Author: Matt
Actually Love
Someone once asked Jesus which commandment he thought was the most important. His reply is one of the most famous and oft-quoted passages in the Bible. Quoting from Deuteronomy and Leviticus, he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” → Read more...
The Called
God calls people. That much the Bible makes very clear. He called Noah to make an ark. He called Abraham out of his home and sent him on a journey to create an entire nation of people that would bless the entire world. He called Moses to lead this nation out of their slavery and subjugation by Egypt. He called Joshua to lead the same nation into their inherited land. I could go on through the entire Bible, pointing out more people but I think you get my point: God calls people to do amazing, crazy and wonderful things, all in His name. → Read more...
When the Past Holds You Back
“The good old days.” How many times have you heard that phrase? Perhaps you’ve even uttered it when reminiscing with friends or family. You remember the summers gone by when you would play in the pool or run around the block with your friends. You remember the delightful Christmases when the Christmas tree was dwarfed by the pile of Christmas presents. Movies were better. Homework was easier. Church sermons were deeper. People had morals. The world was safer. → Read more...
God is Sacred
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” – Exodus 20:7 When people ask me how I know that there’s a God or whether this Bible book thing is true, I tell them that I pay very close attention to the world around me. There are ordinary signs that one can easily miss if one is not looking for them. One of them, for me, is that there is a distinction that exists between the sacred and the profane. → Read more...
God is Central
I have been challenged lately in my study of the early Old Testament books of the Bible lately. In my last post, I wrote about atonement in Leviticus and how much blood it cost in order to be made holy. While the details of sacrifices take up the bulk of Leviticus, there are also pages upon pages that go into great detail of what to do and what not to do in order to stay within the Israelite camp. → Read more...
There Will Be Blood
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” – Leviticus 17:11 Blood is something that we’re all familiar with; we all have it and are all sustained, nourished, warmed and cleansed by it. It brings food and oxygen to our cells and organs and carries waste away. It regulates our body temperature, keeping us warm. → Read more...
Surroundings
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. – Proverbs 13:20 Whether or not we realize it, we are shaped by our surroundings and the people that are around us. This truth and the proverb mentioned above shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s amazing how we forget how much influence we have on each other. I was reminded of this truth earlier this week after talking with a friend who has strayed away from the faith. → Read more...
Birthdays, A Meditation
Well, that was quick. Today, I find myself yet another year older. It seems like I just had my birthday a couple of days ago. I suppose the old adage holds true: time does seem to go by faster the older you get. Birthdays are a curious human phenomenon. I don’t think any other creature that populates God’s lovely Earth keeps track of how old they are and how a year has passed them by. If that were true, what would you get a gorilla or a dolphin for their birthdays? → Read more...
Born & Raised in Grace & Love
As many of you already know by now, I became a proud father for the first time to Caleb Timothy Aggen nearly a month ago on Monday, August 20. Everybody is doing well, albeit struggling with some sleepless nights with a newborn! It was on one of those nights, when I was sitting in our rocking chair in Caleb’s nursery room, feeding him a bottle in the hopes that he would be sated and fall into a nice, deep sleep, that I had a new insight. → Read more...
The Issue of the Poor
April 11, 2013
Calvary
Comments Off on The Issue of the Poor
Matt
It is fascinating to read the Old Testament, especially the book of Deuteronomy, through the lens of what God wanted the Israelites to be like as a country. Through of the many rules and provisions and laws God handed down to the Israelites, one can’t help but notice that God wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of by each other, especially the poor and those who found themselves in a tough hole. Everybody was to be afforded a certain type of dignity and respect as a created human being, regardless of the situation they found themselves to be in. → Read more...
Deuteronomydignitypoorrespectwelfare