The Works Testify

John 10:19-33

In this passage the religious leaders are going to say to Jesus, “Tell us plainly if you’re the Messiah or not.” And Jesus’s reply is essentially, “My works testify to who I am.” In other words, it’s this basic principle that actions speak louder than words. And, of course, the same is true for us, as followers of Jesus Christ. Our greatest witness to the Gospel and Faith we proclaim is not just what we say, but what we do. So, to begin, let’s look at the context

The True Gate

John 10:1-10

I’m sure you’re familiar with the image of our Lord as the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who calls his sheep by name. They know his voice and follow him when he calls. He guides them, protects them, and provides for them. It’s probably one of more beloved metaphor’s for Christ.  

Prepare Your Mind

1 Peter 1:3
1 Peter 1:13-23

I included vs. 3 in our reading because everything the Apostle has to say in this epistle depends on the good news of that one verse. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Everything that follows is based on that good news. So, notice what he says (vs.13), “Therefore (in other words: because of that good news) prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves…” Prepare your minds for action.

Support Your Faith

2 Peter 1:3-11

Imagine you have to drive somewhere, somewhere you’ve never been. But, instead of looking at a map, you decide to just wing it. Or, imagine you’re going to build a house, but instead of using a blueprint, you decide to just start hammering boards together. For myself, just the thought of drive somewhere I’ve never been without even looking at a map is just unnerving to me. Nonetheless, if a person did that, they might get lost or disoriented along the way, but they would probably reach their destination, eventually. Someone can build a house without a blueprint, but chances are things won’t go as smoothly as it would if they had used one. And, I would say something similar is true for the Christian faith.

Practice Righteousness

Matthew 6:1-6;16-21

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. I’ll be honest, out of all the seasons we observe as Christians, besides Holy Week and Easter, Lent has become my favorite. One thing I really like about Lent is that if I take it seriously, and by that, I mean, if I take the time to be focused on the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting and giving, then Lent becomes a time for me to recalibrate, to refocus spiritually. And I have noticed each year my own spiritual practice becomes a little deeper and richer because this time of focus during Lent. And so, I look forward to it, I really do.

Out of the Heart

Matthew 5:20-24
Genesis 4:1-8

In 1991, two hikers, who were hiking at a high elevation through the Italian Alps, stumbled across a body frozen in the ice. They alerted the authorities who got together a team to retrieve the body. Initially it was thought to be the body of some mountaineer who perished climbing the mountain. But they soon learned that the body was of a man from some 5,300 years ago who they named Otzi the Iceman, after the Otztal Alps in which he was found. As you can imagine many scientists gathered to research Otzi, and they learned a number of interesting things.

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-20

So, we’re picking up where we left off last post. This passage also comes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. In the last post we looked at those opening lines: Blessed are the poor in spirit for they will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled, Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God, and so on. Those opening lines aren’t commands, and they’re not a method for how to be blessed. So, what is Jesus doing? In a sense, he is pulling back the curtain so his followers can see that they are blessed.