Tag Archives: Actions

The Poverty of the Kingdom BLESSED are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” A consummate communicator, Jesus began His sermon with a sentence that certainly must have riveted His audience. Probably most of them were poor. Their … Continue reading →

Worship, Not Waste WHAT the disciples saw as waste (Mark 14:4-9) the Lord saw as worship. The woman’s gift of costly oil was worth about one year’s average wages, yet she poured it out, apparently sensing that her days with … Continue reading →

Quality, Not Quantity WHAT did Jesus mean when He said that the widow had put more money into the treasury than anyone else (Mark 12:43)? Clearly, He was indicating that economic value is relative. The widow’s contribution would have been … Continue reading →

“One Thing You Lack” HE was young, well mannered, well educated, and well-off. He was sincere, honest, and above reproach. Maybe he also had an engaging personality and a winsome smile. Certainly Jesus found him likable; He even tried to … Continue reading →

To All the Nations JESUS sent His followers to make disciples of “all the nations,” or as the Greek translates, peoples, (Matthew 28:19). That mandate may seem obvious to us today. After all, we live at the end of 2,000 … Continue reading →

“Choice” Leaders SHORTLY after Jesus’ death, those whom He had trained would assume the reins of His new movement, and the transition would prove to be quite awkward. It didn’t help that it was forced on the group by hostile … Continue reading →

A Challenge to Authority SOONER or later, almost all leaders have their authority questioned. Sometimes they are challenged directly, but more often indirectly by rumor and innuendo. Jesus faced a direct challenge to His authority from the chief priests and … Continue reading →

How Jesus Handled Fame IT is easy to feel intimidated in the presence of a famous person. People of status and image can easily make us feel inferior, as if we have nothing to offer by comparison. Jesus, however, who … Continue reading →

Unjust Pay? ANYONE who feels that they are not paid what they are worth can appreciate the reaction of the workers in the parable about the wages that Jesus told in Matthew 20:1-16. He spoke of an employer who hired … Continue reading →

Commitment Some even call it the “C” word today, as if to shame commitment. The demands and costs of commitment seem too great to many people, and convenience often wins out over the sacrifice involved in being committed to someone … Continue reading →

Living Within One’s Limits Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are … Continue reading →

What It Means to Be Like Jesus “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they … Continue reading →

Affirm Other Leaders Jesus invested Himself in the development of other people, particularly the Twelve. He gave them responsibility and authority, resisting the temptation to get the job done “right” by doing it Himself. With this approach, He accepted the … Continue reading →

The Power of Forgiveness THE crowd that watched Jesus heal the paralytic responded enthusiastically to His dramatic display of power (Matthew 9:8). But they overlooked His more significant ability to forgive sins—a power that deeply troubled the scribes (Matthew 9:2-3). … Continue reading →

Judge Not! WHAT was Jesus calling for when He ordered His followers to “judge not” (Matthew 7:1)? Did He want them to close their eyes to error and evil? Did He intend that managers forego critical performance reviews of their … Continue reading →

What About Old Testament Law? JESUS’ critics claimed that His teaching encouraged people to violate the Mosaic Law, allowing them to get away with sin. Actually, He warned people to avoid the hypocrisies of the rabbis. While making an outward … Continue reading →

Robbing God, Robbing the Poor AS modern-day churches set budgets and allocate financial resources, it is worth noting that in the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded to give tithes (“a tenth part”) of their produce or income for three … Continue reading →

Dealing Treacherously In Marriage THE more a nation’s divorce rate increases, the more God regards the situation as a national scandal. That seems to be the import of Malachi’s words concerning divorce (Malachi 2:14-16). Apparently a substantial number of husbands … Continue reading →

Fortune-Telling: A Dangerous Delusion THERE were apparently droughts in Judah after the exile (Zechariah 10:1), and some of the people were turning to diviners and false gods for help rather than the Lord (Zechariah 10:2). This was utterly foolish in … Continue reading →

Fasting for the Upwardly Mobile YOU may think of fasting as something done only by people who have taken vows of poverty, or perhaps by the highly devout. But Zechariah discussed fasting for people who were prospering materially (Zechariah 7:5). … Continue reading →