Category: Kingdom Perspectives
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Choosing a Higher Fear: How You Can Live Free from Fear’s Control
Excerpt from Fearless: Free in Christ in an Age of Anxiety by Rachel Starr Thomson, Carolyn Currey, and Mercy Hope When we say that you can live fearless, what comes to mind? There’s a good chance you picture a daredevil, an adrenaline junkie scaling cliffs or jumping off skyscrapers with the slogan “YOLO” emblazoned on his back.…
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What We Do When We Judge: Jesus on Judgment, Part 2
“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2) Last week, looking at the phrase “Do not judge,” we said that judgment is a fact. It will come, and it will…
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Jesus on Judgment: What “Do Not Judge” Does and Does Not Mean
Photo by Christopher Sardegna on Unsplash Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1) Of everything Jesus taught, I wrestle with this passage maybe the most. It’s just so darn…
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Trust at the Core: Why Jesus Lived in a Different World than We Do
So don’t worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”…
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“Won’t God Do More for You?” How Jesus Confronts Our Low Expectations of God
And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and…
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Money [Can Be] a Good Thing—But It’s a Always Terrible Master
No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money. (Matthew 6:24) We know the story: a rich young man came to Jesus and asked what he should…
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Free and Full of Light: What Jesus Taught about Scarcity, Generosity, & Abundance
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23) Not many Scriptures are preached out…
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Praising the King of Heaven: The Controversial Doxology
“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13) This powerful doxology finishes off the Lord’s Prayer with a shout of praise—a triumphant declaration that God is King forever and ever. At the end of a prayer that is all about human agents establishing the kingdom on earth through…
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“Deliver Us from the Evil One”: What the Devil Has to Do With It
“… but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13) This is the second part of the surprising request we saw in last week’s post. There, the emphasis was on being let out of trials—it was an acknowledgment that although troubles are a part of life and will come against us, if possible, we would…
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“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”: The Prayer You Didn’t Know God Wanted You to Pray
“And do not bring us into temptation …” (Matthew 6:13) Most of the Lord’s Prayer makes good sense to me. Sure, sometimes I choke a little bit on “give us this day our daily bread” … (Isn’t it selfish to pray that God will meet my needs? Shouldn’t I just trust him and not have…