Strutting His Stuff One of the most beautiful birds is the peacock. The male's train of feathers can be up to six feet long, creating up to sixty percent of its length. When looking to attract a mate, the peacock will spread out his plumage in a colorful display, fanning his feathers at a rate of twenty-six times per second with the hopes of catching the eye of a female. It is a very proud exhibition. The colorful display, the rhythmic movement, the exaggerated strut, and the shrill vocalizations are the male's way of saying, "Look at me! I am the one you are looking for!" There is an air of confidence as the male "struts his stuff." The Church at Corinth As I was reading Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth this morning, the display of the peacock immediately came to mind. This local body of believers had a problem. Rather than being united in their pursuit of Jesus and the gospel message, they were divided by the messengers of t...
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Matthew 7:1-6 (ESV) "Judge not" has become the mantra of our culture as it increasingly seeks to equate tolerance with acceptance . Many people attempt to use Jesus's words here as a means to prohibit someone from evaluating the choices of another. The irony is, these same people are guilty of the very thing Jesus is warning us about. It is obvious ...