Mission Faithwalk

                  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...

                 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...

                  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,   fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2) To scorn shame means to say, “I will refuse to allow standards that are inappropriate, that are incorrect, that are unworthy, to be the measuring stick by which other people assess my worth as a human being .” (John Ortberg) ( https://becomenew.subspla.sh/krz8cfy ) Normally, when we look at this passage, it’s about everyone watching them, and therefore, they’d better throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. They need to run with persevera...