Words from a Branch

  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV             Our experience protest that it is not so, love is fickle, love is pragmatic, and doubtful, love gives-up. With mere human love it is so, and those tendencies endure even in the hearts of believers. It is a tragic situation, which results in tragic situations. Brokenness which produces brokenness, amidst a backdrop of idealistic virtue. Because we are in love, we feel betrayed, and so we are. We are betrayed by our own heart, our own lack of the true virtue, and our own acceptance of a counterfeit. We hurt ourselves as much as we are hurt by others. And as much as we are hurt, we also hurt others.             How to stop all of this hurting? If we are confined to a love that is something we experience there is no hope. Such a love is what it is and can...

  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 ...