First-century Rome championed an honor-shame society. What this means is that above happiness, pleasure, or prosperity, honor and reputation ruled men's highest goals. Aristotle, from the 4th century B.C., wrote that "Honour and reputation are among the pleasantest things, through each person's imagining that he has the qualities of an important person; and all …
Breaking News: Political Enemies Follow Jesus
If newspapers were written in 1st-century Jerusalem, the political opposition of Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot would have certainly made headlines. Jesus called Matthew from his tax-collecting table to follow Him. Matthew, of course, had sold out to the Romans and became rich at his fellow Jews' expense. To his credit, Matthew …
Continue reading "Breaking News: Political Enemies Follow Jesus"
Welcoming Leviathan
The description of the fire-breathing dragon in Job has always intrigued me. You can find it in Job 41. The King James renders its name “leviathan,” and the end of the chapter calls him the king over all the children of pride. This is the very last thing God describes before Job declares his repentance. …
He Hath Scattered the Proud
Advent Day #7 He hath shewed strength with his arm;he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.He hath put down the mighty from their seats,and exalted them of low degree.He hath filled the hungry with good things;and the rich he hath sent empty away. Luke 1:51-53 Luke’s well-researched account of the …
Let the Potter Work
Becoming a Woman of Contentment, Part 3 “Now sanctification is both a step of faith, and a process of works. It is a step of surrender and trust on our part, and it is a process of development on God’s part. Too illustrate this, suppose I were to describe a person who was entirely ignorant …
His Song in the Night 