Category Archives: Bible Stories

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December 16, 2024

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Holidays & Holy Days, Joy, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count

“HALLELUJAH” RATHER THAN “HUMBUG”

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. [Isaiah 61:1-2 (NLT)]

 

Unfortunately, much of our Advent season is not spent joyfully looking forward to celebrating the birth of the Christ child. In hope of finding the perfect gift for everyone on our list, we pore over catalogues and search for sales and coupons. Either we fight for parking spots at the mall and spend hours standing in line or spend those hours sitting at the computer while shopping on line! We then fret and fuss over wrapping those gifts, mailing packages and Christmas cards, hosting and attending parties, baking cookies, making travel arrangements, decorating the house, preparing holiday dinners, and paying the ever-mounting bills. When we say, “Merry Christmas!” we might find ourselves mumbling a Scrooge-like “Bah! Humbug” under our breath! Instead of looking forward to Christmas with anticipation, there are times we can’t wait until it’s all over and done.

Dr. Seuss’ Grinch eventually realized Christmas really has nothing to do with all those trappings; I wonder why we have so much trouble remembering that same thing. Christmas isn’t about gifts, parties, cards, peppermint bark, decorations, or the “roast beast feast.” Jesus with His message of love, redemption, forgiveness, and salvation is the only reason for the season! Mary didn’t send out 100 birth announcements or bake dozens of cookies and the stable that housed the Holy Family wasn’t decorated with wreaths, ribbons, holly, or tinsel. God took care of the only decoration with a bright star and a heavenly chorus announced the birth. Shepherds were the first holiday guests and they didn’t expect gingerbread cookies or care about the stable’s decor or cleanliness. The Magi’s Christmas presents were odd gifts for an infant and probably arrived two years late.

Today, consider pausing from all your preparations to re-read Zechariah’s prophecy of a Savior who would redeem His people and the beautiful story of His birth in Luke 1 and 2. Tonight, take a drive and look at the Christmas lights festooned around your town; let them remind you of Isaiah’s promise; “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light … For a child is born to us.” Then let us joyfully raise our voices in a “Hallelujah!” instead of “Humbug!”

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. [From “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss]

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine … For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:2,6 (NLT)]

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November 14, 2024

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Temptation & Sin, Thanks & Praise

DISCONTENT

Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. [Hebrews 12:15-17 (MSG)]

bull thistleA certain amount of discontent seems to be built into us, which isn’t all bad since discontent can be the incentive to make improvements. Dissatisfaction with the harpsichord’s inability to vary the intensity of its sound led Bartolomeo Cristofori to invent the piano around 1708. Benjamin Franklin’s annoyance at having to switch between two pairs of glasses led to his invention of bifocals and it probably was his discontent with a cold house that led to his invention of the metal-lined Franklin stove. The invention of the “ballbarrow,” with its rust-proof plastic bin and ball-shaped wheel that won’t sink into soft soil, is the result of James Dyson’s discontent with the traditional wheelbarrow. As Thomas Edison said, “Discontent is the first necessity of progress.”

Discontent with harsh taxes and lack of representation in Parliament is what led to the Revolutionary War and the formation of our nation. The abolitionist, women’s suffrage, environmental, anti-apartheid, and civil rights movements were the result of social discontent. Jesus certainly was discontented and dissatisfied with much He found in Judea and He made His feelings known to the Pharisees and scribes. God wants us to be dissatisfied with sin, injustice, inequity, intolerance, discrimination, malice, and evil. Constructive discontent is far better than self-righteous satisfaction.

While God wants us to be discontent with the wrongs in our world, He doesn’t want us to be people of discontent. Focusing on the petty frustrations or material things of life lead us to the land of “if only”—if only we had a larger house, a prettier wife, a richer husband, brighter children, a better body, nicer in-laws, or more money, power, or influence, we’d be happy. While the grass always seems greener in the land of “if only,” appearances can be deceiving.

Why is it so difficult to be content with God’s blessings? Eve was in a paradise and yet, in spite of all she had in Eden, she wanted something more. Discontent is what led Esau to trade his birthright for stew, David to desire Bathsheba, Sarah to give Hagar to Abraham, the prodigal to ask for his inheritance, the angels to rebel against God, Miriam and Aaron to criticize Moses, and Korah to protest the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Things didn’t end well for any of them!

