Sparking Faith Podcast: Recent Episodes
Elmer Fuller
The writer of Ecclesiastes was incredibly wise. He recorded a great observation in chapter 3 verses 1-2, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” (NIV 1984)Over two years ago, it was a time to start this podcast. Everyone needed encouragement. We were reeling from the pandemic, suffering through hyper-partisan news cycles and watching political leaders radicalize and divide people.I started the podcast to encourage others and spark their faith in Jesus. Today, the pandemic is over. Yes, the hyper-partisan media and radical politics remain. But it is no longer time to start. It is time for a change.After more than 800 daily episodes, it is time to pause the podcast. It is time for me to step away to evaluate, recharge and plan the future. I don’t know how long the pause will be. It could be a few weeks, maybe a few months. If you’d like an email notice when the podcast resumes, go to www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback. Use the form to register for an email update. I have also included the link in the show notes. That's www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback.I really appreciate you for listening to the podcast. People in several countries have tried it. But the core of the listeners are in the heart of the United States. Thank you so much for listening.Register for an email update: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
An old chorus goes “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart.” It’s a peppy little tune. Each verse adds some words, making it fun and challenging to sing. Another verse goes “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in the depths of my heart.”How’s your joy today? Do you have it deep in your heart? Is it there to stay? Remember, Joy is not happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances. If you get a raise at work, you are happy. No raise? You’re not happy. Lose your job? You are unhappy. But joy can exist through each of these circumstances. It comes from within us and doesn’t depend on external things.Couldn’t we each use more joy in these times? How can we find joy? Listen to Jesus’ words recorded in John 15:10-12, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (NIV 1984)Jesus tells us that the route to complete joy is to love others with the same type of unselfish love he expresses for us. Want some joy? Love others as Jesus has loved us.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
We live in a crazy, mixed-up, broken world. Just look at some of the things that happened in the United States this past year. Men who think they are women demand to participate in women’s sports and change clothes in women’s locker rooms. And they are celebrated for doing so. Schools and libraries expose children to sexualized drag shows. Teachers allow students to act as the opposite gender while keeping it secret from their parents. Doctors cut off the gender-specific body parts of boys and girls who suffer from gender dysphoria. Many people demand the right to abort a child at any point during pregnancy.OF course, these are the most extreme forms of brokenness we see. We don’t even blink any more at people who insist on sexual expression outside of God’s design for marriage. Or at the vitriol and hatred people spew on social media. We’ve even come to expect increasing crime in our streets.Would you call this world loving? Probably not. But the real question is whether we are loving. 1 Corinthians 13:6 says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (NIV 1984) It is not enough for us to shun the evil in this world. True love rejoices with the truth. I like the idea of rejoicing, don’t you? In the face of a broken world, love others by rejoicing in the truth.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
A couple of days ago, I contrasted the mixed martial arts bouts called Ultimate Fighting Championship with love. Both are extremes. The first seeks to defeat another through aggression and inflicting pain. But love is extreme because it seeks what is best for another, even if it requires self-sacrifice. Sometimes it is good to examine the extremes.But we also can learn more about love by contrasting it with something that is similar, yet not the same. In 2 Peter 1:7 we are told to add “to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984)Brotherly kindness can also be translated brotherly love. So what is the difference between brotherly love and the word love in this passage? They are different words in the original language. Understanding the differences between them is necessary.Brotherly love is the emotional connection we feel with family or close friends. It can be a powerful emotion. The Greek word phileo describes this type of love. But it differs from the ultimate love. The Greek word agape is used in multiple commands we see to love God and each other. This love chooses to provide what is best for another, but not because the person is winsome or deserving. It is unselfish. Today, choose to do what is best for others, to provide what they need, to bless their lives, even if it requires sacrifice.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
In the business world, good communication skills are vital. CEOs of companies have to review information and reports from across the organization. Internal and external communications flood their email boxes. What every CEO needs is a way to quickly review information. So, other business leaders learn to summarize. One common form is the one-page executive summary. A business unit or person may develop a multipage report filled with text, charts and graphs, but it starts with a summary no more than one page in length. The CEO can then see the gist of the information and choose whether to read further or not. In fact, we all rely on summaries for text messages, advertising slogans and other forms of communication.Even Jesus used a summary. He once summarized the way to live with these words from Matthew 22:37-39, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (NIV 1984)Love is the standard for every relationship. Husbands are to love their wives, wives their husbands, parents their children and each of us our neighbor. Multiple passages in the New Testament command us to love others as Jesus loved us. Love is so important, it summarizes our duty to God and to each other. Add love to your faith today.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What comes to mind when you hear the word ultimate? The word means the most extreme or important version of something. Does the word remind you of the Ultimate Fighting Championship? It is an extreme form of mixed martial arts. Opponents punch, kick, wrestle and throw each other about the ring. Thy pin each other, twisting limbs and causing pain. Oh, some things are illegal, like spitting or hair pulling, or kicking someone in the head while they’re lying the mat. If they are standing, kick them in the head all you want. You just can’t do that while they’re lying on the mat. This type of fighting is ultimate because it is extreme.An opposite to ultimate fighting is love. Love seeks what is best for the other. And love can be extreme. God is the ultimate example of love. John 3:16 says, “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.” (NIV 1984) God sacrificed his son to pay the penalty for our sin. That’s extreme love. Jesus also shows ultimate love. He had a choice. Galatians 2:20 says he loved us and gave himself up for us. God is our model for how to treat others. His example is extreme. We must show love like the ultimate example of love, God himself.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever stepped on a Lego® brand, plastic building block with a bare foot? They hurt! The hard little blocks have sharp edges and corners that painfully poke a foot. But that is not their intended purpose. They were made to snap together to create larger, complex objects. Each little block is attractive in its own right, often white, blue or red in color. But they are even more interesting when assembled into a car, plane, building or animal. I’m sure you have played with Lego® blocks at one time or another.A few weeks ago we started looking at 2 Peter 1:5-7. It reads, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984)Did you notice the phrase “add to”? Peter tells us that developing our character starts with faith, but we add other things. It is not quite like snapping Lego® blocks together. But developing the traits Peter mentioned takes our effort and God’s spirit. Character is a mosaic of different attitudes and qualities. Assemble them together and our character is more beautiful than each trait by itself.This week, we will examine the last trait Peter tells us to add, love. It is the epitome of godly character, for God is love.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What does a person filled with brotherly kindness look like? When you think of brotherly kindness, do you picture someone who is loving? Do you see a smile, a gentle manner, someone who is always supportive? Is brotherly kindness displayed by always agreeing with you, or always making you feel good? If this is your picture of brotherly kindness, it is incomplete.Listen to this passage which translates the word for brotherly kindness as “love.” Revelation 3:19-20 says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (NIV 1984)Jesus is the perfect example of brotherly kindness or brotherly love. But he doesn’t always make us feel good. Those whom he loves, he rebukes and disciplines. Does he do this gently? Of course, but he is firm in calling us to do what is right. Remember the times he told someone to “go and sin no more”?This week, we’ve learned that developing brotherly kindness involves deepening relationships with others. Weeping with them, rejoicing with them, working and enduring together, as well as greeting each other warmly. But we also need the willingness to correct each other when we stray from the path of righteousness. Add to your faith brotherly kindness.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Funerals are strange events for children. I remember attending a few funerals as a child and trying to understand it all. As a teen, I disliked the grief and sorrow of funerals. Unless it was family, I tried to avoid going with my parents to a funeral.Nobody really likes a funeral. But we go. As an adult, I’ve attended the funerals of family and friends. I’ve also attend the funerals of people I had never met. I went not because I like funerals, but because someone I knew was mourning the passing of a loved one.A funeral is a time to show respect and honor for the deceased. But more importantly, it is a time to show love and support for those grieving. Sometimes the best thing about the funeral is greeting each other, hugging family and talking together after the service. Grieving together is a display of love.An example of this is Jesus. Jesus missed the funeral of a dear friend named Lazarus. But he visited the tomb a couple of days later. As everyone else wept, Jesus wept with them. John 11:36 says, ‘Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”’ (NVI 1984)This reminds me of Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (NIV 1984) This verse gives us a great, short-hand description of brotherly love. We encourage each other in good times as well as in bad.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever been squeamish? When I’ve traveled to foreign countries, I’ve been reluctant to eat everything the locals eat. Sometimes, it was the sea food. I just didn’t recognize what it was. It didn’t look like fish or shrimp. At other times, I recognized things all too well, like chicken heads and feet cooked with all the other meat.Social customs different from mine also make me squeamish. I grew up in the Great Plains section of the United States. People tend to be stoic. So when I hear some bible verses, I get squeamish. One such verse is 1 Peter 5:14 “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” (NIV 1984)Did you know that five times in the New Testament we are told to greet each other with a holy kiss? Does that make you reluctant? Well, relax. Here’s what I’ve learned. In the culture of that day, men greeted male relatives or friends with a kiss on one or both cheeks. Women greeted women in the same way. It was the socially acceptable way to show affection for family and friends. Today we shake hands and hug.So, why all this focus on the holy kiss? If we are going to develop brotherly kindness, we need to learn to greet each other with warmth and affection.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I used to love watching the winter Olympics as a youth. One event that fascinated me was downhill skiing. Men and women raced down the mountain tucked tight over their skies. They flew airborne off bumps and careened through sweeping curves, their skies bouncing on the ruts. The speeds were incredible. So were the crashes. If a skier made a mistake, he or she would spin across the snow, arms and legs akimbo until a safety fence caught them. Broken bones and other serious injury could occur.After a crash, the commentators would often replay the run and use slow motion to point out where the skier made the mistake. Sometimes, a negative example is helpful.If we are going to develop brotherly kindness, as 1 Peter urges us, we should listen to warnings about mistakes to avoid. One warning is in Matthew 10:37, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (NIV 1984) The word love is the one related to brotherly love or kindness. This verse tells us that our affection and devotion for others, even for family, cannot be greater than our affection and devotion for Jesus. As 1 Corinthians 16:22 tells us, “If anyone does not love the Lord–a curse be on him. Come, O Lord!” (NIV 1984)How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever wanted to take a skill to the next level? Maybe you want to improve your golf swing or pickle ball serve. Maybe you write, paint or pound out computer code. Sometimes people want to improve a skill related to work. At others, people want to improve a hobby or pastime. Regardless of the skill, one way to improve it is to imitate someone who has mastered the skill.The same is true in our Christian growth. If we want to improve our brotherly kindness or love, we can imitate God. John 5:20 says, “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.” (NIV 1984)The fascinating thing about this passage is the word love. It is not the usual word to describe God’s love, which is agape. No, it is the word phileo which means to love as a brother or as a family member. The Father loves the Son. The word describes affection, emotion. A related word in the original language means to kiss on the cheek.Notice also the close relationship described in the passage between God the Father and Jesus. The Father shows him all he does. If we want to develop brotherly love, we also need to spend time together with each other, modeling how to pray, witness and live a life of faith.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever learned something by example? I’ll bet every one of us has learned how to do something on our cell phones by watching someone else demonstrate it. And whether on a phone or game console, children, teens, even adults will watch each other play video games to pick up techniques and secrets to scoring well.If we are going to develop brotherly love, maybe we need an example. Listen to 1 Thessalonians 4:9, “Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.” (NIV 1984) The Thessalonians were good at brotherly love. If we look through the first seven verses of the book, we see Paul describe them with the following phrases:” work produced by faith”, “labor prompted by love,” “endurance inspired by hope,” “imitators of us and of the Lord,” and “in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with joy.” This is how they “became a model to all the believers.” The result is the feelings described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 3:6, “You always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.” (NIV 1984)Longing to see someone is a sign of brotherly love. To develop it, do what the Thessalonians did. Work together, endure together, listen to God’s message together, and imitate the Lord.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is known as the “City of Brotherly Love.” The name Philadelphia is taken from an ancient Greek word meaning “brotherly love” or “brotherly kindness.” It is a great name for a city. But I wonder what the Philly football fans think about the slogan. They are reputed to be the worst fans in the National Football League, not loving or kind.The word philadelphia also appears in 2 Peter 1:5-7, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984)In fact, this word is interesting because it is a compound of two words. The first means to love as a brother or family member. It describes affection. That word is never used in the Bible as a command for how we should love God. A different word for love is used.The second word in the compound means “brotherhood.” Together, they carry the idea of loving the brothers like a brother. Hence translations use the phrase “brotherly kindness,” or “brotherly affection.”If we are going to develop maturity in Christ, we must make the effort to develop kindness and affection for each other. We can’t be emotionally cold to one another. After all, we are in the same spiritual family.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Several years ago I entered the church auditorium one Sunday morning and received a small envelope about the size of a business card. Everyone who entered received one. We were told not to open them until prompted to do so during the sermon. The speaker talked about the priorities of life and how priorities often change when people have a terminal illness. He challenged us to examine our priorities if we knew we would only live the amount of time on the card in the envelope. I opened mine and it said “one year.” Some people’s cards read “one day,” others “one week” and some “one month.” His point was this: we all will die, we just don’t know when. So, change your priorities now. The card really made me think.This is a similar point to the one made in 2 Peter 3:10-12, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (NIV 1984)Don’t waste any more time chasing after things that will burn at the Lord’s return. Pursue godliness today.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Electronic communication and entertainment have changed our lives, though not all the changes are good. Several decades ago, people realized that television provided an excellent medium to spread the message about Jesus. Billy Graham and others spoke to large crowds and also broadcast their events. Eventually, preachers developed regular religious programs and a new word entered the vocabulary, televangelist.There have been may famous televangelists over the years. Some have been honorable. Others fell in scandal. Some preached about following Jesus and doing good, but others emphasized the Christian life as a means to financial wealth.How do we sort through all these messages? We should remember the words of 1 Timothy 6:3-5, “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” (NIV 1984)Paul goes on to tell us that godliness is a means to gain, when it is accompanied by contentment. We should pursue a godly life, not in an attempt to become rich. No, the gain of godliness is knowing God and pleasing him.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When the weather is cold, my wife and I go to a community center and walk on an indoor track. To reach the track, we cross a large room filled with weight machines, exercise bikes and elliptical trainers. Every time we go, the room holds several people puffing and sweating as they use the exercise machines. They are training hard to stay in shape.Many of these people also follow strict diets. Although I’m not a stickler about my diet, I do watch what I eat and often read nutrition labels to choose healthier options. Changes in my diet over the years has improved the results of my annual blood tests.Diet and physical exercise have several advantages. They help control weight, improve sleep and improve cardio-vascular health. If only people trained themselves to be godly with the same energy they expend on exercise or with the same discipline they have over food. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 says, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (NIV 1984)Notice, godliness is not just an advantage for seeking eternal life. Godliness promises benefits for life today. But you must train yourself to develop it. Remember, you can’t gain, if you don’t train.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
How would you summarize what you want most in life? Is it to get ahead, to succeed at work, to build a nest egg and retire? Do you want to send your kids to the best schools and give them the best experiences in life? Are you working hard to make ends meet only to be frustrated at the steadily increasing cost of living?Are you fed up? Does it seem like the country is falling apart? Do you roll your eyes and shake your head each time our political leaders say or do another stupid thing? The government is bad today, but it is not as bad as the Roman empire in the first century. The Roman emperor Nero used Christians as lamp posts, literally burning them at night to light the streets. He murdered his mother to gain power and probably murdered his wife to marry another. Yet it was during Nero’s reign that Paul wrote these words in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (NIV 1984)Not only does this passage challenge us to pray for the people governing us, but it also indicates what we should want in life. As followers of Jesus, we must live peacefully, quietly, focused on holiness and godliness.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
So much of life is learned by example. I never read a book about how to ride a bicycle. I just watched my siblings and tried it myself. Of course, my mom was close by to tend to any scrapes and bruises. But I learned by example. I learned to use an axe the same way, watching my father. I did read a few books on how to be a good husband and father, but learned most about it again by watching my dad. Examples are important.If we are going to develop godliness, we can learn by studying the meaning of the word. But we still need to see it in action. One person described in Scripture as godly was Ananias of Damascus. He was the man who baptized Saul, who later became the apostle Paul. But at the time, he persecuted and imprisoned Christians. But God appeared to Ananias and told him to carry a message to Saul. Listen to Paul describe Ananias in Acts 22:12, “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.” (NIV 1984) What do we see Ananias doing? He observed the law, meaning he studied scripture and lived the way it teaches. Second, he earned the respect of others by living a moral life. Third, he obeyed God. Ananias displays the essence of godliness.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The professional baseball season has started. Before long, the diamonds at the park near our home will be filled with children learning the game. One of the best ways to learn something is to watch a demonstration. At the baseball field, the coach shows children how to hold the bat, field a ground ball, run the bases and many other skills. Some kids will also watch the pros on television or online and imitate them. Watching an example helps us learn.If we are to develop godliness, as the bible urges us, we should also study an example. One such example is Cornelius, described in Acts 10:1-2, “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” (NIV 1984)We discover here traits of a godly or devout person. First, he was God-fearing. These words describe someone who regularly participated in Jewish religious observances, though he was not a Jew. Second, he gave generously to the poor. Third, he prayed regularly. And fourth, all his family was devout. Let’s use this list to check our godliness. Do we participate in a worship service each week? Do we give generously to those in need? Do we have a daily prayer life? Do we encourage our family to be devout? That’s what godliness looks like.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you enjoy meeting new people? Some people love it, but others become uneasy. One of the easiest things to understand about someone you’ve just met is their personality. Spend a few minute talking to them and you’ll quickly know if they are shy or outgoing, serious or a jokester, a talker or a listener. What is more difficult to understand when meeting someone for the first time is their character, or lack of it. Character is the attitude we have toward others and our commitment to live in an ethical way. We often need to know someone for a while to understand their character.As followers of Jesus, Peter challenged us to develop our character. He said in 2 Peter 1:5-7, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984) As the passage indicates, character has many facets. We should develop all these different traits. This week, we will look at the trait of godliness.The word’s background in the ancient world described an ethical person, one who had good conduct. It included respect for God, for government and for others. Godliness includes piety, but results in far more than religious practice. Join me this week as we explore godliness.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you seen the battery commercial with the pink bunny marching about, beating a bass drum? Several of them have appeared over the years. The trademarked tagline for the commercial started as “keeps going” and later morphed into “still going.” In fact, you could use those phrases to describe the mascot, not just the batteries. The bunny has been used in ads for nearly 35 years. The company wants you to associate their batteries with long life. It’s almost like the battery-powered bunny never fails.The bunny shows us one nuance of the word persevere. Listen to 1 Corinthians 13:8-9, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” We could also translate the first phrase of this passage as “Love perseveres.”We’ve seen this week that the word perseverance has a geographical nuance. It can mean to stand your ground or remain in place. But it also has a temporal meaning. It refers to something that doesn’t stop, that keeps going, that never fails.This is a character trait that we must develop as we mature in Christ. Our faith in Jesus must never fail. Even in the face of persecution and suffering, we must continue to trust and wait patiently for Jesus’ return. Like that bunny, our faith must just keep going.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Burny Mattison was the longest-serving employee at the Walt Disney Company before he passed away in February of this year. He spent 70 years at Disney. He started working in the company mailroom when he was 18. Six months later he became an animator and worked on the film Lady and the Tramp. He worked on several other films, including, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, the Rescuers and others. Mattison illustrates one nuance of the word persevere. The word can mean to remain, to stay in place.That meaning is used in Luke 2:43, “After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.” (NIV 1984) This root meaning of “staying behind” or staying in place colors the word in many instances. You could say Burny Mattison persevered at Disney. He stayed in place for 70 years.Are you staying in place with your faith in Jesus? 2 Peter 1:5-7 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984)Hang in there. Don’t surrender your faith in Jesus. Make every effort to persevere, to remain, to stand your ground, to wait patiently.Vanessa Serna, "Disney's longest serving employee of 70 YEARS – who started out as a ‘traffic boy’ for Walt Disney - dies at age 87: Animator worked on Lady and the Tramp, The Jungle Book and other classics," Daily Mail, last updated February 28, 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11800639/Disneys-longest-serving-employee-70-YEARS-dies-age-87-Animator-worked-Lady-Tramp.htmlHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
If the government arrived at your house today and confiscated your car, would you be happy? What about your phone? What if they hauled you to court and took your home because you were a Christian? Would you rejoice? Christians in the first century were persecuted by removal of their property.Listen to Hebrews 10:32-36, “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (NIV 1984)We find perseverance in two places within this passage. First, they stood their ground in the face of suffering. Then, at the end, they needed to persevere to receive God’s promise. This is why we need to develop perseverance to add to our faith and self-control. We live in a world that will insult us. Christians face persecution in many forms. We must stand our ground in the face of suffering to receive what God has promised.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you enjoy waiting? I can’t say that I do. I usually want to get on with it, whatever it is. If I’m stuck in traffic, I’m checking the map for a way around. I also pick the shortest line at the store checkout. And I dread getting boxed into a checkout lane when the person ahead buys something requiring the clerk to call for a price check.However, I can wait patiently for tomatoes to ripen on the vine. The flavor of vine-ripened tomatoes is exquisite. And I can’t do anything to make them grow faster. So, I wait. Oh, I’m eager for them the ripen and I check them frequently, but I know the wait will be worth it.The same thing is true of our hope in Christ. Romans 8:24-25 says, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (NIV 1984)The word patiently in the passage is the same word that can be translated “perseverance.” To persevere requires us to wait on God with confident expectation. We know Christ will return and set right every broken thing in this world. We eagerly want it, but have no control over the timing. We simple continue to hold on to hope.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Spring has sprung in my neighborhood. Flowers are blooming, grass growing and leaves sprouting on the trees. I’ve already spent some time pulling weeds and planting things in my garden. Plants are amazing things. Cover a seed with good soil and watch it grow. Their roots run deep as the plant gains strength. Have you ever pulled up a plant and examined the network of roots that spread through and clutch the dirt? They are amazing structures that provide water and nutrients to the plant as well as anchor it against the wind. They also anchor weeds against my effort to uproot them.Roots can also be an example of perseverance. In Luke 8:15 Jesus describes the meaning of good soil in his parable. He said, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (NIV 1984)The word persevere carries the nuance of holding fast to something. Plants that hold fast to the soil will produce a crop, whether they be a tomato, okra, zucchini, wheat or corn. Pull up the plant, and no crop develops. In the same way, we must hold fast to God to produce fruit for him. We must entwine our lives with Jesus and abide in him. Don’t let go of your trust in God. Hold fast to Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
One of the earliest writings by a woman was penned in 203 A.D. Vibia Perpetua was a young mother living in Carthage. The Roman emperor had forbade any conversion to Christianity. But Perpetua and four others were preparing for baptism in violation of the edict. They were arrested. Perpetua started a diary describing her imprisonment, dreams while in prison and her trial. At her trial, her father pleaded with her to renounce Jesus, but she would not. On the night before her execution, Perpetua gave the diary to another who recorded her death. She bravely faced attack by wild animals in the arena and was finished off by the sword. Her diary was read each year in the churches of Carthage for hundreds of years.Her story brings to mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:21-22, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (NIV 1984)Perpetua is an example of standing firm to the end. She is a picture of perseverance. She refused to renounce her faith in Jesus, though it cost her life. We also must stand firm in our faith. As Peter reminds us, Christian character begins with faith, but continues as different traits are added. One of those traits is perseverance.Joyce Ellen Salisbury, "Perpetua, Christian martyr," Britannica, Last Updated March 3, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Perpetua-Christian-martyrHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What would you do if 2,000 enemy soldiers and 40 tanks attacked you? That’s where 120 Indian soldiers found themselves in December of 1971. Pakistan attacked India in a war that lasted only a couple of weeks. One focus of the attack was the outpost at Longewala. Even though the Indian soldiers stationed there only possessed one heavy weapon, they stood their ground. They battled against the Pakistani forces through the night. When the battle ended the following day, over 200 enemy soldiers were dead and nearly every tank was destroyed. The Indian force only lost two men.Sometimes, the best thing to do when attacked is to stand your ground. This is especially true in the Christian life. 2 Peter 1:5-7 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984)The word perseverance used in this passage describes someone who stands his or her ground, who hangs in there, who doesn’t quit. The word describes the Indian soldiers who fought on, even when seriously outnumbered and at a disadvantage. Do you feel like the entire world is against your faith? Hang in there. Add perseverance to your faith in Jesus."The 6 best defensive stands in military history," We Are the Mighty, April 22, 2021, https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/the-6-best-defensive-stands/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes once said, “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”This week, we have examined the scene at the empty tomb of Jesus. Only three possibilities exist. First, Jesus didn’t die and escaped. The evidence refutes this theory with numerous facts. The second possibility is someone took the body from the tomb. However, the enemies of Jesus wanted the body present and placed a guard and a seal on the tomb. Jesus’ disciples couldn’t steal the body because of the guard. And the sealed tomb kept the guards from stealing the body.Today, we look at a final fact that refutes the theory the disciples took the body. Look at the change in their behavior. They fled at Jesus’ arrest and cowered in discouragement after his death. But after Sunday, they boldly proclaimed Jesus in the face of persecution. Hauled before the authorities who forbade their preaching, Acts 5:29-30 says, ‘Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead–whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.’ (NIV 1984) These men eventually died for their faith. Would they die for a lie? Would stealing the body cause this change in their behavior? No. We are left with only one possibility. Jesus rose from the dead.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Many plays and stories have three acts. A problem develops. The problem gets worse. And finally, the hero solves the problem.When we examine the empty tomb of Jesus, most things have two states. First, how does the item appeared at the end of the crucifixion? And second, how does it appeared three days later? However, the guards at the tomb display three stages or acts.First, they are the professional soldiers guarding the sealed tomb as Matthew 27:66 says. Then on Sunday, Matthew 28:4 tells us the guards were so afraid “they shook and became like dead men.” (NIV 1984) Finally, the guards reported to the chief priests about the events they witnessed on Sunday. Matthew 28:12-15 tells us ‘When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.’ (NIV 1984)What could cause Roman soldiers to go from competent, to scared stiff, to bribed liars? Only one thing, they witnessed the resurrection of Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Where do you keep your valuables? Many people rent safe deposit boxes at a bank. The bank guards, security systems and locks make it difficult to steal items in the bank vault. Bank security reminds me of the security at the empty tomb of Jesus.Yes, Jesus’ tomb had security. The Jewish leaders were afraid the disciples would steal his body. They knew Jesus promised to rise again. So, they asked Pilate for security measures. Matthew 27:66 says, “They went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.” (NIV 1984)To seal the tomb the Romans stretched a cord from the closed stone to the wall of the tomb and anchored it is place with a large amount of wax or clay. A pattern representing the Roman governor was pressed into the lumps of wax.I know, it doesn’t sound very secure, does it? It’s certainly not the same as a vault door. But the seal prevented the guards from looting the grave or stealing the body. Breaking the seal violated Roman law. The seal provided the ability to audit the trustworthiness of the guards, as well as, defer others by declaring the tomb closed by the governor. Anyone breaking the seal faced Roman wrath. If Jesus died and no one moved his body, how do we explain the empty tomb? Well, he rose from the dead.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever seen the carnival game where someone uses a sledge hammer to hit a target on the ground to launch a weight up a rod in an attempt to ring a bell? It takes strength to smack the target hard enough to ring the bell.Strength is also important in our examination of the empty tomb. One detail required great strength. Matthew 27:60 says that after Joseph buried Jesus, “He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.” (NIV 1984) Tombs often had a rolling cover, like a large stone disc set on edge. It rolled in a track that guided it over the door. The language used in Mark indicates the track led downhill, making closing the tomb easier than opening it. So Joseph’s strength was enough to close the tomb.But listen to John 20:1, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” (NIV 1984) The word removed used here, and the description in Luke’s account, indicate the stone wasn’t simply rolled back up the track enough to open the door. The stone had been carried away, removed from the tomb.Here again, this would have been impossible for Jesus to accomplish if he’d simply fainted on the cross and revived in the tomb. The power of the resurrection moved the stone.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
In one of my favorite detective shows, the main character often notices a small detail at the crime scene. The early theories about the crime do not explain that one, nagging fact. He doesn’t rest until he understands how the detail occurred, often leading him to a different suspect, the true murderer.As we examine the empty tomb of Jesus, we have to understand a nagging detail, namely, Jesus was prepared for burial. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took Jesus’ body from the cross. John 19:40 says, “Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.” (NIV 1984) Earlier verses tell us that they used 75 pounds of spices, not a light dusting. The strips of cloths were probably about a foot wide. They wrapped the body, placing spices between the layers of cloth. Some of the spices probably had a sticky consistency, holding the cloth to the body and each layer of wrapping to the next.Why is this fact important? It proves again that Jesus was dead. He could not have revived in the tomb and escaped the wrappings. But more importantly, all the cloth wrapping lay exactly where Jesus’ body had laid, but were empty, flat. Only the face covering was in a different place. How did this happen? Jesus rose from the dead.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
