They knew that Jesus was guided by compassion for the weak and broken and not by some hard-edged interpretation of the law.
Tag: kindness
Quote of Note #199: Coercive Force vs. Humble Love
"Loving humility is marvelously strong, the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it."
Quote of Note #192: Love in Human Flesh
"Jesus walked the earth rehumanizing the dehumanized and cleansing the unclean. Why? Because his heart refused to sleep in. Sadness confronted him in every town. So wherever he went, whenever he was confronted with pain and longing, he spread the good contagion of his cleansing mercy. Thomas Goodwin said, 'Christ is love covered over in … Continue reading Quote of Note #192: Love in Human Flesh
Quote of Note #186/Prayer Note #65: Prayer for Christlikeness
"Dear Father, for Christ's sake, I beseech thee to take from me and from all others for whom thou wouldest that we should pray, all envy, pride, arrogance, disdain, hatred, and all suspicion. Grant unto us mercy, humility, patience, meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, peace, charity, and love. Comfort the feeble. Relieve the poor. Help the fatherless. … Continue reading Quote of Note #186/Prayer Note #65: Prayer for Christlikeness
Quote of Note #174: Christlike Cultural Engagement
"Among the most countercultural things Jesus ever said, no matter the culture, were his commands in the Sermon on the Mount: 'But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also,' and 'You have heard that it was said, "Love … Continue reading Quote of Note #174: Christlike Cultural Engagement
Pastor Note #134/Bible Note #55: Love of Jesus, Love of Neighbor
“Almighty God, you have taught us through your Son that love is the fulfilling of the law. Grant that we may love you with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[1] Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he … Continue reading Pastor Note #134/Bible Note #55: Love of Jesus, Love of Neighbor
Prayer Note #64: Anger and the Fruit of God’s Spirit
God, my Father, as I look around me,as I see the newsand read my social media feed,anger wells up in me.I am offended by what I see.This world is not as it should be.In my anger, I want to lash out.In my offense, I want to call downfire from heaven.Then, I find in your wordthat … Continue reading Prayer Note #64: Anger and the Fruit of God’s Spirit
Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
In my youth, which took place in those dark days before the existence of computers and apps on mobile devices, it was very difficult to say definitively how often, if at all, a given phrase appears in the Bible. These days, of course, it is a matter of a few moments of thumb typing, and … Continue reading Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
Quote of Note #128: Charity or Compassion
photo by GAC "A so-called free society has never been remarkable for its feeling towards its casualties. It is invariably richer in charity than in compassion, probably because charity is tax-deductible whereas compassion is merely time-consuming." Peter Ustinov, Krumnagel. New York: Little, Brown, & Co. 1971, page 152.
Prayer Note #62: Holy Kindness/Kind Holiness
Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho; photo by GAC Father, it is so hard for me to hold your terrifying holiness and your gentle kindness together in my conception of you. My mind wavers and falls out of balance as I try to keep those true aspects of your character in healthy tension. Then you either become a … Continue reading Prayer Note #62: Holy Kindness/Kind Holiness
