Category Archives: Bible Stories

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February 22, 2022

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Church & Worship, God's Word: The Bible, Money & Wealth, Wisdom & Guidance

IS THE LORD MY BANKER?

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. [Luke 16:13-14 (NLT)]

The Lord is my banker; my credit is good.
He maketh me to lie down in the consciousness of omnipresent abundance;
He giveth me the key to His strongbox.
He restoreth my faith in His riches;
He guideth me in the paths of prosperity for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in the very shadow of debt,
I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me;
Thy silver and Thy gold, they secure me.
Thou preparest a way for me in the presence of the collector;
Thou fillest my wallet with plenty; my measure runneth over.
Surely goodness and plenty will follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall do business in the name of the Lord forever.
[Charles Fillmore]

plumariaWhen I came across this revised version of the 23rd Psalm, I was sure it was written by a cynic as a way of mocking God, Christianity, and many of today’s popular evangelists. Imagine my surprise when I learned that it was written in all seriousness by Charles Fillmore, the founder of Unity, a church within the New Thought movement. The “revised” psalm was published in Fillmore’s book Prosperity in 1938. Although we may associate the beginnings of prosperity or “health and wealth” theology with televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart and Jim and Tammy Bakker in the 1970s, the movement began in the late 19th century. Sadly, in one form or another, it still is preached today.

Fillmore promised that, “The spiritual substance from which comes all visible wealth is never depleted. It is right with you all the time and responds to your faith in it and your demands on it.” Seeing God as the ticket to perfect heath and financial wealth, rather than focusing on eternity, this version of the gospel reduces it to a way people can experience the “best” things of life today. With the belief God blesses his followers with material wealth and health, people’s faith is measured by the thickness of their wallets and the fitness of their bodies.

Like many of today’s “name it and claim it” preachers, Fillmore taught that, “It is necessary to give freely if we are to receive freely. The law of receiving includes giving. The knowledge that substance is omnipresent and that people cannot, therefore, impoverish themselves by giving (but rather will increase their supply) will enable us to give freely and cheerfully.” A promise that God will reward hefty tithing with financial blessings turns Him into a sort of heavenly slot machine promising a huge payout if we just keep putting in money! Sadly, Satan seems to have an endless supply of charismatic leaders who continue to sugar-coat the gospel, whose eloquent sermons make false promises, and whose extravagant life-styles undermine the gospel.

Let us not forget that Jesus was born poor. His parents couldn’t even afford the requisite sheep at Mary’s purification so they offered a bird in its place. Joseph was a carpenter by trade and Nazareth was an obscure little town that didn’t even merit mention in the Hebrew Scriptures. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He rode on a borrowed donkey and, when He was buried, it was in another man’s tomb! When Jesus spoke of monetary wealth, it was usually in a cautionary tale. He didn’t tolerate the money changers of His day turning the Temple into a marketplace in the 1st century and I don’t think He’s any happier about it now!

In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” [John 2:14-16 (NLT)]

He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” [Mark 21:13 (NLT)]

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February 17, 2022

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Forgiveness, Obedience, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Temptation & Sin

CONSEQUENCES

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. [1 John 1:8-10 (NLT)]

Last month, there were sentencing hearings for two politicians in a northern state. One pled guilty to bribery and the other pled guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. Even though both men abused their positions and betrayed the public’s trust, both of their lawyers argued that their clients’ crimes really weren’t that bad so they didn’t deserve time in jail. In direct reference to the crimes of a former governor of their state, one lawyer argued that wire fraud and money laundering were insignificant when compared to bribing government officials to get lucrative contracts, trying to buy a Senate seat, or shaking down hospitals to get campaign contributions. After the other lawyer pointed out how little money his client actually pocketed from his crime, he called his client’s bribery “a brief dalliance with corruption,” cast the blame on another corrupt official who encouraged him, and assured the court that his client wasn’t a bad person but just a “good person who made a mistake in judgment.”

Along with minimizing their clients’ crimes, both lawyers presented another similar argument in their attempts to keep them out of prison. Granted, these hearings took place in a state where four of the last eleven governors went to prison but they both contended that sentencing their clients to prison was pointless since prison sentences given to other corrupt politicians hadn’t stopped corruption. Claiming that preventing corruption with prison was futile, one lawyer compared it to trying to drain Lake Michigan with a spoon! I suspect the possibility of prison doesn’t deter most criminals simply because they don’t plan on getting caught! When committing their crimes, these politicians never expected having to face the consequences of their actions.

