Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (ESVUK) Jesus makes a radical declaration that every believer in Him has to take seriously. Helping in that effort has been an overview initially before and then have a look at that first […]
Read More His Terms And Conditions: 4 – FollowThen Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (ESVUK) Jesus pronounces a statement of three parts. To understand Him we need all three together and must never forget that. To get some clarity on its bearing it’s good to look at […]
Read More His Terms And Conditions: 3 – Take Up My What?Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (ESVUK) Let him deny himself. The first two words never occurred to me before, because I was all about the two that follow. But “let him”. Allow him to follow these things. Don’t […]
Read More His Terms And Conditions: 2 – Deny Who?To say Jesus is an interesting figure is a great exercise in understatement. One moment He’s expressing concern for the harassed and helpless. The next He’s pointing out the standard that His Father expects when it comes to the treatment of our enemy. One moment He sees those who weary and worn and offers them […]
Read More His Terms And Conditions: 1 – An OverviewIt’s quite something. All of that put in you by His Spirit and it’s just left there. Not acted on. Not expressed. Not even hinted at. Just there. Dormant. Because of them. Because of you. There must come a time where that arrangement is simply untenable. Surely. There must be someway, somehow that there’s an […]
Read More Dryden Shorts: OutletThere’s what you’re doing and there’s who you’re doing it with. The relationship between Paul and Timothy is a fascinating one based on what we pick up in Acts and some of the church letters that Paul writes. There are, of course, the two letters that Paul writes to Timothy and what they say about […]
Read More In Pursuit …Weeping and rejoicing. Following Jesus is not a happy thing all the time. There are times following Jesus where there’s a recognition of the state individuals, relationships and communities are in when they choose to reject God. That calls for weeping. Even as we remember what causes separation with the Creator of the universe and […]
Read More Dryden Reflections 2022: What Matters“You haven’t changed a bit.” It’s said as a comment of flattery; to reassure someone of the consistency of character over time. It sounds like a compliment. Hopefully, it’s not true. Hopefully, you have changed. Changed for the better. Improved. Developed. Matured. The alternative would not be a reflection of unchanging consistency. It would reflect, […]
Read More Dryden Shorts: You’ve ChangedWe measure time. Certain things are inevitable in the measure of time. I am older at this point than I was before this point. That is inevitable. Maturing. Getting better. Being wiser. That is not inevitable. That is a choice. A choice to follow the Creator who brings about maturity, development and growth. It is […]
Read More Dryden Shorts: Not InevitableWhen it comes to Jesus we are not afforded the luxury of picking and choosing the parts of him that we prefer. When we do that, we are no longer engaging with Jesus, we’re engaging with someone we’ve crafted in our own image for our own pleasure. When we choose to follow Jesus, this is […]
Read More Dryden Shorts: Cannot Pick and Choose
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