Posts Tagged ‘1st Corinthians’
Speak no Evil
We can be so focused on what we do, we forget that what we say can do much more damage. Yes, it is important that our behavior reflects our Christian moral standards. It is much more important that our speech reflects the same standards. What comes out of our mouth reflects who we are on…
Read MoreCreated for Good Works
One of my least favorite sayings is, “God has a plan for you.” It makes it sound as if we have no free will in the relationship. It makes it sound like we have ‘only one thing’ to accomplish in this life. It is true that God has a plan for us, but the plan…
Read MoreThe Value of Love
Free this and free that. They say nothing is free, but ‘they’ are wrong. Love is free. It costs nothing but pride. It costs nothing but the willingness to not be loved back. On the other hand, love is what gives everything else value. Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of…
Read MoreGod’s Work
As Christians, we are called to be coworkers with God. Practically speaking that means that the work we do is supposed to be part of the work God does. You cannot be a coworker and work on a different project. Then you are just colleagues. Coworkers have a shared vision. Brethren, we are God’s fellow…
Read MoreGreat Expectations
We all wonder what God expects of us. We also wonder if we can ever meet His expectations. As Orthodox Christians we struggle to live a life that we believe God desires, or at least that He expects. To eliminate any doubt, He has proven to us that He doesn’t expect anything more than He…
Read MoreHumans and Animals are not the Same
There is a troubling trend in our society to reduce humanity to ‘just another’ animal in the ecosystem. More and more consider our having dominion over the earth as a sin or even misplaced power. Activists search for examples of ‘human behavior’ in animals as a means of distraction from certain behaviors. We are not…
Read MoreBeing Inspiring
We often wonder what we must do to inspire others to be faithful to Christ. Do we argue with them? Do we debate them with facts and figures? Maybe we sit with them and use logic to convince them that Christ is worthy of our devotion. None of these ultimately will inspire anyone to follow…
Read MoreGuilt by Association
When I was young, I was spending time with a friend when we found ourselves in a bit of trouble. We were walking past a swimming pool where a group of people had jumped the fence for a night swim. We knew the group of people, so we were chatting with them when we were…
Read MoreI Prefer Christ
Drive through any American city and read the signs in front of Churches. You will find that many of the signs focus on the benefit of being a Christian. Want a better life? Join a Church. Want to find peace after suffering trauma? Join a Church. Want to have healing from your addiction? Join a…
Read MoreOrder VS Chaos
I hear it often. The Orthodox Church is accused of worrying more about ritual than ‘The Word’ when it comes to worship. True, our Liturgy is filled with ritual elements. The same can be said for our protestant brothers and sisters who indict us. Just because something has ritual doesn’t mean it isn’t based on…
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