A common plot device in mysteries is the impossible crime. One of the most used devices is the murder inside a locked room. The detective has to determine how the murderer entered the room and then left it locked, if it can only be locked from the inside. These puzzles stump the detective until he or she has the “aha moment.”When we look at the death and resurrection of Jesus, we must examine the tomb. Luke 23:53 tells us that Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus and “wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.” (NIV 1984)The tombs of Jesus’ day had a low doorway that entered a tiny room. The body would be placed on a shelf, often carved from the rock on one side. After the body decayed, the bones would be place into boxes or in niches in the back or sides of the tomb.Why is the tomb important? Because it is further evidence that Jesus was dead. He would not have been placed in the tomb otherwise. Also, tombs only had one entrance. The body of Jesus could only leave the same way it entered. In fact, when news came to the disciples that Jesus was alive, where did they run? To the tomb. They found it empty, evidence of his resurrection.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you like who-done-it stories? I enjoy watching mysteries and police shows. When the detectives arrive at the scene of the crime, they examine the scene for evidence, trying to understand what happened. The forensic team members examine everything in the greatest detail and the coroner examines the body.This week, the podcast will do something similar. We will examine the scene of the resurrection of Jesus. Many doubt it occurred. But what does the evidence say? Is there reason to believe Jesus rose? In order to do this, we must examine seven things as they appeared at the end of the crucifixion, as well as how they changed just a couple of days later.The first item we’ll examine is the body of Jesus. It was lowered from the cross and judged dead by his executioners. He had been tortured by scourging, carried the cross, then nailed to it for hours. He even hung an extended time after he stopped breathing. The soldiers rammed a spear into his chest cavity to ensure his death. These facts are known. What must be determined is why did his body disappear. Rather than solving a crime, we need to determine if a miracle occurred.After the cross, we have the dead body of Jesus. But on Sunday, his body is missing from the tomb and people claim he has appeared to them alive. Their witness is the first reason to believe in the resurrection.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you find yourself shaking your head when you encounter the news? Whether reading, listening or watching, it can be hard to know if you receive the true account of events or some narrative spun to distort or hide the facts. Today, things people decried in the past few years as conspiracy theories have been proven true. Yet, I’m sure that today’s news cycle will include more spin and narrative than actual facts.When we try to understand who Jesus is, we can also encounter narratives. One such narrative is that Jesus’ followers elevated his status following his death. Over time, they developed the idea he was God. This idea ignores the fact that Jesus’ followers used divine titles for him and worshipped him. It also ignores the fact that Jesus claimed the name of God in John 8:58-59, ‘“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.’ (NIV 1984)When God called Moses to serve Him, He gave His name as “I am who I am.” Jesus claimed this name. The Jews clearly understood this, because they picked up stones to kill him. Don’t believe the narrative that Jesus never claimed to be God, that his followers invented the idea. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, accepted worship and claimed the name of God.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
“The proof is in the pudding.” Have you heard that saying? It is a shortened version of the saying “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Centuries ago, a pudding was a sausage-like dish of chopped meat, fat, spice and cereal. The only way to know if it was good or spoiled was to eat it. So the saying came to mean you only know something is good when you experience it.To understand what the people who experienced Jesus’s teaching and ministry thought of him, we can look at their words and actions. One example is the man born blind who Jesus healed. After healing him, Jesus meets him again in John 9:35-38, ‘Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.’ (NIV 1984)Jesus claimed to be the Son of Man. Scripture tells us the Son of Man would come from heaven and return, would heal people and have authority to judge. The man was so convinced Jesus was the Son of Man, he worshipped Jesus. The title and the man’s worship point us to the deity of Jesus. That is his identity.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I have a passport issued by the government of the United States of America. It is proof of my identity. But it is useless if I never use it. I must make a claim to my identity and then show the passport as proof of my claim. It is not the only way I can assert a claim to my identity. I can also use my driver’s license or birth certificate. When accessing secure websites, I can provide a username as my claimed identity. The password, and any multifactor identification steps are proof of the claim.In ancient Judea, passports, births certificates, usernames and passwords were not issued. But people still made claims about their identity. So when we seek to understand who Jesus truly is, we should look at the claims he made. One such claim is in John 4:25-26, ‘The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”’ (NIV 1984)The woman at the well was looking for the Messiah. The word in Greek is “Christ.” It refers to the prophesied king of the Jews who would restore their relationship to God and established an everlasting kingdom. Notice Jesus claimed this title. His preaching also proclaimed the coming kingdom of God. Make no mistake, Jesus clearly claimed to be the Messiah. That is part of his identity.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Prove it. Did you ever hear those words issued as a challenge? Prove it. Or, as they say in Missouri, show me. If you make claims about your toughness or ability on the playground, someone will challenge you to prove it, to put your money where your mouth is, to back it up with action. I remember guys in high school bragging about how fast their cars were. Eventually, someone would challenge them and they would line up on the black top road north of town and hold a drag race. Revving engines, squealing tires and the fastest car through the quarter mile proved which claim was true.What about the claims that Jesus is God’s Son? Dare we say “prove it”? We really don’t need to. Listen to John 3:1-2, ‘Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”’ (NIV 1984)Nicodemus didn’t ask Jesus to prove who he was. He said that God had already proven who Jesus was. The miracles performed by Jesus proved he came from God. God claimed Jesus was his Son, and he proved it with miracle after miracle. God, backed up his words with action.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The jury in a trial hears witnesses testify about the facts of a case. The jury must judge whether the witnesses are credible or not. Having served on a jury, I can tell you the credibility and possible incentives for the witnesses are important to consider.So, when we come to claims about who Jesus is, who should we believe? Many declare Jesus to be the Son of God. Others say he was only a good rabbi. Who do you believe? Today, let’s consider the witness of God himself about who Jesus is. Matthew 3:13-17 records these words, ‘Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”’ (NIV 1984)This voice from heaven was heard by several and mentioned in all of the gospels. God bore direct testimony about the identity of Jesus. He is the Son of God.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever doubted the claims of someone? Maybe it was the new kid in school bragging about how popular they were in their old school. Or bragging about their athletic abilities. Maybe someone told you an outlandish tale and you doubted whether it really happened. When I’ve doubted the claims of others, I have sometimes been right. At other times, what I doubted actually happened. I’m sure you have experienced the same thing.At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, multiple people witnessed an event. Listen to John 1:29-33, ‘The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel. Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”’ (NIV 1984) John the Baptist testified that Jesus was sent from God like a lamb for sacrifice. Don’t doubt his word.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Parades stick in our memories, don’t they? My earliest memory of a parade is of elephants and clowns walking the streets of Moore, Oklahoma when I was in early elementary school. The circus came to town. I remember the parade and visiting the tent pitched on a vacant lot to enjoy the three-ring show.I remember other parades as well, marching in a band, riding a float or just sitting on the side of the street and enjoying the entertainment passing in front of me.Today, we remember an even older parade, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. John 12:12-13 describes it this way: ‘The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!”’ (NIV 1984)Notice the crowd hailed Jesus as king. He accepted their cheers and rode a young donkey. In their history, their most powerful king, Solomon rode into Jerusalem in the same way when he was crowned. Jesus’ act affirmed he was their king. This week, we will look at who Jesus claimed to be and what others thought of him. We’ll look primarily in the book of John. Today, we see that Jesus clearly accepted adoration as the king.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
John Wooden was the legendary coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team in the 1960’s. In a twelve year period, beginning in 1964, Wooden’s teams won the NCAA national championship ten times, including seven wins in a row. Coach Wooden taught his teams many things about basketball and life, including the importance of self-control. He said, “If you lose self-control everything will fall.”Self-control means mastery over our desires. If you want an example of self-control, just look at Jesus. Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus fasted and Satan tempted him for 40 days. We are told of three temptations. The first temptation was to fulfill his physical hunger by turning rocks into bread. Jesus resisted. The second temptation offered Jesus the world unopposed, as long as Jesus worshipped Satan. Again, Jesus resisted. The third time, Satan tempted Jesus to prove he was the Son of God with an inappropriate miracle. Jesus resisted.In every temptation, Satan used a legitimate desire of Jesus. The temptation was to fulfill the desire in the wrong way. Jesus had mastery of his desires, allowing him to resist the temptations. As we mature in faith, we also need mastery over our desires, controlling our actions to act in the way that pleases God. As 2 Peter 1:5-6 reminds us, add self-control to your faith.233--------------------------------"John Wooden," Wikipedia, last updated March 7, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_WoodenHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Hunter Biden is probably a name you wish you’d never heard. Hunter, the son our current President, has a very checkered history. The allegations include cavorting with strippers, getting one pregnant, and abusing crack cocaine. Allegations of corrupt influence-peddling also exist, including dealings with the Chinese and a Ukrainian energy company called Burisma. Of course, much of this was fueled by his leaving a laptop loaded with scandalous photos and content at a computer repair shop and forgetting about it. In today’s destructive political environment, Hunter’s lack of discipline has been used against his father.Things aren’t much better on the other side of the aisle. Although the allegations against Donald Trump are not as scurrilous, many of his political problems stem from his lack of discipline as well. Trump can’t resist tweeting mocking criticism of his opponents, even in his own party. His pugnacious attitude has been used to bait him into political mistakes. Hunter Biden and former President Trump illustrate how a lack of self-control provides an avenue of attack in the world of politics.2 Peter 1:5-6 tells us to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control.” (NIV 1984) Self-control, though a fruit of God’s Spirit in our lives, still requires our effort. We must discipline ourselves like an elite athlete to make sure no area of our life provides an avenue for spiritual attack and defeat.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
You’ve heard of running a marathon, right? It is a race of over 26 miles. Many are famous, such as the Boston Marathon. But these are not the longest races run. Did you know there are races of 100 miles in length? And many of these races are not on a paved, city street. They are run over trails, often in rugged terrain.The Hardrock 100 starts in Silverton, Colorado and makes a loop through the mountains. The average elevation of the race is 11,000 feet, twice the elevation of Denver. During the 102 miles of the race, runners will change elevation, going both uphill and down. The total elevation change over the course is over 66 thousand feet as they cross several mountains. Last year, Kilian Jornet won the race in a time of 21:36:24, just behind his record set the previous year. Yes, racers run through the night. Many require 40 hours to complete the course. How do you train for such a race? You spend a lot of time in the mountains running to build endurance.2 Peter 1:5-6 tells us to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control.” (NIV 1984) The word translated “self-control” can also be translated “endurance.” Life is more than a marathon. It is an ultra-race through life’s highs and lows. I Add to your faith in Jesus endurance."Course Description," Hardrock 100, https://www.hardrock100.com/hardrock-course.phpHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Who is the greatest golfer of all time? Most people would say Jack Nicklaus, who won 15 major tournaments and finished among the top five and top ten places more times than any other golfer. But things might have been different if Tiger Woods possessed more self-control. Tiger was a phenomenon on pace to overtake Nicklaus. He burst on the scene as a young player and racked up victories. He won 14 major tournaments in eleven years beginning in 1997. But things changed drastically on Thanksgiving Day in 2009. On that day, Woods’ wife found romantic texts on his phone and called the number, discovering Woods’ lover. Woods left their home shortly after in their Cadillac SUV and hit a fire hydrant and tree. A media scandal erupted. Woods’ play deteriorated as other affairs became known. He and his wife divorced the following year. Woods would not win another major golf tournament until nearly ten years later, to date, his last. Without self-control, his life crashed.Self-control is needed in every aspect of life. 2 Peter 1:5-6 tells us to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control.” (NIV 1984) We need self-control in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual realms of our lives. We find it as God’s Spirit changes our hearts. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Follow his leading.Jim Peltz, "Tiger Woods hurt in car accident in front of his Florida home," Los Angeles Times, November 28, 2009, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-28-la-sp-tiger-woods28-2009nov28-story.htmlHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When you hear the term virtuoso musician, do you think of someone like pianists Chopin or Rachmaninov? Or perhaps the violinist Perlman or cellist Rostropovich? They are all known as virtuosos, meaning they mastered their instrument to the highest level of talent and technical skill.Another virtuoso is the guitarist Doc Watson. He was born in 1923 in Deep Gap, North Carolina. An eye infection left him blind before he reached age two. But that didn’t stop him. One day his father told him and his brother that if they chopped down a bunch of small chestnut trees, he'd let them keep the money from selling them. They did, and Watson bought his first guitar. He spent hours practicing and, over time, developed a technique called flat picking, where the musician holds a pick to strike the strings. The technique influenced many folk musicians. Watson also mastered the finger-picking style. I encourage you to search the internet and listen to a recording of Doc Watson playing “Tickling the Strings.”2 Peter 1:5-6 tells us to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control.” (NIV 1984) That word self-control refers to mastering something. Doc Watson mastered the guitar. We are to work along with God’s spirit to master ourselves, to learn how to live, to be a virtuoso in the Christian life."Doc Watson," Wikipedia, last updated February 24, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_WatsonHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Elvis Presley was known as the “King of Rock and Roll.” Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, he rose to music stardom from Memphis, Tennessee, beginning in 1954. He is the best-selling solo music artist of all time. He sold over half a billion records. But his story is more than a rags-to-riches tale. It also holds tragedy. During his rise to fame, Elvis was deeply opposed to recreational drug use. He also avoided alcohol, since many in his family had been alcoholics. He even talked to President Nixon about reaching out to the hippies to combat their acceptance of drugs. But he had a problem. He abused prescription drugs and had other unhealthy habits. Once he spent three days in a coma from a drug overdose. In his final concerts, he was so drugged that he struggled to remember the lyrics to his songs. He collapsed and died at the age of 42 at his estate in Memphis.Elvis is an example of the lack of self-control. Although he avoided illegal drugs and alcohol, he abused prescription medication. The lack of self-control is not only a threat to our physical health, it can also damage us spiritually. 2 Peter 1:5-6 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control.” (NIV 1984) Don’t let even one area of your life escape the discipline and training needed to live for Jesus."Elvis Presley," Wikipedia, last updated March 7, 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_PresleyHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Would you run eight 400-meter sprints at 1 o’clock in the morning? Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce did that once when he traveled to Paris. It was the only time he could train after a very busy and long day. Kelce takes training his body seriously. Besides running, he performs squats, lunges and rows, as well as several other exercises. He seeks to develop all the muscles in his body to give him explosive performance and to protect him in the brutal sport of NFL football. He has been one of the most durable tight ends in the last few years.This week we will focus on the third thing we should add to faith, namely, self-control. Listen for it in 2 Peter 1:5-8, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984)The word in this passage translated “self-control” was used in the ancient world to describe mastery of your desires, self-restraint and discipline. One use described the athlete in training. I’m sure Travis Kelce needed some self-discipline to run sprints in the middle of the night after a long day. We also need self-control to pursue God’s will in a world that tempts our every desire.Anna Katherine Clemmons, "How to Build Explosiveness Like NFL Star Travis Kelce," Men's Health, September 19, 2021, https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a37331144/travis-kelce-workout/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Animals can do some gross things. In fact, 2 Peter 2:20-22 uses the behavior of a couple of animals to make a point. It talks about people and says, ‘If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”’ (NIV 1984)When I was growing up, we had both dogs and hogs. I don’t remember if any of our dogs lapped up their own vomit, but the pigs loved to wallow in the mud. But this passage is not about the animals. It talks about our accountability for knowledge. Those who come to know Jesus, then return to the corruption of the world are worse off than if they had never known Jesus. When we add knowledge to our faith and virtue, as 2 Peter 1:5 says, we must follow it. Insight into God’s will is dangerous if we don’t also obey it.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
We live in a technologically advanced age. For instance, several technologies are used to search for oil, gas and hot water reservoirs buried deep in the earth. Sound waves are transmitted into the ground. These may be generated on land with explosives. In water, guns that fire air are dragged near the bottom. The sound waves generated bounce around and travel through the layers of rock deep underground. Huge volumes of this seismic data are collected. But the data must be studied and analyzed to provide insight into the structures within the earth. Machine-learning computer algorithms process the data and provide maps of the structures deep underground. It is amazing.Did you notice that gathering and studying the data was not the end result of the process? The end result was insight into what the data revealed. The same is true in our study of God’s word. 2 Peter 1:5 commands us to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) Knowledge is not simply knowing facts from the bible. It involves using our minds to process the biblical teachings so we have insight into God’s will. That insight tells us who God is, what is good versus what is evil and what God wills for our lives.Yes, we need knowledge of the bible. Yes, we need to study what it teaches. But the goal is not knowing the bible. The goal is knowing God.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you own a house. Many people do and many others want to. Do you know what quality construction looks like? Imagine touring a newly built house. The sod in the yard is fresh and green. The windows are clean and the paint fresh. All the doors swing open easily and the joints in the woodwork are tight. A beautiful hardwood floor doesn’t even creak when you walk across it. The walls are finished without any flaws. The kitchen counter stands spotless and the sink faucet doesn’t leak. Is it quality construction? Well, it might be. But there are important things you can’t see. For instance, are the footings and foundations good? To paraphrase Jesus, a house built on sand without a solid foundation will not stand in the storms of life.In a similar way, people often think they know about God. The are attracted to ideas that look and feel good. But their knowledge is often built on the sandy foundation of speculation. Sometimes it is the speculation of others, sometimes their own. Well-crafted theologies and books have been created by many people. They sound reasonable and logical. But the foundation is often speculation.If you want to add knowledge of God to your virtue and faith in Jesus, as 2 Peter 1:5 says, study God’s word. It is the true source of knowledge about God.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Time brings changes. Many years ago, newspapers were a major source of information. News articles were the predominate content. Opinions were relegated to the editorial page and a clear distinction was made between news and opinion. Not so much anymore. Newspapers have declined in readership, with many going online. The sources of news have multiplied across radio, television and the internet, competing for attention. At the same time, the volume of news content has declined and is increasingly mixed with opinion. News anchors and columnists provide information in the midst of ranting about it. And social media echoes and amplifies the rant.Take the news and information about the effectiveness of masks during the pandemic. You could find articles supporting it as vital, as well as those condemning it as destructive, with both sides ranting about the other.We are so inundated with opinions today, we forget that opinions are not knowledge. Knowledge is understanding something as it really is, not as people say it is. We must use care in perusing all these sources of information.We must also be careful in looking for knowledge about God. Many have opinions about him and assert them as gospel truth. But opinions are not knowledge. 2 Peter 1:5 says, “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) Do the work, study God’s word and gain knowledge of who he truly is.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Is LeBron James the greatest basketball player of all time? He certainly feels he is. Listen to his words, “What I bring to the table as a basketball player … I feel like I’m the best basketball player that ever played the game. That’s just my confidence, that’s just what I bring to the table, what I possess.” No one doubts that James is a great player. He has lasted years in the game and has scored tens of thousands of points. But is he the greatest of all time? Arguments continue.I mention James not because I care whether he is the greatest. I quoted him as an example of the way people talk and think. Notice he said, “I feel like I’m the best.” That word construction is used in many different ways. People even use those words when talking about God, saying things like “I feel God accepts me as I am. I don’t need to change.”2 Peter 1:5 tells us we need to grow and develop in our faith. It says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) Note that the word knowledge in the original language denotes understanding something with the intellect. It is not talking about intuition or feelings. We must use our reasoning ability to learn about God by studying his word.Kyle Goon, "When LeBron James passes Kareem, his last battle will be Michael Jordan for G.O.A.T." The Orange County Register, February 8, 2023, https://www.ocregister.com/2023/02/07/after-catching-kareem-lebron-james-last-great-chase-is-michael-jordan-to-be-the-g-o-a-t/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you heard the phrase “perception is reality”? Sometimes it enters political conversations. Pundits prognosticate about elections. They know that people vote based on what they think is true about a candidate. Their perception doesn’t always conform to reality. How many times have you voted for a candidate thinking they would act a certain way or support certain positions, and then were disappointed when they failed to live up to expectations? Happens all the time, right?That’s why politicians lie about one another so much. They want to change people’s perceptions. And perceptions don’t need to match anything true. Whether you vote Republican or Democrat, I’m sure you can point out lies or distortions the opposite side has declared. And the media practices this as well, whether you call it misinformation, disinformation or simply fake news.Knowledge is not the same as perception. We need knowledge as followers of Jesus. 2 Peter 1:5 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) Notice we can’t simply trust God and develop virtue. We also need to develop knowledge. Rather than operating on what we think we know about God, we must learn the reality. We must study and learn the truth about who he is and what is right. We must live by what we have learned is true.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
American-style football looks like a simple sport. In fact, a cliché has developed describing athletes as “dumb jocks.” It is often leveled at football players. But this is not the case. The excellent athletes who compete in the NFL are gifted physically. They are usually big and strong. Some are fast and skilled at throwing or catching the ball. But professional football also requires knowledge and intelligence. Players have to memorize books of plays. They must understand the game at a deep level to recognize what their opponents are attempting to do. This is especially true of quarterbacks and receivers, who have to adjust their routes and timing. But even linemen need to understand the game far beyond memorizing a set of steps or actions.The same is true about our faith in Jesus. We can’t simply trust Jesus. He wants us to develop a deeper understanding. Listen to 2 Peter 1:5, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) The word knowledge in this passage refers to intellectual understanding, of using the mind to comprehend something. It goes beyond memorizing a list of dos and don’ts.How do we add knowledge to our faith? Read the bible and study it. That enables us to comprehend our faith and develop the wisdom to discern good choices from bad. Spend some time in God’s word today.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When the Kansas City Chiefs won the Superbowl this year, the city celebrated with a victory parade. Trucks and busses hauled politicians, coaches, staff and players down a long route to a stage at the city’s Union Station. The parade was followed by speeches. One of the main celebrities was the Chief’s quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. Patrick wore a huge belt for the event. It was provided by a WWE champion wrestler. The buckle was big enough to serve as a breastplate.Big belt buckles have always been a way to brag in parts of the United States. Rodeo champions are often awarded with a huge, western style belt buckle, though they are not as big as what wrestlers sport. But cowboy culture emphasizes boots, belt buckles and hats. But sometimes these only brag without any substance. Just because you wear a belt buckle doesn’t mean you’re really a champion. Or, as they say in Texas, some people are “all hat and no cattle.”That describes people who virtue signal. Whether with a yard sign, bumper sticker, t-shirt or a social media post, if you only display these items and spout words to convince others you are good, you’re just a modern-day Pharisee. A hypocrite. Live by 2 Peter 1:5, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) Don’t signal virtue. Walk the walk.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Listen to these words written by Victor Davis Hansen, “In an affluent postmodern society of nearly unlimited freedom and opportunity, elite celebrities, pampered athletes, comfortable academics, conniving politicians, and careerist journalists find it hard to prove that they are still relevant in a revolutionary or rather cool sense.”Hansen continues to explain that medieval society sought penance for their sins. The church prescribed sacrificial acts, fasting and donations that allowed people a cheap way to be absolved, but continue in sin. Then Hansen wrote, “In our atheistic and agnostic society, inexpensive, loud, and public virtue-mongering has replaced church penance . . .”Hansen wrote those words in 2016. Things have only gotten worse. Our culture pursues a cheap substitute for virtue. Rather than develop the character that makes the right choice even in tough situations, so many only seek the approval of others by spouting opinions others find acceptable. We virtue signal, rather than develop virtue.As followers of Jesus, we must avoid this trap. As the King James Version of 2 Peter 1:5 says, “giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.” Don’t try to signal to others how good you are, like some modern Pharisee. Develop a character marked by true goodness.*Victor Davis Hanson, "The Virtue-Mongers," National Review, September 6, 2016, https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/09/virtue-signaling-liberals-condemn-privilege-while-enjoying-privilege/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a lot of things. One thing it exposed was the character of college students, or should I say, the lack of character. Reports of cheating tripled at Virginia Commonwealth University in the 2020-21 school year. They doubled at the University of Georgia. They rose 50% at Ohio State. One assistant professor at Columbia University described the problem she experienced. Students were given one week to complete an open-book exam. They signed an honor code as a part of the class. Yet, many still cheated.1 A Princeton professor recently gave a lecture on the need for virtue in society. He explained that in the past, students who cheated on a test would usually feel bad. But now they have no sense of shame and boast about their cheating.2We really shouldn’t think the problem just lies in college students. They are a reflection of the culture in which we all live. A culture that looks for the easy way. One that focuses on satisfying self in the most convenient manner possible in order to achieve success as quickly and cheaply as possible.2 Peter 1:5 challenges us, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) Are you striving to live the easy way or to develop true goodness and virtue in your life?Sneha Dey, "Reports Of Cheating At Colleges Soar During The Pandemic," National Public Radio, August 27, 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/08/27/1031255390/reports-of-cheating-at-colleges-soar-during-the-pandemic.Kathryn Lopez, "The necessity of virtue," Southeast Missourian, February 8, 2023, https://www.semissourian.com/story/2982946.html.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you heard about ChatGPT? It is an artificial intelligence application programmed to emulate a conversation. When you ask it for something, it can ask you clarifying questions. As you ask further questions or give it a command, it responds in the context of the conversation. The application also searches through relevant material to provide information and create things. People have used it to debug computer code, write poems, draft job applications, even write books.Although it appears to think, it does not think in the same way people do. It can write something that sounds good, but is totally wrong. At times, it also exposes the biases of those who programmed it. It is an interesting application, but it can’t answer every question. If you ask it a question about ethics, it might search through information and craft an answer. Tweak the language and ask the same question in a slightly different way and it may give a totally different answer. Although the AI can process language and combine information in novel ways, it has no moral nature. It possesses no character.2 Peter 1:5 tells us to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness.” (NIV 1984) Our nature is different than any AI. We can place faith in God. We can add to our faith goodness or moral excellence. We do this with the help God provides through his word and his Spirit.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
How would you define the color black? Would you call it dark? Would you describe it as what you see deep in a cave without lights? Or you might describe it as the color of outer space without any stars. If you know color theory, you might say black is the absence of all color. Your phone screen combines red, green and blue light to make thousands of colors. But if none of these colors of light are combined in a screen pixel, it displays black. Ok, that may be a bit complicated. Maybe you would just define black as the opposite of white.Looking at the opposite often helps us understand something. Black is the opposite of white. Day is the opposite of night. Good is the opposite of evil. To understand goodness, we can look at God and his opposite. I Peter 2:9 tells us we are to declare God’s praises. The word is actually virtue or goodness. It refers to the moral excellence of God. We extol the virtue of God. What is the opposite of him? Deception, selfishness, lying, malice. Just think of the devil. He is the opposite of virtue.This contrast can help us grow in our faith. We must avoid the corruption that seeps through this world. Instead, we must focus on God. He commands us to be holy as he is holy. We must add virtue like his to our faith in Jesus.2How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Major team sports often give awards to outstanding players. The National Football League honors their best athletes by naming them to an All-Pro team. Major League Baseball does the same, calling the team All-Stars. In cricket, players are selected to a “team of the year.” These sports and others also provide an individual award for the best player. In United States sports, it is usually called the MVP or Most Valuable Player award. For example, Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, was named to the All-Pro team, as well as the MVP of the regular season and of Super Bowl LVII. (57)Most of us understand excellence in sports. Many of us also work to improve our individual sport, whether practicing golf, getting tennis lessons or receiving coaching for pickleball. Many of us also invest in helping our children improve their athletic abilities.Now, let’s shift our thinking to our character. 2 Peter 1:5 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.” (NIV 1984) The word goodness can also be translated “virtue” or “excellence.” It is the All-Pro level of character. Our virtue must shine as moral excellence, just at sport All-Stars display the epitome of their game’s skills. Do you put as much effort into developing goodness as you do a sport? Have you reached all-star level in your character? Add virtue, or goodness, to your faith.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever played with Lego® brand building blocks? Snapping the little plastic blocks together can be fun. You can make model cars, dinosaurs and space craft. If you have enough, you can even build large sculptures. Lego retail stores often display giant objects made from tiny blocks. It all starts with adding one block to another.Picture the process of adding one block to another when you hear Peter’s challenges to Christian growth in 2 Peter 1:5-7, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (NIV 1984) Can’t you see the picture of snapping on a block to the first, then another snapped to the second and so on?The word add used in this passage can also be translated “give, furnish, provide or support.” In the ancient Greek language, the word was used to indicate what one side furnished in a marriage contract. When we choose to follow Jesus, it begins with faith in him. But it doesn’t stop there. Other things are added until we develop a loving, mature character. We must make every effort to develop these things. This week, we’ll focus on the first, goodness. Listen tomorrow to understand the next thing to add to your faith.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
A few decades ago, worship choruses were popular. Some were short and peppy with nifty rhythms you clapped. One of my favorites began “O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.” Another declared “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The songs expressed the joy of worshipping God.The Songs of Ascents found in the book of Psalms must have been similar. They were used as people entered Jerusalem and the temple. Many are joyful. I’m sure much of their beauty is lost in translation. But listen to Psalms 126:1-6:When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.(NIV 1984)I especially like the imagery in this psalm of God turning weeping into songs of joy. Whether you are weeping or rejoicing, worship the Lord God today.
