Thursday – Act On It – Resurrection
We are challenged to consider the difference Jesus’ resurrection can make to our own lives. Read the Bible in Sync Today [permalink append=”#comments”]Discuss the Challenge[/permalink]
Thursday – Act On It – Structured Rest
I used to be really good at resting. I rock climbed, mountain biked, went running. I went to movies, read books, relaxed at home. Then I got a job! It became a lot harder when I was no longer a student. Add to that that pressures of family life – marriage and children – and […]
Thursday – Act On It – Inner Rest
If you ask people how they are doing, how often do they include the word “busy” in their reply? We often feel we need to justify ourselves that way – I’m busy. I’m not lazy. I’m productive! This isn’t untrue, we usually are busy! But it’s not always a good form of busyness. Negative busyness […]
Thursday – Act On It – Finding Rest
Our efforts to impose rest on ourselves often fail. That’s because the problem is not one of having the right tools to get things done, avoid procrastination, etc. We can use these things, but it really starts with our hearts – and there is a problem in our hearts called sin – the consequence of […]
Thursday – Act On It – We Need Rest
We have seen this week that Sabbath rest is something given by God at creation, and remains part of his continuing commands to Israel to celebrate their freedom in him. Over time, however, the Sabbath became much more than what God had simply commanded – as people developed many more regulations defining what entailed work […]
Thursday – Act On It – Working Well
Today we’ll see some examples of building our work on God’s foundation. We’ll look at four main categories of work: offered to God, or redeemed, subverted, or challenged for God. Offered: I knew an animator who I asked to design the opening credits for Redeem the Commute, and some other projects. She excitedly said yes, […]
Thursday – Act On It – Working Badly
We’ve looked at two extreme approaches to work: work to get it over with, and work as our ultimate goal. Both extremes are sandy foundations for life. They wash away when the rains come, parliament changes the retirement age, or markets crash and change our industry forever. Work reveals our foundations in life – what […]
Thursday – Act On It – We Need Work
There are two extreme approaches to work: 1) Work is necessary evil. Do just enough so I never have to work again. 2) Work is the ultimate good to pursue. We’ll look in depth at these two kinds of extreme approaches to work next week, and how they can damage us, then the next week, […]
Jesus: The Most Interesting Priest in the World – Thursday – Act On It
We’re talking about Jesus as a Priest this week. When you hear priest, you may think of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican priests in modern times. But these are different from priests in the Jewish world of Jesus’ time. The fact we use the same English word does confuse this issue. The Jewish priests stood […]
Thursday – Act On It – Foundation
Spiritual real estate agents will tell you to build your life on their teaching, but you need to know if it’s sandy or solid. I’d encourage you to do a spiritual home inspection. That’s the point of the entire Sermon on the Mount: Don’t just look at the outer appearances…religious membership or observances. Your following […]
Thursday – Act On It – Forgiver
Yesterday we read a story about Jesus having a meal at the home of Simon, a Pharisees or religious lawyer. A woman, known to be a sinner (this is probably a euphemism for prostitute), came and washed his feet, and anointed them with oil. This was over the top hospitality, that Simon had not shown […]
Thursday – Act On It – Teacher
We’re studying a story this week where Jesus described the reasons for his (at times confusing) teaching style. We learned that those looking for God’s kingdom would find it in Jesus and his teaching, but those looking for knowledge, moralism or wealth would walk away confused. So, what is the seed? It is the good […]
Thursday – Act On It – Revolutionary
We asked yesterday, why Jesus seemed to be leading a revolution without using any of the usual methods of violence, coercion, hatred, etc. In Jesus, the kingdom that he is proclaiming is deeply connected to the means by which he will bring it in. If the Kingdom of God is a place of peace, freedom […]
Thursday – Act On It – Shepherd
Heaven is a party. Jesus is wanting to see his kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven. Following him is about copying heaven. If God and the angels are having a great party in heaven every time someone meets Jesus, repents of sin and lives a new life in him, so should we. […]
Thursday – Act On It – Pioneer Potential
This week we’re concluding our series on the Book of Acts. We read yesterday how Paul was where God needed him to have maximum influence. He was in Rome, the center of the Roman Empire, and had two years of relative peace. It says he lived there at his own expense, and I asked yesterday […]