Discontent is the enemy’s voice telling us we deserve more and better. It’s what makes us think we know more than God and that our plan makes better sense than does His. Like a slap in God’s face, our discontent tells God He made a mistake and that His mercies and gifts aren’t enough.

When in elementary school, I remember the teacher’s admonition to keep our eyes on our own papers. That remains good advice today only, instead, of our schoolwork, we need to keep our eyes on the gifts God has given us rather than what He may have given to others. There always will be someone who has more or better and some place where the grass looks greener. Looking at others’ papers during a test was cheating but looking at others’ lives can lead to discontent and envy (and that’s sinning!)

Satan loves to fish in the troubled waters of a discontented heart. [Thomas Watson]

You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. … You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. [Matthew 5:5,8 (MSG)]

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November 11, 2024

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Bible Stories, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Holy Spirit

IMMANUEL

“And be sure of this,” He promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:20 (NLT)]

My mother’s father abandoned his family when my she was five; neither she nor her brother saw him again. When I learned this as a youngster, I couldn’t understand how any father could do that. How could he not care about the children he left behind? Didn’t he want to know the beautiful woman who was my mother?

People come in and go out of our lives. Some people leave abruptly as did my grandfather and others just fade away. Either we move or our friends and neighbors do and we eventually lose touch with one another. While we lose some people to the moving van, others depart in a hearse. In this world, even our closest relationships are only temporary.

As Christians, however, we have one constant person in our lives: Jesus. When prophesying His arrival, Isaiah called Jesus Immanuel, meaning “God with us” or “God is with us.” As fully God and fully human when He walked the earth, Jesus was, indeed, Immanuel. But, because He was confined to the limitations of time and space in a human body, Jesus couldn’t be with everyone at once.

Unable to be with people in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Cana, Bethany, Ephraim, Jericho, and Samaria at the same time, Jesus walked more than 3,000 miles during his three-year ministry. It was in Capernaum that He drove an evil spirit out of a man and healed both Simon Peter’s mother and the paralytic who came through the roof. To raise the widow’s son, however, He had to be in Nain and, when He healed the paralytic by the pool of Bethesda, he was near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. He healed those ten lepers somewhere along the border between Samaria and Galilee, had to go clear across the Sea of Galilee to the Gerasenes region to heal the demon-possessed man, and was north of Tyre and Sidon when He was approached by the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus couldn’t be with Martha, Mary, and the dying Lazarus in Bethany while He was with the disciples a day’s journey from Jerusalem. When He lived as a man, Jesus was only Immanuel, “God with Us,” to those who were physically near Him.

When Jesus died on the cross, He didn’t leave us alone the way the spouses of so many of my friends have; He returned three days later. When He ascended into heaven, He didn’t lose touch with us as often happens when people move. He certainly didn’t abandon us the way my grandfather did to his family. Although Jesus died, rose, and ascended into heaven, He never really left us because He gave us His Holy Spirit! His Spirit is with every one of us, all the time, no matter where we are or what we’re doing. No longer confined to a body or limited by time or space, Jesus is, indeed, Immanuel: God with Us.

The best news is that, unlike my grandfather who never came back for his children, Jesus will return!

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. [John 14:16-18 (NLT)]

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November 7, 2024

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Bible Stories, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Salvation: A New You

THE RANSOM

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. [Mark 10:45 (NLT)]

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. [1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)]

squirrelGod took Heaven’s best—the Lord Jesus Christ—to redeem earth’s worst! [Billy Graham]

What if you were held hostage and no one cared enough to pay your ransom? There was a black comedy in the 1980s called Ruthless People in which that happened. After a young woman is cheated by her contemptible boss (played by Danny DeVito), she and her husband decide to retaliate by kidnapping her boss’s wife and holding her for ransom. What they don’t know is their vile nemesis doesn’t want his wife returned. In fact, the despicable man was planning to kill her himself to gain control of her family fortune! Hoping the kidnappers will finish her off for him, the husband deliberately disobeys all of the kidnappers’ ransom demands.

