As we go through our lives, it is easy to see the things that are being done.  Behaviors such as kindness toward others, responsibility in paying debts, and obedience to God are evident to all.  However, behind every action there is a motivation.  Why did we behave a certain way?  Why did we make the choices that we did? Typically, in religion, one of three motivations dominate our behaviors.  We may act a certain way because we fear God or our parents.  Simply put, we do not want to go to Hell.  In other settings, we are motivated by duty — a sense of obligation or routine.  At other times, love for the Lord compels us to live and act in certain ways. While each of these motivations has biblical basis, love is clearly the [...]

Several months ago, a Milwaukee real estate agent made a gruesome discovery, while he was showing a foreclosed home to a prospective buyer.  Apparently, the former owner told friends that he was moving from the area, but instead he committed suicide inside his residence.  His body had been there for four years. It was John Donne who made famous the phrase, “No man is an island entire of itself.”  Yet, this Milwaukee man had been dead for four years and no one seems to have missed him at all.  He had disappeared, and no one seemed to care. The story made me wonder how well we all do at developing meaningful and lasting relationships.  Are we deeply involved in the lives of our families–parents, spouse, children, cousins, etc.? Would they miss us if we disappeared [...]