Matthew 5:23-25 ESV So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.   Matthew 5:43-44 ESV   “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ¶Behold both the differences and the similarities between the covenants, new and old. Jesus puts aside the old ways of winning and losing in favor of reconciling. The law of love was always present in the heart of God, but Jesus came to demonstrate it in the flesh. We no longer need to "win". Jesus has already won over the final enemy, death itself.

Micah 2:8-12 ESV But lately my people have risen up as an enemy; you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war. The women of my people you drive out from their delightful houses; from their young children you take away my splendor forever. Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction. If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people! I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men. ¶ The people of Israel in the 8th century B.C. were in their "days of wine and roses". Not unlike us, it was hard for them to imagine why a prophet would come among them warning of destruction and deportation. Instead of relying on the Lord as their Rock and their salvatio...

Deuteronomy 26:5, 18-19 ESV [5] “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.   [18] And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, [19] and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.” ¶Among these "wandering Arameans", God placed His Chosen One, and gave Him an inheritance among the nations. By His divine nature, by His perfect obedience, He alone is worthy to receive a people for His own possession, a people made by the Holy Spirit into a royal priesthood, and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). We seem to think that owning items of great value makes us more valuable.  Be it a simple ...

Proverbs 25:16 ESV   If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. ¶God gave us bees, that we might have honey, and He gave honey, that we might have bees. Taking all the bees' honey would not only make us sick, but there'd be no more bees. If we leave some honey, we'll have more bees. In a world at peace with itself, we share. ("Do not neglect doing good and sharing." Hebrews 13:16) The world is brimming with life under the provision of God's creative word: "let there be...life!". By it He ordained the balance of the entire ecosystem, every "Goldilocks moment" that sustains us. In the new creation there'll be rest, but only from "dead works". If there is still to be honey, bees will still work, and man will still harvest, and "all things (then) living (will) song(s) of thanksgiving to God the Creator triumphantly raise... till all things (then) living unite in thanksgiving ...

Deuteronomy 23:21-24 ESV “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.   ¶When our word is reliable, we do not need to bind ourselves with a vow to the Lord. It's just who we are. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:33-37), Jesus Christ encourages us to speak simply and with integrity when we make an agreement. Like so much of this sermon, Jesus is not releasing us, but calling us to a higher standard. He calls us "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14), not only speaking God's truth, but reflecting God's truthfulness. The sacrifice, the vow, that pleases Him is the "sacrifice of praise...the fruit of lips that praise His name...and doing g...

Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. Philemon 1:8‭-‬10‭, ‬14 ESV ¶Paul does not order Philemon to make a sacrifice. He appeals on the basis of love. It is interesting how people respond when asked to make a sacrifice for the sake of others. Some seem to receive it as a command and bristle, others receive it as an opportunity to show their love. Perhaps it depends on how abundantly you have received the love of God in your own life.

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."  Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:18‭-‬22 ESV ¶Peter and Andrew, James and John were not the only ones fishing along the shore that day. Jesus was there, already fishing, fishing for men, to bring them out of their humdrum world, and into a world of possibility, and not only them, but men like them, simple men, comfortable with the simple tasks before them, and making of them men like Himself. There is no evidence in the text that these men felt like "a people living in darkne...

Amos 7:10 ESV [10] Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.   ¶These words are breaking words. The priest Amaziah knows his people cannot stand under their conviction.  But the prophetic word still stands. The world would like to dismiss it, like a too-strict parent whose rules we have now escaped. But with Jesus as it's fulfillment, we are yet able to stand. In Him is both grace and truth. We confess to God who we really are, in exchange for newness of life in Christ.

And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." Amos 7:8‭-‬9 ESV ¶Suffering, waste, and desolation eventually catch up with us all. It is bearable, unless we are alone. We need His Holy Presence for that. Pass me not, o gentle Saviour! Thank you for the Holy Presence of your Spirit, which makes a place for the bitter prophecies of our sin to lodge without destroying us.

