Jesus used metaphors drawn from nature and stories to teach people about who He was, who God was, and what the kingdom of God was about. His teaching style is fascinating to study. Jesus was very different from what his listeners conceptualized God to be. He did not use lofty language and grand proclamations in his preaching and teaching. He stayed away from intellectual arguments. His simple lessons were ones people could relate to, taught in stories all could understand, and most importantly, spoke to the conditions of their hearts.
In two of the gospels, writers Matthew and Luke narrate Jesus’ efforts to encourage his followers to think about lilies, how they grow. Without much effort on their part, lilies appear resplendent and beautiful in the world. To the Jewish people of the dusty province of Galilee, King Solomon was legendary. Stories of King Solomon’s fame, his achievements, his wealth and gold, his lavish lifestyle, his numerous wives and children, and his poetry and godly wisdom surely took root in their imaginations as they were passed down through the generations. King Solomon, larger than life, would have been culturally embedded in their minds and hearts as the epitome of human splendor and majestic glory. He was greater than all the kings in the earth in both possessions and wisdom.
Within this common understanding, Jesus says a startling thing. A simple, yet unique flower possesses a beauty that far surpasses the splendor and wisdom of Israel’s greatest king. Jesus tells the crowd that God dresses the lily with so much beauty it outshines the full array of Solomon’s glory.
Jesus’ message is timeless, speaking powerfully into lives over the centuries. These ancient words remind his followers today to consider the lilies. How they grow. And how they do not have to work to burst out in shimmering color. And the reason for that.
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Whom Shall I Fear?
After living out the book of Job, was Job able to say, in any situation, oh so confidently, without a tremor in his voice, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”
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Living between revelations
I have had no new revelations lately. I love revelations – not the book of Revelation in this case, although that’s also a great read – but moments of insight when a truth unzips itself in a new way and I see it clearly. When I first started seeking God, everything was “new”. And even
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Non-traditional ways
Tradition. It’s what we grow up with, the blueprint handed down to us from our parents and relatives, the road map that tells us what we’re supposed to be in life. As Merriam Webster Online defines tradition: 1 a : an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice
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The Power of Limitations
It took me about three decades to come to terms with my limitations. I always expected “greatness” from myself, I had this conception that I could and should be greater and better than what I actually was. Always striving and never achieving the standard of…the world? myself? I included God in the picture, and His
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Water
What could be better than writing about a cold, thirst-quenching glass of water on a hot and muggy day like today? Drinking in the cool liquid, of course! Water is so essential – next to the air we breathe water is critical for bodies to live. From the earliest beginning of civilization, men have
Consider the Lilies 
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