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February 11, 2022

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, God's Promises, God's Word: The Bible, Obedience, Wisdom & Guidance

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Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created. [Psalm 119:89-90 (NLT)]

The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. [Isaiah 40:8 (NLT)]

thistle seeds

It really wasn’t that long ago when people had to get off the sofa to change channels (of which there just were four) and the only thing our watches did was tell time. I remember a world of rotary phones and party lines, rabbit ear antennas, cameras with film that had to be developed, telegrams, film strips and slide projectors, manual typewriters, encyclopedias, 8-track and cassette tapes, and library card catalogues! Today’s generation doesn’t even know what those things are!

My children think I’m old-fashioned since neither Amazon Echo nor Goggle Nest run my home, my doorbell isn’t smart, and I play CDs rather than stream Spotify. I’m not a total Luddite since I do have an iPad, computer, and iPhone but, while I shop and bank online, I don’t do social media like Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, FaceBook/Meta, LinkedIn, Snapchat, or Whatsapp or whatever else there is.

It’s hard to keep up with the rapidly changing world of computing and electronic devices and, while my new phone and tablet were ready for the 5G rollout, my 3G car isn’t! Just about the time I finally catch up, the technology has become obsolete and I have to start all over! When I went to school, there was only one “Industrial Revolution” (the one between 1760-1840 when we went from an agricultural/handicraft economy into one of power-driven machinery and factories). The world is moving at such an incredible pace that I missed the second and third industrial revolutions entirely only to discover that we’re now in the fourth one. Called Industry 4.0 (or IR4) it has to do with automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies, cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, cognitive computing, and creating smart factories, most of which is beyond my comprehension.

In a world that is ever-changing and becoming harder to understand (at least for me), there’s something very comforting about the Bible. Even though I can read it on any of my devices, the words I’m reading haven’t changed in thousands of years because our God doesn’t change! He is the same today as He was yesterday, and will be tomorrow. There will be no need for Gospel 2.0 because God’s Word is perfect as written, is as relevant today as when it first was penned, and God’s promises have no expiration date.

While I find the permanence and immutability of Scripture comforting, there are others who find it disquieting because God’s words don’t fit into their view of the modern world. To them, the Bible is rigid, unenlightened, antiquated, and in need of some tweaking, reinterpreting, and revising to bring it into line with the 21st century. Unlike technology, however, God’s words can’t be improved.

Peter wrote that God’s word is alive, powerful, and like a sword, because it can reach into our deepest thoughts. What he didn’t say was that it’s revisable! Nevertheless, when our deepest thoughts don’t match God’s word, we grow uncomfortable and wish it were. Jesus told us He was the way, the truth and the life. The truth, however, doesn’t change when it is more convenient to believe something else! The truth isn’t what we want it to be; it is what God says it is. We are not the ones who should be changing the Bible; the Bible should be changing us!

The world changes – circumstances change, we change – but God’s Word never changes. [Warren Wiersbe]

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. [Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)]

Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. [Matthew 24:35 (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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February 8, 2022

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Love & Works, Obedience, Sharing Our Faith

OUR LEFT-OVERS

When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God. [Leviticus 19:9-10 (NLT)]

When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. [Deuteronomy 24:19 (NLT)]

sandhill craneWhen we spotted some Sandhill Cranes last week, I recalled the cranes we frequently saw when we lived in rural Illinois. In the fall, flocks of them could be found eating the crop residue remaining from the recently harvested fields. As they gleaned the corn fields, I thought of the words in Deuteronomy and Leviticus directing the Israelites to deliberately leave some produce behind for those less fortunate—the people who wouldn’t have land of their own from which to harvest. Allowing the poor to maintain their dignity as they labored in the fields, rather than a handout, the gleaning was considered a rightful opportunity to improve their lives. The command to leave left-overs from the harvest for the poor was not to be taken lightly. In fact, if nothing remained in his fields following harvest, a landowner could be punished.

While laws aiding the poor were common in the ancient Near East, this Jewish law was unique because it specifically mentioned widows and orphans and benefitted not just the poor Israelites but also resident foreigners. In the story of Ruth, we see how it helped the widowed Naomi and her Moabite daughter-in-law by allowing Ruth to glean the fields of Boaz.

