Something Greater

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...

You Shall Love The Lord Your God I recently learned a new worship song: Love the Lord your God, With all your heart, With all your soul, With all your mind, And with all your strength With all your heart, With all your soul, With all your mind, with all your strength! What is the difference between heart, soul, mind and strength? Mark 12:28-30 (ESV) And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Jesus cited this Old Testament reference: Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might....

Heart, Conscience and Faith...and Food Paul wrote to Timothy, expressing confidence in the young man's genuine faith, urging him to care for the church in Ephesus. Timothy's specific mission would be to oppose some who taught doctrine that was unfaithful to that taught by Jesus, including an unhealthy devotion to mythology and endless genealogies. Paul warned that the heretical teaching would result in an eroding of the church's strong foundation of truth. Paul saw love as the ultimate goal, for his own ministry as well as for that of Timothy. But he carefully described the quality of that love: "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Timothy 1:5 (ESV) LOVE: agape (love, affection or benevolence, specially a love-feast); from agapao (to love in a social or moral sense); from agan (much) PURE HEART: katharos (clean) and kardia (the heart, the thoughts and feelings of the mind) GOOD C...