Today my Bible reading included a king who punished his enemies by “ripping open all the pregnant women,” and another who captured 10,000 men, then drove them off a cliff to be “dashed to pieces.” Other Bible stories speak of cannibalism, being thrown to lions, burned in a furnace, eating newborn children and fighting overContinue reading “THE CULTURAL MANDATE: God Used Christians to Make the World a Better Place. Matthew 5:14-16.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
The Beatitudes Are About the Heart. Matthew 5:1-10.
Every culture looks at outward traits. To be popular as a high school student requires one set of traits. To be popular in medical school requires a different set of traits. To fit in during US Navy SEAL training might require a third set of traits. But in every context, people respect the visible appearanceContinue reading “The Beatitudes Are About the Heart. Matthew 5:1-10.”
Authority. Luke 5:24.
When I began practicing law, the word Authority took on new meaning. I remember stepping out of a mediation to call the boss. I passed along a settlement offer from opposing counsel and his answer was, “I can’t agree to that. I don’t have authority.” What he meant was that his defendant-client had not givenContinue reading “Authority. Luke 5:24.”
POPULARITY. Luke 6:26.
Is it good to be popular or bad to be popular? Well, it’s complicated. God can use your appeal—if people like you, they will be interested in what you have to say about Him. But popularity is not the goal. “Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their fathers used toContinue reading “POPULARITY. Luke 6:26.”
SONS OF GOD. Matthew 5:9,45; Luke 6:35.
Jesus calls us sons of God. That’s an incredible title, coming from THE Son of God. But He gives us tasks: if you obey His words, you will be sons of God. Do you see how amazing that is? You won’t be just ordinary. You will be sons of God. Think of what comes withContinue reading “SONS OF GOD. Matthew 5:9,45; Luke 6:35.”
DEDICATION. Luke 6:12.
Jesus was dedicated. But people say, “well, that kind of dedication is fine for Jesus, but not for me”? What if I told you to fast for forty days? I’m pretty sure you would argue His forty-day fast does not apply to you—because He IS Jesus, after all. And I might even agree. Jesus wasContinue reading “DEDICATION. Luke 6:12.”
Be Doers of the Word, Not Hearers Only: the Bible is Your Owner’s Manual. Luke 6:46-49
We all hear the Word. But do we obey it, or just nod and say, “Oh, that’s a nice thought, very inspirational.” Poetry, speeches, even songs can inspire and delight. But God’s Word demands more—actual obedience. We are supposed to change, not just get goose bumps or tears over a moving bit of language. HeContinue reading “Be Doers of the Word, Not Hearers Only: the Bible is Your Owner’s Manual. Luke 6:46-49”
You Have to Make Time. Luke 6:12
Do you pray and worship and sing to the Lord and read and study and memorize scripture only when you have a problem? Does God only hear from you when something goes wrong? If then? Or do you spend time with Him daily? Do you talk to Him like a friend, sharing your hopes andContinue reading “You Have to Make Time. Luke 6:12”
DARKNESS REDUX. Luke 5:31-32.
“The people sitting in darkness have seen a great light. To those living in the Shadow of Death, a LIGHT has come” Matthew 4:16. Our world is filled with darkness. War. Famine. Epidemics. Cancer. Even the Christmas story includes Herod’s “Slaughter of the Innocents,” a massacre so heinous that for centuries Herod was named byContinue reading “DARKNESS REDUX. Luke 5:31-32.”
FAMILY. Mark 3:21, 31-35.
Sara was baptized at 8. Her drunken father, standing at the back of the sanctuary, shouted, “Hooray for Sara!” as she came up out of the water. Sara figured baptism was proof of salvation: you believed in Jesus, and proved it by baptism. But she writes that what neither she nor her father understood wasContinue reading “FAMILY. Mark 3:21, 31-35.”
Household Words: 