Spiritual Ponderings

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16) What is important about contrasting these two concepts? Is this a balancing of opposites , or is it something else? Where might we find the original contrast of these two? Let's go back to the very beginning and see what we might find there. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed . Now the serpent was more crafty ( shrewd ) than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman.... (Genesis 2:25 – 3:1) Do you see it there? I find the same kind of contrast in this passage as in the words of Jesus – shrewd and innocent. And I don't believe it is any coincidence either. Let me share a paraphrase I wrote from looking up the definitions of the words of Jesus from the Greek that provides some interesting insights. Be very aware that I am sending you out like vulnerable sheep int...

But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy . (Revelation 3:4) A main theme that seems to run like a strong thread throughout Revelation is the idea of worthiness. But the concept of worthy can mean different things depending on what is valuable to the one looking on. Is someone worthy because they are worth a lot? What makes us thing they are worth something? And how much does it take to exclaim that someone is worth a lot or that they are worthy? We assign worth to people based on how much net worth they have accumulated. We generally mean that they have amassed a fortune financially so they are worth admiring to some respect. But we also know that just because a person might be rich does not mean they have a character worthy of admiration. In fact, the richer a person is often brings with it some suspicion on the part of many that maybe they acquired thei...

God stands with us in solidarity when we are abused. He says that He identifies with the weak, the exploited, the poor, the disadvantaged, the abused, the helpless, the victims. This gives us hope, at least when we believe we should be identified as being in at least one of these categories. But then a problem arises. What do we believe solidarity should involve? How do we want to be defended? What do we actually have in mind, what do we want to see happen when the Almighty, most powerful being of the entire universe chooses to identify as one of us, the disadvantaged and abused? As we encounter the radical teachings of Jesus relating to how we are to relate to our abusers, do we begin feeling uncomfortable with how God intends to defend us? Do we prefer that He come to our rescue in forceful ways rather than the apparently weak ways that Jesus used when He was here on earth? Do our own desires for revenge, for settling old scores, for getting even with our exp...

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Unlike many Christians who are so fond of this most famous verse in the Bible, I have struggled all my life to make this text connect for me meaningfully. As a result I have felt like an inferior Christian, almost a turncoat in the midst of so many who seem to have a better appreciation for God than I seem capable of feeling. I have tried for years to grasp the true meaning of this verse only to repeatedly have compulsive questions and doubts spring up in my heart that challenge the meaning of this verse. I can see that many of these doubts emanate from my early years of living with hidden inner terror of God. A number of years ago when I first was introduced to the method of inductive Bible study which revolutionized and revitalized my personal times of devotion with God, one of the first passages I chose to explore ...