Posts by Gene (Page 10)

Posts by Gene (Page 10)

Alms from Within

Do you remember how in 1 Samuel 15 God gave Saul the victory over the Amalekites? His instructions to the king were pretty straight forward: “Attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them” (15:3). Clear enough, right? This included their animals – “cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys,” nothing was to be spared. Saul however, provoked God’s anger by…

“Why Not Rather Be Defrauded?”

In reading through the Gospels, it’s virtually impossible to miss the compassion of Jesus. It’s everywhere on display. It’s what drove Him to seek the lost, provide for their needs, heal their illnesses and urge them to Himself that they might be saved. The lesson of Jesus’ compassion was not lost on the early church. They drew it into their very lungs as though it were…

A Compassion That Compels

Before He ascended into Heaven, the Lord Jesus told His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit who was about to come. The Spirit was already “with” them, Jesus said, but He would soon be “in” them, and “in” them “forever”! The coming of the Holy Spirit would manifest itself in two profound ways in the lives of these disciples. First, they would have “power”.…

Unfinished Towers and Lost Wars

In Luke 14, Jesus made a provocative and troubling statement to the many who’d begun to accompany Him as His popularity increased. He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be…

The Truth About Cross-Carrying

“Follow Me,” Jesus said. Paul would later write, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel,” he told the church at Corinth, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me” (Mark 1:17; 1 Corinthians 11:1, 4:15-16). But following and imitating Jesus would come at a cost. Jesus Himself challenged His disciples with these words:…

Be What You Want Them to Become

The power of modeling godly behavior is indisputable. Over and over again believers are encouraged to act wisely, to love generously and to live our lives with God ‘out loud’ so that others can see. Jesus told His disciples, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it…

Love to a Thousand Generations

There’s a beautiful and oft-overlooked promise in the book of Exodus. There, God describes Himself as “a jealous God” who visits “the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate” Him, but shows “steadfast love to thousands of those who love” Him and keep His commandments” (Exodus 20:5-6). It’s an interesting and…

Comfort In What Can’t Be Copied

In theology, we love to put things in boxes! We do this with the things that make up God’s character, the things that make God God. We generally divide them into two categories which we call the communicable and incommunicable attributes of God. The communicable attributes of God are the ones that we can and should desire to imitate. For example, God is love and calls us…

Editing God

There is a ‘profaning’ of God in our culture, have you noticed it? To profane something is to make it common, to blur the line between the sacred and the ordinary. This has been one of the criticisms of Canadian author William P. Young’s 2007 book, The Shack. The Shack went from being a self-published novel to being a cultural phenomenon. Back in 2009 it won the “Diamond…

Imitating Jesus in “Smaller Ways”

Christian author Kelly Balarie posted an interesting blog about imitating Christ that I wanted to share with you. I haven’t read any of her books, so I can’t recommend them personally. However, she is published by a very reputable Christian book house (Baker), which has taken far too much of my money over the years! That said, she writes, “When I think of imitating Christ…

God Is Speaking, Again

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1). What could be more intimidating than this? Such a short verse too – deceptively short! Just a few words. Be.     Imitators.     Of.     God. That’s all. But, imitate God? The One for whom there is no substitute. The “alone” One? “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors,…

Lessons from a ‘Christian’ Labyrinth, Part 2

There is no question that the most famous labyrinth to be found in a church is the one built into the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France. It was created by stones set carefully into the floor of the cathedral’s nave. And yet, while it’s the world’s most recognized path, it’s shrouded in mystery.…

Lessons from a ‘Christian’ Labyrinth, Part 1

A labyrinth is a flat circle or square consisting of a path that winds around to its center. They’ve been found all over the pagan world. But, interestingly enough, they’ve also been found in churches (!) as far back as the 4th century. The earliest known example of a labyrinth in a Christian…

‘Being’ the Lights

“God is light” (1 John 1:5). “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:4-9). Think about light again. God is light and, in Jesus, the true light, which gives light to everyone, came into the world. “And,” John wrote, “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus made it clear: “I…

‘Seeing’ the Light

“God is light” (1 John 1:5). “In Him [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John [the Baptist]. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about…

Wise Words to a Stubborn Ox

Do you know the old hymn, “I Love to Tell the Story”? It’s just great. I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love; I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true, It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.  Refrain: I love to tell the story, ’Twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story Of Jesus and…