Words from a Branch

  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2 ESV             When work becomes anxious toil, something has gone wrong. Something has gone wrong in our society when it comes to work. Several decades ago, Wayne Oats coined a new word, “Workaholic” to describe addiction to work.   The description Oats came up resonates with the psalmist describes. Anxious toiling, long hours, and little if any enjoyment of the work itself or the fruits of the toil. Addiction is another word for slavery, and it is easy to be enslaved by the anxiety over our work for it drives to work more, and that increases our anxiety while also burning through psychological energies.             Not only is workaholism addiction/slavery, it is idolatry for if we stop to think about it the workaholic ...

  Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3 NASV             Confronted with a man born blind the disciples jump to exactly the sort of conclusion we might, that a bad result came out of a bad action. Sin directly leads to blindness. This a human logic, this is karma; and it is hopeless. Indeed, it is hopeless, and must remain hopeless until God enters the equation setting fire to logic to empower it to good. Now we must understand that our Lord’s reply is logical, it makes just as much sense as what the disciples have concluded; but no, it must make more sense if we believe the words of Proverbs 1:7.             Whether you will concede the rationality or not, the redemption cannot be denied. Before the one born blind was dammed to remain blind, and more to remain in ...