We are quick to highlight and own our victories but even quicker to downplay and disown our failures! When caught, like those politicians, we often try to deny responsibility, spread the blame, rationalize, and minimize our guilt.

In contrast, consider David. While he wasn’t perfect, we’d call him a good man. In fact, Scripture refers to him as a man after God’s heart because he did everything God wanted him to do. Of course, being human, he also did some things God didn’t want him to do! Like those politicians, this good man made some serious mistakes in judgment. Instead of fraud or bribery, he abused his power when he dallied with Bathsheba and arranged for Uriah’s death.

While crooked politicians may escape the arm of the law, let us remember that none of us can escape God! I’m sure David thought he’d gotten away with his sins by the time Nathan confronted him about a year later. In contrast to those politicians, however, David didn’t minimize them, compare them favorably with the sins of others, or attempt to evade their consequences! He didn’t blame Bathsheba by claiming she enticed him, Uriah for not sleeping with his wife, or Joab for putting Uriah in harm’s way. He simply admitted, “I have sinned against the Lord.” [2 Sam. 12:13] Although the Lord forgave him, the price David paid for his sins was steep. The child Bathsheba conceived in adultery died, three more of David’s sons died violent deaths, and his son Absalom claimed David’s throne by having relations with the king’s concubines publicly.

Regardless of what you call it, a sin is a sin and every sin separates us from God and deserves the death penalty. Fortunately, the blood of Christ and our heartfelt confession and repentance have commuted the sentence we so rightly deserve. Forgiveness, however, doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. Let us learn from David—honestly confess our sins and accept their consequences without complaint.

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. [Psalm 51:1-4 (NLT)]

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February 16, 2022

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Fruit of the Spirit, Love & Works, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

GRAY HAIR

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life. [Proverbs 16:31 (NLT)]

One of the reasons I like living in southwest Florida is that it makes me feel young! Well, not exactly young but at least not as old since there’s always someone around who is older than me! That they frequently inspire me with their spirit and energy is an added benefit! Although most of us Florida seniors are officially retired, God doesn’t have a retirement clause in His contract with us nor does He  put us out to pasture just because we’re collecting Social Security. Way older than any of us, He’s not sitting idly back on His heavenly rocking chair taking a well-deserved rest and He doesn’t expect us to do so either!

I always figured that menopause was given to women because God knew if women my age had babies, we’d probably put them down somewhere and forget where we left them! Yet, God blessed Zechariah and Elizabeth with a baby when both were over sixty! I know several seniors who, for a variety of reasons, have assumed the role of parent for their grands or great-grands. At a time in their lives when they expected to sit back and relax, they are dealing with everything from diapers to teen-aged angst, carpooling to algebra, and science projects to play dates. Their blessings have come with a great many challenges but, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, they are doing the job God set before them.

Daniel was over 80 when he faced those lions, Abraham was 75 when God called him to leave Haran for the land of Canaan, and Isaiah served as God’s prophet for 60 years before being executed during Manasseh’s reign. Moses was eighty and Aaron eighty-three when given the task of speaking to Pharaoh. For forty more years, Moses led the Israelites while Aaron served as his second in command. Joshua may have been an active forty-year-old when he explored the land of Canaan but he was eighty when he led the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land.

Age didn’t stop Joshua and it shouldn’t stop any of us from leading others to God’s Promised Land. In spite of his Parkinson’s disease, legendary evangelist Billy Graham conducted crusades until he was 87 and published the last of his 33 books at the age of 97. In the nine years of his papacy, Pope Francis has visited over 50 countries. Last year, in spite of health issues, the 85-year-old journeyed to Iraq, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Budapest. When 87-year-old Charles Stanley stepped down as senior pastor of Atlanta’s First Baptist Church, he said he didn’t believe in retirement so now he’s dedicating all of his energy to In Touch Ministries. “I just to want to be used to the maximum of my potential through the last day of my life,” said Dr. Stanley. “I can’t even see myself retiring because I have a message, and I can’t wait to tell it to the whole world.”