Have you heard the term prepper? It describes someone who prepares for disaster. Some are realistic in their preparations. They have emergency food and water stored. They may also have a generator and fuel. Being prepared is a good thing.But there are also preppers who take it too far. They build bunkers in the country and stock up on firearms and ammunition, not just food and fuel. Some are almost paranoid in their preparations. They expect to take care of themselves in a future Armageddon and shoot any who would steal from them. But they have a flaw. Each places trust in him or herself. Listen to Psalms 125:1-5:Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel. (NIV 1984)Yes, prepare for disaster. The wise are ready for different contingencies. But remember to trust in the Lord, not in your own preparations. He is our ultimate security.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
If. That’s an important word, right? We look back on life and say things like “What if . . .” Sometimes we bemoan missed opportunities and say “If only I had . . . done whatever it was I didn’t do.” But a more productive thought is to think of something wonderful and say “What if that had not happened to me.”I can think that way. If I had not married Elaine, I would have missed having three wonderful children. If I had not taken one job offer, my career would have struggled. And if I hadn’t followed Jesus, where would I be today?Listen to Psalms 124:1-8:If the LORD had not been on our side–let Israel say–if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us,when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive;the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us,the raging waters would have swept us away.Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.(NIV 1984)Now, take a moment to think about what your life would be like without the Lord, then give him thanks.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Christian in many countries face physical attacks, forced marriages, confiscation of property, loss of jobs, imprisonment and the removal of their children from their care. Persecution is a fact of life for followers of Jesus. In some countries, Christians face brutal treatment. Even in the United States, a country with tremendous freedom, contempt and ridicule is often heaped on people of faith. It goes beyond the mockery of late night comedians. Our increasingly woke culture demands the freedom to declare any sin righteous and pressures people to kowtow to their values.One of the Songs of Ascents in the book of Psalms seems written for our time. Psalms 123:1-4 says:“I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.” (NIV 1984)When we are oppressed like a slave or just treated with contempt, the Psalm teaches us to place trust in God. We need his mercy and his grace. He is the one who can deliver us. Worship him today.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What destination excites you? Is it your workplace? Is it your favorite restaurant? How about the stadium or theater? Maybe you love going to the gym, courts or the golf course. Does seeing family excite you? What about worship? Are you excited to gather with others for worship? Listen to Psalms 122:1-9:'I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together.That is where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel.There the thrones for judgment stand, the thrones of the house of David.Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.”For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.' (NIV 1984)The Psalmist was excited to gather with others in worship of God. He prayed for peace and prosperity to allow people to gather in worship. Take a moment to pray for peace and prosperity in every community, state and nation so God’s people can gather and worship him.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When I was a teenager, I rolled an old International Model H farm tractor into the ditch. The tractor had no cab or roll bar, so I landed on my stomach staring at a rock with the tractor upside down over me. The metal seat pressed into my lower back. But I was unhurt because the way the tractor landed in the ditch prevented it crushing me. Those who saw it happen marveled that I was not killed. The good Lord was watching over me.The Lord’s protection is the theme of Psalms 121:1-8:“I lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from?My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber;indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.The LORD watches over you–the LORD is your shade at your right hand;the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.The LORD will keep you from all harm–he will watch over your life;the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (NIV 1984)One reason we worship God is that he cares for us and watches over us. Have you had some close calls? Have you sensed his protection? Stop and take a moment to thank the God who watches over you.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you like to sing while you walk? I suppose a few people do. But most people I know will talk to companions or walk in silence. If they make any music while strolling, it would be to hum or whistle. I suppose people may sing along to whatever is playing through their earbuds. But walking is rarely a musical exercise.The ancient Jews did sing special songs while walking, called Songs of Ascents. Either the people sang them as they climbed into the temple on religious holidays, or the temple staff sang them. Listen to one of these songs from Psalms 120:1-7:“I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree.Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.”(NIV 1984)This song teaches us to worship God, even in distressful times. Do you find people arguing and attacking while you just want to live at peace? If so, don’t skip the worship of God.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
One of Jesus’ most famous stories is the parable of the talents. It repeats themes we’ve heard before about the return of Jesus. The parable begins in Matthew 25:14-18, “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” (NIV 1984)The following verses see the faithful servants rewarded and the one who ignored his master stripped of his talent. Jesus concluded with these words in verses 29-30, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (NIV 1984)We hear again the most important teachings about Jesus’ return: separation of the unrighteous, judgement, and the importance of working for the our Lord.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Weddings can be elaborate affairs. Sometime people even travel to a different country for the ceremony. Flowers, clothing, venues, food and drink must be arranged. Some people make a living by providing wedding planning services to assist with all the arrangements.Weddings were also elaborate in Jesus’ day. Two parades wound through town. The groomsmen brought the bride to the ceremony. The groom picked up the bridesmaids in a procession that paraded from place to place. People waited for the groom to pass and joined in. The parade could last hours before everyone came together for the feast. This custom underlies the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25:1-4, “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.” (NIV 1984)Do you know the rest of the story? When the procession arrived in the middle of the night, the foolish girls left to get oil because their lamps were running out. The procession passed them by and the bridegroom locked them out of the party. Jesus concluded the parable in verse 13, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (NIV 1984) Remember, stay ready. Jesus is coming.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you need to hear something multiple times for it to sink in? Jesus’ apostles were like that. Jesus repeated some teachings on different occasions. Once, he was discussing with the apostles the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple and his return. He repeated in Matthew 24:42-46 something they’d heard before, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” (NIV 1984)Did you hear it again? Be ready for Jesus' return because it will occur when we do not expect. In the following verses, Jesus concludes by reminding us of our accountably. If someone mistreats his fellow servants and ignores the Master’s business, well, verse 51 says Jesus “will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (NIV 1984) Take a moment and let that sink in.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
How much money do you make? Did you know the average hourly wage in the United States rose to more than $28 an hour in January? Hold that thought while we examine Jesus’ words in Luke 19:11-13, ‘While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’”’ (NIV 1984)A mina was a unit of weight, usually describing money. It was the equivalent of four months of pay. So, in today’s money, each servant received a little over $17,000.* Jesus continues the parable, describing how the nobleman returns as king and settles accounts. The servants who made a profit with their mina were made governors of cities. The more profit they made, the more cities they governed. The one who had no return, lost what he had and received no reward. This parable introduces an important theme about the return of Christ, get busy for Jesus now. We will account for what he has entrusted to us. He expects us to increase his kingdom.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
As a youth, I enjoyed my adventures in the Boy Scouts of America. Our motto was “Be prepared.” It’s good advice. I wonder if Jesus inspired it.Listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 12:35-40, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (NIV 1984)This parable introduces a couple of other themes about the second coming of Jesus. The predominate theme is judgement. This parable adds the unexpected timing of his return, like a thief in the night. Since we don’t know when he will return, we must be ready. Are you ready today? If not, get ready.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I once helped a fisherman in Alaska gather fish from his net. He staked it perpendicular to the shore and we checked it when the tide went out leaving the net atop the mud. We untangled several salmon to keep, tossing them into five-gallon buckets. But we also removed several worthless fish and left them to rot.This reminds me of a parable Jesus told in Matthew 13:47-50, “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (NIV 1984)Notice the angels separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into a fire. These themes of separation and judgement are repeated in most of the passages dealing with Christ’s return. Don’t miss the big picture trying to decipher every detail in the book of Revelation or other prophecies. The basic outline of the main events is simple. The end of the age arrives. People are judged. The wicked burn. God’s people live forever with him.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Are you itching to know about the second coming of Jesus? Did you know Jesus taught his disciples about his return? This week, we’ll look at seven of those parables.The first is a story about a farmer who plants seed in a field. An enemy planted weeds. At the harvest, the weeds are separated from the good crop and burned. Jesus explained the story describing his return in Matthew 13:37-43, ‘He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.’” (NIV 1984)In other words, God’s people and the wicked exist together until angels gather the wicked and throw them in the fire. Christians are glorified with the father. Pretty simple, isn’t it?How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you like to attend plays? In high school, I enjoyed drama. I joined the school play and also volunteered for the community theater in a nearby town. I once played the Peanuts character Charlie Brown in a musical. In another play, I was cast as an old man in a wheel chair with failing health. The play revolved around the secret of who poisoned family members in the past. I remember several of my lines involved whining for the character named Constance to bring me things.Drama is related to a word in 1 Peter 1:22, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” (NIV 1984)The word translated “sincere” is the opposite of the Greek word describing an actor on the stage spouting oratory. That word became “hypocrite.” Jesus used it to describe the Pharisees. Their hypocrisy was the opposite of sincerity.Another important word in this passage is deeply. Peter urges us to love each other deeply. The same word is used to describe the emotional intensity of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his death. He prayed so intensely he sweat drops of blood.Our love for others cannot be play acting. It cannot have a whiff of hypocrisy. We must love others from the heart.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever traveled to a foreign country? I've been to a few on business or church trips. Some were not that different than the United States, such as the United Kingdom. I could read the signs and talk to people. Other countries were very different, like China and India. I was much more wary if walking the streets alone in those countries. Language was a barrier. Sometimes, even going through immigration at the border could be a challenge.In my business travels, I visited some cities more than once, usually staying in the same hotel. I relaxed more because I was familiar with the location and knew what to expect. But I never felt like I belonged. I was a stranger. The locals could always spot me as the foreigner. I always looked forward to returning home.These experiences help me understand 1 Peter 1:17, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” (NIV 1984) As followers of Jesus, we must remember where our true home lies. We really don’t belong here, even in our hometown. Oh, we may be comfortable in the city and neighborhood where we each live, but we can’t find a deep sense of belonging here. Those in the world will always spot us as different, a foreigner to some degree. Our spiritual home is with Christ.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
As a child, I received a beautiful, white, hollow body electric guitar and a Gretsch amp. I was excited. But when I tried to wrap my fingers around the neck in weird configurations to form chords, I became discouraged. I wanted to be a guitar player, but struggled to do it.Maybe you’ve felt the same way as a Christian. I Peter 1:15-16 says, ‘But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”’ (NIV 1984) Have you felt discouraged by this verse? Do you find it difficult to live a holy life?Or maybe you feel apathetic. You believe holiness is next to impossible for you, so you shrug your shoulders and ignore the command. Then some of us may feel frustrated. Why would God ask us to do something so difficult? But all of these feelings are tragic.When you hear God say “Be holy, because I am holy” you should be excited. God didn’t say you needed to be perfect. We don’t lose salvation when we fail. He charged us to be separate and special as he is. Our behavior, attitudes and values must be like his, not the world’s. And here’s the best part. He has given us his Holy Spirit to transform us. And just like my fingers eventually learned to play the guitar, we will become holy like Him.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I recently helped in the children’s program at a church event. Years have passed since I last supervised children at play. One of the activities the children enjoyed was molding lumps of putty. They rubbed it and patted it. They squeezed it into toys or stamped a pattern into it with something like a cookie-cutter. They had a lot of fun.People are a lot like the putty the children used. We can be molded and shaped. We often squeeze ourselves into something others want. We conform to the desires and pressures around us as if some cookie cutter stamped the pattern on our thinking. We do it all the time. We want to fit in. You see this especially with middle school youth. Whatever group they’re in, they want to dress the same, act the same and sport the same haircut. If one shoves a safety pin through an ear lobe, the others want to do it too. Or they want the tattoo, or the hair color. But adult are the same, just more sophisticated. We don’t always dress the same. But we often fit our desires or values to those of the group. That’s why 1 Peter 1:14 warns us with these words, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” Today, don’t be putty. Don’t conform to the desires and values of the world. Follow Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Where would you and I be without mothers? They teach an untold number of practical things. They teach us how to make the bed, brush our teeth and fasten our shoes. And that’s usually after we learn to walk, use the bathroom and dress ourselves. Another thing mothers teach is using care when setting down a glass of water. I’m sure you’ve seen a child plop a cup or glass down on the edge of the table, with part of it hanging off. The mother rescues the teetering glass and prompts the child to place it fully onto the table.Peter does something similar in 1 Peter 1:13, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (NIV 1984)Instead of using care in setting down a glass, Peter instructs us about where to place our hope. It must be fully on the grace we will receive when Jesus returns. Yes, we have a hope of eternal life that can never perish, spoil or fade, but only if it rests on grace. But why this reminder? Because we face a life filled with trials. If our hope teeters on the edge, then the bumps and bruises of life may send it crashing to the ground. Remember, we’ve been given grace now and we’ll have his grace at his coming.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
American-style football requires athletes to exercise self-control on many levels. One level is the discipline to appear at practice and workouts to learn the plays and develop the skills, strength and stamina needed to compete. Every athlete in the NFL has this level of self-discipline. Another level is to wait for the hike to execute the play. With just a few exceptions, every NFL athlete does this consistently. What is harder is keeping your cool in the midst of an emotional, hard-fought game. Players penalize their teams for lack of self-control. They get flagged for taunting or unnecessary roughness. Sometimes, it leads to the team’s defeat as it did for the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. A personal foul in the closing seconds moved the Chiefs into field goal range. They scored and won.Listen to 1 Peter 1:13, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (NIV 1984) Did you hear the encouragement to be self-controlled? When we look at our lives, we may see a level of self-control. We may see habits of prayer, bible reading and involvement in church or a small group. But our self-control must go to the next level. We pour ourselves into life. We may become exhausted or frustrated or experience other intense emotions, good or bad. It is especially during these moments we must keep ourselves in bounds.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I am thrilled with the Kansas City Chiefs for defeating the Cincinnati Bengals for the NFL AFC Championship game. As a fan, I love it when my team wins. I’m sure you also love it when your team wins.I am even happier that the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Superbowl. In both games, my team came prepared physically and mentally. Both are important. But mental preparation may be more important. Coaches often remind players to think, to get their heads in the game. Stupid penalties and the lack of concentration are costly when the stakes are high.The same is true in life. We have to prepare our attitudes for the spiritual battle much like athletes must prepare for the big game. The apostle Peter reminds us about this. After opening his first letter extolling God for our new birth into the living hope of a future inheritance promised and guarded by God, he urges us to do seven things. This week, we’ll examine each of them. 1 Peter 1:13 says, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (NIV 1984)Peter is our spiritual coach telling us “prepare your minds for action.” We must exert ourselves as followers of Jesus. Get your head in the game. React quickly and stay on course following Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
How would you complete a sentence that begins, “A Florida man . . .” Would you say, “does something stupid?” A popular meme on the internet involves the words “Florida man.” According to Wikipedia, the meme started on a Twitter account that posted news headlines about male residents of the state doing bizarre things. On the day I searched the internet news for “Florida man” I found two stories only hours old.In one, a 53 year old man set his home near Orlando on fire because he was mad at the home owners association. It exploded, damaging other units. Then the man shot himself in the neck, but not fatally. He was hauled to jail, charged with arson.1 In the other story, a drunk driver was arrested for crashing his car into a dentist’s office in Ocala. He fled from the scene, but was apprehended later with a blood alcohol level far above the legal limit. He was arrested for DUI and fleeing the scene.2These stories illustrate a principle about fools. Fools face punishment. Proverbs 16:22 says, “Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools.” (NIV 1984) Let’s be realistic. We all know that fools live in every state, not just Florida. We must all focus on understanding and following God’s word. It is the best way to avoid punishment in this life and in the afterlife.Louis Casiano, "Florida man angry with HOA sets apartment on fire, causing explosion, before shooting himself: police," Fox News, January 24, 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-man-angry-hoa-apartment-fire-explosion-shooting-himself-policeMarie Edinger,"Florida man who rammed car into dentist's office charged with DUI, police say," Fox News, January 25, 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/video/6319226782112How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
A certified nursing assistant at Salem Health in Oregon lost her job and will have her license suspended after she posted a video on social media last October. The video showed the CNA mocking a groaning patient.Why do people think mockery is humor? We all laugh at it. Media personalities mock politicians. This is especially true of talk show hosts and the casts of late-night comedy shows. People also mock one another in the office, at the factory and on social media. Mocking is more than a joke. It ridicules another, displaying contempt for the person or their position. I’m not talking about good-natured teasing. We poke fun at each other all the time. Mockery goes beyond teasing. It temps others to laugh in derision. Respect is absent from mockery.A sure sign you’ve spotted a fool is finding someone mocking certain things. Proverbs 14:9 says, “Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.” (NIV 1984)You see, good people treat others with respect and goodwill. If they offend someone, they make amends. But fools scoff at the idea they have been wrong. They sarcastically imitate those they offend, accusing them of being overly sensitive or something worse. Fools also mock the concept that Jesus makes amends for their sins or anyone’s.Learn from this verse to spread goodwill. Guard yourself against mocking others.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What do you picture when you hear the word folly? Maybe you see the court jester of medieval times, complete with a hat with two or three points, each sporting a bell. We often think of folly as entertaining foolishness, jokes and stunts with no real harm. You may think of the silliness of some Youtube videos or late night comics.But the word folly has a more sinister meaning in Proverbs which corresponds to an archaic definition of the word. Wickedness. The folly of fools depicted in the book of Proverbs not only lacks sense, it harms self and others. It is wickedness. Listen to Proverbs 14:8, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” (NIV 1984) In other words, fools promote things that are not true. They mislead, distract and conceal things. They don’t consider whether their actions are good or not.Deception is evil. Some of the greatest deceptions of history resulted in the death and abuse of millions. Hitler launched the Holocaust with false ideas about the Jews. Africans were sold and abused as slaves and then mistreated when freed. Why? False ideas about their inferiority.One way to spot fools is to spot those concealing thing, distracting people and promoting false ideas. With that definition, I’m sure you’ve noticed many fools. Remember, consider your ways and avoid deceiving others.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The news media has followed Elon Musk for years. The eccentric billionaire started unique companies that launched rockets, bored tunnels and manufactured electric cars. And he has a quirky personality. But coverage increased after he offered to buy the social media company, Twitter. With all the accusations of Twitter suppressing free speech, and the company's resistance to Musk’s offer, it drew a lot of attention.Musk also came under scrutiny for a tweet about taking another of his companies, Tesla, private. An attorney was grilling Musk about the tweet as part of a lawsuit. But the attorney made a slip of the tongue. In the midst of cross-examining him, the attorney addressed Musk as “Mr. Tweet” instead of Mr. Musk. The report is Musk took no offense.Have you ever had an embarrassing slip of the tongue? Perhaps you’ve blurted out a thought better left unsaid, like the attorney. Controlling our speech is important. Sometimes lives are even at stake. During WWII, the government urged people to be careful with their speech. Posters declared things like “loose lips sink ships.”Which brings us to Proverbs 12:23, “A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.” (NIV 1984) This verse provides another characteristic we can use to spot a fool – undisciplined speech. Too many people spew out their thoughts, whether verbally or on social media. Don’t be a fool. Some things you should keep to yourself.Tony Owusu, "Lawyer Interrogating Elon Musk Has Amusing Slip of the Tongue," The Street, posted on MSN, January 23, 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/lawyer-interrogating-elon-musk-has-amusing-slip-of-the-tongue/ar-AA16Fjj8How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Did you purchase something for your loved one? It was estimated that people would spend nearly $24 billion in 2022 on Valentine’s Day. Roughly half the adult population planned to celebrate. I’m sure you can guess what the most popular gifts were. That's right, candy, greeting cards and flowers. Roughly a third of adults planned to spend an evening out celebrating the day.Perhaps you’re wondering how Valentine’s Day fits into the week’s theme of Proverbs about fools. I looked, but didn’t find any proverbs that said a fool skips or forgets Valentine’s Day. But, just the same, I don’t recommend it.What I did find was the challenge to love wisdom. The book is addressed to the writer’s son. It personifies wisdom and encourages the son to pursue her like a good woman. Listen to Proverbs 4:6-9, “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.” (NIV 1984)Enjoy Valentine’s Day. Display your affection for your loved one. But also give devotion to learning and following God’s teaching. Love wisdom.Elana Dure, "Valentine's Day Shoppers Are Expected to Spend $23.9B in 2022," the Balance, updated on July 19, 2022, https://www.thebalancemoney.com/happy-valentine-s-day-retailers-feeling-the-love-3306043How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I sometimes poke around on the Google Trends site. It provides data on the popularity of search terms entered into Google’s search engine. Did you know the most popular search term in 2022 was wordle? Of course election results was number two followed by Betty White and Queen Elizabeth. I don’t know whether to be reassured wordle was number one or not.The site also provides data on the region where a term is popular. For example, at one point early in 2022, the term fool was a highly popular search in Washington D.C. But its popularity decreased over the year.The book of Proverbs was written to provide instruction to make one wise. But this week, I thought we’d flip the playbook. Rather than focus on wisdom, we are looking at fools. Proverbs has a lot to say about fools. None of it flattering. All of it a warning. One passage is Proverbs 1:32-33, “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” (NIV 1984)A definition for complacency is “smug satisfaction with an existing condition while unaware of potential danger.” Let me paraphrase that. You can spot a fool because they smugly believe they know best. They don’t listen to God’s instruction. Don’t be foolish. Listen to God’s word and follow it.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I’ve been scratching my head more lately. No, I don’t have dandruff or a skin condition. I’m puzzled. How could there be so many foolish people in the world? The crazy things some people believe astound me. They’re just not true. And I’m not just talking about politicians, though you can find a lot of fools in Washington. Fools are everywhere. In the media, in activist groups, in politics, in colleges and university. You probably have spotted some where you work. Or have you?Not everyone knows how to spot a fool. Our mental picture of a fool is often a cross-eyed, drooling simpleton. But many fools are very smart and highly educated. Being a fool has nothing to do with intelligence or education. How do you spot them? Listen to Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (NIV 1984)This passage tells us that fools have no respect for God. The wise fear him, fools do not. They also despise his instruction on how to live. Can you spot the people scoffing at God’s concept of an ethical and moral life? Fools. Finally, the passage tells us fools despise God’s correction. They stubbornly chase the wrong things.So, beware of the fools in life. Keep an eye out for them. Hopefully you won’t spot one when you look in the mirror.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
People are often fascinated by the last words of famous people. Did you know that on the night he died, Elvis Presley reportedly said, “I'm going to the bathroom to read"? A member of French royalty in the early 1700s, the Comtesse de Vercellis, passed gas while she was dying. She said, “Good. A woman who can fart is not dead.”As humorous as these examples are, most people reach out to loved ones. As he died, actor John Wayne, turned to his wife and said, “Of course I know who you are. You’re my girl. I love you." Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the Sherlock Holmes novels, said to his wife before his death, “You’re wonderful.”Still other people call out to God. One who did was Jesus. Some of his last words formed a prayer. Luke 23:44-46 says, ‘It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.’ (NIV 1984)People often look at last words for inspiration on how to die well. The words of Jesus certainly do this. But committing our spirit into God’s hand is also a wonderful way to live. Pray and commit yourself to live for him today.Chris Higgins, "64 People and Their Famous Last Words," Mental Floss, February 12, 2016, updated March 2, 2021, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58534/64-people-and-their-famous-last-wordsHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What was the most powerful and crushing emotion you have ever felt? For me, it was grief. I remember praying to God with tears flooding my eyes. The emotion clung to me for days and weeks. Feelings of loss are powerful.Some people feel loss mixed with other emotions. Perhaps their marriage or family crumbled. They feel lonely, betrayed, or utterly rejected. The feeling of being abandoned mixed with the loss of someone is an incredibly powerful emotion. It is something Jesus felt. Not only did he feel it, he expressed it in prayer. Listen to his prayer during the crucifixion recorded in Mark 15:33-34, ‘At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”’ (NIV 1984)You and I know the full story. God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus also knew that would happen before going to the cross. But he still experienced the emotions of grief and of being abandoned and expressed them in prayer.If you are grieving, you can express it to God. And if you feel God has abandoned you, you can express that as well. This example of prayer from Jesus’ life encourages us to tell God how we feel – even our most crushing and powerful emotions.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Many challenges in life are difficult. Take athletes. They often face a burning desire to quit. They push themselves on the track or in the gym. They struggle to go longer and faster. They strain to lift more or leap higher. They stretch themselves to develop skills and stamina. They battle the fatigue that drains their desire to achieve.But sometimes, the challenges in life are physical exhaustion. The challenge is mental. And sometimes the challenge is to know when to let go. And to do it. To let go of the bitterness and hate focused on those who have wounded us.For me, one of the most challenging prayers of Jesus came on the day he died. Listen to it in Luke 23:33-34, ‘When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals–one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.’ (NIV 1984)Jesus modeled what he taught. He prayed for his enemies even as they drove spikes through his flesh. Not only did he forgive them, he asked God the Father to forgive them as well. Today, pray for those who have hurt you. Ask God to forgive them for what they’ve done to you.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What keeps you up at night? Do you worry about health? Do you toss and turn thinking about your finances or your job? Do you struggle over making the right choices? Do you find it hard to obey God? We’ve all lost sleep at one time or another. Did you know Jesus also lost sleep?On the night before his death, Jesus agonized over following God’s will. He went to a garden outside Jerusalem and prayed. Matthew 26:39-42 says, ‘Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”’ (NIV 1984)Following Jesus is not easy. Many agonize over obeying God’s will at some point in their lives. But Jesus shows us the way. In our prayers, we must express a desire to follow God’s will, not our own. The secret is to pray and obey.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
John 17 records Jesus’ longest prayer, given the night before his death. We don’t have time in two minutes to examine the entire prayer, but it contains three parts.Verse 1 holds the beginning, ‘After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” (NIV 1984) Jesus began his prayer by seeking what he needed to glorify God.Next, he prayed for his apostles. In John 17:11 he said “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one.” (NIV 1984) The following verses reveal Jesus requested spiritual protection from the evil one. A spiritual attack could destroy the apostles' unity.Then Jesus prayed for you, me and every follower of his. In John 17:20-21 he prayed, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (NIV 1984) The reason we need unity is reveal two verses later, to let the world know Jesus was sent by God.Today, pray God gives you what is needed to glorify him and to protect the unity of Christians so the world will know Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever sat next to two other friends engaged in conversation? Don’t you enjoy it when they include you and speak with you? No one wants to sit there, forgotten or abandoned.Have you thought about prayer in the same way? God is always present in our lives. Do we spontaneously pray to him as the occasion arises? Jesus did. In John 12, Jesus explained to the disciples that he would die like a seed, in order to produce more seeds. He commented on the subject of his death in verses 27-29, ‘“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.’ (NIV 1984)In this passage, we usually marvel at the thunderous voice of God that replied to Jesus. Instead, focus on the way Jesus spoke a one sentence prayer. It fit naturally into the moment. He knew God was present and prayed that God would glorify his name.Remember that God is always present in our lives. Let’s include him and listen to him. Try some one sentence prayers today.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you remember learning a skill as a child? Maybe it was riding a bike, driving a nail or frying an egg. It didn’t help much for someone to tell you what to do. You learned when they showed you what to do. The same is true in our spiritual lives. We need examples to follow. Jesus is our prime example.Jesus taught people to pray by explaining what to do and not to do. But he also provided an example in the Lord's Prayer. It is a model we can follow. However, this week the podcast will examine seven times Jesus prayed. We’ll examine the words of these other prayers as examples to follow.The first is found in Luke 10:21-22, ‘At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (NIV 1984)In this prayer, Jesus demonstrates praising God for working in his life and the lives of his followers. Take a moment now to praise God for working in your life.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you heard about ROI? The acronym usually refers to return on investment, although I have also heard it used to indicate reliability of income. Return on investment is an important concept for making investment decisions. A simple example is comparing the interest rates for different CDs or savings accounts. The higher the percentage rate, the better. In general, the greater the ROI, the faster your nest egg grows.Financial advisors discuss with clients ROI, risks and other characteristics of different types of investments. They advise on allocating money to a mix of investments maximize ROI within acceptable risk tolerances. They also use sophisticated computer programs to model how long a client’s investments will last during retirement. If you retire without enough of the proper investments, you’ll run out of money.However, I’m not here to offer you financial advice. But these financial concepts are helpful when considering 1 John 2:17, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (NIV)This reminds us that chasing more money and things, or pursuing career above all else, or craving what the world offers is ultimately a defeat. But living the way God desires leads to eternal rewards. Don’t love the things of the world. Love God and keep his commandments. You cannot love both God and the world.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Way back in time, I performed my own auto tune-ups. As a poor college student, I needed to stretch my pennies. I invested in a few tools, a timing light and the shop manual for my Japanese economy car. This was the era of points, plugs and condensers. The car would be an antique today. Besides tune-ups, I changed the oil and even checked my radiator fluid. I’d open the radiator, stick the hose of the tester in the fluid, squeeze the bulb and suck up liquid into the device. Little colored balls were used to determine what cold temperatures the anti-freeze would endure. The more balls that floated, the better.Have you ever wanted a way to tune up your spiritual life? Or would a diagnostic tool to check how you are doing be useful? Unfortunately, we can’t suck a little of our heart into a device and see how many colored balls float. But we can look at 1 John 2:16, “For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.” (NIV)This passage tells us to check for the pollutants of lust, self and stuff. If your heart is filled with them, the love of the Father is not in you. Today, check what fills your heart.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I’m sure you have flipped a coin at one time or another, right? This method of random selection between two choices is used at the start of American-style football games to determine which team gets the ball first. It works because a coin can’t land as both heads and tails at the same time. They are mutually exclusive.Many things in life are mutually exclusive. If you have $100 to spend, and all of your choices cost $50 or more, you can’t buy two things – only one. Location is another example. We usually say it as “you can’t be in two places at once.”Or think of a drinking glass. You can fill the glass with many things. You can even mix different liquids, such as milk and chocolate syrup. But you can’t fill it with air at the same time you fill it with a liquid. The liquid displaces the air. One excludes the other.In a similar way, we can’t fill our heart with two different loves. Listen to 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (NIV) John tells us that love of the world displaces the love of God. What fills your heart today? Are you craving things of this world or desiring to display your love of God by obeying him?How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Several years ago, my family toured a famous cave in southern Missouri. The outlaw Jesse James allegedly used the cave to escape pursuit and divide the loot with his gang, though that was in a hidden part of the cave. We entered through a large opening, with a gift shop inside. We crossed a dance floor in one large room installed in the 1890’s. In the days before air conditioning, summer dance parties were held in the cave’s cool, 60 degree room.But nobody was dancing when we toured. We strolled through the cave with a guide, marveling at all the spectacular formations, some reaching nearly 70 feet in height. At one point, deep in the cave, the guide shut off the lights. Utter darkness surrounded us. I couldn’t see my finger touching my nose.This experience helps me understand 1 John 2:9-11, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” (NIV)Don’t live in darkness, hating people and ignoring the truth. Live in the light. Love others and nothing will make you stumble in following Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever been confused when people tell you something. I’m sure it has happened to you, right? When it happens, we usually ask questions to clarify or confirm the message. I remember as a teen, I misunderstood the instructions of the farmer I worked for. I didn’t stop to clarify things either. That day I drove the tractor through the wrong part of the field. It sank into the mud. My boss was not happy.Hearing 1 John 2:7-8 may confuse us. It says, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” (NIV)What did John mean he wasn’t writing a new command, but then he said he was? Was he writing something new or something old? Are you confused? John posed a paradox as a literary device to focus attention. The command to love God and your neighbor was old, a part of the Mosaic Law. But the way Jesus loved was new, like light shining in the dark. Rather than loving someone like you love self, Jesus sacrificed his life. Today, remember to love others with the same love Jesus has shown you.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I’ve known some interesting characters in my life. I was recently thinking of my Grandpa Fuller. He lived alone in an old school bus he converted into an RV and workshop. He traveled around a part of Kansas, sharpening tools and fishing. Grandpa had no teeth, one arm and walked with a limp. He usually wore an old seed cap, a t-shirt and a button shirt he never buttoned. He would stop at our house and eat with us, then say, “that tastes all right to my mouth,” or, “that taste morish.” I remember fishing for catfish with grandpa. He always caught more than I did. When I asked his secret, he told me it was all in the way he held his mouth.I enjoyed knowing Grandpa, but I can’t say the experience transformed me. But knowing God is different. If you know God, you will change the way you act. That’s what 1 John 2:3-6 says, ‘We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (NIV)Today, obey God and let his love complete its work in you.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Letter writing is a lost art. Today, people fire off emoji-laden text messages. Business communications are usually email. The slower, more thoughtful process of handwriting a personal letter is as rare today as some endangered species. I appreciate the craft, though I’m not sure I'm very good at it. Oh, sure, back in the day I wrote letters to my fiancé. But that ended with our marriage. But my wife and her mother exchanged weekly letters for decades.Several books in the New Testament were written as letters, including 1 John. The book has an intimate tone. Listen to 1 John 2:1-2, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (NIV)In two verses, John gives his purpose in writing and a solution. The purpose was to encourage the readers to live right with God. But if they didn’t, he reminded them of the solution – Jesus. His death was the payment of penalty that accomplished forgiveness. That’s what the words “atoning sacrifice” mean. His death as God’s Son has the power to provide forgiveness to the whole world. What a wonderful thing to remember today.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Science fiction is filled with strange creatures. Usually they want to eat us, kill us, rule over us, or something like that. In some stories, the creatures land from space. In others, they are created by a mad scientist or result from an accident during an experiment. A few are discovered lurking in remote places, orphaned from the past.Can you imagine a creature that is part plant and part animal? As crazy as it sounds, such a creature exists. In real life, not fiction. Sea slugs of a certain type eat algae. Their body extracts chloroplast cells from the algae and transports them to structures on its back. These cells absorb sunshine through the slugs transparent skin and produce energy through photosynthesis. The slug generates the exact chemicals needed to sustain the chloroplasts, including chlorophyll and several other enzymes.The slugs also eat sea anemones. They are not damaged by the anemones stinging cells. Those are transported to the slugs skin and used for its own defenseHow did this creature develop? Did some kind of cross-DNA mashup between the sea slug and the algae occur in the past to enable this? No evidence of DNA mixing exists. Scientists know of no mechanism to enable it. I don’t think they are the result of some accident. And people didn’t make them. But their complex systems were design and created by our fascinating, intelligent God.