Category: Calvary
Dependence
This is a guest post written by my wife, Amanda, about a month and a half ago. I thought it was lovely and resonated with me. I hope you think the same. -Matt There’s a lot of things that I’ve noticed about the human experience since I’ve had a baby. My son is now 9 months old, and as curious and mobile as any parent would love or dread, depending on how you look at it. → Read more...
Don’t Forget (Parentally), Pt. IV
Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. – Deuteronomy 32:7 Part I Part II Part III Over the past few weeks, I’ve used Deuteronomy to help guide our thinking about how important it is for us to teach our contemporaries and the generations that come after us about the reality, truthfulness and wonder of God and the story He’s written about Himself and His Creation. → Read more...
Don’t Forget (Parentally), Pt. III
“Their children, who do not know this law [God’s commandments], must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” – Deuteronomy 31:13 “Take to heart all the words I [God] have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you – they are your life.” → Read more...
Don’t Forget (Nationally), Pt. II
“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. → Read more...
Don’t Forget (Nationally), Pt. I
“Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. → Read more...
The Issue of the Poor
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...
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...
Kinsman-Redeemers
August 22, 2013
Calvary
Comments Off on Kinsman-Redeemers
Matt
I just finished reading the book of Ruth last week. It’s a beautiful short story, only four chapters long, set in the dark times of the Judges, the time period in Israel’s history after Joshua had taken them to the Promised Land. Even though the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi is short, there is a lot of things to unpack from it and learn from it. The book of Ruth is essentially about redemption and rescue from despair and emptiness to a place of hope and fullness, something that God has promised and provided for through Jesus Christ. → Read more...
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