As I thought about leaving something behind for those less fortunate, I remembered the words of some non-believing friends who have no children and only distant (and wealthy) relatives. Knowing they can’t take their money with them, they joke about spending every penny before they die (and are doing their best to achieve that goal). Granted, this couple earned their money and it is theirs to dispose of as they wish but I was shocked when they vehemently declared, “No charity will ever get a penny of it!” While those relatives will get something, there will be no left-overs for the less fortunate from their fields—no scholarships for the deserving, funds for cancer research or treatment, humanitarian aid for refugees, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, safe places for the exploited, or empowerment for the poor.

The laws about gleaning taught the Hebrews not to be greedy with their blessings; they learned that a joyful time, like a harvest, is a time for generosity and compassion. Jesus continued in that vein when he commanded us to share our excess and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In our Judeo-Christian culture today, both faiths embrace the concept of sharing with and caring for others and encourage a willingness to give up what is rightfully ours to share with those less fortunate. Failing to be generous to those in need is no more an option for us as Christians than not leaving grain in the field was for the Israelite landowner.

I’m not a farmer—I have no fields, vineyards or olive trees—but I certainly have been blessed with more than I need. Remembering that time and talent are as a valuable as money, I imagine most of us have plenty of something that could be shared with those less fortunate. It has been said that the best thing anyone can give someone is a chance. For the cranes I’d see in autumn, the grain they gleaned gave them a better chance of surviving their long flight south. For the Judean poor, the part of the harvest deliberately left for them provided nourishment and an opportunity to better their lives. Do we have anything, even a few left-overs, to share that could give someone a chance?

The crowds asked, “What should we do?” John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” [Luke 3:10-11 NLT)]

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February 7, 2022

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Obedience

HE’LL EQUIP US

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. [Acts 4:13 (NLT)]

queen butterfly

The 25th movie featuring James Bond was released last October and, as usual, secret agent 007 defeats an evil villain’s sinister plot to create a new world order. If we were picking someone to save the world from an evil mastermind, the fictional Bond appears to have the right qualifications: suave, sophisticated, brave, patriotic, physically fit, expert in martial arts and marksmanship, observant, intelligent, debonair, good looking, and seemingly invulnerable (at least until this last movie)!

Bond, however, is more than just qualified—he’s well-equipped. The Q-Branch of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) always furnishes him with an assortment of customized vehicles fitted with things like machine guns, smoke and oil dispensers, tracking devices, bulletproof screens and glass, mini-guns in headlights, and ejector seats. Along with his trusty Walther PPK, Q-Branch supplies him with other weaponry and ingenious gadgetry like booby-trapped attaché cases, jet packs, poison pens, homing beacons, a flying submarine, fake fingerprints, and various guns concealed in pens, cigarettes, and ski poles.

God, however, is neither fiction writer nor the British Secret Service and His heroes are much less likely than 007. Take Peter and John, for example—the two unschooled fishermen hardly seem qualified to found a church or preach the gospel. Then there’s the frightened Gideon who’s hiding from the Midianites while threshing wheat when God calls on him. Describing himself as the weakest link in the weakest of families, Gideon doesn’t appear a likely choice to defeat an army. Why would the Jews listen to Moses, a man raised in Pharaoh’s court, was an escaped felon with a speech impediment, and had spent the last forty years in Midian? Esther was just an orphan with a pretty face who married well. Unable to approach the king without risking her life, she hardly seems qualified to save an entire nation from extermination. Then we have the Pharisee Saul, a tentmaker by trade. What qualifications did a man who reviled unclean Gentiles, persecuted Christ’s followers, and wanted to destroy Christianity have to spread the gospel? Hardly as impressive as the fictional James Band, these ordinary people didn’t seem qualified to change the course of history or save anything or anyone and, yet, that’s exactly what they did! The British Secret Service may choose extraordinary men like James Bond for their secret missions, but God picks ordinary people for His and then makes them extraordinary!

