Our Lighted Path

  Sometimes, those of us with roots from some places in Africa, have wondered why Israel's architecture and ancient artifacts have seemed more European than artifacts from Egypt, Cush, or other ancient regions the Bible highlights. With prayer, I settled on thinking Roman occupation must have influenced Israel very much, and Jews who survived the Holocaust and who migrated back to the land of their forefathers after World War II, must have brought European customs with them. Now, I know that's true. Years after my unspoken prayer, I decided to add some effort to actually looking for information about the origins of the blue stripes that some Israeli men wear on the prayer shawl. The blue stripe also appears on Israel's flag, yet none of that seems like the Savior we have in Jesus. When God walked among people through the only of His children who was begotten to live and die and rise again for our good, He didn't wear blue stripes, and His robes probably weren't blea...

  The New Testament is so much easier . Praise God.

  "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." Matthew 5:28-30, NIV Jesus' word is easy, only if you're willing to accept that word as true. And by true, that is to say true to Jesus' meaning and purpose. When it comes to hard-to-accept passages like Matthew 5:28-30 , we may need to search our hearts in prayer for a long while before finding ease and peace with the word. For many of us, Matthew 5:28-30 is more than hyperbole. We don't believe Jesus gave us this part of His ministry in order to justify mutilating anyone. But we believe the scripture, being m...