If you were to ask someone to name five biblical women, Mary Magdalene would almost certainly make it to the list. Her name appears 12 times in the gospels, and her story has taken on mythical proportions.
Mary Magdalene deserves top billing—not in fictionalized accounts of her life but among the ranks of women who sincerely followed Jesus. It’s time to separate (more…)
Forrest Gump would likely summarize James 2:14-26 by saying, “Faith is as faith does.” And one Old Testament woman gives us a beautiful picture of that kind of living, doing faith.
She’s referred to as only “the Shunammite” in reference to her home in Shunem, whose people lived in the light of Israel’s God while simultaneously in the shadow of Baal worship. (more…)
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, (more…)
Widows in ancient Israel faced lives of hardship and dependence. Without husbands, they became vulnerable to poverty, isolation and oppression. Their options were slim: Remarry or depend upon other family members and gifts from temple tithes.
Their precarious situation made them morally vulnerable as well, prone to yielding to passions that would lead them astray spiritually.
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, (more…)
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! – Proverbs 6:6
It started about two months ago during the drought: an unrelenting parade of tiny ants in our master bathroom. They first were there for water, so when rainy season started, I expected them to find their way back outside, where they could eat and drink to their (more…)
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.—Colossians 3:23-24
It’s easy to get fixated on serving a man instead of serving God.
You see it all the time: People leave a church to follow a departing pastor or follow one to a new (more…)