Thoughts on Christ and His Word

“Drop ‘Loyalty’ from your vocabulary”.  These were the words of Pastor Andy Stanley to a crowd of pastors and other Christian leaders.  He followed that up with a statement that loyalty didn’t even make it to the “fruit of the Spirit” list. While I’m sure he believes in loyalty, Andy understands that loyalty is not something we demand from people; it is something people freely give.  Loyalty is earned by leaders who through love and service have won the hearts of faithful friends and followers.  In the Bible there are many examples of loyalty, perhaps none more famous that Ruth’s loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi.  But Naomi did not demand it; just the opposite, she urged Ruth to return to her people and remarry after the death of her husband (Naomi’s son).  But Ruth remained loyal. Naomi had obviously been a great mother-in-law to Ruth, so Ruth was not about to let her go alone. So Ruth uttered those famous words to Naomi: “Don’t urge...

I got pooped on by a bird today.  I was sitting under a tree reading my Bible.  A bird was perched on a limb of that same tree, right above me.  The bird had to take care of his business, so he just let it fly---right on me.  Why was I pooped on today?  Because the Law of Gravity states: "You sit under a bird that needs to poop; you get pooped on". Minutes before I got pooped on I read this: The LORD has brought her grief because of her many sins.  Lamentations 1:5b The verse is talking about the city of Jerusalem.  The Lord summoned the Babylonians to destroy the inhabitants of Jerusalem because of their many sins.  The Law of God says: " the LORD disciplines those he loves " (Proverbs 3:12).  Discipline always involves pain and grief.   So as surely as poop falls on a person who sits under a tree with a pooping bird in it, so grief and discipline will come upon those whose life is full of sins.  The Law of Cause and ...