**Frank Sherwin, Brian Thomas, Jeffrey P. Tomkins, James J.S. Johnson, Scott Arledge, Fascinating Creatures: Evidence of Christ’s Handiwork, (Dallas, Texas: Institute for Creation Research, 2022), 37-39.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? My father posed this question to me when I was a child. If I said the egg, he asked where was the chicken that laid the egg? If I said the chicken, he’d ask how it could exist without hatching from an egg. My father enjoyed teasing with riddles and logic puzzles.Of course, you and I know the answer in Genesis is simple. God created the chicken when he made the birds of the air.But this is not a simple question for an evolutionist. They face multiple chicken and egg problems. One is the human embryo in the womb. It does not have all the systems needed to survive. It relies on the mother’s body. Chemical communication and nutrition flows between the mother and the embryo. The placenta develops from the cells of both bodies. When the baby is developed, it signals the mother’s body to initiate birth. How can two different bodies at different stages of life evolve this interconnection? How could this complexity arise gradually over long periods of time?The answer: it can’t. All of the systems and features need to appear at the same time. Of course, Genesis tells us God created Eve. He designed her body and the embryonic development that occurred when she bore children. Here again is a reason to believe. If you'd like to see more on this topic, see the show notes for a link to a two-minute video."Think You Can Solve the ‘Mother of all Chicken and Egg Problems’ of Your Body?" HillFaith, https://www.hillfaith.org/apologetics/think-you-can-solve-the-mother-of-all-chicken-and-egg-problems-of-your-body/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever hiked in a desert environment? Many years ago, our family vacationed in New Mexico and Arizona. Our longest hike was partway down a trail into the Grand Canyon, and back up. Rangers required hikers to carry water. I drank all of mine and wanted more after our three mile hike. Can you imagine plodding through desert dunes for 100 miles before taking a drink? No way, right?Well, that’s what a camel can do. According to the booklet, Fascinating Creatures, a camel can carry 400 pounds 100 miles without consuming food or water. It utilizes the fat in its hump and storage chambers in the stomach to accomplish this. After eight days without water, a camel can suck up 27 gallons. Ten minutes after drinking, the stomach is empty. The camel is perfectly adapted to the desert environment. Nostrils close against flying dust. Their feet spread like snowshoes to support them on loose sand. Their eyes have special structures to protect the retina from glare and are shielded by eyelids with two rows of eyelashes. An inner eyelid also wipes grains of sand from the eye. A thick coat of hair insulates the animal.So, did camels evolve? The fossil record has no evidence of transitional animals. Camel fossils appear quite like modern camels, although some were about twice as big. Camels display the evidence of intelligent design. They are another reason to believe in God.Frank Sherwin, Brian Thomas, Jeffrey P. Tomkins, James J.S. Johnson, Scott Arledge, Fascinating Creatures: Evidence of Christ’s Handiwork, (Dallas, Texas: Institute for Creation Research, 2022), 27-29.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When you drive through the heart of the state of Kentucky, you drive through horse country. Large houses and attractive barns are surrounded by lush, green pastures fenced by white or black boards. Thoroughbred horses graze on the grass or exercise in private paddocks. The grandeur of some horse farms is truly amazing. The cost to own and train a horse, especially for racing, can soar into the tens of thousands of dollars per year.Horses have long been a symbol of wealth and power. In ancient times, they were also key to military might. The richest king in the history of Israel amassed tremendous wealth, including horses. 1 Kings 10:26 says, “Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.” (NIV)Archaeologists have uncovered some of Solomon’s stables at Megiddo, a strategically located city along the major north-south trade route. The southern stable compound covered more ground than an American-style football field. In the center, a cistern was sunk capable of holding 2,775 gallons of water. The compound included two large storage rooms which probably housed chariots. The stables contained stalls for 150 horses.Archaeology continues to provide us reasons to believe the bible. Trust what it says.Paul E. Little, Know Why You Believe, (Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1968), 52-53.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you remember the old Star Trek movie where Captain Kirk and crew take a captured Klingon warbird back in time to transport humpback whales into the future? It’s a fun, if unrealistic, story. But back in reality, humpback whales are themselves amazing. They cooperate to corral and feed on fish, launch their 40-ton bodies into the air and communicate with haunting songs.Where did these whales come from? Evolutionists believe they descended from a wolf-like animal. That’s right. The small critter liked to swim and feed on fish. But why a wolf-like creature? Because whales are mammals. According to evolutionary theory, they developed from other mammals, not fish. So, over millions of years the wolf-like mammal mutated. Nostrils moved to the top of the head, hair was lost and blubber formed. Front legs slowly morphed into flippers and the back legs became a powerful tail. Teeth changed. The cardiopulmonary system changed. Sensory organs developed. That’s what they say. And you thought the Star Trek story was far-fetched!The problem is that multiple beneficial mutations would need to occur together through the centuries, in a random way. Researchers have calculated that 100 million years are needed for just one pair of cooperative mutations to randomly occur in a large population of animals. When you calculate all the changes needed from the furry land critter to the whale, it becomes impossible by random chance.That’s one reason why believing in a Creator makes sense."A Whale of a Story," The John 10:10 project, video embedded on "CONSIDER THIS: A Whale of a Way to Start 2023," HillFaith https://www.hillfaith.org/apologetics/consider-this-a-whale-of-a-way-to-start-2023/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever marveled at the beauty of butterflies flitting and fluttering about flowers? I enjoy watching them feed on the zinnias outside my office window. I’ve also admired them flying through butterfly enclosures at parks and museums. But don’t just marvel at their delightful colors and their enchanting flight. The function of their wings is amazing. Their beauty may inspire artists, but their wings can inspire engineers.An article in Fascinating Creatures, a booklet published by the Institute for Creation Research, describes a 2021 study of butterflies. Scientists analyzed the wing action and aerodynamics of a silver-washed fritilliary. That’s a species of butterfly. They used high-speed cameras to capture images of the butterflies in a wind tunnel. The images collected were subjected to two types of sophisticated analysis, tomographic particle image velocimetry and kinematics.What did they discover? They found butterflies have an unexpected wing design, different than other insects. The flexible wings form a pocket on the upstroke and force the air out on the downstroke like a miniature jet engine. The puffs of air propel the butterfly forward. Compared to other insects, butterflies have a 22% increase in forceful impulse and a 28% increase in efficiency.The complexity of butterfly wings and flight point us to the wisdom of the Creator. They are reasons to believe in God.Frank Sherwin, Brian Thomas, Jeffrey P. Tomkins, James J.S. Johnson, Scott Arledge, Fascinating Creatures: Evidence of Christ’s Handiwork, (Dallas, Texas: Institute for Creation Research, 2022), 21-22.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Did I walk past one of the most important archeological discoveries of all time? I may have. In June of 2011, my wife and I toured Israel. One stop was wading through a dark tunnel carved to divert Gihon spring water into the Siloam pool located in the ancient city of Jerusalem. The knee-deep water chilled our feet. We waded single file, using flashlights, our tennis shoes dangling by their strings draped over our necks. I cracked my head on the ceiling once. The tunnel was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It is an engineering marvel commissioned by Hezekiah over 2,700 years ago.Although it is an archeological wonder, it is the inscriptions from the tunnel that Dr. Gershon Galil, a pro fessor at the University of Haifa, called “one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Israel of all time.”The inscriptions echo the wording of several verses in 2 Kings summarizing Hezekiah’s accomplishments. This makes the inscriptions the earliest text of the Old Testament, hundreds of years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. A section of the inscription were chiseled out and removed in 1880. Recently, additional lines of the inscription have been discovered on the tunnel walls. I waded past them!The correlation between the inscriptions and the verses in 2 Kings show the Bible reflects history, not fanciful stories. Archaeology has again given us evidence to believe the Bible.Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, "Was proof of biblical kings of Israel, Judah deciphered on Jerusalem rock inscriptions?" The Jerusalem Post, December 16, 2022, quoted on MSN, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/was-proof-of-biblical-kings-of-israel-judah-deciphered-on-jerusalem-rock-inscriptions/ar-AA15lzYTHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When you picture heaven, what do you see? Do you imagine people strumming harps and sitting on clouds? Or do you picture a long, green fairway leading to a gently sloping green. Oh, wait a minute. For some people golf would be a place of torment.Let’s stop and try again. Settle back and think about heaven as described in the book of Revelation. Do you envision pearly gates and streets of gold? Do you picture a city illuminated by the glory of God? Do you smell the blooming fruit trees or hear the water flowing in the river of life? Maybe you hear a multitude of voices praising God. Can you picture the smiles of deceased loved ones or the beaming face of Jesus?Heaven will be populated with a multitude of people who followed Christ. Picture the diversity described in Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” (NIV)God’s creative genius resulted in a rich diversity of people. Heaven will be filled with this diversity. Regardless of race, language or ethnic origin, we are all equal and precious in his sight. God loves all and so should we.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you noticed that people have a strong sense of social position? We sort ourselves into different groups. We view society as stratified, with some on top and others on bottom. Even the term middle class is a staple of American lingo. It describes those who are not the elite, nor the poor. Throughout history, class distinctions have reigned. Some people were recognized as royalty, others not . In some countries, more than two classes developed.Class also played heavily in the development of social-governmental systems such as socialism and communism. Communism seeks to create a class-free society where all are equal. But every time it has been implemented, the governing elite live far better than the everyone else.Colossians 3:9-11 reads, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (NIV)When Paul used the words barbarian and Scythian he highlighted another way people divide themselves socially – education and intelligence. Even today, the college educated elite can look with disdain at others.As Christians, we cannot allow this thinking. We must view each other as equals, regardless of social background, education or economic status. Christ lives in each of us.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
For centuries, women were second class citizens, valued less than men. In ancient Israel, inheritance rights flowed through male descendants with only a couple of exceptions. In the Roman world, infants, usually daughters, were often abandoned on the city garbage heap to die. However, women’s status was not always inferior. Women in ancient Egypt had the same rights as men. A woman’s rights varied based on her social class, but not on her gender.In self-governing countries, women did not receive the right to vote as early as men. New Zealand was the first self-governing country to recognize a woman’s right to vote in 1893. Although several different states in the United States recognized women’s voting rights earlier, the U.S. Constitution was not amended until 1920. However, women have still experienced discrimination of different kinds since then.The equality of women has been a teaching in Christianity from the first century, though not always practiced. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) Paul asserted that gender and other distinctions do not change our access to God. All who believe in Jesus share in his blessings and promises. All form one body in Him.Today, thank God for creating people as male and female. We are all precious in his sight and share equally in salvation."Timeline of women's suffrage," Wikipedia, last updated December 28, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_women's_suffrageHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The world holds many different religions. The exact number of religions is difficult to determine. Some estimate as many as 4,000 religions exist. About 85 percent of people on this planet identify with one of them. The vast majority follow either Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism. Throughout history, religion is one of many ways people made value judgements. Ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as inferior. Christians were persecuted by Jews and pagan Romans. Muslims attacked all non-Muslims. Christians crusaded against Muslims. Catholics and Protestants fought against each other. Even today, religion is used to hate and persecute others.Religion does not make any of us more valuable than the next. We are all created in the image of God. Christ died for everyone. In fact, the message about Jesus makes no distinction between people, even their religious identities. Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (NIV)By mentioning Jews and Gentiles, Paul covered everyone. God’s salvation is available to everyone, regardless of their heritage or current religion. All have equal access to faith in Jesus. Today, remember to treat everyone as equal in value.Mary Fairchild, "How Many Religions Are There in the World?" Learn Religions, March 22, 2021, https://www.learnreligions.com/how-many-religions-are-there-in-the-world-5114658How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever looked in the mirror and wished you looked different? We all do it. We want more of this and less of that. I’m told even super models have some physical trait they don’t like. Our superficial culture values youth and beauty. It seeks to shame us because we don’t measure up to its standards. Then it temps us to buy some product to fix our problem, whether skin lotion, hair tonic or cosmetic surgery. We fall for it because we believe the physically attractive are more valuable.This week the podcast is focused on the equality of people. On Sunday, we found the first reason people have equal value. It lies in the creation of human beings in the image of God. Today, we find another reason, and it has nothing to do with our looks.2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (NIV)Did you hear it? The Son of God died to save you. How do you place a value on that? It truly is priceless. But he didn’t just die for you, or me. He died for all people. We are each so valuable Christ died for one and he died for all.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Today, the United States honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a national holiday. Dr. King was an American Baptist minister and our country’s foremost civil rights champion. He awakened the conscience of the nation against the oppressive practices known as Jim Crow. State and local laws and other regulations, discriminated against Black Americans, dictating where they could eat, ride public transportation, live and more. Their right to vote was also suppressed. Dr. King led non-violent protests which were met with violent opposition by racists.Dr. King held the moral high ground in the conflict. He held unwaveringly to the equality of people and sought justice for the oppressed. His most famous speech, delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., ends with these words:‘Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring -- when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children -- black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics -- will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"’Today, thank God for Dr. King and those who stood beside him to win equality for oppressed people."Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous 'I Have a Dream' speech: Full text," Fox News, January 17, 2022, https://www.foxnews.com/us/transcript-of-martin-luther-king-jr-s-i-have-a-dream-speechHow to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you noticed the demands for equality in our society? They’ve changed over the years. Once the goal was equal opportunity for all. Now the demand is for equity, not simply equality. No longer is equal opportunity the goal. Now some expect the outcomes to be equal, the same. For example, if one group scores poorly on school tests, some demand the grading be adjusted so all score the same. Often their current desire for equity conflicts with the principle of personal responsibility.But we won’t solve these issues today. They can be distractions. We need to examine a deeper value, namely, that all people have equal value. All lives matter. Equality is just. How do we know? Because of Genesis 1:26-27, ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.’ (NIV)God created Adam and Eve in a unique way, in His image. All people descended from them share in the result of God’s creative act. I encourage you to recognize the equality of all people and treat them fairly.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat. I’ve used that proverb before, have you? It means multiple ways to do something exist. But where did the phrase originate? Who skinned cats? It sounds rather gruesome.Some evidence suggests the phrase described a Pine Martin, a fur bearing animal of the weasel family. In Ireland, they were called “treecats.” So, it may stem from fur trapping. It first appeared in literature in a book by Seba Smith in 1854. Mark Twain and other authors also used it. But the idiom should not be taken literally. Today, we all know it means more than one way exists to accomplish a task.Which brings us to 1 John 1:10, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (NIV) The claim John refers to is the absence of past sins. Many ways to make the claim exist. Some claim their actions were not wrong. Others claim sin itself is a figment of the imagination. They deny anything is truly, morally wrong, usually because they deny the existence of God. But whatever the heart of the denial is, people who claim they have not sinned effectively call God a liar.Today, let’s acknowledge our sin to God because he is faithful to forgive and purify us from it."More Than One Way To Skin A Cat," Grammarist, 2022, https://grammarist.com/phrase/more-than-one-way-to-skin-a-cat/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Did you see the recent news about Artemis. No, not the moon mission named Artemis, the dog. In late November, two girls, aged four and seven, became lost in the woods near their home in Folsom, Louisiana. They were accompanied by Artemis, the family’s Golden Retriever. The police organized a search for the missing girls. Hours later, after combing the woods, the barking of Artemis led the searchers to the girls. But Artemis wouldn’t let the strangers near. He barked at the rescuers, guarding the sisters. Reportedly, Artemis also laid on top of the girls during their adventure to protect them.Stories of faithful dogs abound. But I can’t remember the last time I heard a news report about a faithful cat. I suppose some exist. A quick internet search hit a few things. But dogs have a reputation for faithfulness. A search for news with the words “faithful dog” found more items. But I digress. Dogs and cats are not the focus today, faithfulness is.Being faithful means absolute dependability. One who is faithful never fails. The devotion is complete. That description describes God. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV) We can count on God’s forgiveness when we acknowledge our sin. He will purify us from all unrighteousness so we can have fellowship with him.Andrew Mark Miller, "Louisiana dog hailed a hero for protecting young girls lost in woods for hours," New York Post, December 18, 2022 https://nypost.com/2022/12/18/louisiana-dog-a-hero-for-protecting-young-girls-lost-in-woods/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Gold is gold, right? If someone offered you a bar of gold bullion, absolutely free, you’d take it. And be glad. Now imagine someone offers you a bar of gold, but tosses it into a pit full of sewage. Do you wade in after it? Gold is gold, right? A little sewage on the outside is easily wiped off the bar. Oh, it would be unpleasant to retrieve it, but cleanup is easy. And gold is gold.I know this is a gross illustration. But some people see themselves in the same way. They see themselves as good people. They may be a bit messy on the outside. Nobody is perfect. Everyone does some things wrong. But underneath they believe they have a heart of gold.The apostle John challenges this thinking in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (NIV) The verse refers to a state of being. People claim they are not sinful. They claim to be good. They claim their acts of sin only mess up the surface, like sewage on a bar of gold. They feel no need for change or transformation of their inner self.John calls this is self-deception. When we violate God’s laws, claims we are not sinful are lies. We all need Jesus to cleans us from sin. Rejoice that Jesus purifies us from sin and transforms our hearts.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I claim to be married to Elaine. It is something you can test. A lot of evidence exists. Pictures of our wedding, rings on our fingers, the testimony of people who attended the ceremony. Then there are the decades of joint tax returns, the marriage license and the records in the county courthouse. My claim of marriage can be verified.In the early part of 1st John, the apostle gives us ways to verify whether or not we have a relationship with God. One line of evidence is the conduct of our lives. 1 John 1:6-7 says, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (NIV)In these verses the phrases “live by the truth” and “walk in the light” parallel each other. People who claim a relationship with God, but live outside his truth, are lying. When we trust in Jesus’ blood to purify us from sin, we will walk in the light. The manner of our life will bear witness of our fellowship with God.Today, live with the joy declared by the old hymn, which says, “How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior, stepping in the light.”How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever talked to someone who claimed to know a celebrity? They drop the name in a casual conversation. You talk about a sports star and they pipe up with “Oh, I know him. We played golf yadda yadda yadda.” Or you discuss a political figure and they say something like, “You know we worked together on such and such a thing.” People also claim to know famous actors and singers.I don’t know about you, but I tend to be skeptical about such claims. If there’s more evidence of the relationship, I’ll believe them. Or if I know the person well enough to know they are truthful. But I’m usually skeptical. I don’t challenge the person to prove their claim. I just quietly listen.Then there are people who claim to know God. The apostle John had them in mind when he wrote 1 John 1:6, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” (NIV)Those are pretty harsh words. But John is correct. People can’t have fellowship with God if they walk in darkness. God is light. In him there is absolutely no darkness. So, you can’t have a relationship with him if your life meanders through sin. But thankfully, God can deal with our sin so that we can know him through Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Many years ago I sat in a science class. The teacher explained that thermometers measure heat. They do not measure cold. I know, that seems strange in the middle of winter when it is cold outside. But the teacher was being precise and correct. Thermometers measure heat. From a scientific viewpoint only heat is measured. Even -25 degrees Fahrenheit is a measure of heat, but not much. We call the relative absence of heat “cold.”Light and darkness are similar. We don’t really sense darkness. We sense the absence of light. You can add increasing amounts of light to something. But you can’t add darkness. You can only remove light.This reminds me of John’s message in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (NIV)The passage uses the figure of light to refer to the purity and holiness of God. He is the positive good. Jesus himself is the light of the world. He claimed that on more than one occasion. In his gospel, John said this about Jesus, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:4-5 NIV)If we want a relationship with God, we must begin by understanding that God is absolutely pure and good. No evil exists in him. God is light.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
“But I was there.” Have you used that phrase? Or how about this one “I saw it”? We use phrases like this to emphasize our experience. Whether a moment of absolute beauty, or of terror, our senses – what we see, hear, smell and feel – impact us with power. We can tell someone about it, because we were there. For instance, I could tell you about standing at the mouth of a volcano in the dark, my right hand atop a wooden post, leaning out to see the glow of lava deep below. About the wind, the smell and the crunch of the rock underfoot. Because I was there, I can tell you what it was like.This is how John opens his first letter. 1 John 1:1-4 says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” (NIV)As we read and study the message about Jesus, we can know what he was like. Because the writers were there.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I used to love January. Well, let me correct that. I loved what I got in the mail in January. Today’s internet world has taken away the joy of receiving a garden seed catalog. Do you remember them? The cover enticed you with full color pictures of bright red tomatoes, golden ears of corn, green pea pods and luscious strawberries. If the company also handled fruit trees, the back cover glistened with images of ripe peaches, apples and pears. When we lived in northern Michigan, the catalog provided the hope of spring in the deep snow of January. I flipped through the pages to imagine summer’s produce.When spring came, we tilled the garden, added compost or manure and planted the seeds. That’s all we could do until they sprouted. Then we weeded, hoed and watered. Isn’t growing a garden amazing? Paul used gardening and farming as an illustration in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (NIV)As with a garden seed, so spiritual growth. We can no more cause a plant to grow than we can cause our own spiritual growth, or the growth of another. We can only plant the seed, pull weeds and water. But imagine the spiritual growth God can produce in you this year.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Did your parents ever talk about growth spurts? Did you go through a growth spurt as a child, or more than one? I don’t know what the medical books say, but my experience is the rate of physical growth in children varies from month to month and year to year. Kids seem to grow slowly, until you suddenly realize their jeans are too short and their wrists are popping out of their coat sleeves. Another signs may be growing pains. At least that’s what my dad told me when I complained of aches in my arms and legs. He said I had growing pains because I was in a growth spurt. It really didn’t make sense to me at the time. He may have been pulling my leg. At any rate, the physical growth of children not only results in increased stature, but also in greater strength and endurance.Spiritual growth also results in something. Listen for it in 2 Thessalonians 1:3, “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.” (NIV)This passage says growth in faith will result in increased love for others. The more we trust in God and believe what he says, the easier it becomes to love each other. Want to spread some love in this world? Grow in faith.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Growth is normal for babies and children. Doctors and parents monitor a child’s weight and height, especially in the first few years. My mother tells the story of the doctor measuring my length as an infant. Mom says he got it wrong because my knee was bent. I really don’t remember!Although individual children vary in their growth patterns, the normal distribution is known. Physical growth falling far below the normal range often indicates a problem. Those problems can include digestive or hormonal disorders. Every parent hopes their child grows physically and mentally.Our spiritual life is the same. The normal pattern for Christians is growth. We grow in faith, knowledge and character. The rate of growth varies between individuals, but growth is the norm. We should be concerned if we or a fellow Christian fails to grow. It may indicate a problem. We should hope for the growth of each other.Listen to 2 Corinthians 10:15, “Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand.” This passage says Paul’s hope for the Corinthians’ support of his missionary efforts was based on the expectation of the continual growth of their faith. Spiritual growth is normal for followers of Jesus. I hope your faith in Jesus grows today and every day.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Infants are powerless. They can cry and scream, even wave their arms and legs about. But they can’t walk, let alone swim. A baby alone in the middle of an ocean will be driven along by waves and wind. It has no power to determine a course. It has no power to even survive. Isn’t the mental picture of an infant adrift distressing?Keep that picture in mind when you hear Ephesians 4:14-15, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” (NIV)This passage tells us the way to grow in Christ. If we want to be mature and survive deceitful and fake teaching, we must speak the truth in love. First, this requires that we know the truth. Are you reading God’s word? Do you need to start a reading plan? Are you learning from God’s word what is right and good?Second, we must love others. Are you following the Spirit’s prompting to be more loving? Is the attitude with which you speak one of love and grace? Stop drifting through life like a baby screaming and kicking, and getting nowhere. Speak the truth in love, and grow.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The human body is an amazing thing. Do physicians and nurses who know many of the wonders and features of our bodies, ever stop, shake their heads and say “Wow”? Just look at the growth of babies into adults. Their minds develop. They learn to talk, walk and run. They stretch higher and higher, requiring larger clothes on a regular basis. They learn and remember a vast array of information. They grow into adults who can discuss and debate ethics, explore the universe with science and train to run marathons. The human body is composed of many different parts and each functions as the body needs.Our spiritual growth is much the same. Amazing changes occur in our character when we are connected to Jesus. His Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience and so much more. Romans 8:6 tells us that a mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.Not so the unspiritual mind. Colossians 2:18-19 describe it this way, “Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.” (NIV)If you want to grow in your faith and character this year, stay connected to Jesus. Spiritual life flows from him.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Don’t infants just melt your heart? They have such wide eyes of wonder gazing up into your face and checking out the world. They may blow bubbles or smile. We see them and say, “Ahh.” Well, that’s how babies look when they’re content. If a baby is hungry, the eyes are screwed shut and the mouth is open and fussing. But when they get the bottle, they concentrate and nurse eagerly.Peter paints a similar picture in 1 Peter 2:2-3, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (NIV)Notice the passage says we should grow up in our salvation. Just as babies need to grow, we also need to mature in our faith. We must crave that pure spiritual milk just as babies crave the bottle.But what is that milk we should crave? At first glance, you may think this refers to God’s Word. But I think it is more than that. Notice the phrase about tasting that the Lord is good. The surrounding verses also talk about ridding ourselves of hypocrisy, envy and other character flaws. We have been purified by our new birth. We are to love others deeply. I think the longing Peter references is to be like Jesus. Do you want to grow in your faith? Then crave being like Jesus.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Happy New Years! I hope you enjoy a great day and the start of a great year. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Some years I’ve made them. Other years I haven’t. Many people make resolutions to lose weight after all the holiday feasting. Last year, improving diet was the most common resolution in the United States. The other most common resolutions, in order, were to pursue a career ambition, spend more time with the family, start a hobby and spend less time on social media.Today, I encourage you to stop and evaluate your relationship with Jesus. How are you doing in following him? Consider 2 Peter 3:17-18, “Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (NIV)Did you notice the phrase “since you already know this”? To what was Peter referring? The previous verses discuss the return of Jesus when the earth will be destroyed with fire, along with the fact that God is patient to offer salvation. We know these facts. That’s why we must avoid following erroneous teaching and, instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Make your resolution to grow in Christ this year.Elizabeth Pattman, "Here are the most common New Year's resolutions in the U.S. What goals will you set for 2022?" The Times-News, December 31, 2021, https://www.thetimesnews.com/story/news/local/2021/12/31/study-most-common-new-years-resolutions-u-s/8995200002/How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
This summer I attended a Major League Baseball game. As I passed through the gate, stadium security staff watched me. I placed my phone and other metallic items in a small tub and stepped through the metal detector. It took just a moment. I think there was also a dog present to sniff out bad stuff. I’m sure the stadium also had additional security measures. I didn’t look for security cameras, but I’m sure they exist and people monitored them.I’m actually grateful the teams provide security. We live in an age when wicked people seek to kill others. Not because of personal animosity, but to make a statement, maybe for a political cause, or just seeking notoriety. Some of us are old enough to remember skyscrapers crumbling to the ground or snipers terrorizing a city. It wasn’t that long ago when another school was victimized by a mass shooting. I want people watching out for the bad guys so I can enjoy life.Psalms 1:6 reassures me as well with these words, “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (NIV) This verse does not promise the physical security provided by stadium staff. Evil people still commit crimes against others every day. Some of the victims are follower of Jesus. But the Lord does protect our life and relationship with him. Remember that, and enjoy your day.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Would you rather sit or stand? It all depends, doesn’t it. If I’m watching a movie, I want to sit. Even better, I want to sit munching popcorn. But if I’m in the checkout line, I’ll stand. There are other times we want to stand. Imagine being at a party. People are standing in groups talking and laughing. You approach a group of people. They’re good people, leaders in your community. When you step up to them, don’t you want to stand with them? How it would hurt to be rejected and told to move along.Another place we sometimes stand is the court of law. None of us want to be accused of a crime and endure a trial. But if that happens, I want to stand at the end and be declared not guilty, rather than dragged away to jail.Psalms 1:5 says, “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.” (NIV) The picture is the court of law. In this case, God’s court on the day of judgement. The wicked are not left standing, they are hauled to punishment. They will not join the group declared righteous by God.This Psalm urges us not to walk with the wicked. It is far better to delight in God’s word and draw life from it like a tree rooted next to a stream.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When I was a teen, I spent a summer working for a wheat farmer. I jockeyed a combine through his fields. I enjoyed feeling the vibrations and hearing the shush of grain and stalks mixed with the rumble and whirl of the large machine. Grain filled the hopper as the combine spread a trail of straw on the stubble. The strong Kansas wind quickly blew away the chaff falling out the back. Running the combine was my favorite activity, better than the plowing, planting or herding cattle I did that summer.In ancient Israel, they harvested stalks of grain by hand and hauled it to a threshing floor. Oxen drug a heavy sled over the stalks to separate the grain. Then people used crude pitch forks to throw the crushed stalks in the air. The wind blew the chaff away and the grain fell back to the threshing floor. Grain was valuable. Chaff was not. Chaff was driven away by the force of the wind.Psalms 1:4 says this, “Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” (NIV) This verse is a contrast with the person who delights in God’s law. They flourish in everything. The wind doesn’t move them. They are like trees anchored by roots running deep next to a stream. Don’t let the gusts and squalls of life aimlessly scatter you. Take time today and follow God’s word.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Our neighborhood plants trees along the curbs and sidewalks. The dream of tree-lined streets spangled in autumn colors motivates the effort. On our block, the trees are still young and barely shade the street. Some were damaged by the weather in recent years and needed to be replanted. I noticed one of these new trees did not survive the drought we experienced this summer. Leafless twigs branched from a trunk you could easily wrap your fingers around. The lack of water killed it. Trees need water. Being planted between a sidewalk and the street is not the best habitat for a tree.Psalms 1:3 uses the image of a tree planted by a stream to describe a blessed person. It reads, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (NIV)What kind of person does this verse describe? Someone who delights in God’s word. Like the tree by the water, those who delight in God’s word draw life from it. Everything we need to flourish emotionally and spiritually can be found in the bible. Hope, encouragement, guidance, assurance of God’s love and purpose and more are found in its words.Our daily lives are not always the best environment for our emotional and spiritual well-being. But if you spend time in God’s word, you can flourish like a tree planted next to a stream.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What images dance through your mind when you hear the word delight? Do you see babies or puppies? I used that word for an image search on the internet. Evidently, most people associate candy and food with delight. The names of many different food products also contain the word. I decided to search for videos instead. Again, I found food dominated the results.Come to think of it, I can delight in frozen custard or a slice of warm, cherry pie covered in ice cream. I scoop up a bite and savor the rich creaminess melting through the tangy filling. Are you hungry yet?Delight also describes a memory of my wide-eyed children one Christmas morning many years ago. We gave them a huge box containing ready-to-assemble pieces of a plastic slide. Stood on end, the flat box was taller they were. Their eyes popped and mouths fell open. They tore the wrapping paper off with enthusiasm. They wanted to find the treasure inside.This is the attitude described in Psalms 1:2, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD,and on his law he meditates day and night.” (NIV)Are you eager to dig into God’s word to discover the treasures there? Do your eyes light up as you open the book? Do you read and savor its truth and teachings? You will be blessed if you do. Spend some time today delighting in God’s word.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you know the advice about walking alone in a dark alley? It’s easy. Don’t do it. I can’t say I’ve ever walked alone down a dark alley. But I have walked alone without a flashlight down a dark trail in the woods. The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention and saluted. I scanned every direction for the eyes of wild animals, but only saw moonlight and shadow. In retrospect, my fear was unfounded.But dark alleys are another thing. Danger is far more likely in them than in the woods. We know this and avoid dark alleys to enhance our physical safety.We should also be concerned about protecting our morals and ethics. The psalmist puts it this way in Psalms 1:1, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.”The wicked, sinners and mockers are all unsavory characters. Oh sure, we may laugh along with the mockers when they heap scorn on something or someone good. But they are just as dangerous as the wicked who advise us to do wrong.So, if you want to be blessed today, don’t take advice from the ungodly, hang out with those who sin or even gather with mockers. If you wouldn’t walk alone down a dark alley, why would you hang with the wrong crowd?How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Christmas is filled with traditions. One is the Christmas tree. They come in all shapes and sizes. Short, tall, fat, skinny and in every combination. My earliest memories of Christmas include an aluminum tree that changed color. It reflected light from a spotlight with a color wheel. Red, blue, green and yellow.My wife Elaine remembers live Christmas trees from her childhood. Her father always cut a red cedar that grew somewhere on the farm, often in the barb wire fence. He thought buying a tree a waste of money. Cutting a tree let him clean up the pasture and celebrate Christmas at the same time.I’m not sure what lasting memories of trees my children have. We usually had an artificial tree. Though we set up a real tree a few years. No, they were not red cedars. We purchased them from a lot run by the Boy Scouts. Later we were given an artificial tree a friend had used for several years. We often had to hot glue its pieces back together. But it held our ornaments and lights well. I think our daughter still has that tree.All the variety in trees makes me reflect on God’s love. He loves people of all sizes, shapes and colors. He adorns us with love and lights our life. Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (NIV)Merry Christmas.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever waited a long time for something precious? Some couples struggle with infertility. They long for a child. They consult doctors, endure injections and face repeated, disappointing tests. This may last a few years. Then one day, for some, the tests are positive and a few months later they hold a precious newborn child. What emotion must flood their souls.I wonder if the emotion Simeon experienced when he held the infant Jesus was anything like that. He had waited years for that moment. Luke 2:28-32 says, ‘Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”’ (NIV)This is more than the account of an old man rejoicing over baby Jesus. Simeon also references a prophecy from Isaiah 42:6. Jesus was a light for the Gentiles. He would reveal God and his truth to the non-Jewish world, as well as bring glory to Israel.The accounts of Christmas are far more than a heart-warming story of Jesus’ birth. They record the conclusion of plans laid before time. They show the fulfillment of prophecies delivered hundreds of years before the events unfold. As you celebrate Christmas, give praise to our eternal God.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Many years ago, my family attended a small, rural church. The church hosted a walk-through Nativity play. Since the church was in northern Michigan, we set everything up inside. People entered a dark room and saw a few shepherds and a couple of live sheep. After the shepherds recited a few lines, a black cloth screen fell and a spotlight shone on angels perched behind the shepherds. People enjoyed the scene.It depicted the events recorded in Luke 2:8-14: ‘And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (NIV)The last phase about peace on earth also fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6. Take a moment to praise God for the gift of peace through his son.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you like puzzles? In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus, we find a puzzle. Matthew tells us Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. Matthew 2:22-23 says, ‘But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”' (NIV)So what’s the puzzle? Nowhere in the Old Testament does the word Nazarene occur. Who is the prophet mentioned?We can understand it this way. Sometimes a word refers to a place of origin and sometimes it refers to a characteristic. Take the word hoosier. In the Midwest, this word is used of someone who comes from the state of Indiana. But the word can also refer to an awkward, unsophisticated person, whether he or she comes from Indiana or not. This usage often shows disdain.The word Nazarene may have had a similar usage. People from Nazareth were despised, as John 1:46 demonstrates. Isaiah 53:3 says this about the Messiah, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faceshe was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (NIV)How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever been tricked? The people who love practical jokes are those pulling them on others. Most don’t want to be the victim of a prank. Even harmless tricks can embarrass us. Remember the wind-up hand buzzer? You placed it in your palm and shook hands with your unsuspecting victim. When their hand made contact, the device buzzed and fluttered in their hand, startling them. Some people get angry when another tricks them. I’m sure you know people like that as well.The villain in the accounts of Jesus’ birth, King Herod, was tricked by the Magi. They were supposed to return and report Jesus' location in Bethlehem. But they were warned and didn’t return. Matthew 2:16-18 says, ‘Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”’ (NIV)Here again, we see the fulfillment of prophecy given over 500 years before the birth of Jesus. Today, praise God who knows all things before they happen.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you like to travel early in the morning, or late at night? I am an early traveler. I’d rather get up a little before the sun if I plan to drive all day. I want to get to my destination before dark. Others I know start their trip later in the day. They’d rather rise rested and drive late into the evening. Even though I like to travel early, I don’t like to start in the middle of the night. On business travel to Asia, I needed to leave the hotel at 1 a.m. to catch a flight leaving at 4 a.m. That was much too early.I wonder what Joseph and Mary thought about rising in the middle of the night to travel to Egypt. An angel warned Joseph in a dream that Herod wanted to kill Jesus. He woke with a start and rousted Mary. I’m sure the desire to protect baby Jesus from King Herod kept them alert on a long and dark road.Did you know their sojourn in Egypt was predicted 700 years before they left? Listen to Matthew 2:14-15 which quotes Hosea 11:1, ‘And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”’ (NIV)Again we see details of Jesus' birth predicted hundreds of years before the event.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