The inept kidnappers find they have more than they bargained for when their victim (played by Bette Midler) turns out to be a foul-mouthed mean-tempered shrew. In the dark of the basement, however, the hostage wife sees the light and both her disposition and physique make a vast improvement. She bonds with her kidnappers over their common enemy and the three exact revenge upon her contemptible husband.

Fortunately, as Proverbs 13:8 points out, “The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened,“ so, unless we’re ultra-wealthy, the likelihood of our being held hostage for ransom by a kidnapper is pretty slim. We needn’t fear coming up with the ransom money or, worse, having a spouse unwilling to pay to get us back! Nevertheless, both rich and poor can be held hostage by sin.

While we associate a ransom with kidnapping, in the ancient world, a ransom was the price paid to buy a slave’s freedom and it was the slave-holder who determined the price and received the payment before releasing the slave. We once were slaves to sin and Satan was the one holding us hostage. It was God, however, who determined the payment amount and received the ransom and it was His Son who paid that ransom. Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus paid the price that secured our release from bondage. His blood redeemed, freed, and rescued us from sin, death, and hell. Jesus gave His life in payment to save us from the wrath of God and it is by our faith alone that we receive His gifts of atonement and forgiveness. No longer prisoners, we are free to leave sin’s captivity; all we need is faith in Him for the door to freedom to open.

Unfortunately, not everyone understands they don’t have to remain prisoners. Perhaps, having grown accustomed to wallowing in sin, guilt, and shame, they’ve fallen prey to what is known as the Stockholm syndrome and begin to have positive feelings—even compassion—toward their captor. Perhaps, not believing the price was fully paid, they’re still trying to pay their own ransom with works. Then again, maybe they just can’t believe that God would love them enough to sacrifice His only Son for them. Whatever the reason, they remain prisoners of their own free will.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us enough to pay the ransom that released us from captivity to sin.

From the depth of sin and sadness To the heights of joy and gladness
Jesus lifted me in mercy full and free; With His precious blood He bought me,
When I knew Him not He sought me, And in love divine He ransomed me.
[Julia H. Johnston – 1916]

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. [Romans 8:3-4 (NLT)]

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October 24, 2024

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Word: The Bible, Nature, Trusting God

LIKE THE HYRAX

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise….Hyraxes—they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. [Proverbs 30:24,26 (NLT)] 

High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes. [Psalm 104:18 (NLT)]

Making the point that wisdom is better than strength, the sage Agur spoke of the wisdom of ants, locusts, lizards, and sāphān. Often translated as badgers, rock-badgers, hyraxes, conies, or marmots, the animal’s exact identity is unknown but commentators suspect it to be the Syrian rock hyrax. Looking like a cross between a rabbit, guinea pig, and meerkat, these social animals gather in colonies of up to 80 individuals. Sleeping and eating together, they live in the natural crevices of rocks and boulders or take over the abandoned burrows of other animals.

Although hyraxes are mammals, like reptiles, they rely on ambient warmth to help regulate their body temperature. To warm up in the morning, they spend several hours sunbathing on the rocks together. Once warmed up, they head out to eat a little and then return to rest again on the rocks. If the sun gets too hot, they take their afternoon siesta in the shade.

Since hyraxes spend most of their time sprawled out resting on rocks in full view of any predators, these defenseless critters seem anything but wise. Looks, however, can be deceiving. Hyraxes never venture far from a safe crevice into which they can dash in an instant. Although these vulnerable animals appear to be asleep on the rocks, their eyes are open and, at the first sign of trouble, an alert is sounded.  Within seconds of that alert, these agile and speedy animals will disappear deep into rocky crevices. When hyraxes forage for food, the ever-alert animals form a circle with their heads pointing outward to keep watch for predators. I suspect it was their ability to both detect and escape peril while living openly on dangerous cliffs that caused Agur to call the hyrax “exceedingly wise.”

As a shepherd, David would have been quite familiar with the hyrax. As the likely author of Psalm 104, he even mentioned how the “rocks formed a refuge” for them. Like the hyrax, David and his men found security in the rocks and caves when they were hunted by Saul. The psalmist’s safe concealment in cliffs and caves may be the reason so many psalms refer to the rocks and cliffs as places of refuge. In Psalms alone, we find more than fifteen metaphors of God as a rock serving as the psalmist’s place of safety.

