguish. He’s sick at heart and ready to call it quits (8:18). His people were distressed, depraved, and dislocated; with no hope of deliverance from God (8:19-20). All sense of consolation […]

Read Reflect This passage begins with the psalmist running to God in search of protection and ends with celebration, praise, and joy. Isn’t it interesting how often our own encounters with God work the same way? At times we run to him at the first sign of danger, at others, we treat him as a […]

Read Reflect There is a striking contrast between this verse and the last line of the previous verse (verse 19), where the love between a man and a woman is presented as a mysterious path. Certainly no mystery here, no wonderment, no commitment, no pleasure and in addition, no admission of guilt. In fact, this […]