How many old westerns have you watched? All the old cow towns depicted seemed to be the same. One main street stretched through town with a few buildings on each side. The street always held a saloon or two, a general store, livery stable, and, of course, a bank. A fairly common plot device involved villains robbing the bank. They usually had no problem finding it because a huge sign hung on the front of the building proclaiming it a bank.The account of Christmas in Matthew also holds a villain. The wicked, jealous King Herod wanted to kill his rivals. When the Magi arrived saying the king of the Jews had been born, Herod wanted to know where. He consulted the priest and scribes, who consulted prophecies. Matthew 2:5-6 gives their answer, ‘They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”’ (NIV)This was a quotation of Micah 5:2 given 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Many people today scoff at the idea of prophecy. But Herod didn’t scoff. He used it to attempt the murder Jesus. But praise God who sent an angel to warn his parents and they fled to Egypt.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever tried to guess your Christmas gift before opening it? I don’t do this much anymore. I usually get something I’ve specifically requested. But as a child, I tried to guess my gifts before ripping the packages open. My great aunts often gave me books or puzzles. I distinctly remember being fooled one year. I shook the box and guessed a puzzle. Instead, I received a shirt. They had filled the box holding my gift with small pieces of cardboard. I’m sure they enjoyed my surprise.Predicting the future is difficult, even when guessing what’s in a Christmas gift. Imagine the difficulty of predicting details of Jesus’ birth hundreds of years in advance. This week, we examine the accounts of Matthew and Luke to see the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus’ birth.The first passage is Matthew 1:22-23, ‘All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (NIV)This is a quotation from Isaiah 7:14. Nearly 700 years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah prophesied a virgin would conceive and bear a son. That’s like making a prediction about today in the early 1300’s. That’s before Columbus sailed to the Caribbean or the founding of the Ming Dynasty in China.Stop and marvel at how this detail of Jesus’ birth fulfills prophecy.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The nations of the United Kingdom and the United States have a special relationship. Those words, special relationship, are used to describe the close alliance between the nations. But it wasn’t always that way. The American colonies were primarily settled by British colonists. But the colonists rebelled against unfair taxation and governance by the British crown and Parliament. The Revolutionary War resulted in an independent United States. But tensions and incidents continued. The United States Congress declared war on Britain in June of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war. It was signed on Christmas Eve of 1814. Another treaty in 1817 demilitarized the U.S. and Canadian border. That peace held and the two nations eventually established a close alliance.This week we have looked at the good news about Jesus. It started with the bad news about our sin. We face God’s wrath. But God revealed a way to satisfy his justice through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Our belief and trust in Jesus is how we access forgiveness. Romans 5:1-2 describes the result, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (NIV)How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
I once read a book about accounting. Let me tell you, it was no page turner. I remember learning confusing concepts like debits and credits, accruals and more. But I didn’t need an accounting book to learn the most important thing about my personal bank accounts. What was it? The delightful ability for someone else to deposit money into my account. You know what I’m talking about. Most people receive their salary and wages through electronic transfer of funds. Aren’t you glad?Such transfers illustrate how Jesus’ death can benefit us. Romans 4:23-25 says, ‘The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness–for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.’ (NIV)The word credited used in this passage is a bookkeeping term. Think of it like an electronic funds transfer. When we sin, we owe God punishment. It’s like a debt at the bank. The penalty for sin is death. We can pay it. Or we can accept the payment Jesus made. When we trust God and believe in the resurrection of Jesus, God marks our account paid in full. Now that’s the type of accounting that truly is good news!How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever wondered how things work? I enjoy magazines like Popular Mechanics and Popular Science because they explain how different things work. I’ve also watched videos showing everything from making a table from an old stump to processing and pitting cherries in a canning factory. Another one I remember from over twenty years ago showed the manufacture of graham crackers.Have you ever wondered how things work? What about the gospel? Would you like to know how salvation works? One passage explaining what God did through Jesus is Romans 3:25-26 “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished– he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”The crucifixion of Jesus was a sacrifice to pay the price for disobedience to God. It satisfied God’s justice. That’s what an atonement is. God is just. The demands of his law must be satisfied. But God is also able to remove our guilt. He justifies us through our faith in Jesus. The death of Jesus to demonstrate God’s love only makes sense when we realize he paid the penalty we deserved. Praise God for the indescribable gift of his only son!How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The new fad on social media is short videos, often called reels. I often stop and watch some woodworking project. But recently I watched a reel of a man jumping off a cliff without a parachute. Yes, I stopped scrolling to watch. As he hurtled toward certain death in the valley below, I noticed he was fastened to a cable. The other end was attached to the cliff several yards from his launch point. Before the man hit the ground, the cable straightened and he swung back up to safety. It must have been a thrilling ride.The book of Romans is like this. It tells us the bad news before pivoting to the good news. The pivot point is Romans 3:21-24, “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (NIV)To this point in Romans, Paul hammers home the fact we are subject to God’s wrath because of sin. Even these verses highlight that all have sinned. But these verses swing us back to the good news. God provides righteousness through faith in Jesus. He removes our guilt freely. This is the thrill of the gospel.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you noticed that many adults act with the emotional maturity of children? This seems especially true on social media. Finger pointing, accusations and name calling are posted with the fury and frequency of spoiled kids arguing on the playground.We also see this behavior in politics. I often suspect that when a politician accuses his or her opponent of some low deed, they’re just trying to divert attention from their own guilty behavior. It reminds me of Romans 2:1-3, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”We always find it easy to point out the sins of other people, don’t we? But as the old saying goes, when you point a finger at someone else, three fingers point back at you. The gospel message is that even good people are guilty before God. But God is tolerant and patient. As verse 4 says, God’s kindness leads us toward repentance. Today, replace any desire to judge others with thanksgiving for the kindness of God.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Does watching or reading the news leave you in a bad mood? Bad news attracts our attention, doesn’t it? And the good news about Jesus actually begins with bad news. In fact, we’ll never understand God’s good news unless we understand the bad news first.Paul lays it out in Romans 1:18-20, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”The bible teaches that sinful people will be cast into a lake of fire by God. In fact, we can think of some really wicked people that deserve this punishment, can’t we? But, what is the basic sin that condemns so many of us? The next verse explains, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.“ (v. 21 NIV)Did you catch it? Yes, axe murders will face God’s wrath. But so will those who simply ignore God. We are all without excuse. The bad news about God’s wrath is where the good news of Jesus begins. We should be ashamed about our behavior, but not about God’s offer of righteousness through faith.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever felt ashamed? I remember many years ago when the fans of the Cleveland Browns showed their embarrassment over the team’s performance. They wore paper grocery bags over their heads at the game. How different from people thrilled by their team and sporting the latest jersey.That feeling of a thrilled fan, in contrast to the embarrassed fan, is our starting point this week. Paul wrote in Romans 1:16-17, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”’ (NIV)So much is packed into these two verses. It is the good news about Jesus in 61 words, the gospel in a nutshell. The gospel is God’s power to save. It is for everyone who believes. Righteousness, that is the ability to meet the demands of God’s law, is revealed in it and accessed and experienced by faith.This week, we’ll unpack this gospel by looking at a few verses in the first five chapters of Romans. As we prepare for Christmas, we’ll remember the ultimate meaning of it all. In a world that seeks to shame us about Jesus, may we be thrilled again by the gospel.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
“You saved my life.” Have you heard those words in a news story? I’ve seen more than one story over the years where someone thanks another with those words “You saved my life.” Maybe it was spoken to a firefighter or police officer at an awards ceremony. Sometimes the cameras roll when the one rescued goes to meet the other person. It’s always a heartwarming story.We often find ourselves mired in problems. We need help. We began the week talking about quicksand, remember? People sinking in quicksand or a bog need help. They need someone to rescue them, since they are stuck and sinking. They also need rescue to come without delay.Psalms 40 illustrates God’s mercy as a rescue from a slimy pit of mud. We are mired in our troubles, but God pulls us free and sets us on solid ground. The psalm concludes with verses 16 and 17, ‘But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The LORD be exalted!” Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.’ (NIV)Remember, God has rescued us from sin and other problems. Take a moment and praise him because he did not delay his salvation.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever asked children to count to a hundred? If they know how, and they aren’t too old, they may start counting and eventually reach the mark. But I’ve never had anyone try to count to 1,000. That’s a lot of counting.Something else I’ve never tried to count is the hairs on my head. Or on anyone else’s head for that matter. I’m told there are approximately 100,000 hairs on the average human head. I wonder who estimated that number. I’m sure they only counted a small area and did some math to arrive at it. Who actually counts hair?Which brings us to Psalms 40:11-12, “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.” (NIV) In this psalm, the writer realizes he has sinned more times than the number of hairs on his head. He desperately seeks God’s mercy and love.How different from the attitude many sport today. Oh, they don’t claim to be perfect, but they don’t think they’re that bad either. Most would probably estimate their number of sins as much less than 100,000. If they even think about sin. Why bother to count? But even one sin in enough. We all need God’s mercy and love to forgive us.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Cancer. We hate that word, don’t we? Many of us know someone fighting the disease. We may follow them on a website like Caring Bridge. Cancer is far less lethal than it used to be, but it remains a serious disease. No one wants to be diagnosed with cancer.When someone we love fights a deadly disease like cancer, we scour the internet for information. We seek a cure, a treatment, something to defeat the disease. We investigate doctors, hospitals and clinics, looking for the best.Imagine someone you love fighting a deadly disease. You find a doctor and visit. But the doctor says nothing can be done. Now imagine the doctor knew a treatment sure to cure the disease, but refused to prescribe it. Would you be angry?Sometimes, remaining silent is wrong, a great shame. This is true for someone who knows a cure and refuses to share it. It’s also true when someone refuses to share God’s salvation. Listen to Psalms 40:9-10, “I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O LORD. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.” (NIV)Remember, don’t hold back the message of God’s love, truth and salvation. Speak to those who will listen.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you enjoy a good mystery? My wife does. She reads a lot of novels, many which are mysteries. We both like British crime dramas, especially if they are a bit quirky, have humorous characters and end on a happy note.This week, we are working through Psalms 40. In the middle of it we find a mystery. The psalmist begins by picturing himself mired in a pit. God lifts him out and sets him on solid ground. This illustrates our dependence on God for rescue. The next section declares how blessed we are to trust in God because he had performed more wonders than we can recount. Then comes the mystery in verses 6-8. It says, ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come – it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”’ (NIV)Who is the Psalmist talking about? Who desires to do God’s will? Who is written about in the scroll? The mystery is resolved by Hebrews 10 beginning at verse 5. The Hebrews passage applies these verses to Jesus. He is the one who rescues us from sin through the sacrifice of himself. Now that’s a happy ending to the mystery.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Major League Baseball players may receive an award for outstanding defense at their position. These are called Gold Gloves. One is awarded for each position on the field in each league. Perhaps less well known is the Platinum Glove. Only one is awarded in each league each year. It recognizes the best defensive player in that league. Only a few players have won the Platinum Glove. Only five have won it more than once. Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals won his sixth straight Platinum Glove this year.If you tried to recount all the good plays Arenado performed over the past six seasons, you’d be hard pressed to name them all. The award is not about one outstanding play. It is given to the best player who constantly makes great plays.A similar problem exists when discussing God. He did spectacular things in creating the world and raising Jesus from the dead . But he has performed many more outstanding acts. That’s what Psalms 40:5 says, “Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” (NIV)This week we’re focused on trusting God to rescue us from problems. This verse tells us why we can trust him. He has performed more wonders than we can recount.
A few years ago, we traveled with friends to a remote village in northern Thailand. As we drove over a dirt road, we spied a foot bridge crossing the rushing stream next to the road. This was not a picturesque footbridge with a white railing. A clump of small trees growing on one bank were bent across the stream to meet trees bent down from the opposite bank. They were tied together, forming an arch. A few slender trunks from each side formed a path just wide enough to walk on. Would you trust that bridge?People trust many things in life to get them over difficulties. Some trust in their own ingenuity, like the builders of that bridge. Others trust in wealth. They believe more money means living problem free. They fail to realize that wealth often brings its own worries and problems.For other people, they trust in politics. Whether politics in the office or related to government, people often maneuver their relationships and expend energy to curry favor with powerful people. They put trust in knowing the right people. Being on their good side. And when needed, calling in a favor.These people could be described as "the proud.' Listen to what Psalms 40:4 says about the proud, “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.” (NIV)Remember when you face difficulties, trust in God.
I grew up watching the Lone Ranger television show. Like most westerns, common scenes included saloon fights, train robberies and gun fights. Another was someone falling into quicksand. Do you remember? No matter how much the person struggled, he or she sank. Often villains trapped in quicksand sank to their deaths. But the heroes were always rescued in the nick of time.Being stuck in a slimy mire is used in Psalm 40:1-3 to describe how much we need God. “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” (NIV)What amazes me the most in this psalm is not God rescuing the psalmist and setting him on firm ground. No, I’m amazed by the first phrase. “I waited patiently for the Lord.” If I were sinking in quicksand, I would not be patience. I’d want to be saved now. But maybe our mental attitude is a lot like quicksand. The more we thrash around, the faster we sink in despair. When we’re caught in a problem, we need to calm down, turn to God and wait on him.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
What junk food did you favor as a child or teen? Some of the things I loved I don’t like anymore. Take Nesbitt Strawberry Soda©. I remember buying it from the chest-style machines. The bottles hung on rails and you slid them into position to purchase. I remember guzzling bottles of the bright red stuff. Another item I liked was the Slo Poke© sucker. It took a long time to consume those slabs of caramel on a stick. I never had one last all day, but it lasted longer than the strawberry soda. I guess the amount of time enjoyment lasts can be a factor for selecting a treat.Time is also an important factor to understand about God. Isaiah 40:28-29 says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (NIV)This phrase “everlasting God” highlights his transcendence of time. He had no beginning and will never cease to exist. Time does not limit him. His creation of the cosmos included the creation of time itself. This passage also shows God is unlimited in strength. He never tires. In fact, he can give us strength and power when we are weak. Today, marvel that the everlasting God loves us.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you remember this little ditty from childhood? “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Children learn it to deflect the insults of other children.I don’t know how old it is. Sticks and stones were the original weapons people used to attack each other. But those weapons evolved, didn’t they. We graduated to contraptions to throw rocks and sling sticks armed with rocks. The contraptions got better, throwing things larger and farther. Then gunpowder changed everything. That is, until thermonuclear bombs changed everything again. Compared to rocks and sticks, atom bombs are in a completely different class.This reminds me of God. He is in a class by himself. One of his names highlight this. Genesis 14:18-20 uses it a couple of times. It reads, ‘Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.’ (NIV)The phrase “God Most High” declares that nothing compares to God. Nothing is greater, higher or better than he. It is similar to comparing A-bombs with rocks and sticks. There is just no comparison. Today, place your trust in the God Most High who created the cosmos and can deliver you.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you noticed how names given to newborn babies seem to cycle in popularity? According to the United States Social Security Administration, the names Denise, Karen, Brett and Bryan are becoming less popular. I’ve known many people with those names. Today, the most popular names are Liam, Noah, Olivia and Emma. Sixty years ago, the most popular names were Michael, David, Lisa and Mary.I suppose the popularity of God’s names also changes some. Oh, I don’t mean God changes his name. The popularity of many of his names changes with us. We like to think of God with some names and forget others. Take the name “Lord of Hosts.” People don’t use it much these days. You can find it in the King James Version in 1 Samuel 17:45. It records the speech of David to Goliath in their ultimate face-off. It says, “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.”The name Lord of Hosts emphasizes God leads an army of angels. In his taunt, David emphasized that God leads a vast army of angels and the army of Israel. This name should give us boldness like David’s. If we step forward to do God’s will, what giant can defy us?How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Peace. Don’t we all want peace? I’m sure the people of Ukraine want peace. They want an end to the death and destruction inflicted in the current war. I’m sure the people of Russia want peace too. Another type of peace we all want is freedom from crime. We want peaceful streets we can walk without fear.Peace is the lack of conflict, the security from any attack. Whether people realize it or not, another peace they need is peace with God. Because we disobey God, we are subject to his justice, his punishment. We need peace.Gideon understood this when he met an angel of the Lord. Listen to the account in Judges 6:22-24, ‘When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace.”The phrase “the Lord is peace” tells us God initiates peace, pays the price and restores the relationship. Remember what the angels said to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus? Luke 2:14 records it: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Today, praise the Lord who is peace.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever pondered someone’s nickname. Some nicknames are given in jest. Like the huge man everyone calls “Tiny.” Others are variations on a longer name, such as “Bob” instead of “Robert.” Then there are the names that don’t make sense to us because we don’t know the story.The same can be true of God’s names. They are important because they teach us about him. But some may cause us to scratch our heads if we don’t know the story. Try this one, “the Lord our righteousness.” It is found in Jeremiah 33:15-16, “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.” (NIV)So, what does “the Lord Our Righteousness” tell us about God? Well, it refers to Jesus. He is the branch sprouting from David. He fulfills this prophecy from Jeremiah. God supplies what is needed to satisfy his own justice. Jesus’ death on the cross pays the penalty so we can be declared righteous.As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (NIV) Today, worship the Lord our righteousness.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Aren’t family members wonderful? Oh, ok. I know that many people have some terrible people in their family. Let me rephrase. Aren’t good family members wonderful? I’m sure you agree.Do you have anyone in your family who is dependable? You know, they’re always there when you need them. I can say that about my father, father-in-law and about many of the others in my family. One is my brother-in-law, Roger. Years ago, I faced a discouraging time in my job. We picked up the land line – see, I told you it was many years ago – We picked up the land line and called Roger and Mary. They told us to come on down. So, we drove 10 hours to spend a little time with family. I’ve seen Roger care for others in his family as well, including his parents and our father-in-law.God is also always there when we need him. In fact, he is even better than that. He is present in ways no human being can be. Psalms 46:1-3 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (NIV)Even in the worst disaster we can imagine or experience, God is ever present to help us.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you noticed how much mothers are tuned into the cries of their babies? They distinguish between their child’s cry and that of another. The cry can also tell them whether the baby is fussy, mad or in pain. Long before a child has words, a mother hears and understands her baby’s cries.Something similar happens with dog owners. They recognize the barks of their pet, often distinguishing between those that are playful, seeking attention or warning of an intruder.Why all this talk about crying babies and barking dogs? I want you to understand how the one who cares listens to cries and calls. Mothers care for and listen to their babies. Pet owners care for their animals and listen to them.Did you know God, who cares for us, listens to us? According to the bible, God listens like the shepherd of sheep. I’m sure shepherds can identify their sheep by their bleats. They may even understand the difference between bleats of hunger and those running from a predator.Psalms 80:1-2 says, “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us.” (NIV)This week we examine more of the names of God. One of these is “Shepherd of Israel” or “God our shepherd.” He knows our voice, hears us when we call and comes to our rescue.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The old hymn urges us to “count your blessings, name them one by one.” It is a great practice. Can you spend two minutes praying to God and listing everything for which you are thankful? I could go longer. I’m thankful for Jesus and the spiritual blessing I have through him. I’m thankful for God’s spirit who transforms my life. My wife and children are high on my list of thanksgiving. As are my parents and other family members. I’m really thankful I live in this country in this time period. Running water, electric heat and air conditioning are great things. So is modern medicine and technology. I could go on listing all kinds of things for which I’m thankful. Can you?Which brings up an interesting question. Will we still be giving thanks in heaven? Yes, we will. Revelation pictures events in heaven, and guess what? Giving thanks is one of the activities. But you might be surprised for what people thank God. Revelation 11:16-17 says, ‘And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.”’ (NIV)Rather than focused on themselves, the elders are thankful God has used his great power to reign. Today, thank God for using his power to accomplish his will in your life.How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
“What do you say?” As a child, did your mother every prompt you with those words? Remember, someone gave you something. Maybe you visited someplace and the host gave you a cookie or piece of candy. When you took it, your mom said, “What do you say?” She wanted you to say thank you. Mothers, fathers and grandparents often prompt a child to express thanks. They don’t want the child to become a rude, self-centered person. Polite people say thank you and good parents want polite children.But a lack of thankfulness can be far more serious than rude behavior. Romans chapter one tells us that God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all human wickedness that suppresses the truth about God. Paul then gives two reasons to support why God is justified in punishing sinful people. First, verse 20 explains that no one can claim they didn’t know about God. He is revealed through creation. They should know better than ignore him. And second, verse 21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (NIV)The basic sin of all mankind is the refusal to acknowledge and thank God for his blessings. Today, make the time to express your thanks to God. Here, let me remind you. Look at your day. Now, what do you say?How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Happy Thanksgiving! May you and yours celebrate all the goodness of God today.
The Thanksgiving holiday originated in the United States. But this holiday is observed in other countries as well. The second Monday of October is celebrated in Canada. The observance may have begun with French settlers. However, migrants from New England probably also shared many of the American traditions, such as eating turkey.
Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia, celebrates Thanksgiving on the last Wednesday of November. The observance was brought to the island by American whaling ships.
Brazil established an August holiday in 1949. An ambassador observed celebrations at a cathedral in Washington. Brazil’s official holiday was later moved to the fourth Thursday of November.
Liberia celebrates the holiday on the first Thursday of November. It was brought to the nation by freed slaves from the United States.
The Philippines observes Thanksgiving as a cultural rather than national holiday. The observance started when the Philippines were a colony of the United States. *
A few other nations have an observance as well. Note that many of the observances were started by or influenced by a connection with the United States. I don’t say that to prompt national pride. I think the attitude of thankfulness is contagious. In the midst of a nation fussing over power and politics, we must be thankful. God has blessed us and our country. May our thankfulness be contagious.
*"Thanksgiving," Wikipedia, last updated October 20, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
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When you were a child, did you ever get a secret decoder ring in a box of cereal? The secret decoder ring was a fantastic tool to uncover hidden messages. Of course, it was powered by sheer imagination.
Even today, people often want something to uncover hidden meaning or messages. For example, many consult their horoscopes. For Christians, we often seek to know God’s will. We usually ponder God’s will when facing specific decisions. For example, is it God’s will to take a specific job? Does God want me to marry a specific person? Is God leading me to move to a new city? People often ask questions like these. Don’t get me wrong, these are appropriate questions to ask. However, do you know the will of God for every day of your life?
God actually wants certain things for all of his people. Do you know them? You can find three of them in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
Notice each of these things are marked by the words always, continually and all. Also, we must actively perform them. Is your life marked by rejoicing, praying and giving thanks? Each is a challenge in some way. The specific challenge for thankfulness is giving it “in all circumstances.”
Regardless of how our day goes, God’s will for us today, is to give thanks to him.
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People get excited over things that are the first. The United States celebrated the first Black President at Obama’s inauguration. Decades before, the first woman on the Supreme Court was celebrated. Kitty Hawk is famous for the first powered airplane flight. Americans celebrated when the first man walked on the moon. Chillicothe, Missouri, is proud it be the first place where sliced bread was packaged and sold.
This week the podcast is focused on thanksgiving. Not just the holiday, but on the topic of giving thanks. Today, we examine the first time giving thanks is mentioned in the bible. It is not in Genesis, or Exodus. We find in in Leviticus 7:11-12, “These are the regulations for the fellowship offering a person may present to the LORD: If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil.”
This passage specifics the form of offering the ancient Hebrews gave in order to thank God. The meat sacrificed was accompanied by different forms of bread. It was also eaten on the same day.
I’m glad I live in this era, where offering thanks to God is much simpler. Aren’t you? Take a moment today and offer your thanks to God.
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Have you been surprised in the past couple of years to find empty spaces on store shelves? I have. Sometimes the food item I usually buy is out of stock for three or more weeks. Our favorite bread was out of stock so long, the store doesn’t even carry it any longer.
Sometimes, I am also surprised by the bible. I think I’ll find something in it, but it’s not there. For example, did you know that the book of Genesis has no record of people thanking God? Oh, I’m sure people did. But that word is not used for any of the sacrifices they performed or prayers they prayed.
Take Noah. After working tirelessly to build the ark, he floated in it for over a year. When he finally left the ark, Genesis 8:20 says, “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.” (NIV) Personally, I would have been very thankful to leave the ark. But Noah’s offering is not specifically called an offering of thanksgiving.
A similar thing happened with Abraham. Commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Abraham proceeded to do so. But God halted the sacrifice and provided a ram instead. Yet there is no mention that Abraham thanked God. Surely, he did.
And what about us? I hope those who know us can easily see our thankfulness to God.
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This week many of us will gather with family and friends to celebrate the traditional Thanksgiving holiday. I remember celebrating it as a child at my grandparents’ house in eastern Kansas. My great aunties drove up from Oklahoma. We enjoyed a fine meal followed by card games of pitch or pinochle.
As an adult, I remember driving hours to cross several states to reach my in-laws’ farm. Other family members joined us, cramming the house full. We consumed a huge spread of turkey, potatoes, noodles, rolls and, of course, pumpkin pie. I usually helped wash dishes with my brother-in-law. We’re having Thanksgiving at our house this year. Hopefully we’ll also cram the house full of family to celebrate the day. I might even get a bit of pecan pie to go with the pumpkin.
Thanksgiving is a great time to celebrate God’s blessing with family. Did you know that every Sunday a different Thanksgiving meal is held in many churches? That’s right, every Sunday. 1 Corinthians 10:16 says, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (NIV)
The Lord’s Supper is a spiritual meal with your spiritual family. It is a time to celebrate what Jesus accomplished through his death. He made it possible for us to be the children of God. May you celebrate the cup of thanksgiving with Jesus today.
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Have you ever wanted to be special? Kids often dream of being special in some way. Boys imagine themselves throwing the touchdown pass that wins a Superbowl. Or they dream of closing out game seven of the World Series, or perhaps slamming a walk-off homer against the upper deck. Girls may dream of winning a beauty pageant or starring in the movies. Boys and girls both may dream of being rock stars or business tycoons or becoming President of the United States. These are all grandiose dreams. Sometimes we just want to be special by being part of a group at school. Maybe it is the academically talented group or the student government. Sometimes we just want to be accepted in the group of popular students.
Did you know that God makes you special? He is called “the LORD, who makes you holy” in Exodus 31:13. In fact, the Israelites were to observe the Sabbath as a sign that God made them holy.
Being holy is a form of being special. In fact, it goes beyond special. It means being separate or different, set apart for a purpose. God still makes his people holy today. He provides his Spirit to transform our lives. 1 Peter 1:15-16 tells us ‘But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”’ (NIV) We worship the God who makes us holy.
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When I was in jr. high, our gym teacher often made us do calisthenics. Besides pushups and sit ups, he made us stand with our arms lifted out straight from our shoulders. We looked like human airplanes spaced on the gym floor. We had to hold the position while our shoulders ached for relief. He kept saying, “Remember, mind over matter. I don’t mind and you don’t matter.”
That experience makes me sympathetic for Moses in Exodus 17. The Amalekites attacked God’s people. Moses stood on a hill with the staff of God. As long as Moses held his arms in the air, the Hebrews prevailed in battle. When his arms slipped, the Amalekites rallied. The battle lasted all day. Hur and Aaron held Moses arms aloft when he could no longer do it.
After the battle, Exodus 17:15-16 says, ‘Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”’ (NIV)
We learn something important about God in the phrase “the LORD is my Banner.” The banner seems to refer to a flag denoting a military unit. God is the defender of his people. He fights for us. As Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
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Do you like zombie movies? They’ve been around for years. Dead bodies come to life and attack others. In some versions of the genre a disease infects people, transforming them into the living dead. The disease spreads, creating a zombie apocalypse. A similar plot device is used in other films. Rather than create zombies, a contagious disease threatens to kill everyone. But it’s one thing to see a film and another to experience a contagion first hand. Can you imagine being a Hebrew slave in Egypt when the plagues started? It would be one thing to experience water turning to blood or smell massive piles of rotting frogs. But to see people break out in boils, even if you did not, would be sobering.
God used the plagues to free his people, but promised not to inflict them on the Hebrews. Exodus 15:26 says, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” (NIV)
The phrase “the LORD who heals you” emphasizes God’s sovereignty and power in the medical realm. He inflicted illness on his enemies and kept it from his people. We should remember that God is the LORD who heals. Trust and worship him.
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Have you ever taken a trip and forgot to take something? It’s not too bad if you remember in time to turn around and get it. But that doesn’t always happen, does it? I once took a week-long business trip to Shanghai, China. I forgot to pack undershirts and had to walk to a shopping plaza and hunt up a clothing store. Another time I traveled on business to London and forgot socks. Again, I walked several blocks to find a store.
I wonder if Isaac had that oops-we-forgot-something feeling in Genesis 22. He was traveling with his father to worship God and noticed they had no lamb for the sacrifice. You know the story, right? Isaac pointed out the lack of a lamb and Abraham told him God would provide. They reached the mountain where Abraham built an altar, bound Isaac and proceeded to sacrificed him. That is what God commanded Abraham to do. But it was a test of Abraham’s faith. At the last second, God stopped Abraham and provided a ram for the sacrifice. Genesis 22:14 says, ‘So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”’ (NIV)
This reveals an important attribute of God. He provides what we need. Sometimes it may not look like it, but God is in control. If we obey and trust him, he will provide.
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I worked in the college print shop when I was a student. Elva Snyder ran the print shop. Elva was a kind woman, but knew how to be assertive. She had be, she also supervised a dorm full of women. I got along well with Elva. One reason was I always called her “boss.” She like that. Using it showed I recognized her authority.
Something similar happens in a court of law. The judge demands respect. He or she is addressed as “your honor” to recognize the authority wielded. Defy the judge and you can be jailed for contempt of court.
This reminds me that God demands we recognize his authority as well. One way to do this is the proper use of his name. Abram did that in Genesis 15:2, ‘But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”’ (NIV) In bringing his question to God, Abram addressed him as “Sovereign Lord.” This is a translation of the Hebrew word Adonai. The word can also be translated as “master” or “lord.” It is sometimes used of a human master of slaves and of kings, not just a title for God.
When we address God as Lord, we recognize his authority over us. Don’t flippantly call God something like “the boss upstairs.” No, he is the sovereign lord over all things.
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How many names do you have? I have three. I have a given name, a middle name and a sur name or last name. I also had a nickname on the football field of high school, but it hasn’t been used for a long time. Names help identify us.
As we look to God, we learn a lot about him based on the different names used for him in scripture. One of them is found in Genesis 2:4, “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” (NIV) This name of God is different than Elohim used in Genesis 1:1. It appears over 6,000 times in Scripture. The King James translates it as “Jehovah,” though the NIV translates it as “LORD God.” This ancient word only appears in the Bible and is used by God as his name. He gave it to Moses to use in case the Israelites wanted to know the name of the God who sent him.
The name highlights that God is unique, uncreated, different. God said this in Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (NIV)
God is the ultimate cause for everything that exists. But he had no beginning. He exists as the great I AM.
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I enjoy providing this podcast for you each day. I also do other things, such as leading a small group and volunteering in the community and for different ministries. In addition, I am writing my second novel while seeking an agent for my first.
As an author, I know the first few sentences of a book are critical. For instance, the opening of a book must grab the reader’s attention, indicate the setting and introduce the main character. It should also open to action.
Did you realize that’s the way the bible starts? Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (NIV) Notice the setting is the creation of the universe. And talk about action – the next few verses describe light blazing into existence and cosmic events. Of course, the main character, God, is also introduced.