Like Q-Branch, however, God equips those He calls. Rather than an Aston Martin, God gave those two Galilean fishermen courage, words, and knowledge enough to amaze even the Sanhedrin. Peter led the Apostles and provided the foundation for the new church while John wrote a gospel, three epistles, and the Book of Revelation. Rather than rocket launchers, God gave Gideon confidence, guidance and a little band of 300 men who overturned an army 400 times their size. Rather than a jet pack, after God equipped Moses with the ability to perform miraculous signs, the words to speak, and Aaron to speak them, the runaway tongue-tied shepherd became the most important figure in Judaism. Because God supplied the beautiful Esther with courage, a shrewd plan, and a series of events that played into that plan, Jews throughout the world celebrate the way she saved them from extermination. Once God supplied Saul with a life-changing conversion and the Holy Spirit, the tentmaker we know as Paul was equipped to spread Christianity to Jews and Gentiles alike.

Like Gideon and the rest of this cast, we have more than our share of faults, limitations, doubt, and fear. Rather than calling the qualified and equipped, however, God qualifies and equips the ones He calls. Rest assured that when God calls us to a task, rather than sophisticated weapons or ingenious gadgets, He will provide us with whatever skills or tools we need.

Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths He will provide us with strong shoes, and He will not send us out on any journey for which He does not equip us well. [Alexander MacLaren]

Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. [Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT)]

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February 4, 2022

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Bible Stories, God's Word: The Bible, Sharing Our Faith, Wisdom & Guidance

QUOTATION MARKS

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. [2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)]

great blue heron - CREWWhen Old Testament passages are quoted in the New Testament, the quoted verses frequently do not match their source. Trained as a Pharisee, Paul should have been able to quote Hebrew scripture word for word but he frequently doesn’t. Jesus certainly should have known every word written in Scripture and yet, like Paul, His quotes from the Hebrew Bible often were imprecise. We find quotation discrepancies in New Testament accounts, as well. Although Jesus’ words during the last supper are quoted in Matthew, Mark, Luke and 1 Corinthians, none record the exact same words. Who’s wrong?

The problem is that neither ancient Hebrew nor Greek used any punctuation. With no quotation marks, we can’t accurately know when speakers changed or whether something is an exact quote or simply a paraphrase, summary, or explanation. The punctuation marks we see in our modern Bibles were added later by translators. The placement of those quotation marks, however, is just an editorial guess—hopefully a Spirit-inspired and educated one—but still a guess and translators differ as to if and where they should be placed.

When looking at John 3, we see how the variations in quotation mark placement can cause us to interpret John 3:16 in two ways. While speaking with Nicodemus about being born again, Jesus said the Son of Man had to be lifted up so that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” [3:15] Since many translations (like the ESV and NLT) do not place an end quote mark after that verse, the following one, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” appears to directly quote Jesus. In those versions, His words continue all the way until an end quote is placed after verse 21.

On the other hand, translations like the New International Version (NIV) and the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) place an end quote after verse 15 meaning that John 3:16 is no longer a direct quote of Jesus’ words; instead, the verse is John’s inspired comments on Jesus’ words. We really don’t know whether “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” are the words of Jesus or John. They are, however, the words of God!

Since the original writers didn’t use quotation marks, neither does the King James Version (KJV). Considering quotation marks imperfect additions to the original words and not wanting to give the misleading impression that something is a direct quote when it may not be, it has no quotation marks. (The modernized New King James Version (NKJV), however, does use them.)

Regardless of which translation we use, we really have no way of truly knowing whether we’re reading an actual word-for-word quotation or something else. The Bible’s authors weren’t being slipshod or inaccurate; they didn’t have today’s grammar rules that a distinction should be made between direct and indirect quotations. Rather than using exact quotations, they often intended their statements to be summaries of God’s truths. When we find what seem to be discrepancies in Scripture, we must remember that the quotation marks we find there may or may not be properly placed. Nevertheless, whether it’s a direct or indirect quote, Scripture remains a reliable report of the words that were spoken so many centuries ago because every word in it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Regardless of inconsistencies in the words or punctuation, we will never find inconsistencies in the message; rather than contradictory, the various accounts are complementary. The Bible does not contradict itself because it is the Word of God!

It is as impossible to understand the Scriptures without the Spirit’s help as it is to read a sundial without the sun. [William Gurnall]

Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. [2 Peter 1:20-21 (NLT)]

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