John 5:39-40 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.
Words are safe. They can be analyzed and categorized. They don’t change. Yes, they are open to interpretation, but once you’ve decided how to interpret them, once you’ve justified that interpretation with support from the text, you are good. This is what it says. This is what it means. End of discussion.
John 18:21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”
Jesus, however, was much more complicated. He was an upstart. He took “the way we’ve always done things” and turned it on its ear. He preached and lived love, compassion, and mercy. His mission was simple: Love God. Love and serve others. Point everyone to God. His message was complicated: Love others, even when they persecute you. Love others, even when they screw up massively. Love others, even when they think and feel, live and love so very differently from you. That’s not so easy much of the time. It’s much easier to argue semantics.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your message of love and compassion. Thank You for being so much more than just words on a page, for living, for dying for our sake, for conquering the grave, for desiring a relationship with each one of us. Give us the strength to live and love boldly for You. Draw us closer, Lord. Help us to point others to You. Amen.
Heb 5:9 …having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him….
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.