We are all worshippers. We all give our hearts to something. And yet we only have one heart. Simone Weil put it like this: “No human being escapes the necessity of conceiving some good outside himself towards which his thought turns in a movement of desire, supplication, and hope. Consequently, the only choice is between […]
I’ve noted before that many people are reluctant to pray “small prayers.” Often Christians have told me they wouldn’t bother God with their piddling requests, after all He’s got more important things to care about. It’s an odd position to take when you think about it. As though the affairs of the world were getting on […]
What does true prayer look like? Luke chapter 11 gives us the ultimate picture: “It came to pass, that… Jesus was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1-2) And from there, Jesus teaches them the Lord’s Prayer. This is where […]
What does divine perfection look like? Usually we think of God’s perfect nature as that which excludes. You know the sort of thing – “God is perfect, you are not. You’ve got a snowflakes chance in hell with a perfect God, etc, etc.” When we think like this it shows that we don’t really like God […]
– I see through you. – My eyes are open. – I long to see the world. If a person has experienced their fair share of impurity we might say they’ve “seen it all.” On the other hand, we call the naive person “blinkered”: “Those innocents – bless ’em – they’re blind to real life.” We imagine that the person with a […]
— Righteousness – the goodness of God. — Righteousness – the blessed life in action. — Righteousness – setting the world to rights. When seen in its true light, righteousness is incredibly attractive. And incredibly elusive. From its first mention in the bible, “righteousness” is a consuming passion. In Genesis 15, Abraham is taken outside […]
For us it’s a description of rain (cf Genesis 7:11). For Ezekiel it allowed him to see “visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1). In the Gospels, the heavens open for Jesus in order that He sees the Spirit descend: “Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were […]
How would you feel if you had your yearly work review and the verdict on your performance was, “Unfaithful.” You might expect negatives like “incompetent” or “negligent” or “unqualified” or “lazy”. But “unfaithful”? What if your boss said your work was “adulterous”? “Adulterous”? You might well protest: “Hang on, I’m not married to my job […]
They looked so nice on the vine but the acid bursts into your mouth and you realise they are unripe. You spit them out proclaiming, “I didn’t want them anyhow!” “Sour grapes” has come to mean disparaging something you had previously desired – probably because you can’t attain it. That particular meaning originates with Aesop […]
What could be so bad that it warrants this warning? A scientist morphing into an insect? An alien monster rampaging through a spaceship? What could have possibly produced: “Be horribly afraid”? What dread terror might have birthed this saying? Answer: The refusal of God’s abundant grace. According to God, that is the horror of horrors! […]
