Yesterday I said that wisdom is hearing Jesus’ words and putting them into practice. Sounds good, right? But it also sounds STABILIZING. Here’s why.
sermon on the mount
What does it mean to be wise, anyway? [Plus, new book announcement!]
Yesterday I said that when you gorge on information, you’re too full for wisdom. But what does it mean to be wise, anyway? Fear not. We don’t have to guess. Jesus tells us.
When you gorge on information
Saying that we live in the “information age” seems like an understatement. There is more information coming at us than ever before. In 2019 YouTube reported that 500 hours of new video content is uploaded every single minute. Yup, every minute. Combine this with news, blogs, radio programs, social media, Netflix, TV, music, movies—the list goes … Continue reading When you gorge on information
Based on what we think is true
We live our lives based on what we think is true. For example, if I think it’s true that it’s going to rain, then I’m going to grab an umbrella when I head outside. But if I don’t, I won’t. If I think it’s true that my child is about to get hit by a … Continue reading Based on what we think is true
The clean of heart
In Matthew 5:8 Jesus says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” The words “pure in heart” imply being clean before God. He’s not talking about taking a shower. He’s talking about holiness and integrity in God’s eyes. By adding the words “in heart,” Jesus is emphasizing the inner aspect of … Continue reading The clean of heart
Blessed are the merciful
In Matthew 5:7 Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” As I shared yesterday, my Gingrich New Testament dictionary tells me that someone who is “blessed” is the “privileged recipient of divine favor.” In other words, blessed people have been shown generosity (or favour) from God. Those who show mercy … Continue reading Blessed are the merciful
Blessed are the deflated
Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To understand what he’s talking about, we first need to ask what it means to be “blessed.” A lot of people say they feel “blessed” or use #blessed as a hashtag when something is … Continue reading Blessed are the deflated
No other hope
The Beatitudes are a short-but-mighty collection of Jesus’ teachings. Here is how they begin: “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” … Continue reading No other hope
Be what you wanna see
Be what you wanna see. This statement encourages us to model the attitudes and behaviours that we’d like to see in others. Let’s think about this in terms of how it applies to our current situation with COVID-19. What do we want to see? I don’t know about you but I want to see faithfulness, … Continue reading Be what you wanna see
Your reward is great
In Jesus’ day, it was assumed that his followers would face trouble and persecution. Although many of us in North America haven’t yet faced overt persecution because of our faith, I truly think we’re headed in that direction. With this in mind, last week we discussed how we should expect to be different, how we should … Continue reading Your reward is great
