In the second chapter of the Bible, we read this: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:1-3) From the beginning, long before sin or law entered the picture, God was establishing the pattern of Sabbath. Like him, we...
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:1). Does that seem backwards to you? It’s natural to spend our time and money on the things we already love. But Jesus flipped that around and said we’ll love most what we spend our time and money on. This implies we can retrain our hearts by choosing to be faithful and generous with our resources. Let’s talk about generosity for a bit. 1. The Mandate of Generosity. There’s no question Jesus requires his followers to give generously. The one place...
The original twelve disciples apparently found themselves debating their pecking order fairly often. Instead of being humbled in the presence of the divine, they squabbled over which of them was second or third best. They openly vied for positions of power, authority, honor, and control. They seemed eager to have others serve them. Meanwhile, when Jesus entered a home, walked down a road, or struck up a conversation, he was attentive to the needs, cares, and concerns of others. In his climactic statement on servanthood, he said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to...
Worship is not simply another of the ten practices of following Jesus, it’s more like the practice beneath all the other practices. You see, God is not after external compliance; he’s after our hearts. He wants us to engage in the practices of Jesus wholeheartedly because we delight in him and fully trust him to satisfy our lives. 1. The Meaning of Worship. What do you think of when you hear the word “worship”? Do you imagine a dry, dull, compulsory act of honoring, serving, or praising God? Or do you imagine something vibrant and life-giving? Do you imagine worship...
Christians have a complicated relationship with obedience. On one end of the spectrum, legalists believe they earn and maintain favor with God by their own perfect adherence to God’s law. At the opposite end of the spectrum, antinomians believe they can live however they please – because they are saved by grace. In between these extremes is a lot of confusion, indifference, and even bickering over which rules we have to obey and which we don’t. To simplify the conversation, ask this question: Should we do what Jesus wants us to do, or should we do something else? Let’s be...