Words from a Branch

  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 ...

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:25 ESV                 This formulation is found in every gospel, Mark 8:35, Matthew 10:39, 16:25, Luke 9:24, 14:26, and 17:33. John 12:24 says, “Truly, Truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies it bears much fruit. One life must end so that a greater life may begin. You cannot have your own life, and have the life of Christ abide in you. The call to follow Christ as these verses tell us is a call to die to self.   This is exactly as difficult as it sounds. The more we are invested in this life, the more difficult it is to lay this life down.                 We want to eat our cake and have it to. We want to keep our lives, and gain the eternal lif...

Blessed is the man   who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord , and on his law he meditates day and night.   He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so,   but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment,   nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,   but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1 ESV The critical definition of the righteous in this psalm is the one who delights in God’s word, and meditates on it all the time. We have become use to the eastern idea of meditation in which one tries to empty the mind, but the Christian idea of meditation is quite the opposite being a focused and intent thoughtf...