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Blessed are the meek - lamb

Blessed are the meek

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Yeah.  That sounds about right.  The meek.  The weak people.  The ones who never stand up for themselves.  They just take whatever comes their way.  Truth is, they’re probably the only kind of people who would even accept this old broken down world as part of their inheritance.  Everyone else is smart enough to turn it down.  Of course, there’s always the question of whether we’ll just literally blow the whole thing up in one huge nuclear war.  Then the only inheritance is going to be a whole lot of cosmic dust.  For the meek.  Yeah – that sounds right.  Blessed are the meek – Not!

Except that it really doesn’t sound right.  On the off chance you don’t recognize the opening line, here it is again, with some “context” provided by text formatting.

Mt 5:5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

So it’s from Jesus.  The creator of this whole universe we live in.  Including this old broken down world.  And the creator of me and you.  Given that, something’s got to be wrong with that whole first paragraph.  The thing is though, I dare say, the majority of the world believes the first paragraph is true.  Unfortunately, if we’re honest, a look at the world around us shows that a number of people calling themselves Christians hold that same view.  Clearly, the truth of this simple beatitude is lost on much of the world. 

Blessed are the meek – it must be true.  Somehow.

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Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God?

Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God?

Application Bible Study, Bible Study

Are we supposed to believe God – believe in God – or follow God?  Are those three sets of words all different?  Or do they all mean the same thing?  Well, it depends.  When were you born?  What culture do you live in / come from?  Most important, are you willing to learn what they meant when they were said?  In some cases, that’s almost two thousand years ago.  In others, several thousand years ago.  We need to look at what they meant when they were said, in order to understand what they mean today.

Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God? More

Dragons and the things God has prepared for those who love him

Dragons and the things God has prepared for those who love him

Just a thought

The goal here wasn’t to tell you that toothless will be in Heaven.  And it wasn’t to get you to want to ride around the universe on him.  No, the goal was to get you to think.  Even more so, to dream.  And dream big.  Really big.  And very good.  To get you to realize that no matter how good you may think this life is, the next life will be so much better.  Better than you think.  Better than you can dream about.  And something you really don’t want to miss.

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The Sermon On The Mount

The Sermon On The Mount – Introduction

A deeper look at familiar Bible passages

I doubt that a huge number of people today would refer to Christianity as counter-cultural.  In fact, being in what’s called a post-Christian era, more people are likely to view Christianity as the old way – much like young people don’t use email, Facebook, and countless other “old” technologies.

The question is – why not?  Christianity should be very much a counter-culture.  The fact that it isn’t, I believe, is more related to how Christianity is practiced than it is to what Christianity is really about.  I’m talking about the Christianity of Jesus – not the Christianity of man.  Not the European model, where people are more into following The Force, as in Star Wars, or being a “none”.  And not the Christianity of America, where the so-called prosperity Gospel seems to have more followers than anything close to what Jesus actually spoke about.

So as you read this, think about Jesus’ words in that counter-culture way.  Maybe it’s not what you’re used to hearing.  But they are, after all, His words.  They aren’t the watered down or misinformed words that are spoken or written about by people who don’t even follow Jesus’ teaching themselves.  Think the “yeast of the Pharisees” here.

The Sermon On The Mount – Introduction More

Can I trust what I think I know?

Can I trust what I think I know?

A look at ourselves

Is what I know real knowledge or just knowledge?  Well, that depends.  Knowledge has a dictionary definition.  But there’s also a social component related to what can be known and therefore can be considered knowledge.  And then there’s our own brains that also get involved in what we consider knowledge, as opposed to something less than knowledge.

Can I trust what I think I know? More

let the dead bury the dead

Let the dead bury the dead

Bible Study, Reflective Bible Study

Let the dead bury the dead.  What does that even mean?  How can one dead person bury another one?  Actually, the more common translation is “let the dead bury their own dead”.  But still – we’re not talking a horror movie here.  This is a quote from the Bible.  From Jesus.  I don’t remember ever reading about this verse in a book.  Don’t remember hearing it in a sermon either.  I only remember reading it in the Bible.  Right now though, I feel like I’m living it.

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The Lord gives and the Lord takes away

The Lord gives and The Lord takes away

A deeper look at familiar Bible passages

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  It’s a pretty common saying.  It’s most likely to be used when something bad happens.  Like it’s supposed to make people feel better.  And it might actually accomplish that goal – if it was told correctly.  It’s like the old thing about the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  So here’s the truth about the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  It’s true.  However, it’s not the whole truth.  Therefore, it isn’t actually “nothing but the truth”.

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