The word used for God in this verse is the Hebrew word Elohim. This passage associates it with the power of creation. The first thing we learn about God is he is the maker of all things. This highlights his power to bring into existence things that did not exist. It also indicates his ownership since he created it. So much is wrapped up in one simple word – God.
This week the podcast will focus on names and descriptions of God found in the first two books of the bible. Let’s appreciate the one who made us.
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Have you noticed that people like different things? Whether food, clothing or entertainment, we all have different tastes. Some love horror movies. Others prefer romantic comedies. For this episode, I decided to look for things that delight people.
Something that delights gives great pleasure and enjoyment. It is not just a preference, but something that thrills you with joy. Think of a parent holding a newborn baby. Other things that delight people include their favored team winning the championship and meeting their favorite celebrity.
Cute videos posted online delight many people. One that recently went viral on TikTok showed construction paper jack-o’-lanterns made by kindergarteners. Videos of kittens and puppies have also delighted thousands.
It seems strange, but some people delight in evil. They are thrilled by it. Buddy Scott, when chaplain of the Brazoria county jail in Texas, had a conversation with an inmate. The inmate confessed to cheering for the bad guys in TV crime dramas. Scott goes on in an article published in The Facts to quote from an online magazine YourTango, which said, “Evil people seem to delight in misfortune, to relish the bad feelings of other people.”*
This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (NIV)
If you relish slamming someone on social media, or snicker when your opponent suffers a misfortune or accident, you do not display love. Remember, love rejoices in the truth.
*Buddy Scott, "BUDDY SCOTT: Some people are disposed to evil," The Facts, October 22, 2022, https://thefacts.com/living/article_2756ff56-0946-518e-90a6-6e115783baf4.html
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People do some absolutely strange things. Here’s one. Linda Torello is buried in Orangetown, New York. Now that’s not strange, but this is: every morning her former husband visits her grave. He was briefly married to Torello in the 1970’s and hasn’t had contact with anyone in the family for over forty years. But every morning he visits the grave of his ex-wife with his current wife. But that’s not all. He urinates on the grave and sometimes leaves a bag of excrement. The woman has been dead for five years. When the family found bags of excrement on her grave, they set up a trail camera and captured images of the ex-husband desecrating the grave.*
Wow. Talk about holding a grudge. People who hold a grudge against someone usually want to hurt them, or, at least, insult them. What baffles me is this man’s action doesn’t hurt his ex-wife at all. She’s been dead for years. His actions are pathetic.
I Corinthians 13:5 says love “is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (NIV) That’s what a grudge is, holding a record of how someone wronged us. We feel justified in holding the grudge because we were treated unfairly.
But that isn’t love. I hope you aren’t pathetically holding a grudge against someone. Let’s love others by being quick to forgive.
*"Holding a Grudge, A weekly roundup of international news oddities," Salt Lake City Weekly, October 12, 2022, https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/holding-a-grudge/Content?oid=19020621
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Do you know someone with a bad temper? Bad tempers come in different types. One type is holding grudges. Another is the short fuse. Quick-tempered people snap. They go from quiet to mad as fast as a spark lights a blow torch. The slightest provocation and they roar with anger. Many celebrities have reputations for quick tempers. Alec Baldwin, Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen are some. Adam Sandler is another. And Sandler knows it. He thinks he’s calmer now. Recently Sandler said, “I used to go nuts. I had a quick temper, quick reactions. I made a lot of dumb mistakes and said a lot of stupid things. Looking back on relationships . . . I was selfish. I was competitive with other comedians and stuff."*
Did you notice he understands how destructive a quick temper is to relationships? It destroys trust. That’s why the description of love in I Corinthians 13:5 says, “It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (NIV)
If you ask most of us if we are loving, we’d say “yes.” I can’t imagine anyone saying they aren’t loving. But maybe we should check whether we are loving with other questions. Such as, how short is your fuse? When was the last time you lost your temper? In order to love other, slow your anger to a snail-like pace.
*Benjamin VanHoose, "Adam Sandler Admits He Was 'Selfish' in Past Relationships: 'I'm Calmer Than I Used to Be'," People quoted by Yahoo! News, September 21, 2022, https://news.yahoo.com/adam-sandler-admits-selfish-past-135955006.html
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Have you ever lost your cell phone? Did you panic and pat your pockets or dig through your purse? When we loose something important like our phone or credit card, we search for it, don't we. We retrace our steps, enlist others to help us and keep looking until we find it. The longer we look, the more our anxiety rises. That’s because what we seek is so important to us.
1 Corinthians 13:5 says this about love, “It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (NIV) Did you catch the second phrase? Love is not self-seeking. I find the word Paul used for seek interesting. It is the same word that describes our search for a lost phone or credit card. It is the same word Jesus used of the woman searching for a lost coin or the shepherd searching for a lost sheep. It is urgent and focused on what is highly valuable.
The phrase Paul used could be translated “does not seek himself.” It describes someone who thinks he or she is the most important. Someone who is intently focused on having their own way. Someone who is as focused on themselves as Jesus is focused on seeking the lost. Maybe that’s the best way to understand this description of love. Others are so important to us that we seek their interests and not our own.
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When I was a child, I spent time with my great aunts. The aunties instructed my siblings and I in manners. Manners are important because they show consideration for other people. I learned to sit up straight at the table, to use my napkin and how to pass dishes around the table. Without their instruction, I could have been rude without even knowing it.
It is easy to be rude when you don’t know people’s expectations. I once worked for an international company. I travelled to different countries as a part of my job. Soon after I joined, I was given a book about all the different cultures in the world. It held interesting details about behavior considered rude in each culture. For example, in some places it is rude to cross your legs while seated. The problem isn’t the crossed legs, it is because you show the bottom of your shoe. That’s considered an insult. In other places how you beckon someone to join you with a hand gesture can be rude. It all depends on which way your fingers are pointing.
I Corinthians 13:5 tells us that love is not rude. That’s because love is considerate of others. It cares about the simple things like not using your speaker phone in a public place, chewing with your mouth open or stopping in the middle of a busy sidewalk or street to text. Today, make sure you show love by being polite.
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Vladimir Putin has boasted that Russia is planning to build a base on the moon. Astronauts will live there permanently. When the astronauts were asked if they really wanted to spend the rest of their lives in a barren, lifeless, empty landscape, the Russians said, "No. That's why we want to go to the moon."
I know, it’s a lame joke. Have you heard this one? An American and a Russian were talking in a bar. The American began to boast about his country, claiming it's the land of the free. He said, "I could walk straight up to the White House and shout ‘Death to the American President’ and nothing happens to me." The Russian smirked and said, "I too can walk up to the Kremlin and shout ‘Death to the American President’, nothing bad happens to me either."*
Ok, I hope you enjoyed those. We often tell jokes about boastful people. But when we meet a proud braggard, most of us don’t laugh and enjoy it. Do we? We consider proud, boastful people to be arrogant. Maybe we instinctively know that people who boast aren’t concerned about us.
I Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not boast, it is not proud.” (NVI) The love described is unselfish. That’s why boasting is incompatible with it. Boasting promotes self. Whether the source of boasting is insecurity or arrogance doesn’t matter. Boasting focuses on self above others. It is the opposite of love.
*"Boast Jokes," Upjoke, https://upjoke.com/boast-jokes
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Near midnight on December 30, 2012, Naomi Oni was walking to her home in Dagenham, east London after leaving work. A woman wearing a veil followed her. Before Naomi reached her home, the woman in the veil caught up and threw acid into Naomi’s face. The acid burned her face, chest and hands, causing the loss of hair and eyelashes. Skin grafts were needed to repair the damage. She will carry the scars the rest of her life. Police later arrested Mary Konye, who had been Naomi’s friend since secondary school. Konye was tried and convicted in 2014. After the jury rendered the verdict, DCI David Whellams, who investigated the crime, said, “Konye was almost obsessively jealous of the victim's good looks and, after a previous argument between them, hatched an almost unbelievable plan to attack her with acid.”*
Such is the destructive power of envy. When we envy another person, we violate love. Our desire for what they have poisons our attitude. We cheer at their misfortune, or, as in the case of Mary Konye, seek to injure them. I Corinthians 13:4 says “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” (NIV) Note that love is described by positive traits, such as patience. But it is also described by examining traits that are the opposite. Today, to build your love for others, root out any envy poisoning your heart.
*"Mary Konye guilty of acid attack on friend Naomi Oni," BBC News Services, January 23, 2014, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-25867695.
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Several years ago, I took my family to see the Grand Canyon. Water gouged out the canyon, which is a mile deep. How spectacular to stand on the south rim and look into its depths. We looked down at an aircraft flying above the river. On another day, we walked part way down one of the trails. It brought an entirely new understanding of the size of the canyon. The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion.
Some things erode easily. Others are more durable. A flash flood through sand will quickly wash it away. The same flood can crash against granite and leave it unchanged. This picture of erosion is useful to understand love. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 says love “always perseveres. Love never fails.” (NIV)
Romantic feelings can fade. Time, distance or betrayal can erode it like sand. But the unselfish love described in Corinthians endures like granite. This is the love God has for us. It never fails. It will last for eternity. It endures even when we turn our backs on God. No matter how far away we drift from him, he loves us.
Our challenge is to love other people with the same love. A love that stands up under the pressures of our culture. A love the endure the tests of time. This love is the fruit of God’s Spirit. May God’s love flow from our hearts to those around us.
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I hope my team wins. I hope I get the job. I hope the sun shines on Saturday. Have you ever said something like that? We toss that word hope around a lot. How many times have you said these three words, “I hope so.” Did you know that hope describes love? But maybe not the hope we commonly think about.
I Corinthians 13:7 says that love “always hopes.” This may be lost on English speakers. To us, hope is a feeling that something good might happen. In fact, dictionary.com defines the word as a feeling. Sometimes the feeling is just the earnest desire for something good to happen. You know, like buying a lottery ticket and hoping you win. You want it, but are not sure it will happen.
But the word translated hope speaks of a confident expectation something will happen, not just wanting it to happen. For example, many of us expect a paycheck to hit our bank account. We certainly want it. But we are also confident because we put in the hours at our job. We expect the money to arrive on payday. That confident expectation is the true meaning of hope.
So how does this describe love? If we love others, we will confidently expect the best from them and for them. Sounds optimistic doesn’t it? It should. We’ll have a hard time loving others if we are filled with pessimism. Love always hopes.
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What is it about human nature that makes us expect the worst. For some of us, we are confident that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. For example, I used to have an old computer. I kept it long past it’s functional life. I knew when I booted it up I’d have to fix something. I expected it to fail. I find I am also cynical about other things, expecting bad things to happen.
This expecting bad things makes loving others difficult. Why? Because 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love always believes. The King James Version uses the word “belief” but the New International Version translates the word “trusts.” Both are accurate translations for the original word. It is the word we also translate “faith,” as in believing in Jesus and being saved by grace through faith.
Trust and belief are related concepts. For example, I always trusted my dad. I believed in him. He never lied to me. Oh, sometimes he didn’t tell me everything, but he didn’t deceive me. I knew that I could trust him because he had proven himself trustworthy over the years. He had my best interests at heart.
This ability to believe in the positive and trust others describes love. You might say love is the ability to see good in other people and expect good things from them. As you love others today, who should you give the benefit of the doubt?
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If you do an image search on the internet for love, you’ll likely get a page of results showing red hearts in Valentine’s Day style. You may get a couple of pictures of hands forming a heart outline or of a young couple embracing. Some of the pictures will be of the word love. But you probably won’t get a picture of Kristie Bennard.
On October 6th of this year, two pit bulls attacked a 5-month-old boy and his 2-year-old sister at their home near Memphis, Tennessee. Their mother, 30-year-old Kristie Bennard, ran to the rescue. She tried to stop the attack, and lay down on top of her daughter Lilly. The dogs turned on Kristie and attacked her. The attack continued for ten minutes. The two children died. Their mother was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Bite marks covered her body and face. She received an uncountable number of stitches. The dogs were euthanized.*
This is a tragic story, but also a heroic one. The actions of the mother illustrate love. I Corinthians 13:7 says love “always protects.” (NIV) The word used in the original means “to protect or preserve by covering.” Kristie protected her child by covering Lilly with her own body.
This also reminds us of Jesus’ love for us. He protected us from judgement by offering his body on the cross. Today, who do you know who needs protection. How will you love that person?
*Natalie Neysa Alund, "Family dogs kill 2 Tennessee children, injure mom who tried to stop mauling, family says," USA Today, October 8, 2022, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/10/08/2-children-killed-mother-hospitalized-after-tennessee-dog-mauling/8219201001/
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The Major League Baseball post season is underway. Alas, my team didn’t even win one game before bowing out. But for many fans, this is a time of rejoicing. They cheer their team after each score and each victory. They’ll stand in the stadium and scream, clap and high-five total strangers. Those watching on television will also yell, jump and cheer, even if they are watching in their own home. Then, for the team that wins the World Series, fans will rejoice in the streets in impromptu celebrations. Even more will turn out for the victory parade.
Now, think for a moment about child molesters and murderers. Should they be celebrated? Should people rejoice over their actions? Would you attend a parade for them? I hope not. Rejoicing should be reserved for good things. In fact, love “rejoices with the truth” (NIV) says 1 Corinthians 13:7.
Which means that rejoicing in falsehood and delighting in evil is not love. But notice the verse did not say to rejoice over your team’s victory, your child’s good grades or a promotion at work. Oh, don’t get me wrong. You should rejoice over these things. They are good things. But love rejoices with the truth.
What does that mean? Love can’t rejoice when the truth is denied. But rejoices when the truth wins. Truth is real. Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life.
Today, show love by celebrating the truth of Jesus.
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What is love? If you search the internet for answers to that question you’ll find all kinds of thoughts. Some silly, some profound, some not worth repeating.
This week the podcast is focused on the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Listen to verses 4 and 5, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (NIV) Notice that the passage contains positive descriptions, like “love is patient.” It also includes negative descriptions – in other words things which are not love. This week we’re looking at the positive descriptions. Today, we’re looking at “love is kind.”
The word kind indicates something that is pleasant. It doesn’t rub people the wrong way. It is generous. If you want an example of kindness, you might look at the Southwest Church of Christ in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Recently they held a community service event. Church members made and delivered over 100 meals to shut-ins and the homeless. They built a wheelchair ramp, cleaned up trash, made stuffed toys for children at the hospital – all while giving away gift cards for groceries and gas. 30 different service projects were completed.* That sounds like kindness to me.
Our challenge today is to focus on being kind to others. Be pleasant, be generous, for this is love.
*Diana Davis, "Jonesboro church spreads kindness across the community," Jonesboro KAIT, October 10, 2022, MSN, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jonesboro-church-spreads-kindness-across-the-community/ar-AA12NhXE
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When you think about patient people, who comes to mind? I know many mothers who are patient. They lovingly tend their baby or small child. Nurses and CNAs are patient too. They often care for people who feel ill and cantankerous.
When I think of patient people, I also think of the paraprofessional staff at elementary schools. Paras must have great patience to do their job. They deal with one or more children having special physical or emotional needs. They may assist the child in the bathroom, help with wheel chairs or other devices, assist in the classroom and help the child socially – all while documenting the day’s activities. Paras support the child all day, every school day. I’ve know paras who’ve been punched, slapped and kicked. They can’t retaliate or lash out in frustration. Their job is to support the child in spite of trying behavior. This is the type of patience you might call “long suffering.”
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul describes true love. No, not the romantic idea of love. But the type of love God has for us and that his Spirit produces in us. Listen to I Corinthians 13:4, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” (NIV) The very first description of love is patience. It is the ability to put up with people, even when they try our nerves. Today, show love by being patient.
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Have you ever visited someplace and wished you could live there? Maybe you’ve been to an all-inclusive resort on some Mexican beach or Caribbean island. Or maybe you’ve been to a lodge nestled in the mountains with a fantastic view. A nice home near a great golf course attracts some people. Others visit a city that has all the amenities and attractions, and wish they could afford to live there. For me, I’m more of a mountain person. I get bored at the beach. I hate the bustle of the city, though I appreciate some European cities more than those in the U.S. I also think Hong Kong is beautiful. But I’ll take the mountains over anything.
We all want a safe, beautiful place to live with great weather and the people and things we enjoy nearby. A place to live the good life.
God’s care for us is described as living with him. Psalms 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (NIV)
Does the idea of dwelling in God’s house excite you? My guess is probably not. But the psalmist tells us that God cares for us in many ways. He provides for us, protects us and lavishes his blessing on us like a banquet. That’s what his house is like. God caring for us is the good life.
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Sometimes people experience a string of bad luck. In August, bad luck followed a couple in Norfolk, Virginia. A few hours before John Jefferies would start his new job, he decided to go to the convenience store. He rode his skateboard and was hit by a car that came out of nowhere. It knocked him unconscious and left him with a broken nose, broken ribs and back trouble. Five days later, the couple’s only car was stolen. Now they face the challenge of getting John to doctor appointments and the kids to school without a vehicle.1
Then there’s Corey Simons in Chicago. His car was stolen twice within three hours. The first time, his car was stolen from the shop where it was receiveing an oil change. The police arrived three minutes after he called. A GPS tracker helped the police recover the car. Simons hopped in and drove to a gas station. While he filled the car with gas, another person climbed in and stole it again. The same police officers recover it again.2
Wouldn’t you rather have good things follow you in life? They can. According to the twenty-third Psalm God cares for us like a shepherd cares for sheep. After describing God’s care, the psalmist concludes with this verse. “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (NIV)
Antoinette DelBel, "‘The nightmare doesn’t end. It just keeps going’: Norfolk family devastated after string of bad luck," WTKR, August 18, 2022, https://www.wtkr.com/news/the-nightmare-doesnt-end-it-just-keeps-going-norfolk-family-devastated-after-string-of-bad-luckMark Rivera, "Man has car stolen twice in 3 hours in Chicago: 'Luck is on my side'," WLS-TV Chicago, September 26, 2022, https://abc7chicago.com/car-stolen-twice-chicago-police-crime/12251762/
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What is the most lavish banquet you have ever attended? Have you eaten at some massive buffet? Do you think a banquet is a vast variety of simple foods or expensive dishes on fine china and fancy linen? I know I’ve been to all-you-can-eat restaurants that offer more dishes than I can ever eat. But the image of a banquet that comes to my mind is Thanksgiving dinner with all the relatives piled into my in-laws home. I miss those days. All the work preparing the table and food was a display of love.
Psalm 23:5 uses the image of a banquet to describe God’s care for us. It says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (NIV) Notice this table is not simply a large spread of food. It is prepared as a victory feast. The enemies are present, watching. But the table is prepared for us, not our enemies.
Anointing the head with oil was a way the ancients dressed in their best. Today, people shampoo, blow dry, apply gel or hair spray, then comb or brush the hair. But notice that God is the one fixing the hair. He cares for us.
The overflowing cup is also a sign of God’s generosity. All of these images tell us God loves us and gives us much more than we need.
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I have a friend who travels a lot for work. Recently he posted about a business trip to New York City. He parked his service truck at a factory and decided to walk four or five blocks to a convenience store for some food, since the store had no truck parking. It was 10 or 11 at night. This was not a good part of town. Many of the locals avoid the streets in this area at night. My friend walked right down the middle of the street to avoid places attackers might lurk. As he walked, he thought of Psalms 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (NIV) My friend made it safely to the convenience store and back to his truck.
This verse talks about God’s protection. We fear no evil, because He is with us. The shepherd had a staff to guide the sheep and a rod to beat off thieves or predators. God also has the means to defend us and rescue us. The presence of the Good Shepherd comforts us. Isn’t the promise of God’s presence the same promise Jesus made to us in the Great Commission? He said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 NIV) God loves us enough to walk with us through life's dark places.
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A few years ago, my wife, daughter and I visited Beijing, China. We spent two days sightseeing. We hired a guide to show us Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City on the first day. The square was empty, but crowds filled parts of the Forbidden City. Our guide just told us to follow her pink umbrella, which we did. After touring the site, she led us away from the crowds to a restaurant near a residential area. We had a splendid meal of dumplings, lotus and sweet and sour chicken. We would never have found the restaurant, or ordered lunch successfully, without her help. The second day, we drove to the Great Wall. During both days, our guide provided lots of information about each stop on the tour. She also guided us on the best path from place to place.
The Lord, as our shepherd, also guides us through life. Psalm 23:3 says, “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (NIV) God doesn’t just guide us from place to place, like a tour guide. He shows us the correct path in life. God guides us through the moral and ethical choices we face. His way is the right way. In China, my wife, daughter and I followed a pink umbrella to find our way. In life, we all should follow God’s word. He leads in the paths of righteousness.
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If you were an animal, what animal would you be? Now isn’t that a crazy question. It is fun to ask though. Ask it as an ice breaker at a party and see what kind of creative answers you receive. That or people will just rolled their eyes and move on.
The bible doesn’t ask this question, but it does answer it. According to the twenty-third Psalm, we are sheep. I know, not very flattering, is it? The psalmist uses the illustration of a shepherd and sheep to teach us about God’s love and care for us. Verse two and the first part of verse three says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (NIV)
The shepherd leads the sheep to green, grazing lands where they eat and lie down. It is a picture of a full sheep. The streams of water are peaceful and clear, not roiling and murky from a flood or so fast it threatens to sweep the sheep away. God gives us what we need. Not only does he care for our physical needs, but the verse says he restores our soul. God meets our spiritual and emotional needs as well.
So, the next time someone asks you what kind of animal you would be, tell them a sheep. When they look surprised, you can tell them about the twenty-third Psalm.
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I volunteer at a children’s farmstead. Families come to bottle-feed baby goats, ride the horse-drawn hay ride, fish in the pond, visit the Indian camp and the old-time stores, watch a dairy cow milked, and view all sorts of farm and wild animals native to our area. The farmstead is also popular for grade school field trips. Buses disgorge mobs of children and a few adults who herd them about. The adults help the kids find the bathroom, lead them to lunch and make sure none get away, um, I meant none are lost. After all the fun of the farmstead, some children still grumble because they want something else. It is a thankless job to be a parent helper on a school field trip.
This may be the closest we come to understanding what a shepherd does. Shepherds tend flocks of sheep in open range areas. Most of us have never known a shepherd or raised sheep. Much like a field trip parent, shepherds lead their charges to food and water, round up strays and care for injuries.
This week the podcast will look at the twenty-third Psalm. Verse one says, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”(NIV) We’ll explore what God does for us. But this verse gives the ultimate result. When God cares for us, we will be satisfied. We won’t exist in a state of want.
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This week I’ve really enjoyed sharing with you the story of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” The lyrics were written by the former captain of a ship that hauled captives between Africa and the United States. Those captive were sold as slaves. Following his conversion and study of theology, John Newton wrote six verses to the hymn. His last verse was this:
"The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,The sun forbear to shine;But God, who call'd me here below,Will be forever mine."
You may be confused. Because this is not the final verse most of us sing. The last verse of the hymn was written long after Newton. Slaves in America created it. They passed it down orally for at least 50 years before Harriet Beecher Stowe included it in her anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.* Here are the words,
"When we've been there ten thousand yearsBright shining as the sun,We've no less days to sing God's praiseThan when we've first begun."
The grace of God changed the heart of a vile, obscene, slave ship captain and he created one of the most favorite hymns in America. And the grace of God enlightened the hearts of slaves to create the final verse which rings with eternal hope. Sometimes, you just have to stop marvel at what God has done through his grace. How is he changing your heart?
*"Amazing Grace," Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace
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This week the podcast has focused on the hymn “Amazing Grace.” John Newton wrote the lyrics in 1772. Sixty years later they were joined to the melody we now know. But the title was not set until nearly a hundred years after the lyrics were written. Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey published the song with the title “Amazing Grace.” When John Newton first wrote it, he gave this title, “1 Chronicles 17:16–17, Faith's Review and Expectation.”*
I bet you didn’t know that. I am so glad Moody and Sankey gave it the current title.
Here’s something else you may not know, the fifth verse of the hymn. Many hymnals leave it out. That’s too bad, because it is part of the natural progression of the verses. The first verse focuses on the experience of salvation by grace. Then they focus on the grace present in our suffering which secures our future. This verse starts with our death and ends with life. It goes like this,
"Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,And mortal life shall ceaseI shall possess within the veil,A life of joy and peace."
It reminds us of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (NIV)
The war in Ukraine grinds on. Can you imagine being a parent of a small child caught in the conflict? You would do everything possible to shield them from violence and destruction. Many parents fled the country with their children. The number of people who have been displaced in Ukraine has climbed over 12 million according to a BBC report. I’m sure the children of Ukraine are comforted by their protective parents.
This reminds me of God protecting us. 1 Peter 1:3-6 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (NIV)
The fourth verse of “Amazing Grace” provides similar assurance.
"The Lord has promised good to meHis word my hope secures;He will my shield and portion be,As long as life endures."
Take a moment to praise God that he shields you through his power.
The third verse of “Amazing Grace” says,
"Through many dangers, toils and snaresI have already come,'Tis grace has brought me safe thus farAnd grace will lead me home."
This hymn has been a comfort for many people during hard times. It became a Negro spiritual for slaves in early America. Soldiers in the Civil War also sang it. It was translated into Cherokee and later sung by them on the Trail of Tears.* Today, it is often sung at funerals.
As Psalm 23:4 says, God is with us “through the valley of the shadow of death.” Even though we struggle and suffer, we know God leads us home.
Listen to Jesus’ words in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (NIV)
But Jesus does not simply promise us comfort in the future. John 14:26 says he promised to send the Holy Spirit. The King James Version calls him “the Comforter.” Remember, God gives us so much more than just a clean slate. He leads and comforts us through life.
*"Amazing Grace," Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace
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Are you getting tired of all the judgmental anger in public life? People yell, protest and condemn others. Riots even break out. Many judge others for their misbehavior, cancelling them, shouting them down or doxing them. Some believe we are in a cultural revolution.
Maybe we are worried about the wrong thing. Rather than the judgement of people, maybe we should worry about the judgement of God. Romans 2:1-4 says, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” (NIV)
God’s judgement is a frightful thing. The bible describes it as being thrown into a lake of fire or as a place of darkness with tooth-grinding pain. Thankfully there is a way to escape God’s judgement. We accept his grace through faith in Jesus. This journey from fear of judgement to the assurance of grace is displayed in the second verse of Amazing Grace.
"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,And grace my fears relieved.How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed."
Let's stop condemning others and reach out to God for his grace.
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"Amazing grace, How sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me.I once was lost, but now I am found,Was blind, but now I see."
John Newton wrote these words in 1772. They were joined to the now familiar melody more than 60 years later, becoming one of the most widely known hymns in America. It has been sung with music arranged for a large worship band. But perhaps singing it without accompaniment best captures the spirit of the song, for it is a humble declaration of the powerful transformation God gives through his grace.
This first verse also echoes the joy of God described in the parable of the prodigal son. The father in the parable, represents God. His son leaves and squanders everything his father gave him. Starving, the son returns, hoping to be hired. But the father runs to him, embraces him as a son and throws a party. The father explains why he celebrates in Luke 15:24, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (NIV)
The hymn is a humble celebration. Only 21 of the 150 words used throughout the song are more than one syllable in length.* It doesn’t soar with fanciful lyrics or use profound phrases and highly educated words. It reflects the humble heart of one who recognizes how undeserved grace is. Take a moment to sing this verse as an offering to God.
*"Amazing Grace," Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace
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John’s mother wanted him to become a minister. But John grew to be a wicked man. Conscripted into the British Navy, he rebelled with insubordination. He deserted the Navy while on leave in order to visit a woman. The Navy arrested him and decided to trade him to help crew a slave ship. The slave trade was legal at the time. John had the foulest mouth of any sailor. He wrote obscene poems about the captain of the slave ship. He was so much trouble, the captain chained him up with the slaves. For a period, John was a slave in the African nation of Sierra Leon. But that experience changed nothing. When freed, he joined the crew of another slave ship. He continued in the slave trade and eventually became captain of a slave ship. But God had started working on his heart.
John left the sea in 1750 and began to study theology. He was ordained in 1764. He wrote poems. On January 1, 1773, one of his poems was used in a prayer meeting. It begins with these words: "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me."*
If John Newton were alive today, he’d be denounced, cancelled and reviled. His house would be burned and he’d likely be shot. Even though God changed John, some people would never forget his past. Aren’t you thankful that God sees us as we are and not as we were? Thank God for his grace.
*"Amazing Grace," Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace
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I can tell the stories about the birth of each of my children. If you have children, I’m sure you can do the same. After the birth of my first, I ran two stop lights driving home because I was so elated. The second was born on Easter Sunday. For our last child, we drove over 30 miles to the hospital. Each birth was special. But my role as a parent didn’t stop with their birth. I loved, hugged, played and taught each of my children. Being a parent isn’t simply about producing a child. It requires raising a child to adulthood.
The same is true about being a disciple of Jesus. As disciples, we make other disciples. But that is more than just involvement in their spiritual birth. Listen to Matthew 28:18-20, ‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’ (NIV)
Notice disciples teach others to obey Jesus. Whether teaching a class, leading a small group or simply talking to another person, share what you’ve learned about living for Jesus. Disciples of Jesus teach one another to obey him.
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Decades ago, I was baptized into Jesus Christ. I remember going forward at the end of the Sunday church service, making a statement of faith, changing into a white robe and being immersed. But it didn’t just happen. I didn’t suddenly wake up one morning and decide to get baptized at church. It required other people. I listened to ministers preach about Jesus – more than once. While at summer camp, I discussed my search for forgiveness with another person. My brother and sister, back at home, talked to a different person the same day about faith in Jesus. When I called from camp to discuss my decision, I learned they had also decided to follow Jesus. We agreed to get baptized on Sunday. When we went forward, our father also responded. A friend baptized us all on the same day.
But it wouldn’t have happened without people sharing the message of Jesus. I am so thankful they did. They were living the words of Matthew 28:18-20, ‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’ (NIV)
Keep sharing the message of Jesus. Others will be thankful you did.
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My neighbor loves to grow plants. His favorite activity is to plant a seed and watch it sprout and grow. He has grown oak trees from acorns, avocado trees from pits, as well as pumpkins, cucumbers and corn from seed. He enjoys the amazing cycle of a seed producing a plant, which produces a seed that grows into a new plant.
This reproductive cycle of plants and seed reminds me of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, ‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore goand make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’ (NIV)
Did you catch it? Disciples of Jesus will make disciples and teach them to obey Jesus by making more disciples. Just like seeds produce plants that produce seed in an unending cycle, Jesus’ disciples participate in a spiritual cycle of life.
Making disciples is the key command in this verse. But notice we do this while “going.” It accompanies us throughout our daily lives. We must be intentional about sharing the message of Jesus and teaching others to obey his commands. May your life display the intentional rhythm of planting seeds of faith in Jesus.
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Where would we be without the ability to measure things? Recipes provide specific instructions on the amount of ingredients to combine, the order of steps and the cooking temperatures. At a health checkup, measurements of blood pressure, height and weight are taken. Though we usually don’t like those results.
So, what about disciples of Jesus? Does a measurement exist that verifies someone is a disciple? Well, maybe. Listen to Jesus in John 15:5-8, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (NIV)
This passage indicates bearing much fruit reveals the disciples of Jesus. In other words, we can’t simply be consumers of Jesus. We must become producers for Jesus. If we are connected to him, his Spirit and love will flow through us to produce much fruit. Take a look at yourself. If you are only a consumer of spiritual things you need to refresh your connection to Jesus.
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I’m a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs. I often watch their games on TV. I probably know more about the Cardinals. We keep up on the new players from the minors, who’s on the injured list and player stats. I also have more Cards shirts and hats than Chiefs wear.
But I am not a fan of Jesus. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love Jesus. But my relationship with him is far more than being a fan. I am a follower, a disciple. You probably see yourself the same way, right? So how do we distinguish ourselves as followers of Jesus? Do we just wear religious shirts like we do for our sports teams?
