Wednesday – Change It – Resurrection
Jesus intended for his resurrection to change his followers’ lives, not just their deaths. Question: How would your life be different is Jesus had stayed dead? Here’s how one blogger, Shawn Lovejoy, put it: * I would have no hope of overcoming impossible odds. * I would have no hope of seeing miracles in my […]
Wednesday – Change It – Structured Rest
So far this week, we’ve looked at rhythms for rest, but what should one actually do with that time? One author, Tim Keller, has suggested two main categories of rest. 1) Doing nothing at all. Kick your feet up. 2) Do something different from your usual work. If you work in a bank, volunteering to […]
Wednesday – Change It – Inner Rest
We’re going to take a quick look at a passage from the Sermon on the Mount today, that we actually explored several weeks ago as part of that series. You can find it here: http://bit.ly/14LRCtP Matthew 6:28-34 ESV says: And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: […]
Wednesday – Change It – Finding Rest
Yesterday we explored a story about Jesus and his followers eating grain in the fields on a Saturday, a day of rest, and getting in trouble from the religious authorities. In his response, Jesus referred to one of the great heroes of the Jewish faith, David, who ate holy bread in the temple when he […]
Wednesday – Change It – We Need Rest
We saw yesterday how God rested, and set out a rhythm for work and rest. Here we see God giving some of the reasons why it’s important for us to rest, and how it’s still God’s gift for all creation even though many years have passed. “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as […]
Wednesday – Change It – Working Well
We’re looking this week at Psalm 127: Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. How do we know if we’re working for God or not? How do we know if we are building with him, rather than for ourselves? We need to know what God is working on. His […]
Wednesday – Change It – Working Badly
Another extreme approach, in addition to those we saw yesterday, is to see work as something to avoid at all costs. It’s not a new sentiment – many have seen work as a necessary evil in history. The Greek Philosopher Aristotle saw the ability to live without having to work as a primary qualification for […]
Wednesday – Change It – We Need Work
We’ve seen that from the very beginning, work was made to be good part of life. It’s part of God’s life, Jesus’ life, and now we see it was meant to be part of our life. In Genesis 2:1-15 [5] When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant […]
Jesus: The Most Interesting Priest in the World – Wednesday – Change It
Yesterday we saw the author of the Book of Hebrews describing how the sacrificial system was temporary – all these animals killed, sacrifices offered year after year, with no lasting change. Still people would sin, sacrifice and repeat. The priests were always trying to make things right with God, at least temporarily, as the people’s […]
Wednesday – Change It – Foundation
Yesterday we saw one truth from Jesus’ story about foundations in life: that we all build on one foundation or another. Truth 2: Difficult times will come to all. We are all subject to the same rains, winds. Both houses face the same problems, but their foundations are differently equipped to withstand such pressures. IF […]
Wednesday – Change It – Forgiver
Yesterday we saw Jesus being treated well, really well, by a woman who was a known “sinner”. Now, everyone’s a sinner, so what does that mean? It was probably a euphemism for a prostitute, or she had an affair. IT was likely a sexual sin, and she was known for it. When a religious legal […]
Wednesday – Change It – Teacher
Yesterday we heard a story Jesus told about one seed being planted in four different soils, that all respond quite differently. The path is hard beaten with no protection. The seed stays on the surface, and birds snatch it up. The rocky ground does not have enough soil, so although it began growing, that seed […]
Wednesday – Change It – Revolutionary
Yesterday we learned Jesus was accused of being a revolutionary. Rebellions were common in those times. When they heard Jesus might be the Messiah, many would have envisioned violent overthrow, sabotage, and assassination, but Jesus’ revolution was very odd by those standards. For example, he ran into a tax collector once, basically a toll collector […]
Wednesday – Change It – Shepherd
Jesus tells this very short story about a shepherd who loses just one of his 100 sheep, finds it, then throws a party. It’s short, but it says a lot! Particularly when we pay attention to who is listening. He tells is to a divided audience that includes tax collectors and sinners, AND religious authorities […]
Wednesday – Change It – Pioneer Potential
We learned yesterday about Paul arriving in Rome, a place of great influence, where he hopes to convince Caesar, the Emperor, about the good news of Jesus Christ, and anyone else he meets. He tried to share it with some of his fellow Jews, but was rejected by all but a few. Does he give […]