Astonished By Silence (Mk. 15:5)

Read Mark 15:5.

1.  Just because you can respond doesn't mean you should or must.

2.  You can only choose silence as your strategy because purity is your reality.  Silence, then, isn't an attempt to avoid anything's becoming worse.  It is confidence and strength.

3.  Silence might cause astonishment but silence isn't a guarantee against suffering.

When Hate Is In Your Heart (Lu. 23:13-25)

Read Luke 23:13-25.

When hate is in your heart . . .

1. You will not listen to reason or logic.  Pilate tried several times to persuade the mass that Jesus was innocent.  They didn't want to hear it.
2. You will make poor decisions.  The crowd, including the priests, demanded Barabbas instead of Jesus.  They wanted a murderer instead of an innocent man.  What fills the heart prompts the decisions.
3. You will justify great injustice.  

If you don't think you're capable of ever entertaining hatred in your heart, read Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:18-19.