Spiritual Ponderings

I want to more closely examine one of the stories of the Old Testament that often raises questions about what God is like in the way He treats both His chosen people and their enemies. This is in one of the most famed events that has ever occurred in history, the deliverance of the Israelites at the crossing of the Red Sea and the extermination by drowning of the entire military force of Egypt bent on recapturing a whole nation of slaves in defiance of God's intervention for them. I believe the only way to accurately expose the truth in any story, particularly those found in the Old Testament, is to use the lens of the life and teachings of Jesus as the filter through which to interpret what was really going on. Reports and records by humans of that time are biased by their own perceptions and beliefs about what God was like and cannot be fully trusted to give us a clear view of God's character. That is abundantly evident in the contrast we see in the example and teachi...

And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 NRSV) The title of this piece may sound like a silly question at first. But as I was driving yesterday this verse came to my mind in a whole new dimension I had never considered before. For most of my life I have been familiar with this verse which is one of the most commonly claimed promises of the entire Bible. Of course it is most often associated with needs revolving around finances with which I have been intimately familiar for many years. So naturally whenever I claim this promise it usually centers on seeking God's blessings for more money so I can in turn use that to pay my bills, provide food, shelter and basic necessities for my family. That is how most of our minds have been trained to think. The principle of economics compels us to believe that we have to use money which allows us to make our own decisions about meeting our needs instead of...

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave , being born in human likeness. (Philippians 2:5-7 NRSV) I looked up the word form to find a more detailed explanation of this concept. Here is the definition. Morphe – (through the idea of adjustment of parts); shape; figuratively, nature:--form. The idea spoken of in the New Testament of living as a slave of Jesus Christ has long found some resistance inside me. I am just being honest here. This morning as I read a devotional explaining the position of slaves in the days when the Bible was written awakened within me this old feeling. So I decided to face it more intentionally and find out what is connected to this familiar feeling. If I am to become more and more like Christ, and Christ took on Himself the form of a slave, I need to deal with this resistance that...