Since we’re not small and vulnerable animals who spend most of their time resting in the sunshine, what are we to make of Agur’s observation and David’s rock metaphors? Even when it looks like they’re asleep, the hyraxes never close their eyes to their enemies—the hungry lion, leopard, hyena, and eagle. Like the hyrax, Christians must be alert to their enemy, Satan—the one who prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour. [1 Peter 5:8] Despite its vulnerability, the hyrax doesn’t conceal itself in the dark like a mole; neither should Christians. Rather than hide in the dark crevices, hyraxes boldly sunbathe in the open on the rocks because they have a secure refuge in the rocks. As Christians, we can be as bold and open in our faith because we have a secure refuge in our Triune God. Indeed, He is our fortress, deliverer, stronghold, shield, redeemer, and salvation! And, like the hyrax and David, when we’re in jeopardy, we can quickly flee to the Rock! As hymn writer Augustus Toplady wrote, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee!”

No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. [1 Samuel 2:2 (NLT)]

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. [Psalm 18:2 (NLT)]

But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide. [Psalm 94:22 (NLT)]

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. [Psalm 62:6 (NLT)]

Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. [Psalm 71:3 (NLT)]

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October 10, 2024

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Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Holidays & Holy Days

ONCE AND FOR ALL – YOM KIPPUR

He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land. [Leviticus 16:21-22 (NLT)]

While the year is 2024 on most calendars, it is year 5785 on the Hebrew calendar and the tenth day of Tishri begins at sunset tomorrow. For our Jewish brothers and sisters, it will be the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. With its themes of atonement and repentance, it the holiest day of the year for a Jew.

The book of Leviticus describes the rituals the Israelites were to perform on this holy day every year. In ancient Israel, this was the only time the high priest could come into the Holy of Holies (the innermost sacred area of the tabernacle or temple) where the Ark of the Covenant was housed. But, before coming into the presence of God and the Ark and beginning the ritual of atonement, he had to ritually cleanse himself from sin by bathing and dressing in spotless plain linen garments. The high priest then atoned for his own sins and those of his family with the sacrifice of a bull.

Two unblemished male goats were taken from the community and lots were cast to determine which goat would be given to the Lord. The first goat was sacrificed and its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat of the Ark. This was the sin offering and made to appease the wrath of God and atone for the sins of the people. Then, having received forgiveness, the second goat was brought before the altar. As a way of transferring the sins of the people to the goat, the priest laid his hands on its head and confessed all the peoples’ sins and transgressions. This goat, the “scapegoat,” was then sent out into the wilderness to carry those sins into the wasteland. In this ancient ritual, the blood of the first goat provided propitiation by appeasing God’s wrath and the second goat provided expiation by atoning for and removing those sins. This atonement ritual was to be repeated year after year.

Without a temple in Jerusalem, there no longer are animal sacrifices or scapegoats. Nevertheless, Jews throughout the world continue to observe this holy day. When a fast day occurs on the Sabbath, it is postponed until Sunday but Yom Kippur is the exception to that rule. Referred to as the Shabbat Shabbaton (the Sabbath of Sabbaths), our observant Jewish friends will fast from all food and drink (including water) from just before sunset Friday until after sunset Saturday. Along with fasting, many Jews will abstain from wearing leather footwear, washing or bathing, applying lotions and creams, or having marital relations. Most of Yom Kippur is spent in the synagogue in intensive prayer, introspection, and the asking of God’s forgiveness for the past year’s sins. The day ends with a single blast of the shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) followed by the proclamation, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Unlike the yearly sacrifice of goats, the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross needed to be done only once. Christ was both our sinless high priest and the unblemished sacrifice. When He gave himself up for us, Jesus took God’s wrath upon himself as His blood dripped on the ground beneath Him. When He suffered and died on the cross, Jesus was both the propitiation and expiation of our sins for all time. By dying, this sinless man took on God’s wrath—the wrath we sinners deserved. Rather than take our transgressions into the wilderness, He “removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” for all time. [Psalm 103:12] Thank you Jesus!

If you are ready to partake of grace you have not to atone for your sins—you have merely to accept of the atonement. All that you want to do is to cry, “God have mercy upon me,” and you will receive the blessing. [D.L. Moody]

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. [Romans 3:22-24 (NLT)]

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