Well, that’s ok, but it’s not enough. We need to think bigger. This week, we’re examining Jesus’ words for the distinctive marks of his disciples. One of those marks is found in John 13:34-35. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)
Loving others is the mark of Jesus’ disciples. Fans of Jesus may wear a religious t-shirt. But followers of Jesus do much more. They take action to love others the way Jesus loves us. So what loving action will you take today?
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One of the most famous quotes of Jesus is this, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NIV) It is often quoted in reference to some abstract concept of truth. As if knowing any truth, historical, philosophical or scientific, liberates us. But Jesus actually used it in a narrow sense. John 8:31-32 reads, ‘To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”’ (NIV)
Jesus said his followers hold to his teaching. His teaching on morality and spiritual things is the truth that liberates. We see this in the conversation with the believing Jews in the following verses. ‘They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”’ (John 8:33-36 NIV)
If we want to follow Jesus, we must hold to his teaching. We don’t pick and choose what we want to believe, as if Jesus offers some buffet of advice. We hold, grasp, grip all of his teaching, even when the culture mocks, cancels and persecutes. This is the path to freedom.
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Do you follow a person or sports team on social media? It’s easy to do, just click. Perhaps it is too easy.
When people hear about following Jesus, do they equate it with following a Twitter personality? Do they mentally subscribe to his word as a past time? Do they choose to pay attention to him as one voice in a stream of others, occasionally interacting with him through prayer or worship? If you think this is what it means to follow Jesus, you’ve got it all wrong.
Hear what Jesus said in Mark 8:34-38, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (NIV)
Jesus tells us following him is an absolute priority, not a past time. Our loyalty to him means surrendering our own interests, even our own life. Jesus doesn’t want to be included in the feed of your life. He wants to be your life.
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Do you like science fiction? Imagine you land on a barren planet in a distant solar system. You plod through the dry, barren landscape and discover a house. You enter and find it warm with a breathable atmosphere. You pull off the helmet of your space suit and notice the furniture fits you, water runs from a tap and a refrigerator stands stocked with food you can eat. Would you conclude this all evolved by chance? Or would you think someone expected you and prepared a place for you? I’d go with the second option. The house is too suited to human needs to conclude otherwise.
Now, think about our planet. It’s like that house. We live on a hospitable planet, perfectly fitted to our needs. Earth is our house in a barren universe.
But that’s not all. The universe itself is finely tuned to allow life to exist. Change any of a number of factors, such as the strength of gravity, and life would not exist. A random value for these factors would result in a universe without life. This evidence points to God, the designer and creator the universe.
This idea is presented in an eight-minute video “Stephen Meyer Shatters the Myth of the Multiverse” on a page at hillfaith.org.* I have placed a link in the show notes. Remember, we are not meaningless specks in a random universe. God prepare a place because he loves us.
*“Stephen Meyer Shatters the Myth of the Multiverse," HillFaith, https://www.hillfaith.org/apologetics/science-uprising-no-we-human-beings-are-not-just-accidental-specks/
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Many years ago, I was astounded by what my preschool child said. No, this is not a story of a precocious child uttering a statement beyond his years. Nor is it the story of an innocent, but humorous, conversation. I was astounded because I caught my son in a lie. So began my learning curve as a parent. I had to learn the signs that my children were truthful, or not. Have you been there?
We face a similar problem when we come to the bible. What are the signs it is true? How do we know Matthew, Mark, Luke and John didn’t exaggerate or fabricate things in their accounts? Thankfully, there are multiple signs showing they told the truth. Several are listed in the book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Here are three:
First, the writers include embarrassing details from their lives. For example, they show they were too dull to understand Jesus. They include times Jesus rebuked them. And they tell of their own cowardice.Second, they included embarrassing details about Jesus. His mother and brothers thought him crazy. He was called a drunkard and demon-possessed. In addition, a prostitute wiped his feet with her hair. Imagine a politician today found in a similar setting!Third, their accounts vary in details. They don’t all include the same things. This matches what you’d expect from eyewitnesses.*
These signs and others show the writers of the New Testament told the truth.
*Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek, I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, 2004, pp. 275-286.
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I used to live near a Civil War battlefield in southeastern Missouri. Residents of the county were proud of their history. They pointed to the county courthouse and the patched holes caused by cannon balls from Confederate artillery.
Did you know the ancient Romans had artillery? No, they didn’t have cannons that fired projectiles which exploded. But they did use sophisticated catapults to sling round stones to batter down the city walls of their enemies. Many were about the size of a soccer ball. Recently, archaeologists unearthed these rocks, called ballista, in Jerusalem.*
Why is this important? Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24:1-2, ‘Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”’ (NIV) Jesus went on to explain the terrible suffering the destruction would bring.
Did it happen? Well, the historian Josephus recorded that Rome besieged Jerusalem in 70 A.D. They focused the assault on the northwest side of the city. Do you know where they found all the ballista stones? The northwest side of the old city walls.
Once again archaeology has confirmed biblical events. But it is more interesting, than that. Archaeology confirms the account of a non-biblical historian. And both confirm the events predict by Jesus occurred.
*Ian Randall, "Archaeology: Weaponry used in the destruction of Jerusalem’s Second Temple unearthed," Daily Express, August 14, 2022, https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1655013/archaeology-weaponry-used-destruction-jerusalem-second-temple-unearthed
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Take a moment and place your hand over your heart. Do you feel it beating? Do you know what a marvel your heart is? In a YouTube video called “The Miracle of the Human Heart Explained by Biologist Michael Denton”* we learn the following:
Your heart started beating while you were still in the womb. It beats every second. By the time you reach 80 years old, it will beat two billion times.The cells that compose the heart are special. They resist fatigue and contract autonomously without external control.With each beat the heart moves 100 billion red blood cells through hundreds of kilometers of capillaries. Each red blood cell carries oxygen molecules to the cells of the body, providing the energy for life.It took four centuries of diligent study to understand how the heart and lungs work. They are examples of bioengineering fine-tuned to deliver energy throughout the body.But they would be useless without the fine-tuning of the earth’s environment. In order for the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen, sunlight must reach the surface of the planet. Through photosynthesis, plants must be present to produce oxygen. Water, which forms the basis of blood, must be the right viscosity. If it were thicker or thinner, our blood would be useless. And transition metals must be present to carry and convert oxygen in the body.
Thump, thump, thump. Your heart declares the glory of God who designed it.
*Discovery Science, "The Miracle of the Human Heart Explained by Biologist Michael Denton," YouTube, https://youtu.be/52JfcJvP-Sk
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Have you ever been told something you absolutely believed was false? Of course, you have. We all have been lied to, some of us more than others. Such experiences leave us skeptical of other people. We hear something outlandish and we refuse to believe. We exclaim, “No way” and shake our heads.
Some people react that way when told about a miracle. They simply don’t believe miracles exist. Maybe you’ve heard someone say something like, “if I don’t see it with my own eyes, I’ll never believe it.” They pooh pooh the idea of Jesus walking on water, feeding the five thousand or rising from the dead.
But I don’t need to see something happen to believe it actually happened. Take the explosion of the volcano Krakatoa in 1883. I didn’t see it, but I believe it when told it was four times more powerful than the largest nuclear device ever detonated. I can see the effects of the event, even if I didn’t see it happen.
The same is true of miracles. If God exists, then miracles can happen. I don’t need to see them, their after effects are present. Take the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. History tells us people died in the arenas of Rome for their belief in it. The resurrection powered Christianity and changed the Roman world. It was a world altering event.
But more important is the fact the resurrection validated the message of Jesus and proved he is God’s son.
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Do you like puzzles? At our house, the puzzles come out around the winter holidays. Pieces are sorted and assembled, often over multiple hours or days. Some puzzles are quick. Others are difficult because of the multiple shades of color used across the picture. But persistence eventually finds the place for every piece and the picture is complete.
Archaeology is much the same. Artifacts are unearthed including building foundations, pottery shards, ancient tools, and coins. They are the puzzle pieces studied to see a picture of the past. Archaeology has validated the bible’s historical accuracy on numerous occasions. And that validation continues today.
In August of this year, a team of archaeologists excavated a fifth-to-sixth century Byzantine basilica at the el Araj archaeological site on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. They uncovered a large Greek mosaic that bolsters the theory the church was built over the home of the apostles Peter and Andrew. Steven Notley, professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Nyack University and co-leader of the expedition, called the basilica’s mosaic the “most definitive archaeological connection with Peter." According to Notley, the mosaic is more than 1,500 years old. He also believes it is compelling evidence that the excavation has discovered the town of Bethsaida. *
With a puzzle, when most of the pieces are assembled, you can tell what the picture is. Archaeology has pieced so much of the past together we can see the bible is true.
*Edie Heipel, "St. Peter’s House Believed to Have Been Found on Shore of Sea of Galilee," National Catholic Register, August 24, 2022, https://www.ncregister.com/cna/st-peter-s-house-believed-to-have-been-found-on-shore-of-sea-of-galilee
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The days are getting shorter and cooler. Have you noticed? But it was a long, hot summer. I am so thankful for air conditioning. Let’s face it. Most of us are comfortable in a very narrow range of temperatures. Oh, we may push the thermostat up or down a few degrees, but not far.
This fact reminds me of a video on YouTube entitled "The Wonder of Water."* It explains how water is absolutely critical for the existence of life. One reason is water’s unique thermal properties. Water can absorb tremendous amounts of heat without much increase in its own temperature. For example, the sidewalk on a hot summer day can burn bare feet. But feet dipped into a pool of water on the same blistering day will find cool comfort. How can a sidewalk and water in the same sunshine have such different temperatures? Because the water absorbs the heat without getting as hot.
This property of water is special. Water absorbs more heat at normal temperatures and pressures than any other liquid. It allows our bodies to cool themselves through sweat evaporating into the air. And since human beings are relatively hairless, this benefits people more than any animal. It allows us to continue to exert ourselves through more of the hot hours of the day.
Water is tuned to life and we are tuned to take advantage of it. Just one more reason to believe God designed it all.
*"Water, Ultimate Giver of Life, Points to Intelligent Design," Discovery Science, https://youtu.be/e2i0g1sL-X4
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Rulers of nations have huge egos. The President of the United States is sometimes called the leader of the free world. That’s bound to make any President’s head swell. They all like to issue executive orders and bypass the Congress and courts, if they can. Most Presidents – in fact, most leaders - like to feel “large and in charge.” But no President or leader of any other government on the planet has ultimate power. But Jesus does.
Listen to Revelation 19:11-16 describe Jesus, ‘I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (NIV)
This title of Jesus reveals he possesses ultimate power and authority.
I was proud of my stingray-style bicycle. My parents bought it used for my birthday. It had high handle bars and a leopard-print banana seat. It was my bike. I was the boss. I could decorate it, clip on carboard to rattle the spokes or practice popping wheelies. My ownership gave me authority over it.
Keep this in mind when you listen to Luke 6:1-5, ‘One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”’ (NIV)
What does the title Lord of the Sabbath mean? It means Jesus is the boss of the Sabbath. He owns it. He created it. He know hows it should and should not be observed. He clearly felt his disciples had done nothing wrong. This title is not one we often use for Jesus. But it reminds us that he is Lord over all things, even the Sabbath.
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“I give you my word.” Have you ever heard that statement? People say it to reassure someone they will do as promised. Or how about the phrase “can I have a word with you?” You know you’re in for more than one word. They want to talk to you about something. The term word is often used to summarize something greater. Two passages of the bible use it in this way.
John 1:1-4 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”(NIV) John tells us in later verses that this Word is Jesus.
Revelation 19:11-13 also uses the term word in John’s prophetic vision of Jesus, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.”
Jesus existed before creation. He was the agent of creation. He will be the agent of God’s judgement. He is the Word of God.
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As the days grow short and the autumn leaves fall, stores will begin decorating for Christmas. It seems to come earlier each year. But the real story of Christmas never gets old. A virgin gave birth to a son through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is in fact God’s son.
Listen to Mark 1:9-11, ‘At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”’ (NIV) This fact is central to Jesus’ identity. He claimed God as his Father.
Satan tempted Jesus to prove his identity in Matthew 4:3, ‘The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”’(NIV) Matthew 16:16 gives Peter’s great confession about the identity of Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (NIV)
In fact, all the apostles believed this. After Jesus walked on water, Matthew 14:33 says they all ‘worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”’ (NIV)
Romans 1:4 says Jesus “was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead."
Believing Jesus is the Son of God leads to life in his name.
Do you get excited about bible prophecy? In Jesus’ day, people studied prophecy, hoping for relief from their personal and national problems. Jesus fulfilled many prophecies. One of his titles came from the prophecies of Daniel. The title is Son of Man. Listen to Daniel 7:13-14, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (NIV)
The title Son of Man references Jesus’ human nature. But Daniel’s passage also mentions receiving sovereign power and worship, which are characteristics of God. Jesus himself claimed the title when healing a paralytic as well as another of God's abilities, forgiving sins. Matthew 9:5-7 says, ‘“Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” And the man got up and went home.’ (NIV)
Remember, Jesus, the Son of Man, forgives sins. His is human and divine.
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Have you ever had a cup of water poured over your head? Sometimes people do this as a prank at a picnic. The victim sputters and jumps up. Sometimes people do it to themselves when they are really hot. But I’ve never seen this done at a special and solemn ceremony. Pouring stuff on the head just seems undignified and messy. If I lived in Old Testament times, I’d need to adjust my thinking. Pouring olive oil on something or on the head of someone was called “anointing.” It formed the ceremony setting someone or something apart for a special role.
For instance, Moses anointed Aaron and his sons as the priests when the worship practices of ancient Israel were established. He also anointed the priestly garments, the altar, the tabernacle and other things. Kings were also anointed upon taking office. Samuel the prophet anointed Saul as king, as well as David after him. The men of Judah also anointed David as their king. So being the anointed one was a big deal.
That is what the title Christ means. It is the Greek form of the word Messiah. Both mean the “anointed or chosen one.” In Mark 8:20, Jesus said his disciples, ‘“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”’ (NIV)
“Christ” is not Jesus’ name, it is the most common title for Jesus. He is God’s chosen one, set apart for a special role.
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Names are important. When parents choose the name of their child, they consider different things. They may name the child after a relative or famous person. For example, I received the name of my father’s brother. Sometimes, parents just like the sound of a name, even inventing something new. But names also carry meaning. My name means “noble.” My oldest son’s name means “gift of God.” My wife’s name means “ray of sunshine” or “shining light.”
This week the podcast will look at a few of the names and titles of Jesus and their meaning. God told both Mary and Joseph to name her baby Jesus. In Luke 1:31, the angel said to Mary, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” Joseph also received an angelic message that explained why he had to use the name Jesus. Matthew 1:20-21 says, ‘an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”’ (NIV)
The name Jesus means “God saves” and “savior.” It is the perfect name to describe Jesus’ mission here on earth.
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When I was a teen, one of my favorite music artists was Jim Croce. He wrote a song called “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim.” I loved to sing it. The chorus contained these words, “You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger and you don't mess around with Jim.”
The song told the story of a pool shark named Jim Walker. He was big and tough as a horse. Everyone thought he was the toughest man on New York’s 42nd street. But a man from Alabama named Slim arrived and beat him in a fight. After that, the chorus changed to say “you don’t mess around with Slim.”
Sometimes it seems the bad guys always win. They push and shove to get what they want. They proudly mock people who seek to follow Jesus. They strut through life like Jim Walker in the song. But they live in a precarious position. Not because the followers of Jesus are going to slice them up like Slim does in the song. No, they face the Lord’s curse. Listen to the wisdom of Proverbs 3:33-35, “The LORD’S curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. The wise inherit honor, but fools he holds up to shame.” (NIV)
May you be righteous and blessed by God.
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In the last few years, violence has seeped into new areas of life. Violence used to only be associated with crime. Thugs mugged unsuspecting people or invaded their homes. Family members who committed domestic violence were arrested and prosecuted. Assault, rape and murder were seen as violent crimes. They still are. But violent crime has increased. In some cities, a day doesn’t pass without a drive-by-shooting and scores of other violent crimes. According to a CDC survey, 44% of teens experienced violence in the previous 12 months.*
But, things are worse than just a rise in crime. Now violence is accepted by many as a form of speech and protest. Multiple riots occurred across the U.S. in 2020. Destruction of property and assault on citizens and police occurred on numerous occasions. On many college campuses, political speakers are shouted down. On social media, hateful words are directed at people expressing unpopular views. Politicians use the rhetoric of violence to stir supporters to action. They also ignore violent acts that support their political cause.
Doesn’t it seem like the vicious and the violent are winning? Are you tempted to emulate their tactics? Don’t. Listen to Proverbs 3:31-32, “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the LORD detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.” (NIV)
*"Violence Impacts Teens’ Lives," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/teen-violence-impact/index.html
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Do you procrastinate? Now, don’t put off answering that question. We all procrastinate at something. I have a task on my to-do list that has lived there for months. It is sorting through the last box from our move two years ago. All the other boxes have been unpacked or set on shelves for storage. This box, which holds items from my desk at work, sits in the basement floor. For several weeks I have planned to deal with it. But something always comes up. Or I forget. Or I just don’t have the ambition. Do you have something you always put off doing?
Procrastination for some things is acceptable. For others, it can be dangerous. If you experience symptoms of a major health problem, you shouldn’t put off a visit to the doctor. If you have bills to pay, putting them off can eventually lead to bankruptcy. Then there’s doing good. Proverbs 3:27-28 warns us not to put off doing good. It reads, ‘Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow”– when you now have it with you.’ (NIV)
So, are you putting off doing some good for a neighbor, a co-worker, a store clerk or a restaurant wait staff? If you have the power to act, then act today.
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Which market do you follow? There are several. Most are aware of the stock market. Each night the news reports on the overall gains and losses of the market, citing a major index like the Dow Jones Average, the S&P 500 or the NASDAQ. In addition, reports air about the gains or losses of local companies. Many people also follow the currency exchange market. They may invest in Bitcoin, Ethereum or some other crypto currency. Farmers usually follow the commodities market. The price of corn, wheat, soybeans or animals directly affects their business decisions. All of us keep our ears open for movement in the crude oil prices. We hope it goes down so gasoline becomes less expensive.
Then there is gold and silver. These precious metals become havens for investors in difficult times. Did you know that the price of gold has raised 30% in the past five years? And that silver doubled in price between the March of 2020 and March of 2021? But there is something that has a greater return.
Proverbs 3:13-15 says, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Don’t chase some market and forget the greatest return of all comes from investing ourselves in God’s wisdom.
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People often search for ways to improve their lives. Some read books and magazines about various topics such as health and nutrition, home decorating or home improvement projects. For career success they consult experts on applying for jobs, networking and developing leadership skills. Many search the web, hoping to find answers in some blog, tweet or video post in order to get ahead in life. Some look for ways to make more money, purchase the best value for the money or save money.
How did people in ancient times find help to live a good life without YouTube and Instagram? Well, they consulted wisdom like the book of Proverbs. This week we are looking at different Proverbs to understand how to improve our lives. The Proverbs contain wisdom on relationships, business, personal habits, money management and more.
In fact, money is an important area to improve life. But many people miss one of the most important money secrets to a successful life. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” (NIV)
Did you hear it? Giving money to God in order to honor him is one secret to a good life. But this isn’t some formula in order to get ahead. It is prioritizing offerings to God as recognition of him and the blessings he gives. Be sure to honor God with your wealth.
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When I drive somewhere, I usually like to take an interstate highway. They are designed for high speed and safety. And they usually are safe and fast unless clogged with traffic or construction. Other roads can be used, but are usually slower. Some roads are even fun to travel, if you’re taking a leisurely drive on a sunny day. These are the twisty, windy roads that roll up and down hills. Tennessee has a lot of these roads, as do other states. But they’re not fun if you need to get somewhere in a hurry or you want to drive with the least amount of stress.
Don’t you wish your life sailed smoothly along like driving an empty interstate highway? Safe, fast, scenic, without potholes, construction and problems? Proverbs 3:5-6 talks about living on a straight path, the ancient equivalent to the interstate. It was a path leveled and straightened to make travel easy. How do you live a life like that? How can you make life easy? The passage says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV)
Sounds good, but you have to leave the driver’s seat. A full-hearted trust in God and his wisdom is required. If you act like God doesn’t exist, don’t expect life to be easy.
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Do you forget things? Some people are so forgetful they couldn’t keep track of their head if it wasn’t attached. We recently heard friends tell about growing up in a family prone to forgetfulness. After piling into the car and driving down the street, mom or one of the children would remember something. They’d circle the block to retrieve it. Sometimes they made more than one trip. Their father started calling the loops their victory lap.
An old practice to remember something was tying a string around your finger. I don’t see many people do that, but I do see sticky notes. Some people use sticky notes to remind themselves of important things. I stick notes to the breakfast counter, the car dash or to the coaster on my desk. I’m sure you’ve done something similar, right?
This reminds me of Proverbs 3:3-4, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
It looks like centuries ago people also struggled to remember things. The verse urges tying something to your neck or writing it on the heart. What is it? Love and faithfulness. Don’t you think we could use more of that today? Don’t forget to be loving and faithful today. People, and God, will think well of you.
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Have you ever received counterfeit money? I haven’t, probably because I usually don’t carry 50 and 100 dollar bills. Counterfeiting can be a big problem. And it's not just counterfeit money you have to watch out for. Some also sell fake items like purses, dresses and electronics. I have a friend who visited China several years ago. She was delighted to purchase an iPhone at a greatly reduced price. You guessed it. It was fake and didn’t work when she returned to the States.
To combat the problem of counterfeits, many products display some type of seal to verify authenticity. Sometimes it’s stamp or a fancy foil seal. Embossed seals are pressed into paper. Perhaps the fanciest are plastic, multi-colored seals that produce a holographic image.
One of the spiritual blessings followers of Jesus enjoy is being marked with a seal. Listen to Ephesians 1:13-14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.” (NIV)
More than a seal of authenticity, the Holy Spirit guarantees our eternal life. Just as earnest money shows commitment to purchase real estate, the Holy Spirit living in us is God’s commitment to our ultimate redemption.
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My earliest memory of going to a theater involves a movie about WWII. I went to a matinee with my brother and some friends. I don’t remember the title, but it involved bombers flying over Europe. War movies were once a staple of Hollywood. A common scene in old war movies is receiving orders from the commander. Soldiers are selected by the commanding officer for a specific mission. The orders set up additional scenes in the story.
Keep this in mind as we examine one of our spiritual blessings listed in Ephesians 1:11. It says we were chosen. However, this word is different than the word used in verse 4 which we examined on Monday. That word emphasized God calling us out to be holy and blameless before creation. The nuance of the word in verse 11 is selection to a goal or selection to a position. Ephesians 1:11-12 says, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” (NIV)
This is the only place in the New Testament this word translated “chosen” is found. Like the military commander choosing men to lead a mission, so God has appointed us to a role and purpose in his plan.
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Can you imagine how useful it would be to know the future? In the Back to the Future movies from the 1980s, Marty and Doc travel back and forth through time. This gives them the ability to know certain events before they happen. On several occasions their knowledge helps them avoid problems, at others it complicates the plot. For example, Marty knows Doc will be shot in the current time and warns Doc while in the past to prevent it. They also bring knowledge about the timing of a lightning strike into the past and use it to power their time machine. It’s all good fun, though very unrealistic.
But some knowledge of the future is possible. Ephesians 1:9-10 says “And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” (NIV)
What a blessing to know the plans of God. Today, we know details of God’s plan that were hidden in the past. We also know the plan for the future, which is to bring all things under the Lordship of Jesus. We don’t know the timing, but we can be assured God will accomplish it. God has blessed us with knowledge that once was hidden.
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Have you ever had good things lavished on you? I was thinking about this and thought of friends in Thailand. Elaine and I visited a few years ago and joined them visiting churches. The churches were in villages nestled in the mountains of northern Thailand. The reception our friends gave was lavish. After the long flight, they took us to their home where we showered and ate lunch before we loaded into the trucks for the drive to the mountains. Every morning of the trip, she prepared our breakfast. At the end of our trip, they treated us with a visit to a park where we watched demonstrations of the traditional use of elephants. We even rode one. They also gave us a scrumptious dinner in a fancy restaurant. Their actions fit the definition of lavish, which means to give in great amounts or without limit.
Ephesians 1:7-8 lists one of our spiritual blessings. It says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (NIV)
God’s grace was lavished on us through Jesus’ death. The word redemption refers to paying the price to free a slave. The price God paid to free us from sin was indeed vast. Take a moment today to thank and praise God for the blessings he has lavished on you.
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The day before I wrote this, I attended a celebration of life for two dear friends. We worked with Doc and Kathy decades ago to start a church. They also encouraged us tremendously during an intense time of grief. Covid took Doc and Kathy within a couple of days of each other last winter. At the service, their children and others told stories about them. Many were funny. Many highlighted their care for others and willingness to fight for what was right. Their son commented that for several years he took his loving parents for granted. But he came to realize the blessing they were to him.
We also need to realize what a blessing we have being the children of God. Ephesians 1:5-6 says that God, in his love, “predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (NIV)
People often focus on the word predestined in these verses, launching questions or deep theological discussions about how God does this. But the words of impact are these: adopted as his sons. You see, God chose us to be his children, to be his heirs. He willed it, and it pleased him. What a tremendous blessing to be children of God by his grace given through Jesus.
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Do you remember picking sides for games on the playground. Two captains faced the line of hopeful children, selecting team members in turn. As you stood in the line you longed to be picked and picked first. That showed your value. Nobody wanted to be picked last. The last person wasn’t really picked. No choice remained. The face of the captain forced to take the last child said it all. Oh how different and how good it felt to be one of the first picked.
Ephesians 1:4 lists the first spiritual blessing we have in Jesus. It reads, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (NIV)
Did you hear that? God has selected us to be part of his family. Not only have we been picked, but it was early. God chose us before he created the world. We’re not the left overs that God has to take because the choices are gone. God chose us early.
Not only are we chosen, but we have been chosen for something good – to be holy and blameless in his sight. We were not picked to be the water boy or equipment manager. God chose us to be holy as he is holy. What a tremendous blessing to know that God values us and loves us so much he chose us before creating the world.
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Do you like to make lists? I have a to-do list, a grocery list and another list of things to get at the hardware store. You probably also have these lists. But do you have a list of blessings?
An old hymn says “count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.” Creating a list of blessings helps build an attitude of thankfulness. So, let me ask you, what are the first five things you would add to your list of blessings? Would you list people? Would you list physical things, like food, housing, clothing or possessions? These are all blessing from God.
But I wonder whether many of our spiritual blessings would be in the first ten items we’d list. We usually don’t think about spiritual blessings as quickly as physical ones. In fact, we may find it hard to think of more than two or three spiritual blessings. Most of us would include Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but what about other spiritual blessings?
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
This week the podcast will focus on our spiritual blessings listed in the first chapter of Ephesians. Note God blessed us with every spiritual blessing, as in every possible blessing. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the first one on God’s list.
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In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 83.9 million families in the United States. About 40% of those families had children under the age of 18. This is a decline from 1970 when over half of families contained children. The average size of families has also shrunk to just over 3 people per household. How things have changed. One of my best friends from college grew up in a family of 14 children. Every time we journeyed off-campus to see a movie or do something, we ran into one of Freddie’s relatives. Or so it seemed. Their family was definitely above average when it came to the number of children.
As we wrap up a week looking at the passages in Psalms that describe the blessed man, you may be surprised by today’s episode. It tells us children are a blessing from God. Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” (NIV)
We no longer meet in the city gates to argue legal disputes or organize for defense like they did in the psalmist’s day. Large families are no longer the fashion. But that does not change the fact that children are a blessing from the Lord.
*"Average number of people per family in the United States from 1960 to 2021," Statistica Research Department, July 2y, 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/183657/average-size-of-a-family-in-the-us/
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I’m not a big fan of scary movies. As a child, I remember visiting a friend’s house. The old film Frankenstein played on the black and white television. My siblings and our friends watched, but I left the room. It was too intense for me. I was also pretty young the first time I saw The Wizard of Oz. I thought the wicked witch and the flying monkey were frightful. I laugh at those scenes today, remembering my fear.
Though scary movies are not my favorite genre, I’ve watched several. In high school, I took a date to see Jaws. I don’t think I moved during the entire film.
So, what about God? Are we supposed to be terrified of him? Psalms 112:1 says, “Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.” (NIV) In a way, we should experience some fear. God is incredibly powerful and holy. We realize our vulnerability. But the passage is really talking about a deep respect. Notice that the respect is expressed by delighting in his commands.
So, what are the blessings of fearing the Lord? Verses 2 and 3 say, “His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.” (NIV)
Those blessings of fearing God sound good? Wouldn’t you agree?
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Do you hate pain? Most of us avoid pain. And we should, because it hurts. We seek to alleviate pain in many different ways, but primarily with medicine. In 2010, pharmacies across the United States dispensed a massive amount of painkillers. It was the equivalent of 69 tons of pure oxycodone and 42 tons of pure hydrocodone, two of the most popular drugs.* And to that prescription medication add the huge amount of illegal drugs. Clearly, we hate pain.
Have you ever wondered why we experience pain in the first place? What if we never felt pain? At first blush, it is a tempting thought. But pain is useful. Pain tells us when something is wrong. It stops our behavior before further damage occurs. Touch a hot stove and the pain makes you jerk your hand back. If you left it, you could destroy skin, tendons and muscle.
Discipline is also unpleasant. But parents discipline children to stop bad behavior before worse damage occurs. God also disciplines his people. Listen to Psalms 94:12-14, “Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the LORD will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.” (NIV)
Notice that the discipline of God and learning his Word grant relief from trouble. Take time to learn from his word today.
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Have you ever participated in a trust fall? It is a team building exercise. Each member of the team takes a turn standing on a chair or table. Keeping the body straight, he or she fall backwards, trusting team members will lock arms and catch them. It builds trust. I’ve done this a couple of times with high school students in a Christian summer camp. It is uncomfortable to fall backwards off a picnic table. But my teammates lived up to my trust. I never crashed to the ground. No one on the team did.
That’s not the case for the comic character Charlie Brown. Oh, he didn’t do a trust fall. But year after year he asks Lucy to hold the football so he can run up and kick it. She always snatches it away at the last second. Lucy’s not very trustworthy.
Psalms 40:4 says, “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.” (NIV)
In this verse, the proud are unreliable. They’re like Lucy with the football. But worse, they live without God. They follow false teachings about life and morality. They turn aside to follow something or someone other than God. Like Charlie Brown, we’d be a blockhead to trust them. So, how do you need to trust the Lord today?
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Years ago, a television commercial for Life cereal showed three brothers sitting at the breakfast table. Two were suspicious that the cereal, supposedly good for them, tasted terrible. So, they slid the bowl to their little brother, because he hated everything. But Mikey scooped up a spoonful and liked it. Mikey liked it. Do you remember the commercial? The actors were actually brothers. Although Mikey’s real name is John.
Why is it we often refuse to try things? Let’s face it. Most of us may try a new cereal, but we are squeamish about unknown foods. Would you munch a termite, slurp down a grub or crunch a cricket? I know I’d be fearful of trying such things. Some people won’t even consider sushi, even though many people enjoy it.
The same is true about relying on God for safety and security. Many are squeamish about getting too close to the Creator. Psalms 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (NIV)
But people are reluctant to try God, even when they see others enjoying a relationship with him. Spiritual squeamishness rules their life, robbing them of the Lord’s goodness. Today, give God a try. Rely on him for safety and security. He is good and loving. And you don’t need someone like Mikey to know relying on God worth it.
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Are you happy that someone in the distant past invented writing and math? We get a lot of benefit from the ability to record thoughts and numbers. Writing preserves stories and history. We can send letters and notes. Things can be counted and tracked. But writing numbers also led to accounting. People kept track of money owed and paid. I suppose that’s good for the lender. But many who owe debts may wish they’d never been counted.
