The Hitchhiker’s Guide (18): Church on Purpose
Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, Romans 16:5a NIV Church – [The following introduction to our idea of “church” was written many, many years ago when At God’s Table was just beginning. Now, two decades later, we are about to discover something else concerning the purpose of the…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide (17)
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 NASB Do not be worried – We often read Yeshua’s words in…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide (16)
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 NASB The desire of the flesh – “We are defined by the way in which we orient ourselves to desire.”[1] Paul wasn’t a Platonist. At times he certainly sounds like he believes in two separate worlds: the…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide (15)
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a person who listens to advice is wise. Proverbs 12:15 NASB Advice – “Let me give you some advice.” How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said it? It even looks as if the Bible endorses such actions. After…
Creed or Conditions
“And it shall be, if you truly heed the voice of the LORD your God to keep to do all His commands that I charge you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” Deuteronomy 28:1 Robert Alter All His commands – Keep them all! That’s the…
Painful Days
Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am wretched. Heal me, for my limbs are stricken. Psalm 6:3 Robert Alter My limbs – Now you will read a reflection that I wrote more than a month ago. My left knee still hurts, every day, all the time. But it isn’t excruciating. No wheelchair. Nevertheless, it’s…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide (14): Beyond ḥesed
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34 NASB New – But this isn’t new at all, is it? Leviticus 19:18—“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Yeshua even cites this passage as the equivalent of loving God. So, how can…
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Babylon (13)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 NASB Good works – Let’s employ some words from the famous poet: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place;” I am grateful, so grateful…
