That said, God is very interested in giving, praying and fasting. As Jesus talks, he contrasts recognition from people with recognition from God. He suggests that the latter is more important than the former. I’ve heard people wonder after reading this passage whether God would suddenly ignore them if someone found out about their giving. […]

“The church is full of hypocrites.” That’s what people say. I’ve heard it said. It’s hard to argue with that statement, mostly because I look in the mirror. I go to church. I have huge gaps between what I do and what I want to do. I say noble things and don’t do them. That’s […]

God- We need you. Sometimes when we say that we mean that we need you to do something. Sometimes when we say that we mean that we need you to say something, to fix something, to change everything. But today, this week, this year, we’re not sure what exactly we want you to do, how […]

“Be like God. Love your enemies.” That’s what Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:43-48. It sounds like an impossible standard. Jesus starts by talking about God’s treatment of enemies. In an arid country, rain is life. And when it rains, it rains on everyone. Though we wish there were little clouds that followed some people […]

We make promises all the time. They often come in a series. Kind of like this: When Jesus started talking about oaths and about swearing he wasn’t talking about the #@%&* kind of swearing. He was talking about people who couldn’t be trusted. He was talking about people who had broken their word and had […]