“Because I said so.” If you were ever a child (which you were), you’ve heard this said. If you have ever been a parent, you’ve said it … or a teacher, coach, manager, or a host of other positions of authority. And it’s a declaration of just that - authority. It’s a way of communicating that someone should do something because someone else holds power, jurisdiction, or control over that first someone. And just as often as it’s been said, it has been received (even if it has been obeyed) with a sense of rebellion, some internal or external manifestation of “Who are you to tell me to do that!”

But the reality remains that authority is necessary for the flourishing of humanity, so long as it is held legitimately and exercised appropriately - yet we all seem to have an instinctual response against it. So how should we respond to those in authority? How do we know if someone who is claiming authority is right to do so? How do we respond differently if that authority is not valid or not executed justly? The answer is found in a constant theme of the Bible: truth and love.

#OneHitWonder #Jude #FalseTeaching #FalseTeachers #Truth

 A famous scene from the Bible within the Passion account of Jesus finds Him standing before the Roman governor, where Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18.38) This is a question posed by philosophers, scholars, & theologians the world over throughout the millennia. It is fundamental to every society, every worldview, and every person to ever have existed.

Often, we tend to allow those in authority to determine what truth really is. But what happens when these individuals who bear our trust act poorly? What do we do when those who seem to know much espouse error and call us to do the same? And how can we know that it's even happening? The answer truly does lie in how we respond to the first question: “What is truth?”

#OneHitWonder #ThirdJohn #Pride #Truth

"What's Love got to do with it?" This is the title of a song by Tina Turner. And it's a question that we're all forced to consider many times over in our lives. What is love, and why does it matter? What difference does it make? Isn't it just up to whoever is "feeling it" in a given moment? The reality is that, while we may all feel, express, receive, and perceive love in various ways, love itself is an objective reality, and it's one that's incompatible with certain behaviors while requiring others. It's our duty to discern the difference.  

#OneHitWonder #SecondJohn #Love #Truth

“Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” This quote (in one form or another) has been attributed to Saint Augustine, Nelson Mandela, Carrie Fisher, and more. Regardless of who said it first, it is beyond axiomatic - it rings true throughout the human experience. Then why-oh-why is it so hard for us to forgive? 

The Bible is replete with calls to forgive others. But how do we do this when we have, in fact, been wronged, hurt, or taken advantage of by those needing forgiveness. Even in the shortest book the Apostle Paul wrote, we find a call to forgiveness - not because it is earned, but out of gratitude for our divine pardon. If we have been so forgiven, we must likewise forgive. 

#OneHitWonder #Philemon #Context #Forgiveness

Does God care when everything goes wrong? When the bottom falls out from under us or when injustice or tragedy strikes? Maybe it seems like He shouldn't care because it's partly (or fully) our fault. Maybe it's just our lot to suffer because it's what we deserve?

Centuries before Jesus walked this earth, God's people (the Jewish nation) were facing tragedy, suffering on a massive scale, and surely felt these very same things. But a rather unknown prophet had a message for them that let them know they were not alone, that they were not unseen, and that God very much DID care … and that He was going to set right the tragic wrongs they had been enduring.

#OneHitWonder #Obadiah #PrinciplizingBridge #Pride