Monthly Archives: September 2015

22 posts

Listening well, the test of love

You give your wife flowers and say you love her, but she remains distant. You apologize to your teenager for being angry and tell him you love him, but the barriers are still up. You give your middle-schooler an expensive birthday present with a note that says “I love you”, yet her smile is only half-hearted. Is the answer more flowers, a bigger and better present, a more sincere apology? Probably not. However, there is one thing you can do that will demonstrate the genuineness of your love. You can listen well. When there is an argument it is all too easy to think you know what the other person is thinking even before the first word is spoken. The […]

Authority Matters!

Oppressive. Harsh. Violently Anti-Christian. Tyrannical. All of these terms could be used to describe the Roman government at the time Paul wrote his letter to the Christians in Rome. Emperors singled out Christians for unspeakable persecution and torture. Against this background Paul’s words about authority are stunning. Given our modern attitude towards authority, one might expect Paul to be calling for non-violent, civil disobedience because of the often severe and unfair use of authority by the Roman government and her officials. But such thoughts would be wrong and offensive to God. Paul commands Christians to be subject to the ruling authorities. Look at what he says in Romans 13:1: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is […]