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Showing posts from July, 2022

What Matters?

Matters… What matters? That question could be used as in “what matters are we considering?”  That is, what are the subjects or issues under consideration?  Or, that question could be used as in “what matters in this situation?”   That is, what is sensible or serious as distinguished from that which is nonsense? The matters themselves, the ones that are under consideration, could be big or small and everything in between.  So, to appropriately engage with them, we need right perspective because we can sometimes lose sight of which ones are important.  Take, for example, the religious leaders during Jesus’ time: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matter s of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.  (Matt 23:23) And sometimes we just need to learn to manage matters appropriately.  Read the advice that Jethro gave to Moses when h

He Who Hesitates is...Part 2

Last week, I wrote about the old saying:  “he who hesitates is lost.”  It’s not a biblical proverb but it almost could be! To hesitate means to pause before saying or doing something, especially through uncertainty.  Among other things, when you hesitate you might miss out on opportunities or find yourself experiencing negative consequences. Last week I also mentioned a man named Lot .  His story is found in Genesis 19.  For him, too much hesitation would have resulted in death, his own! The word “hesitation”, in some Bible translations, is translated as “waver”.  To waver, according to the dictionary, is to vacillate irresolutely between choices or fluctuate in opinion, allegiance, or direction. How about this verse as an obvious example of wavering: Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word. (1 Ki 18:21) Some modern transl