  Deuteronomy 23:14 ESV Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.   ¶When we have guests in our house, we clean up, we straighten up, out of respect for them.  Because the Lord of the Israelites wanted to walk among His people, He wanted their dwelling place to be holy,  free from impurities, suitable to be His dwelling place. Of course He still sees our messes, but yet we strive to be holy, a holy people, and He does not forget our work and the love we have shown Him. (Hebrews 6:10)

Deuteronomy 21:1, 6-9 NIV [1] If someone is found slain, lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who the killer was,   [6] Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, [7] and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. [8] Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for, [9] and you will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.   ¶How many ghost stories have we heard, centered around the return of the shackled soul, bound to the place of their offense, unable to release the guilt of their unsolved murder, roaming about creating fear and havoc? How many of us wander about like ghosts, un...

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; Matthew 2:1‭-‬3 ESV ¶Herod was no joke of a king. He held sway over Jerusalem in such a way that you could say "when Herod ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" When Herod was upset, so was all of Jerusalem. Little did he know how far beyond the realm of his control events were progressing. Like the demons who believe in God and tremble, Herod believed the prophetic word, but was nonetheless troubled by it, even to the point of conspiring against it.  When we are today buffeted by the power plays of rulers, radicals, and reactionaries, can we not only believe, but trust, and obey, that a more sure word of prophecy was fulfilled in the humble ...

Deuteronomy 18:12-14 ESV [12] for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. [13] You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, [14] for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.   ¶As light drives out the darkness, so God, the divine ruler, goes to great lengths to protect those He loves, and keep them walking with Him in paths of all goodness and light. Call it fear, call it reverence, call it awe, call it terror before the Lord of the universe, what we owe Him is not our judgement, but our love and respect.

Philemon 1:14 ESV [14] but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.   ¶ God promises to exchange our stony hearts for ones of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). This is how our lives  demonstrate the result.  I put aside the cursing of all mishaps, instead seeing mishaps as opportunities for the goodness of God to shine through in my responses.

  Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. Philemon 1:8‭-‬10‭, ‬14 ESV ¶Paul does not order Philemon to make a sacrifice, he appeals on the basis of love. It is interesting how people respond when asked to make a sacrifice for the sake of others. Some seem to receive it as a command and bristle, others receive it as an opportunity to show their love. Perhaps it depends on how abundantly you have received the love of God in your own life.

Proverbs 8:35-36 ESV [35] For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, [36] but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.” The one who finds Jesus is the one who finds life, and favor from God, for Jesus is the the wisdom of God made flesh and acted out (1 Corinthians 1:24). He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Those who just seek prosperity find a long listing of requirements. Those who seek Him alone find only an open door, a yoke that is easy, and a burden that is light (Matthew 11:30).

How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. Hosea 11:8 ESV ¶God here calls out to an entire people through the name of a single man, their shared father, Israel. If God were to call to us by name, what name would He use? Would it be the name we have abused and dishonored by our sin and disobedience, or would it be the indestructible, unimpeachable name of the One who called us and gave us a new name?

I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. They shall go after the Lord ; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord . Hosea 11:9‭-‬11 ESV ¶The Lord is like a fearsome lion. Her roar calls her own cubs that know him to herself, not away from her. The fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom is different from worldly wisdom, in that it invites, rather than repels. It calls us to come and seek His fierce protection.

Hosea 10:10, 14-15 ESV [10]  When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them when they are bound up for their double iniquity. [14] therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. [15] Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off. ¶The evil of man against man is great. Greater is the power of God to restrain it. How great a percentage of what was given by God for human flourishing has now been devoted to destruction. The judgement accomplished by God in the flood is now being wrought by man upon himself. Having this as a baseline, exceeding this judgement, the forth-coming apocalypse of God is justifiably more far-reaching and massive.

  Deuteronomy 7:2, 5 ESV [2] and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.   [5] But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire. ¶These Jews, these Israelites, God chose and rescued from the land of Egypt, to demonstrate the truth of the Gospel, that He is true, and every man a liar, that there is none righteous, none without need for God's mercy, and to demonstrate that by His dwelling among them He would provide through them a deliverer, a Savior for the entire world.

Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, Titus 2:9‭-‬12 ESV ¶The Gospel of Jesus Christ starts in the heart. It goes forward without any change in the external structures of society. Slaves did not have to be freed to be born again and begin to live like free men. Rome would not be changed by releasing a third of the population from slavery. The law of love transforms the world in the present age, not in the ideal world of the future. Slave or free, sick or well, rich or poor, the fact remains. You must be born again.

For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.' Deuteronomy 9:29 ESV ¶Jesus asked, and the Father gave Him a people for Himself, men from every tribe, tongue, kindred, and nation. We are His adopted co-heirs, who follow Him in triumphal procession, out of slavery into the land of promise.

Deuteronomy 8:2 ESV And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.   ¶Trials, sufferings, God allows to test us. By them He invites us to test ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith, whether faith is in us. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. Proverbs 3:34 ESV ¶Why does God allow there to be scorners? Do they exist solely to become objects of His mutual scorn? We look upon the scorn of God as somewhat of a puzzlement, as it seems very much an aspect of human, not divine nature. It has been said of great art that, within the bounds of their art, a creator is exempt from the usual norms of morality. So as Creator God has every right to look with detachment upon the scorner as just another embellishment in the drama of His creation. His scorn is an aspect of His divine justice, but it also indicates how much He cares for the humble. It is the opposite of artistic detachment. Then what is it? It is as if the creator were to enter the world of His own creation, bringing with Him all the aspects of truth, justice, and love that surround Him, manifesting them in human form.

Hosea 2:7-8 ESV [7] She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’ [8] And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal. ¶ All the other gods were just middlemen. God's complaint, His jealous anger, with His people did not arise out of any fear of competition from other gods. All the good things they had so wantonly pursued from others, such as Baal, had ultimately been given from His own hand, out of His love, out of His desire to walk with them in the garden, in the beauty of holiness. If we find Him too stern, too holy, to deal with directly, turn to Jesus, and find, not another middleman, but God Himself, in the flesh.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV [4] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.   ¶Is it possible that I would do anything with all my heart and soul and might? The closest I can come to imagining this is the relationship with my family. They become a part of my identity.  This is why God uses the marriage image in my relationship with Him. It is in fact in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). A man who queries his own soul wants to know what is in there, who he really is. Is this not something we readily know? Apparently not. We are to guard our hearts. From what? That would be from idols, from the accuser, who tempts us to be satisfied with lesser things than what He commands.  When our first grandchild Ayla gave me her new name for me ( Apo! ), I did not take long getting used to it. I treasure it for what if represents about a new loving relationshi...

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5 ESV ¶Paul recognized in Timothy the gift of evangelist. Timothy must have felt a combination of pride and trepidation to be recognized by Paul, along with Philip the evangelist, and with Paul himself, as one those with the gift of evangelism. For him there was no evangelism training program, no course curriculum, no degree awarded. It was the fruition of a sincere faith first received by his grandmother, passed on through his mother, and then lived out alongside Paul in the trenches of conflict, suffering, and patient instruction. It must have brought a lump in the throat for Timothy to think of Paul, so deeply loved and trusted, nearing the time of his passing, and to receive from him the charge to carry his life's work forward. But this was the Gospel, the great good news, that thing that Peter had seen and heard, and of which he could not stop telling. 2 Timot...

  Proverbs 2:1-7 ESV [1]  My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, ¶When the Lord Jehovah gifts his people with knowledge and understanding, He intends for them to receive it from His own mouth, not from a tree (Genesis 2:16-17). This means that the wisdom we gain is to be gained from a living relationship with Him. He himself intends to guide us into all wisdom (Eph 1:8, Col 1:28, Col 3:16). The one who receives his wisdom in this way finds it not toilsome, but joyous (Ecc. 2:24-26...

2 Timothy 3:6-8 ESV For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,  always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.   ¶There are two ways to be led astray from the truth. One is to believe things that are not true, such as "there is no truth", a claim falsifiable in the assertion of it. The other, safer, one is the agnostic one, to never take responsibility for affirming that any particular thing is actually true. The objection here is basically a communication problem: "the truth has not been adequately communicated to us, so we're not responsible".  But is the problem here the fault of the speaker, or of the hearer? The verse addresses the issue of the one who even when provided with truth, refuses to agree, acknowledge i...