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Is it possible to have internal peace when the world is at war? Is one kind of peace better than another?  We all need hope, and we thrive when our hope is real. But watch where you put your hope! Hope in "hope" alone isn't worth your time. Hope in Jesus, on the other hand, is. Jesus said to build our lives on him as our sure foundation. Ok, but how? Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -- Robert Frost Jesus talks about two roads, one wide, one narrow. One of them leads to life. The other to ruin. Which one is which? Jesus urges his followers to ask, seek, and knock. What are we to ask for? Anything and everything? Nobody likes to be judged, or judged unfairly. Popular culture says "Never judge!" But isn't there a time to judge? How can there be justice without judging right and wrong? So which is it? Judge, or judge not? The Lord's Prayer is Jesus' answer to his disciples in Luke 11, "Teach us to pray," and the antidote to senseless prayers (Matthew 6). What do we know about it, and how can we grow through it? It can feel good to get noticed for doing good, but Jesus warns us there lurks a temptation to do good in order to gain people's praise. He says that there is something better for those who do good deeds but not for show. When we say "nobody's perfect" we often mean, "Yes, I made a mistake, but don't bug me about it. Everybody is flawed." So what do we do with Jesus' words, "Be perfect?" |
Pastor MarkPastor Mark loves his wife and grown children, the Word of God, and words. And coffee, chocolate chip cookies, Apple products, small video projects, and the New England Patriots. 
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