Fruitful Living is a Matter of the Heart
True fruitfulness isn’t putting on a show. Rather, it’s an expression of a good heart formed by God as we engage in spiritual practices that help us be transformed by God’s grace.
Read Post
Live Fruitfully Throughout Your Life
According to the Bible, we can be fruitful throughout all seasons of life.
Read Post
The Great Banquet
Once again, we see God’s glory weaving through stories where it is unrecognized by many of those present. But this time, the banquet is not being thrown to spite God’s love, but because of God’s love.
Read Post
The Golden Calf
In a story woven through with appearances of the glory and majesty of God, have we thrown a party for any golden calves instead?
Read Post
Prayers for Workers: God’s Word and Work
God’s word is always true, always reliable. God’s work is always faithful, always solid.
Read Post
Practical Advice for Splinter Removal
Jesus expects us to be there for each other for the long haul, helping our brothers and sisters to grow as mature disciples of Jesus even as they help us to do the same.
Read Post
Splinter Removal is a Family Business
Jesus encourages us to help others “take the splinters out of their eyes,” that is, to deal with the stuff in their life that keeps them from seeing clearly and living rightly. We begin this process by removing the logs from our own eyes. But, according to Jesus, splinter removal is something that happens in his family, among those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are able to help each other deal with the hard stuff in our lives when we are deeply committed to loving relationships with each other.
Read Post
The Case for Splinter Removal
There are times when out of love for others, we should help them deal with the negative “stuff” in their lives, things like sin, misunderstandings, unhealthy habits, and the like. But Jesus is clear that this sort of care for others must come after we’ve dealt with our own “stuff.” This enables us to approach others with humility, compassion, and grace.
Read Post
Jesus and the Laughable Log
Jesus uses a humorous illustration to make a serious point. Before you offer to take the splinter out of your neighbor’s eye, he says, deal with the log in your own eye. Yes, we are to care for others, to help them deal with their “stuff.” But we do so as people who acknowledge our own “stuff.” Therefore, we help others from a posture of humility and graciousness, not self-righteousness or judgmentalism.
Read Post
Be Still and Know that God is God
When the earth shakes, we can never put it back together just as it was before. We can never quite replace the moments we missed or the things we hoped for that didn’t pan out. God invites us to take any hopelessness or discouragement and be still.
Read Post