God doesn’t stop assigning work just because we’ve reached a certain age and old age is never an excuse for not doing what God calls us to do. Granted, physical infirmities may keep us from some jobs, as did Parkinson’s for Reverend Graham, but they’re no excuse for not serving the Lord. There is much we have to offer our church and community, with experience and time being our most valuable assets.

In spite of what the media would have us believe, it is not a sin to grow old. There’s nothing shameful about wrinkles, arthritis, artificial hips, age spots, gray hair, double chins, hearing aids, walkers, or sagging body parts. The sin is not in old age; it is in not making the most of the years with which God has blessed us. Let us continue to flourish and bear fruit until the day God brings us home.

Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t. [Richard Bach]

But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. [Psalm 92:12-14 (NLT)]

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NLT)]

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February 15, 2022

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Bible Stories, Church & Worship, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

HAVE YOU MET YET?

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” [Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)]

Keukenhof Gardens - NetherlandsMy husband loves to watch the chefs on Food Network but watching food being prepared on television doesn’t fill his empty stomach any more than just seeing his bottle will quiet a hungry baby. I could show you photos of the tulips and daffodils in Holland’s Keukenhof Gardens but that wouldn’t give you the experience of walking among hundreds of thousands of blooming flowers and smelling their fragrant aroma. You could tell me all about your children and even show me their pictures and, while I’d know about them and even recognize them, I wouldn’t know them until we met face to face and spent time together. Before I had my first child, I attended birthing classes and read all about labor and childbirth but nothing I learned came anywhere near to approximating the actual event! It’s been thrilling watching the Olympic athletes compete in the bobsled and monobob events, but watching from my sofa doesn’t come close to actually riding a sled down an icy track at more than 80-mph, dropping 384 feet in less than a mile while negotiating 16 turns, and feeling forces five times the pull of gravity on one’s body! Second-hand information is fine as far as it goes, but it never equals the genuine experience.

Do we have a first-hand relationship with God? Do we truly know Him or do we simply know about Him? There is nothing wrong with learning about Him through Bible study, our pastors, church friends, religion books, and even blogs. Nonetheless, we don’t want a second-hand faith or a long-distance relationship. Rather than living vicariously through another person’s faith journey, we must take that journey for ourselves. Listening to someone else read the Bible is not the same as reading it ourselves. As happy as I am to have you reading my words, just reading about the Bible and learning someone else’s interpretation of God’s word is not a substitute for studying His message and letting His word change your lives. Instead of just listening to our pastors tell us about God, we must come to know God and develop a personal relationship with Him.

There comes a time in our lives when our second-hand knowledge about God must become the first-hand experience of knowing Him. Consider the book of Job. The man endured the worst of the worst—losing family, wealth, health, and even the respect of his friends. As he questioned what he did to receive such suffering, his friends explained what they knew of God—some of it was right and some wrong but the part that was right was misapplied in Job’s situation. His friends meant no harm; they just were as ignorant as Job and had no idea what God was doing in the man’s trials. When God finally revealed himself to the suffering man, Job finally understood he and his friends had been speaking in ignorance because, while they’d heard about God, they really didn’t know Him.

We must never make the mistake of thinking that knowing what we believe is the same as knowing God! While God may not reveal Himself in a whirlwind as He did to Job, He can be known. Television ads for a jewelry store here in southwest Florida always end with the owner asking, “Have we met yet?”  Could God be asking that question of you?

I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance. [Job 42:5-6 (NLT)]

Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 3:18 (NLT)]

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February 10, 2022

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

DAILY PROVISION

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? [Matthew 6:25a,27 (NLT)]

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. [Henry Ward Beecher]

hairy woodpeckerWhile I’ve been challenged by a scarcity of things like patience, endurance, and wisdom, I confess to never facing a bare cupboard, empty refrigerator, unfilled closet, or depleted bank account and never wondering where I would sleep at night or how I would feed or clothe my children. It’s not that difficult to trust God for His daily provision when we already have more than enough. Trusting Him when the cupboard is bare (or nearly so) is an entirely different story and a new experience for me. It’s not that I’m facing bankruptcy or foreclosure but that my supply of devotions is rapidly diminishing. It seems like I’m publishing faster than I can write and I can’t seem to get ahead. Watching my stockpile diminish, I envision blog bankruptcy and worry threatens my faith in God’s provision.

