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In Those Days...

                 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 21:25) Two reactions: “Oh, they were free!” and “Oh, those rotten, terrible, stupid Jews!” And the answer to both those is “Sorry. No.” Israel didn’t have a king. It did have a series of judges. What it also had was a series of invading armies, rulers, and oppressors. The cycle was simple. Israel got blessed by God. Israel forgot God and did whatever they wanted. God let them face the consequences of their freedom from Him, which involved their being oppressed by other nations. Israel humbly called for His help; He blessed them by freeing them from their oppressors. Return to top. Being “free” led to their being rotten, terrible and stupid. But you have a habit. You let it slide. Your life falls apart. You re-establish your habit. You have a secure relationship. You take it for granted. It falls apart. You have to re-establish that rela...
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Laying Down

                   This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (I John 3:16)                 No, I’m not suggesting that you should catch a grenade, throw your hand on a blade, jump in front of a train, or do “anything” for your brothers and sisters (with thanks to Bruno Mars). I’m suggesting something far worse. One of my pastors has said that he would do battle with a dragon for his beloved wife, but taking out the trash for her was a challenge. Yes, we are to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters, but what if the death involved was of your ego, your control of your time, money, talents, or skills? What if it required giving up your social position, your job, your reputation? What if the “life” you are called to lay down was convenience, or freedom? O...
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The Old Has Gone

                 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:   that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (I Corinthians 5:17-21) Jesus died. He rose again. OK, so now we can go to Heaven. Woo hoo! It’s sort of like a naturalization ceremony. I attended several. The new citizens take an oath of allegiance. Everyone applauds, then politicians step in and st...
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Where, O death, is your victory?

                    When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory?     Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:54-57) This is A.C., after the cross. We may look around and question. People I knew have died this year. People I know have lost loved ones. Nearly 3,500 Christians were slaughtered for their faith in 2025. The rate is about 13 per day. About 17.77 million people died from contagious diseases in 2025. How can anyone say that death has lost its sting? As it so often does, the problem involves definitions. We tend to think of dying as part o...
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Waiting

                                 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the  Sabbath  in obedience to the commandment. (Luke 23:56)                 Can you imagine? Everything you’ve believed, crushed. All that’s left is to give Him a proper burial. What was done earlier wasn’t enough. They got everything together but had to wait. Not only that, those who had touched His body would be unclean for seven days. Any further involvement with the Passover was out of the question. All they could do is wait, think, mourn, and pray.                 And what of Jesus? We don’t know everything that went on during those three days. Maybe He was busy. But maybe He also had to wait,...
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Cognitive Biases

                  Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:17-19)                 I’ve told this story many times because I think it’s an important idea. At different times, I’ve seen my father, my brother, and/or my sister with her younger son and not recognized them. In fact, I looked at my nephew, thought, “cute kid, looks familiar,” and kept on walking. I’ve seen other people in places I didn’t expect them, or wearing casual (not work) clothing, and didn't recognize them. Cognitive biases (the...
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Yet It Was The Lord's Will

                 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes [ c ]  his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:10-11) Sometimes, people ask why bad things happen to good people. Today’s verse explores that. It was the Lord’s will to crush the righteous servant, because through the suffering of the one, many would be blessed and justified. He would bear their iniquities. People who suffer can do one of three things. They can rise to help others who are suffering (which would make them useless if no one else suffered). They can be defeated by their suffering an...
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