“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).What comes to mind when I say the word “rival”?A rival competes for something—and that competition is usually fierce. Perhaps you think about a sports rivalry, like the one that exists between … Continue reading Love has a rival
distraction
The gospel of our liberated age?
There are times when we humans make simple things difficult and difficult things too simplistic. Mark Bauerlein was speaking to his friends about a group of monks in Vermont who spend most of their time in contemplation and prayer. His friends respected the monks, but were puzzled by them. “It doesn’t occur to them,” Bauerlein writes, “that … Continue reading The gospel of our liberated age?
Distraction is deception’s co-pilot
In John 8:44 Jesus called the Devil the “father of lies.” He is the enemy of honesty. He lays traps. He distorts. He pulls people in his direction. Since he’s an expert—he’s been working at his craft for eons—we need to be alert to his schemes. Having said let, let me introduce today’s theme. Distraction … Continue reading Distraction is deception’s co-pilot
When God is steering the ship
In the previous devotional I shared some words about the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. A sower sows some seed—which, Jesus indicates, is a metaphor for the word of God. Ideally, the seed lands on receptive soil. But there are a few situations which don’t work out. One is where the seed “fell … Continue reading When God is steering the ship
Details and diligence
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11). A little while ago a video started circulating online of Bobby Hastings, the head equipment manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. During a game, Hastings could be seen on the bench closely watching the play. When a player … Continue reading Details and diligence
A distracted lifestyle vs focus
Someone told me they had a squirrel’s attention span, meaning that their focus ping-ponged from this to that, regardless of what this or that was. Unfortunately, distraction is the air we breathe these days. It’s hard to avoid. We are continually interrupted, bombarded with information and advertising, or the next shiny new thing. Alan Noble … Continue reading A distracted lifestyle vs focus
When there are barking dogs all around you
A high school basketball team was behind by one point with just seconds left in the game. So they came up with a clever play. They had possession of the ball. When the referee blew the whistle to resume play, they threw the ball inbounds to a player close to the basket. But at the … Continue reading When there are barking dogs all around you
When things that seem fine are fatal
In Mark 4:18-19 Jesus says that some people “hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” He’s describing people who don’t respond well to God’s word and message because of three things. Today we focus … Continue reading When things that seem fine are fatal
Why willingly enlist for chaos?
Author and Professor John Leith describes simplicity like this: “Simplicity if very close to sincerity. It clears away the ornaments, the ostentations, the contrivances, and pretenses that obscure the real.” I like that. I like the idea of sweeping away whatever obscures “the real” in my life. Do you? In 2 Corinthians 1:12 Paul writes … Continue reading Why willingly enlist for chaos?
An unworthy focus
To those of you who are Christians, let me ask a very direct question: Is Jesus the centre of your Christianity? It’s easy for it to become about something else. If we’re not careful, our religion can become about how well we observe a certain set of rules, or about a certain denomination, or a … Continue reading An unworthy focus
