Written in 1722, these words still speak to us today.
Click on the PDF or the link following to download a copy of Johnathan Edwards Resolutions: 70-resolutions—jonathan-edwards
For the podcast that talks about this material, go to: How to love Jesus, part 2—growing, pruning, being fruitful, trusting Jesus for now and forever https://wp.me/pazrJD-6N
This is from the much longer, Rule of St. Benedict, a manual of guidance for a monastery, written in the early 500s AD. Though written a long time ago, the rules are a timeless challenge for those wanting to live a godly life. This short podcast is simply me reading the material.
It’s a totally subjective judgment on my part, but though I’m challenged by Johnathan Edwards Resolutions, somehow I find them a bit depressing and heavy-handed. But Benedict’s seem to come from a heart of love for God and his community. They were obviously written to make the community a reflection of the love of Jesus to each other and to their world. As you read them, think about how different would be the communities—family, school, church, our nations—if we attempted to put these words into practice.
We may not be able to change our larger community, but we can always change our hearts and actions and pray God will widen our influence.
For the podcast that talks about this material, go to: How to love Jesus, part 2—growing, pruning, being fruitful, trusting Jesus for now and forever https://wp.me/pazrJD-6N
(1) In the first place to love the Lord God with the whole heart, the whole soul, the whole
strength…
(2) Then, one’s neighbor as one’s self (cf Mt 22:37-39; Mk 12:30-31; Lk 10:27).
(3) Then, not to kill…(4) Not to commit adultery…(5) Not to steal…(6) Not to covet (cf Rom 13:9).(7) Not
to bear false witness (cf Mt 19:18; Mk 10:19; Lk 18:20).
(8) To honor all men (cf 1 Pt 2:17).
(9)And what one would not have done to himself, not to do to another (cf Tob 4:16; Mt 7:12; Lk 6:31).
(10) To deny one’s self in order to follow Christ (cf Mt 16:24; Lk 9:23).Continue Reading
When you think of the time Jesus had with his disciples just before his trial and crucifixion, what is it you think about?
PDF of NOTES NOTES for How to Love Jesus, Part Two, growing, pruning, being fruitful, trusting Jesus for now and forever
In our podcast on How to Love Jesus, we look at his response to the final hours of his earthly life. Even though betrayal by friends, a brutal beating, and a horrible death awaited him, his focus was not on himself. He begins his final hour with his disciples by washing their feet and he will end it by praying for them. In between, he comforts them, promises them the help of the Holy Spirit, and reminds them he is preparing an eternal home for them. He commands them to love each other and reminds them that loving him is expressed in keeping his commands. He reviews, reminds, encourages this group of disciples and friends even though he knows they will soon all run from him in fear for their lives.
In addition to the interpersonal challenges of life, many would say that the potential for global disasters—war, climate catastrophe, pandemics, civil unrest is growing. How will we respond?
For the larger, news-worthy disasters, there is one group that not only knows how they will respond but is planning to profit massively in the process. How they do that—not how will they do it, but how they do it now because their services are already in great demand, was detailed in an article in the New York Times, “Climate Chaos is Coming and the Pinkertons are Ready”.
Read the article if you don’t get easily frightened and I won’t detail it here, but in brief, Pinkerton is the legendary group who provided what amounted to a private army for those wealthy enough to pay for it in the frontier days, through early labor strikes, to recently providing protection and escape for corporate clients from natural disasters such as the recent hurricane in Puerto Rico.
Pinkerton believes chaos in our present world will only increase and they are training and planning to profit from it. They believe and know from experience that very wealthy corporate clients do and will pay handsomely for their services.
I read the article with a mixture of horror and fascination. Here was a company intentionally writing scripts for scenes out of science fiction where the world falls apart and only the super wealthy with their private armies are saved from the chaos. As I was thinking about that, I remembered the verse:
“But what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? (Mark 8:36)”Continue Reading
In both the Old and New Testaments, (Deut. 6:5 and Luke 10:27) we are told the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.” But what does that mean?For a PDF of the notes for this lesson, click the following link: How to love Jesus, part one
What do the Lord of the Rings, the movie “Aquaman,” and the book of 1 Samuel have in common?
The answer to the question I just asked, is that in all of them a prominent theme is that people want a King. But not just any King, they want a King who is strong, good and just, and who will conquer evil enemies.
You may be familiar with the stories of how Arthur Curry became Aquaman and Strider became Aragon, and in this lesson, you’ll learn the history behind how Israel got its first king.
Before the first King Saul, we will look at the life of Samuel, the last of the Judges. He’s a powerful, fascinating character, that though over 13 chapters in the Bible talk about him, we know little of his personal life. But we know a lot about the things he did for God and how his life was the link between the time of the Judges and Israel’s identity as a nation.