Something Greater

The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part Four: A Mother in Anguish My Name Does Not Matter "You do not want to be God's enemy." Note: The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part One introduced a story of faith, love and salvation, told through the lives of two remarkable women: Deborah and Jael. Part Two imagined Deborah telling her story, as if she were speaking to us all now, face-to-face. Part Three focused on the story of Jael, a woman living in the same region as Deborah, but in very different circumstances. Jael's story was not epic, and it was not pretty. But it was ruthless in its honesty and in its pursuit of what matters most to a person. These women remind us that God desires that we fully rely upon what he says, God desires that we fully love what God loves, and hate and what God hates, and God desires that we fully live with him. But there was a third woman in the story...a woman who is not named...a woman who did not love what God loves. This wo

The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part Three: Jael My Name is Jael "Trust God and deal ruthlessly with enemies." Note: The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part One introduced a story of faith, love and salvation, told through the lives of two remarkable women: Deborah and Jael. Actually, the story depends as well upon a third woman, unnamed, a mother in anguish. Part Two imagined Deborah telling her story, as if she were speaking to us all now, face-to-face. These women remind us that God desires that we fully rely upon what he says, God desires that we fully love what God loves, and hate and what God hates, and God desires that we fully live with him. Now we will hear from Jael, a woman much different in many ways than Deborah. I've been asked to explain why my story is in the Bible, and how it connects with you all. That's going to be a bit difficult. I was not blind, and I was not a fool. My name means "wild goat", and I risk much to ga

The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part Two My Name is Deborah "Follow God and fight for what he fights". Note: The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part One introduced a story of faith, love and salvation, told through the lives of two remarkable women: Deborah and Jael. Actually, the story depends as well upon a third woman, unnamed, a mother in anguish. Together, these three women remind us that God desires that we fully rely upon what he says, God desires that we fully love what God loves, and hate and what God hates, and God desires that we fully live with him. Here is Deborah's story, told from her viewpoint, as if she were able to speak to us now, face-to-face. I've been asked to explain why my story is in the Bible, and how it connects with you all. That's going to be a bit difficult. I grew up knowing God's promise, that he had chosen us to be his people, and he would settle us in a land of our own, that we would be a blessing for the entire worl

The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part One What if this story were made into a movie? If the Book of Judges were a movie, this would surely be part of the trailer: Judges, Chapter Two: (Judges 2:1, 11-15, 16-19) God chose a people and gave them a promise God's people abandoned him God raised up champions and leaders to rescue his people Judges Chapter Four: Verses 1-3: Twenty years of cruel oppression Verses 4-7: God raised up Deborah, "The Bee", "The Woman of Splendor", to be a judge Verses 14-16: Deborah led an army to victory, killing 10,000 cruel, oppressive enemies Verses 17-20: Jael, "The Wild Goat", faced a dilemma: Sisera - friend or foe? Verses 21-22: Jael makes her choice Judges Chapter Five: Deborah sings A mother wails in anguish What are the lessons learned from this story? God desires that we fully rely upon what he says God desires that we fully love what God loves, and hate what God hates God desires that

A Devout Life: Part 5 The Source of Righteousness According to 1 Timothy 6:11, righteousness depends upon five sincere, heartfelt, and intentional expressions of the heart, mind and body: Wonder Faith Love Steadiness Courtesy If Paul uses these five expressions to define godly righteousness, and our lives are to live in a manner that is "equitable", to what or to whom are our lives to be equal? What or Whom forms the standards, or the degrees, by which we are to express righteousness? Upon What or Whom does righteousness depend? I'm charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn't give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don't slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He'll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He's the only one death can't touch, his light so bright no one can