In 1881, Mark Twain’s classic, The Prince and the Pauper, was published. The story of role reversals is so popular that it’s become a staple of stories and movies for generations. Imagine exchanging rags for riches. Actually, you and I don't have to imagine it at all. Here's what God has done for us in His Son.

Having sinned, and now staring at each other, Adam and Eve could see something horrifying and dangerous that wasn’t there before – guilt and shame. As a result, they hid from God. They were truly "naked and afraid." However, as Scripture reminds us, apart from what our Savior has done this would also have been a good description of us.

It’s become common in recent years to strike out against God’s Word, and specifically the account of creation in Genesis and this term "helper," as the source for a culture which demeans women, casts them as inferior, and relegates them to secondary status. Sadly, that reflects the superficial understanding of Scripture that exists today. When you and I scrape away the misunderstanding that has been placed upon it, what God describes for us here is pure gold.

Here in Mark, Jesus talks about being... salty. In love, Jesus pointed out the necessity of ongoing repentance and self-discipline. It’s like having salt rubbed into an open sore. It stings – like iodine. But it fights the spiritual infection that can come with our own self-satisfaction that might also hurt or hinder the faith of others.

It may raise our eyebrows to hear James, and Peter, encouraging us to "cover over a multitude of sins.”  But, doesn’t that sound like simply hiding the problem?  Is James really saying that by doing this you and I can mask a multitude of transgressions and pretend they’re not there – lurking underneath?

“Same old, same old.” Have you ever heard that phrase? In Numbers, Moses describes for us a case of “same old, same old” among the complaining people of Israel. In love, God showed them that it's good some things remain the "same old, same old." Thankfully, and remarkably, He does the same thing for you and me today.

Do you remember your first time on the monkey bars when you were a kid?  Monkey bars consist of a frame with evenly placed steel rungs on which kids can swing from one bar to the next – much the way a monkey swings from branch to branch in the jungle. As a small child, did you ever find yourself getting stuck half-way? David describes "fretting" in much the same way, but he does give the solution.