I’ve found, in my own experiences that the enemy wants me to be convinced that I don’t have options. He wants us to feel like we are backed into a corner and can do nothing but retaliate. Fight back. Eye for an eye. But wonder makes us actually turn around and see what the options really are. It makes us see that there are multiple routes we could take, that our back is not in a corner but actually facing an open field. 

So, how does redemption work? The word redeem literally means to buy back. It's about paying a debt, trading good for bad. That's what the world would say. But we are not people of this world, Amen? We're kingdom folk. So what is heaven's definition of redemption? What does the kingdom of God say?

Our culture is not great at communication. With all of our technology and improvements, we’ve lost the essence of healthy communication. We’ve stopped listening, and for the most part we’ve stopped caring. Our communication is fast, easy, and one sided. You no longer have to engage with someone to communicate.

The reason he is important is that the references in Hebrews tell us that Jesus is a priest in the Melchizedek order (not levitical). There are a few differences between the two - levitical priests are born into their role, Melchizedek was chosen specifically for his. Levites were priests but not political rulers, Melchizedek was both priest and King of Jerusalem. But there's a more subtle difference in that small bite of scripture…

If you've been in the church for any amount of time you know that loving Christians is hard. It is much easier to love Jesus, and the homeless man on the corner, than to love the sinful brothers and sisters that are the church. But this is what Christ leaves his apostles with. In this conversation around the table, He could have told them any number of things to be famous for - but His desire is that we would be famous for loving each other well.