When God provided manna to the hungry Israelites, they were told to gather just what was sufficient for that day. More than enough was only permitted on the sixth day when a double portion could be gathered which allowed the seventh, the Sabbath, to be a day of rest. Had I been an Israelite, however, I’m the sort who would have tried to accumulate some extra manna rather than trust God to provide enough for the following day. Since any stored manna became worm infested and spoiled, that ploy didn’t work well for the Israelites and squirreling away devotions “for a rainy day” doesn’t seem to be working for me! No matter how hard I work, I only manage to replace the five devotions I’ve posted each week.

While I want more than enough, God really isn’t interested in what I want. He’s doing that character building thing again and showing me that “just enough” is all I need. Each morning I must trust God to provide me with inspiration, words, and time enough for that day’s work. Nevertheless, proceeding without having a drafts folder jam-packed with several weeks of devotions feels a bit like feeding a multitude with a few loaves and fishes. But, remembering that there were twelve baskets of left-overs after everyone ate, I will step out in faith and trust that, if it’s in His plan, my basket will be filled.

It’s a mistake, however, to think that God’s promise of provision frees us from an obligation to do our part. God may have provided the manna but the Israelites had to do the gathering and new devotions will not appear in my drafts folder each evening unless I’ve done the writing during the day. If we want to achieve anything of significance in life, we must expect to do the work required. While Scripture tells us to trust God for tomorrow, it also tells us to use our time and resources wisely.

Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you.  [Attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola]

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. [Psalm 37:5 (NLT)]

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February 9, 2022

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Patience & Perseverance, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Trusting God

WE WANT TO KNOW

Nobody can understand what God does here on earth. No matter how hard people try to understand it, they cannot. Even if wise people say they understand, they cannot; no one can really understand it. … I also saw something else here on earth: The fastest runner does not always win the race, the strongest soldier does not always win the battle, the wisest does not always have food, the smartest does not always become wealthy, and the talented one does not always receive praise. Time and chance happen to everyone.  [Ecclesiastes 8:17,9:11 (NCV)

Several years ago, author and apologist Lee Strobel commissioned a national survey asking people the one question they would pose to God if they could. As might be expected, the number one response was “Why is there suffering in the world?” Indeed, like Job, we want to know why, especially if the affliction directly affects us or the ones nearest and dearest to us. Why did he get Alzheimer’s? Why did she go into a coma? Why did his child get leukemia or hers have Down’s syndrome? Why was the surgery a failure? Why didn’t the driver stop? Why can’t I have children? Why was he at the wrong place at the wrong time? Why didn’t you stop the shooter from taking those children’s lives? Why couldn’t you save those who perished in that deadly tornado? Why do bad things happen to good people?

In reality, we already know the reason for pain and suffering since it’s found in Genesis. The world God created was a good one—one without misery and tragedy. Suffering entered the world when mankind abused their free will and sinned. That answer, however, just doesn’t seem adequate, especially since pain and affliction seem to hit randomly and unfairly. Logic tells us that the cruel and evil ones of the world should suffer more than the innocent but it rarely seems to work that way. The only sermons on this topic that made sense to me were the ones conceding that, while we’re in this world, the question of “Why?” will never be satisfactorily answered. Since Job asked God “Why” more than twenty times and never got an answer, an acceptable explanation for the suffering in this world isn’t likely. I suspect, however, that even if we knew the why of every terrible thing and how it all fit into God’s plan, we wouldn’t find the answer satisfactory. Like Job, our faith in God must be stronger that our need to know!

When the disciples passed by the man who’d been born blind, they wanted to know why he had no sight and they asked if it was it his sin or the sins of his parents that caused his blindness. Answering that it was neither, Jesus explained that it was part of God’s sovereign plan so that the power of God would be seen in him. Rather than a punishment or simply bad luck, the man’s suffering afforded an opportunity for Jesus to do God’s work in restoring the man’s sight. Jesus’ answer is about the best one we’re ever going to get while on this side of the grass. Perhaps, rather than asking God the reason for misfortune, pain, and anguish, we should be asking God how that suffering can be used to display His mighty work.

The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not. [C. S. Lewis]

Jesus answered, “It is not this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God’s power could be shown in him.” [John 9:3 (NCV)]

I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble, but be brave! I have defeated the world. [John 16:33 (NCV)]

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