Abraham, Israel, Christians… All Strangers and foreigners or exiles.
Reflections on the bibles teaching on being foreigners to this world.
Tag Archives: Bible
Racism, superiority, and love to those outside of our love.
If you have a superhuman olfactory sense for racial disrespect, or an uncanny tingle when arrogance is creeping around, then you’ll either be repulsed, or at least confronted and confused by Jesus in Mark 7:24-30. In Mark 7:24–30, there is an infamous interaction. I recommend you read it and the preceding story on ‘cleaness’ (butContinue reading “Racism, superiority, and love to those outside of our love.”
Creative Glory and Moral Glory – Psalm 19
There is a sense of God we feel as we wander about in creation. I know you get that sense in your bones because I’ve read about it, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they revealContinue reading “Creative Glory and Moral Glory – Psalm 19”
The Almighty(‘s) Government
In a dark world there are many clouds. Concerns about China loom on the horizon. The storm clouds of climate change are always present in the newsfeed. There have been stifling government restrictions brought about by covid-19. There is a general cultural failing at upholding women with dignity, but particularly so in our Parliament. SoContinue reading “The Almighty(‘s) Government”
Psalm 13 – A Model for Suffering and Lament
How do you deal with your pain? We could ignore it and pretend it’s not there. We could medicate ourselves so that we feel less pain or suffering. If the pain is caused by someone who wants to hurt us then we want to hurt them back. We could blame others for our pain, sometimesContinue reading “Psalm 13 – A Model for Suffering and Lament”
Modern law(lessness)
The modern human of western values is in the process of trying to re-write moral laws. What was once right is now wrong, what was once bad is acceptable, what was once a grey area is a display of the self – an expression of authenticity. Where do these modern moral laws come from? MuchContinue reading “Modern law(lessness)”
Moralism – Faith alone in Christ alone by Grace Alone…. Again
At the heart of Moralism is our innate tendency to secure for ourselves some sort of favour based on our performance. There is an intrinsic mixture of fear (due to failure, doing wrong) and pride (an arrogance in our ability to do good, which is itself ironically not good, and wrong). The human compass alwaysContinue reading “Moralism – Faith alone in Christ alone by Grace Alone…. Again”
Efficacy of God’s Word
The efficacy of God’s word (the Bible) is predicated on its origin. The speaker is God and his speech is his work. As God speaks he has in mind his own purposes for his speech. He may make a promise to us in his word, desiring us to trust him. He may warn us inContinue reading “Efficacy of God’s Word”
One Greater than Solomon
To think, Solomon was one of the greatest leaders in the Bible. Certainly in his time he experienced a prosperity unmatched in the biblical record. Not only was he blessed but under his wisdom and leadership all of Israel were blessed. He had fleets of trade ships bringing in all sorts of gold and silverContinue reading “One Greater than Solomon”
The Seventh Principle, Shared Meaning – An Addendum?
Is it possible that a good marriage could be defined by a negative, the absence of conflict? The arcane, the esoteric knowledge behind a successful marriage, could it really be as simple as avoiding the higher levels of the decibel range? Not at all. In the book, The Seven Principles That Make Marriage Work, GottmanContinue reading “The Seventh Principle, Shared Meaning – An Addendum?”
Bigvai and Shiphrah 