It is possible to be so devout that it is counter-productive... probably about where the line blurs between 'serving God' and gratifying your own impulse to feel like you are being or doing good enough. See Also: Manifest Forgiveness Effective Humility
Tag: Jesus
What You Already Have
I was talking with a friend of mine about seeking God in the context of a romantic relationship. In the course of that, he told some of his story about the woman who is now his wife. At some point he said, "we prayed together", and though he was not placing any special emphasis on … Continue reading What You Already Have
To Give Meaning
"In the beginning was the Word..." -John 1:1 "What makes us sick are those things we cannot see through..." - Alice Miller, 'The Drama of the Gifted Child' "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate" - Carl Jung Recently, I was considering the mystery of … Continue reading To Give Meaning
Whoever is Not Against Us is For Us
This story may be found in Mark chapter 9. Jesus was told, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn't following us." Jesus responded, "Don't stop him." As Jesus explained his point, one thing he said was "Whoever is not against us is for … Continue reading Whoever is Not Against Us is For Us
The Counselor
In a recent post, On Your Own Terms I mentioned Jesus’ words to His disciples in John 16:7, “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away, the counselor will not come to you.” It is for your benefit, so that the Counselor, the One who comes along-side, will minister … Continue reading The Counselor
On Your Own Terms
The twelve chapter of the Gospel of John opens like this: “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. … Continue reading On Your Own Terms
The Seasonality of Revelation
In the Gospel of Mark, chapter two, is the following story: “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked Him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? … Continue reading The Seasonality of Revelation
What Does it Mean to Believe?
The word “believe” according to the Strong's Concordance, is from the Greek word ‘Pisteuo’ (pist-yoo-o) “to have faith (in upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust”. It is from the word “pistis”, meaning “persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction...” In the KJV, “pistis” is translated as … Continue reading What Does it Mean to Believe?
Holy Crumbs
Since early in my Christian walk, the ceremony involving little pieces of bread and micro-shots of grape juice never made sense to me. I’m speaking about communion. Yes, Jesus did say, “do this in remembrance of me,” but when He said that, the ceremony I’m familiar with didn’t exist yet. Different theological streams each do … Continue reading Holy Crumbs
Activated
After a long exile in Babylon, and then a change of dominant political power in that part of the world, the people of Judah were finally allowed to go back and rebuild their temple. In that time frame is Ezra 4:24-5:2, “Now the construction of God’s house in Jerusalem had stopped and remained at a … Continue reading Activated
Andrew K. Banks 