 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. -- Judges 11:1 (NIV) Jephthah was the son of a prostitute. That’s not exactly the start of greatest; far from it—it’s really the start of something that’s doomed to failure before launch. In the eyes of man, Jephthah is pretty much dirt—as low as you can get. Surely not fit to be a warrior that leads Israel to victory.
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 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. -- Ruth 4:17 (NIV) There were plenty of good kings and bad kings alike in the Bible; above all of them in greatness—at least to the Hebrews—was King David.  "If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers— would you now return to me?” declares the Lord. -- Jeremiah 3:1 (NIV) Double standards don’t make sense. They just never add up. Especially when they are applied to spirituality.  You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me -- : John 5:39 (NIV) We are saved by grace. Not by law. That is central to the theology of Christianity.  Do everything in love -- 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NIV) Think hard about this: Have you ever heard someone see a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu or INSERT ANY RELIGION HERE do something that makes them look like a jerk, and then heard a person say, “It figures that they are a Jew or Muslim or Hindu.” You probably don’t have to think that hard because I can almost bet you money the answer is no…unless that person is a Christian. If a Christian is a jerk, you're almost certain to hear at least one person say, “It figures that they’re a Christian.”  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? -- 1 John 3:17 (NIV) There’s a 100-some-odd anecdote that goes a little something like this: A reporter came to John D. Rockefeller one day and told him he was the richest man in the world; the reporter then asked him how much money was enough, and Rockefeller answered, “Just a little bit more.” The story probably isn’t true—not in that context anyway, and possibly not in any context. But it’s a fun story that shows a very American value: Enough is never enough. |
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