Posts from April 2019

A Seat at the Table The dining scene in Ruth 2:14 illustrates how feasting relates to fellowship. There is a tender feeling of belonging that follows an invitation to the table. Ruth understood this well. Ruth knew she did not belong at that table. It would be a mistake for us to expect a female servant in ancient Israel to be so honored by the host of a dinner. Moreover, she was a Moabite—something the text never lets us forget…

Distinctions that Dishonor We live in world in which people will divide over nearly anything. People make distinctions based on skin color, political affiliation, economic status, and, in some cities, even the side of the train tracks on which someone was raised. This is the way the world works. But this is not the way God works. Because God does not work this way, a Christian cannot honor God while making distinctions about others that God does not make. James…

Kind Like Our Creator “Though the wicked is shown favor, he does not learn righteousness; he deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, and does not perceive the majesty of the LORD.” (Isaiah 26:10 NASB)  The truth upon which Isaiah’s observation is founded says something significant about the purpose of God’s favor: it is meant to teach me righteousness and show me the majesty of the Lord. The kindness of God is not merely something I receive and for which I am grateful. His kindness is, in fact, the…

A Resurrecting God There are few things more integral to the teaching of the New Testament than Christ’s resurrection. It’s a part of the core gospel message, as Paul reports to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). But this belief was more to the first disciples of Christ than a mere credal statement of faith, and it should mean much more to us as well. Jesus, being God, is uniquely capable of bestowing life. John argues as much at the beginning…