Understanding Love

“Don’t talk, don’t trust, don’t feel was the law we lived by,” says Frederick Buechner in his powerful memoir Telling Secrets, “and woe to the one who broke it.” Buechner is describing his experience of what he calls the “unwritten law of families who for one reason or another have gone out of whack.” In his own family, that “law” meant Buechner was not allowed to talk about or grieve his father’s,…

We may think our theology and attitude about the Lord are revealed by what we claim to believe. But when our prayers go unanswered and circumstances remain unchanged, the way we wait speaks volumes about our true beliefs. Job was a God-fearing man who endured the loss of his children, health, and possessions. Yet he remained faithful to the Lord throughout his ordeal, despite a desperate need to know why he was so afflicted. In the midst of his suffering, Job cried out, &ldquo,…

Seven years have passed and the predicted famine is here just as Joseph said. This drought wasn’t localized to Egypt, other nations in the region were suffering as well. Word got out Egypt had grain, so everyone was clamoring to buy from them. Back in the land of Canaan, Jacob and his sons are hungry and getting desperate. Most likely their crops had suffered as well. Jacob tells his sons to go buy some food from the Egyptians before it’s too late.  The…

We can all relate to Paul’s dilemma in today’s passage. These verses describe the internal struggle we have with sin, even after salvation. When we give in to temptation, we’re often plagued by feelings of condemnation and may wonder if God has abandoned us. That’s why Romans 8:1 is such a comforting “Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.” When the Savior went to the cross on our behalf, He…

Depending on the circumstance, submission can be positive or negative. When it’s imposed, relationships are corrupted and people are wounded. (That’s one reason we condemn slavery and human trafficking.) But when submission is voluntary, it becomes a beautiful expression of love—which is what characterizes followers of Jesus. Consider the relationship between God and His Son. The Father didn’t demand Jesus’ death for our sins—Jesus chose…

When Anita passed away in her sleep on her ninetieth birthday, the quietness of her departure reflected the quietness of her life. A widow, she had been devoted to her children and grandchildren and to being a friend to younger women in the church. Anita wasn’t particularly remarkable in talent or achievement. But her deep faith in God inspired those who knew her. “When I don’t know what to do about a problem,” a friend of mine said, “I don&rsquo…

Have you ever considered inadequacy a blessing? Life is filled with struggles that reveal our insufficiency, and it arouses uncomfortable emotions that make us feel useless, insignificant, and weak. No one likes the frustration and fear of facing challenges that are too big to handle, but God can use them for our good. Our job is to acknowledge our helplessness, depend on His strength, and step out with confidence in Him. Inadequacy can be a blessing since it ... Drives us…

We live our lives before the wild, dangerous, unfettered and free character of the living God. (Walter Brueggemann) The unknown Romancing or the Message of the Arrows—which captures the essence of life? Should we keep our hearts open to the Romance or concentrate on protecting ourselves from the Arrows? Should we live with hopeful abandon, trusting in a larger story whose ending is good, or should we live in our small stories and glean what we can from the…

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the…