Another accounting is the record of transgressions or crimes. We even use the term “rap sheet” for such a list, even though it is stored in computer databases today. And for most convicted people, their criminal record never goes away.
This week the podcast is looking at passages from the Psalms that include the phrase “blessed is the man.” We’ll discover many different blessings. Of course, they don’t just apply to men. The saying is true for men and women. One of the Psalms talks about the recording of sin, sort of like our rap sheet with God. Psalms 32:1-2 reads, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (NIV)
One of the greatest blessings is the forgiveness that we receive through Jesus. Take a moment today to thank God for this blessing.
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Have you ever asked for advice? I’m sure you have. It seems that at one time or another we all find ourselves seeking wisdom from someone else. Often the advice is just what we needed. But sometimes we get bad advice. And bad advice leads to painful life lessons. Have you ever received really bad advice? How about this: a Twitter user’s no-nonsense grandfather gave this advice about the wilderness: “If you see a bear and don’t have time to run away, hug it. Bears cannot scratch their stomachs.”* I assume the person never used the advice, since they tweeted the story!
Here's another. chrisdrewdavis on reddit.com says, “When I was a Boy Scout, we went camping. My Scout leader said to just use the leaves to wipe. It was poison ivy.”*
Then there’s a tweet by Monica Lewinsky on the worst advice she received, “An internship at the White House will be amazing on your résumé.”*
Wouldn’t you like to know whether a source of advice is good or not? Psalms 1:1-2 contrasts sources of bad advice with the source of truth. It says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (NIV)
Remember, God’s word provides wisdom and the truth. Read it!
*Andy Simmons, "22 Hilariously Bad Pieces of Advice You Shouldn’t Follow," Reader's Digest, April 1, 2022, https://www.rd.com/article/hilariously-bad-advice/
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If you built a list of encouraging things, what would you include? A kind word, a handwritten note, a timely text? Maybe you’d include a beautiful greeting card or a house warming gift. Many of us would include a hug on our list. I’d include people who cheer me on, wouldn't you? As you think about your list of encouraging things, I wonder if you’d include a sermon. That’s right, a sermon.
Listen 1 Corinthians 14:3, “But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.” (NIV) In the bible, a prophet’s job was to deliver God’s message. Sometimes that included foretelling the future, but most of the words spoken by the prophets encouraged repentance, instructed people or comforted them. They delivered a message from God. A sermon.
The church in Corinth struggled with a disjointed, confusing worship assembly. Everybody competed to be heard. Paul wrote several instructions to correct the problem. One of them was taking turns to speak. 1 Corinthians 14:31 says, “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.” Again, this mention of prophesy talks about delivering the message from God. The message was to instruct and encourage.
If you need a little encouragement, you will find it with other Christians. They can cheer you on, greet you, listen and pray for you. Head to church for these things, where you can also be encouraged by the sermon.
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People are all different. We come in different sizes, shapes and colors. We all have different talents. As a teen, I realized some had better athletic skills than I did. They ran faster or shot the ball better. In other things, I was better than most. These differences in ability are a fact of life.
For followers of Jesus, we are also given abilities through God’s spirit. These are not natural talents. They are a gift that allows us to serve in Christ’s church. Romans 12:6-8 describes some of these gifts. It reads, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (NIV)
Did you notice the gift of encouragement? We all have the responsibility to encourage each other in Jesus. But some have a special ability to encourage others. The biblical character Joseph from Cyprus was probably one. He was so good at encouraging others, everyone used his nickname, Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.”
Take the time to encourage others. You may discover you have a gift for it.
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I have fragmented memories of attending funerals as a child. I barely remember the service for my mother’s aunt who died in an auto accident. I have a mental picture of two caskets at the front of a crowded church. I remember better the funeral of my great grandmother, probably because we often ate Sunday dinner at her house with my great aunts. I remember laying a cheap ring with a plastic ruby in her casket. I probably got it from a gum ball machine. I remember feeling awkward at the burial.
Funerals and visitations can be uncomfortable for adults as well. People often struggle to find comforting words to offer. Have you ever visited someone in grief and wondered what to say beyond the standard, “I’m sorry for your loss”? How can we encourage those grieving the death of a Christian?
1 Thessalonians 4:18 says, “Therefore encourage each other with these words.” (NIV) The verses before explain what “these words” are. They describe the return of Jesus and resurrection of believers. Since we believe Jesus rose from the dead, we also believe in the resurrection of the dead at his return. This hope transforms our grief.
The next time you comfort someone over the death of a believer, remember our hope of resurrection. Remind them the separation is temporary. We will be together again, and forever, when Jesus returns.
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Do you like all-you-can eat buffets? I’ve eaten at several different types, from Indian cuisine, to Chinese to southern American foods. One restaurant advertises a never-ending supply of soup and salad. When I travel, I like to stay in hotels that offer a breakfast buffet. Why eat just a roll when eggs, bacon, fruit and more are available?
We’re often attracted to the limitless supply of something good, aren’t we? One sandwich restaurant offered a lifetime supply of sandwiches to people who got a tatoo of their promotional logo. Would you purchase a lifetime license for software? How about a lifetime subscription to your favorite streaming service? Would you enter a drawing that offered a lifetime supply of your favorite clothes? I bet you would for a lifetime supply of gasoline.
God also offers us something that never ends. Listen for it in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (NIV)
Did you hear it? God gave us eternal encouragement. That’s a lot more than a lifetime supply! That sounds good, doesn’t it? And he can encourage our hearts with good words and in every kind of good deed. Better yet, unlike an all-you-can-eat buffet, you’ll never feel miserable enjoying the encouragement God provides.
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Irrigation is a wonderful thing. Parched land can produce bountiful crops when irrigation applies life-giving water. If you fly over the western Great Plains of the United States, you often see large circles of green crops growing on the brown landscape below. Many of the processed foods, meat, fruits and vegetables we purchase at the supermarket rely directly or indirectly on irrigation. To irrigate, wells are drilled deep to provide the water that benefits so many.
Encouragement is much like irrigation. It changes the environment. People often live parched by the hardships and challenges of life. But encouragement allows them to thrive and produce. But encouragement, like irrigation, requires a plentiful source. What is the deep well that allows us to encourage others?
We find it in Titus 1:9, which speaks of a church leader. “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (NIV) You see, sound teaching encourages others. The message of Jesus as taught in Scripture is the source that delivers encouragement. Well intentioned platitudes that violate God's teaching may feel good, but they don't water the soul. I challenge you to encourage others. In order to do this, dig deep into the bible and hold to the message of Jesus. It will enable you to encourage other with the truth.
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We live in a selfie culture. People snap pictures or record video of themselves. Some use long selfie sticks to hold their phone. We post reports of our activities on social media. We even post pictures of delicious food we eat. But following Jesus is not about self. Christianity is not a selfie culture. Have you noticed Jesus never told us to love ourselves or encourage ourselves? Rather, we’re told to die to self, love others and encourage one other.
In fact, encouragement thrives in groups of people. Most can’t encourage themselves. We need to be like the players on a terrific sports team. They’re not simply talented people who play together. They are a community, a family, teammates who encourage each other. They cheer when a teammate scores. They also support the teammate who misses the shot, saying things like, “it’s alright, you’ll get it next time” or “hang in there.”
The fact encouragement thrives in a group is why we must meet with other believers in worship and small groups. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NIV)
If you’re not gathering with other Christians on a regular and frequent basis, you’re missing out. You can encourage them and they will encourage you. Christianity is a “one another” culture.
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Arthritis can be a painful, debilitating disease. Joints become stiff, swollen and painful. Hard bony spurs may occur near finger joints. Treatment for arthritis may involve medication. Often it also includes exercises to improve or retain range-of-motion, strength and endurance. These exercises must be practiced on a regular and frequent basis.
Our spiritual health is also important. Our inner being can become hardened, unbelieving, even turning away from God. Sin’s deceitfulness can harden our hearts. Hebrew 3:12-13 warns about this hardening and provides the treatment. It reads, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (NIV)
Much like physical exercise battles the effects of arthritis, encouragement addresses hardness of heart. Did you notice the passage told us to encourage one another daily? We need frequent and regular encouragement. We also need to encourage other people on a frequent basis. This is a challenge for me. I usually race from one activity on my to-do list to the next. Do you do the same?
This week the podcast will focus on encouragement of each other. And since it is still today, let’s encourage other believers and keep their hearts and ours sensitive to God.
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I am amazed by the wealth of American citizens. We enjoy a terrific standard of living. Yeah, I know inflation is raging and the economy has entered a recession. Even though we may feel squeezed, the average American is wealthier than the vast majority of people in the world. We take for granted abundant electricity, food and water. We have appliances, cell phones and automobiles. We have access to doctors, dentists and pharmacies. I could go on, but won’t.
I wonder, does wealth make our faith in Jesus lukewarm? It did in the ancient city of Laodicea. The Christians there were wealthy for their day. Jesus also said they were lukewarm in their devotion to him. They were so lukewarm they made him sick. That’s essentially what it says in the book of Revelation. Jesus challenged them to repent. Revelation 3:21-22 contains his promise if they did. “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (NIV)
Two things strike me in these verses. First, are the words “just as I overcame.” Jesus also overcame challenges. He faced the cross. The second item is the hope for the lukewarm. We can overcome tepid devotion to Jesus. When we do, he will give us the right to rule with him.
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Do you have a tattoo? Many people enjoy getting artistic tattoos. Some are a small flower. Others are elaborate patterns that cover an arm or back. I wonder if some still tattoo the name of a loved one on their arm. That was a popular trope in old movies. Sailors had the name of their sweetheart on their arm, or “Mom.” Tattoos are considered permanent. Would you like Jesus to give you a tattoo?
He made such a promise to those who overcame persecution. Listen to Revelation 3:11-13, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (NIV)
Jesus is not describing decorative tattoos. Nor is he simply talking about the names of loved ones, though we do love Jesus. These mark the permanent relationship between God and us, as well as signifying our citizenship in the new Jerusalem. Now that’s a tattoo I’d look forward to. How about you?
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Do you like fancy clothes? Some people do. They enjoy a new dress or suit. For others, wearing clothes is not nearly as fun as shopping for them. Then there are the people who like old things which are worn and comfortable. Did you know, clothes are symbolic in the book of Revelation? Just like the old westerns, the good guys wear white. In fact, Jesus promises white clothes in Revelation 3:5-6, “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (NIV)
Obviously, the white clothes indicate innocence. The name in the book of life refers to heaven. But what did they need to overcome in order to receive the white clothes? Their challenge was incomplete obedience to Jesus. Verse two reads, “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” (NIV) They needed to remember the teaching of Jesus and obey it.
What about us? Do we profess faith in Jesus, but slack off on following him? Is our obedience complete? Are we paying attention to all that he teaches in his word? Today, remember the teaching of Jesus and obey him.
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For much of my life, people have fought to clean up the environment. They have worked to reduce the pollution of air, soil and water. Some passed laws and regulations. Many picked up trash along highways and streams. We all know that pollution can produce toxic effects, including cancer and birth defects. We should also know about a different type of pollution – spiritual pollution.
The first century church in the city of Thyatira had a great reputation. They were increasing in love, faith, service and perseverance. But Jesus sent them a message in the book of Revelation. They had polluted the faith, teaching it was acceptable to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to practice sexual immorality. Jesus made a promise, if they overcame these problems. Revelation 2:26-29 says, “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations– ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’– just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (NIV)
The grant of authority mentioned here pictures ruling with Jesus at the judgement. The morning star is given as a symbol of royalty. To receive these things, you and I must not pollute the faith by teaching or believing that sin is acceptable.
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The day I wrote this, I voted in an election. I traveled to the voting place and selected my choices on a machine. When finished, the machine printed a ballot that I inserted into a scanner which counted it. The ancient Greeks also voted, but didn’t use a machine. They used colored pebbles. They used the pebbles for elections and for jury trials. When a jury voted, white pebbles were votes for acquittal. Using a black pebble cast a vote to convict.
Revelation 2:17 mentions a white stone. It is the word for a voting pebble. The passage says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” (NIV)
The church mentioned in the preceding verses experienced persecution, but never renounced Jesus. Yet they compromised their faith. They were sexually immoral and ate meat sacrificed to idols. They believed in Jesus, but compromised in these areas. Jesus warned them to repent and promised the white stone if they overcame. The new name on the stone likely refers to Jesus’ name.
We must overcome any compromises of faith. We must follow Jesus in all areas of life. He will acquit us if we trust and obey.
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In some countries today, you can lose your job for following Jesus. Other acts of persecution include theft of property, beatings, imprisonment and death. Sometimes a mob persecutes Christians. At other times, the government does. Persecution of Christians has existed since the church began. The book of Revelation includes encouragement for persecuted Christians.
This week, the podcast is looking at the messages to the seven churches found in the book of Revelation. Specifically, we are looking at the promises to those who overcome. We all have something to overcome. Yesterday we looked at the promise to those who overcome legalistic obedience to Jesus. Today, we look at the promise to the church in Smyrna. They were persecuted with imprisonment and death. But Revelation 2:11 promises, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” (NIV)
The previous verse indicates overcoming means being faithful to Jesus during persecution, even to the point of death. Those who are faithful will not be hurt by the second death. Revelations 20:14 indicates that the second death is the lake of fire where unbelievers are punished at the judgement.
Western culture is turning more hostile to Christian values in the workplace, social media, and educational institutions. Some have lost jobs or their business. But we must overcome by steadfast faith in Jesus.
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I love to eat dark chocolate. I often have a couple of pieces in the evening. Oh, ok, more than a couple of pieces. But a little dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you, right? We all have a favorite treat, don’t we? But dark chocolate is a luxury. It is not my right. I can’t demand the government provide it. No injustice occurs if I don’t get it.
Did you know the bible talks about something we will eat that is a right? Revelation 2:7 says, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (NIV) Think about that. The tree of life represents eternal life with God. The paradise mentioned is heaven. Jesus gives those who overcome the right to eternal life.
I suppose we should stop and ask what is it we must overcome? The verse is taken from a message to the church at Ephesus. Jesus praised them for their obedience and sound doctrine. But he rebuked them for leaving their first love. In other words, they were legalistically obeying the rules, but not loving Jesus. This passage challenges every Christian. We must obey Jesus’ commands. But obedience doesn’t earn heaven. We must overcome any legalistic attitude. If we do, Jesus gives us the right to eat something far better than dark chocolate.
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I took some time recently to search the internet for quotes that sum up a concept. Here’s a few I found I think you’ll enjoy:
Robert Frost said, “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”Arthur C. Clark said, “Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: (1) It's completely impossible. (2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing. (3) I said it was a good idea all along.”Winston Churchhill said, “The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.”Ronald Reagan said, “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” There's truth behind that humor.
The last two weeks we’ve looked at the ten commandments. How do we sum them up? I think the apostle Paul does this nicely in Romans 13:9-10, ‘The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.’ (NIV)
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In Los Angeles, the Democratic Socialists of America endorsed nine candidates for city office in the June primary. Five have either won by drawing over 50% of the vote or now take a lead into the general elections. The Democratic Socialists of America attack private property rights in LA, arguing that all rental property be operated without a profit. Though not their stated intention, the policies they espouse have hurt minority landlords according to an article in City Journal.* The electoral success of socialist candidates in LA is one sign that socialism is gaining acceptance in the United States. Another is the attention given to a few flamboyant women elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. So, is socialism’s growing acceptance a problem? Well, socialism doesn’t square well with the ten commandments.
Yesterday, we looked at the definition of the word covet found in the tenth commandment. It means to desire or crave something that rightfully belongs to another. Exodus 20:17 says it this way, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (NIV)
The word belongs indicates the right of ownership. This commandment, along with the one that forbids stealing, recognizes people have the right to private property. If we want to please God by keeping his commandments, then we must respect the property right of others.
*Soledad Ursúa, "Socialists Rising in L.A., The city’s June elections herald the arrival of a new political force," City Journal, July 15, 2022, https://www.city-journal.org/socialists-rising-in-los-angeles
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I remember my mother had a charm bracelet based on the ten commandments. The bracelet had 10 small, rectangular charms. Colored paint decorated one side of each gold charm with a few words representing a commandment. I used to look at it while sitting in church as a youngster. The one I struggled to understand was “Thou shall not covet.” What did that mean? No one used the word covet.
The longer form of the commandment is in Exodus 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (NIV)
The word covet refers to desiring something that doesn’t belong to you, such as another’s wife, house or property. This is not the same as wanting something like another has, for example, the same model of car. To covet means you want the neighbor’s car. Some synonyms for covet are to long for, to crave, to wish for things your neighbor owns. Why is this wrong? Because people act on their longings. If you crave something another owns, you’ll likely violate another commandment, such as stealing the property. Covetousness is linked to murder in James 4:2, “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.” (NIV)
So, admire what others have, but don’t crave what rightfully belongs to them.
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What is your earliest memory of being caught in a lie? For me, I was in the first or second grade. I don’t remember what I lied about. But I do remember what happened to me. Mom washed my mouth out with soap. At least one of my siblings received the same treatment, but I don’t remember which. My memories center on the yucky taste of soap. I don’t know if Mom grabbed the first thing handy or not, but she used Lava brand soap. Fine grit fills that soap. It aids in scrubbing off grime. Well, it must have scuffed some of my taste buds. Nothing tasted right the rest of the day! I learned telling the truth is best.
It is one thing to lie to your mom. It is another to lie and pervert justice. Exodus 20:16 says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (NIV) In the ancient nation of Israel, bearing false witness involved lying to cause legal problems for your neighbor. Their system of justice was simple. A person brought an accusation. The judge, and later the king, listened and rendered judgement. Lying in the accusation, or as a witness in the case, perverted justice.
Today, several ways exist to bear false witness that don’t require a court room. Telling lies, gossip and posting falsehoods on social media are common examples. All cause trouble for someone else. As Ephesians 4:15 says, we must speak the truth in love.
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Don’t you love to watch toddlers play? They’re so cute. Their chubby faces smile as they pick up a toy and play. Usually, they keep it only a moment or two before swapping for another toy. They see you with a toy and they drop the one they hold to get it.
One of the first words toddlers learn is mine. They pick up a toy and say “mine.” Of course, they may take something from another child and declare “mine” as well. Usually with a pouty lip. Sometimes that toy is theirs. Sometimes it’s not. It is all part of learning the concept of ownership. If something is mine, I am right to have it. I may be rude to take it from another, but I have a right to it. But simply taking a toy doesn’t make it mine, no matter how hard I say the word. It takes a lot of repetition for toddlers to grasp how to be polite and what is truly theirs.
Some adults never learned the lesson well. Or they abandon it. They take things that are not theirs. Whether through shoplifting, theft, fraud or another crime, they take things they have no right to possess. This violates the commandment in Exodus 20:15, “You shall not steal.” (NIV)
Theft violates the ownership rights of another person. God recognizes and protects those rights through this commandment. Respect the ownership rights of others.
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Have you noticed that people often believe something is morally wrong, but are still fascinated by it?
Take marital infidelity. According to the Pew Research Center, 84% of Americans believe it is wrong for a married person to engage in sex outside of marriage.* They agree with the seventh commandment in Exodus 20:14. It says, “You shall not commit adultery.” (NIV)
Yet Americans are still interested in it. They consume films about adultery. Over the years, some of these films include The Painted Veil, American Beauty, The Bridges of Madison County and The Graduate. Also, the cheating spouse is a staple in the soap operas, as well as multiple styles of music. Obviously, many who believe adultery is wrong are still listening and watching.
Jesus has some challenging words about adultery in Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (NIV)
The seventh commandment and Jesus’ words illustrate the high value God places on marriage and human sexuality. He designed it all and gave laws to protect it. A strong marriage blesses husband and wife and provides stability for their children. As Jesus indicated in Matthew 5, marriage is so valuable, it can be violated by fantasy, not just action.
Today, don’t just observe the seventh commandment. Appreciate and value the institution of marriage it protects.
*Richard Wike, "French more accepting of infidelity than people in other countries," Pew Research Center, January 14, 2014, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/14/french-more-accepting-of-infidelity-than-people-in-other-countries/
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime conducted a study in 2019 on homicide. It examined the statistics for 2017. The global study reports that “464,000 people were murdered in 2017—more than five times as many as were killed in armed conflicts during the same period.” The study also provides homicide rates for most countries in the world. In the United States, there were 5 homicides for every 100,000 people. Our neighbor Mexico had 29 homicides per 100,000. But El Salvador had the highest homicide rate at 61 homicides per 100,000 people. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of murder in the world.
Exodus 20:13 says, “You shall not murder.” Of all the ten commandments, I suspect more people agree that murder is an evil than any of the other commandments. The high value of human life, created in God’s image, causes us to abhor murder.
But Jesus challenges us to abhor other things as well. Listen to Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (NIV)
Today, treat others well. That’s how we can value life.
*"Murder Rate by Country 2022", World Population Review, https://worldpopulationreview.com. Accessed 26 July 2022.
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Hershel “Woody” Williams was the last surviving WWII Medal of Honor recipient. The Marine died in July at the age of 98. He received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for action on Iwo Jima. Corporal Williams risked his live above and beyond the call of duty over a four-hour period clearing enemy emplacements with a flame thrower. At times, he moved against the enemy alone. His actions allowed the Marine forces to advance.*
Over the years, Williams has received honor in multiple ways. The Marine Corp shares his story with each new generation of soldiers. He received several honors from his home state of West Virginia. Following his death, the Senator from his state eulogized him on the Senate floor. Williams’ flag-draped casket also lay in the Capitol Rotunda on July 14 as family, service members and government leaders paid their respect.*
These honors help us understand Exodus 20:12. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (NIV) Besides seeing the way Woody Williams was honored, consider the following synonyms for the word honor: Admire, appreciate, celebrate, commemorate, praise, look up to, live up to, be faithful to. These are the ways to treat our parents. God promises long life to those who honor their father and mother.
*"Hershel W. Williams," Wikipedia, last updated July 15, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershel_W._Williams#Medal_of_Honor_citation
*Doug Cunningham, "'Woody' Williams, last WWII Medal of Honor recipient, lies in honor at U.S. Capitol," UPI News, July 14, 2022, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/woody-williams-last-wwii-medal-of-honor-recipient-lies-in-honor-at-us-capitol/ar-AAZzsWA
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Have you ever known someone who was nitpicky? You know, someone who always scrutinized your actions, finding ample things to criticize? Someone who picks on every little flaw, or flaw they perceive. I once knew someone who was nitpicky about washing fruit and vegetables in a special sanitizing solution. It had to be done, just right before her and her daughter would use them. And this was years before the Covid pandemic.
Jesus also had to deal with some nitpicky people. Mark 2:23-24 says, ‘One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”’ (NIV)
The nitpicky Pharisees thought grabbing a few heads of grain and rubbing them in your hands to separate the grain was work. They accused Jesus’ disciples of violating the fourth commandment about keeping the Sabbath holy.
Jesus’ reply tells us something important about the Sabbath. In verse 27 he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Jesus rejected their nitpicky interpretation. The disciples had done nothing wrong. People were not created just to jump through the hoops of God’s law. God’s law was made to benefit people. Let’s be sure to take a day of rest each week. It is healthy for our bodies. When we use that day to remember our Creator, it is also spiritually healthy.
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As a child, Christmas was always a special season. I’m sure it was for you as well. I remember setting up the Christmas tree. Because of allergies, ours was aluminum. We’d pull the tinsel-like branches from their brown paper sleeves and poke them in the holes on the trunk. We’d hang ornaments, and when finished, turn on the spotlight with the color wheel.
So why am I talking about Christmas in the heat of summer? Because it helps us understand the fourth commandment about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Christmas is observed to remember Jesus’ birth and all the festivities mark the day as different. The same is true of the Sabbath. It reminds us of God creating the world and ceasing work makes it different. Listen to Exodus 20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
As you approach the weekend, don’t just make the Sabbath different from a workday. Stop and remember the Creator of heaven and earth.
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200 million dollars. Wouldn’t it be nice is someone paid you 200 million dollars? But wouldn’t it be a nightmare to be slapped with a fine amounting to 200 million dollars? The financial services firm Morgan Stanley recently announced they expect to pay a 200 million dollar fine levied by government regulators. What did they do wrong? Employees misused their personal computers and cell phones, bypassing the company’s record-keeping obligations.1
Then there’s the Tulsa school district. The Oklahoma governor wants to audit them over possible misuse of funds, violating state law prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory.2
Good things are often misused, like prescription medication. People don’t follow the dosing instructions or take it without a doctor’s order. The restrictions are in place to protect people. Misusing prescription meds can damage the body or cause death. You see, when things are misused, bad things usually happen.
The same is true with God’s name. The third commandment says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.” Taking something in vain means to use it in a useless or empty way. This is far more than avoiding the use of God’s name as a curse. Maybe we’d understand it better with the New International Version. Exodus 20:7 says, “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
Today, honor God with the proper use of his name.
Sridhar Natarajan and Katherine Doherty, "Morgan Stanley Misuse of Personal Devices Costs $200 Million," Bloomberg, July 14, 2022, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/morgan-stanley-misuse-personal-devices-115749483.htmlJeremiah Poff, "Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt demands audit of Tulsa schools for potential misuse of funds," Washington Examiner, July 07, 2022, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/ok-gov-kevin-stitt-audit-tulsa-schools-misuse-funds
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Yesterday, we remembered the second commandment forbids the creation or use of idols. If you know your bible history, you know the ancient nation of Israel had problems keeping this commandment and the first. The prophets warned them of God’s judgement over their idolatry. The nation didn’t repent and the judgement eventually fell.
Before we feel too smug that we don’t engage in idolatry, listen to Colossians 3:5, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (NIV) Did you hear it? Greed is idolatry, the worship of something other than God.
The word greed is such an ugly word, right? We can thank Charles Dickens for that. He painted a dark, depressing picture of a greedy man. You know who I’m talking about, don’t you? Ebenezer Scrooge. He lives in our minds as the grasping miser who abandoned love and all else to pursue money. But we must realize that Scrooge is a caricature, not just a character.
Greed in our day is much prettier, even fashionable. In fact, you may admire some greedy people because they are celebrities, the glitterati, the wealthy. Because we don’t see Scrooge in ourselves, we think our constant desire for more and for the best is fine. But where do we draw the line.
Hebrews 13:5 tells us one way to keep the second commandment, “Keep yourselves free from the love of money.” (NIV)
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A few years ago, my wife and I visited Thailand. We spent a morning touring part of Bangkok, including a Buddhist temple. We were gawking tourists. We snuck into the back of one shrine crammed with people, some admiring the statue of Buddha, others worshipping it. The experience called to mind the second commandment.
Exodus 20:4-6 says, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand[ generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (NIV)
Obviously, Buddha is not the god of the bible. God doesn’t want his people worshipping images from other religions. But this command also forbids making an image of him. So, why is God so upset when people make an idol? The answer is in Acts 17:29, “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone–an image made by man’s design and skill.”
God the creator is unlike anything in his creation. Be devoted to him, not to anything created.
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For many of us, summer is a time to load the car and drive to a vacation spot. It’s also prime time for road construction. Have you found yourself stuck in slow traffic while on the way to the grandma’s, the beach or the mountains? People often jockey for position. We all want to get past the slowdown as quickly as possible. We shift lanes trying to find the fastest. Some people cut others off in their quest for prime position.
Summer is also a favored time for weddings. People gather at churches, wineries or other venues to celebrate the vows a man and woman make, pledging to hold the other in a special place or position in their life. The bride and groom promise exclusive devotion to each other.
Summer driving and summer weddings can also help us understand the first commandment. Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Like the wedding vow, God demands an exclusive position in our lives. No other power or authority can stand in God’s place. We must not let anything else be worshiped, honored and loved in the way God deserves.
But our hearts are often like that summer road construction zone. Multiple things compete for first position in our hearts. But only God deserves to be first. Remember, the commandment is not simply forbidding worship rituals of another religion. It also commands us to place God as the ultimate power and authority in our lives.
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Have you ever seen a game show where people get a limited amount of time to do something? I remember watching one where people raced through a grocery store with a shopping cart. They could keep – free of charge -- anything they placed in the cart and pushed to the front of the store before time expired. They were given a ridiculously short time, like two minutes or something. If they didn’t make it to the finish line, they kept nothing. Contestants sprinted through the store, throwing things into the cart. Some people spent too much time trying to load the cart with steaks and other expensive stuff. They missed the deadline. Their greed resulted in their loss.
This reminds me of Ephesians 5:15-17, “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (NIV)
These verses remind us to use our time wisely. We must understand God’s will and pursue it. In the verses that follow, we’re told to avoid drunkenness, be filled with the spirit, speak to each other and to sing and praise God. How are you doing on these things? Are you living as the wise or the foolish? Today, take the opportunity to know God’s will and pursue it.
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Have you ever tried to describe the taste of something? I can usually describe something as salty, sweet, bitter or acidic. I might even say something tastes smoky. After that, I’m usually just comparing it to something known, saying things like “it tastes like chicken.”
Some people amaze me. They can distinguish the taste of different spices while I can only detect cinnamon. They roll their tongue, peer into the distance and say things like, “it has a hint of rosemary.”
While I don’t need such a discerning sense of taste, I do need a discerning moral sense that can detect the hint or whiff of evil. That’s what Ephesians 5:3-7 says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person–such a man is an idolater–has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.” (NIV)
Our culture scoffs at biblical morals. But you and I must detect and avoid even the hint of immorality, impurity or greed.
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I remember as a child watching my dad shave. I was fascinated by the process. White foam covered his face. He made funny faces as he scraped the lather off with a razor. At least I thought they were funny. He used the type of razor that was loaded by an injector. You plugged it into the handle and pushed a little slide. The new blade slid in pushing the old blade out.
One day I decided to shave myself. I squirted lather on my hand just like dad did. I stood on my tiptoes, peered into the mirror and spread it all over my chin and cheeks. Thankfully, dad caught me before I sliced my face up trying to use the razor.
How did you imitate your parents as a child? Did you try on lipstick, hair spray or shaving cream? Did you try to walk in their shoes or put on their clothes? Children often imitate their parents.
Imitation is a good thing. We learn a lot by imitating others. In fact, Ephesians 5:1-2 says this, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (NIV)
Today, be sure to notice God. Imitate his love. Also imitate Jesus who followed God and loved us.
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How would you describe public discourse these days? Would you say it included bitterness? I see some. Many people have been victims of injustice. Some of them cling to bitterness.
How about rage and anger? Does that sound like some protests you’ve seen lately? People screaming abuse. In mid-July, I drove through a small town in the middle of nowhere. As I drove by, half a dozen protesters waved vile signs in protest of a government action.
Certainly, you’d say public discourse involved brawling and slander, especially the exchanges between political opponents. They’re always attacking each other verbally.
But would you say public discourse is filled with malice? Malice is a powerful word. Dictionary.com defines it as “the desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another.” Ok, yes, we have some malice in public discourse today, don’t we? Some hurl words or objects trying to hurt others.
But this should not describe the attitudes of Jesus’ followers. In fact, Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (NIV)
Our standard for public discourse must not be the rage, slander and malice we see around us. We can’t throw it back when it’s hurled our way. Our attitude must be the compassion, kindness and forgiveness that Jesus has given to us.
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What is the most difficult thing you have ever done? Are you thinking of some strenuous physical activity? Was it climbing a mountain, scaling a cliff face or running a marathon? Maybe you thought of something different. For some people, taking a grueling, multi-day exam, like the bar exam, may come to mind. For others, it may be agonizing weeks of physical therapy. Or maybe you thought of the emotional anguish of speaking to a loved one about a problem they refuse to recognize. The world is filled with difficult things. Most of us have done several.
However, you probably didn’t think about controlling your speech. That seems easy enough. We each decide what to say, right? But Ephesians 4:29-30 talks about something many people find hard to do. It reads, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (NIV)
Wow! If we applied that both to our speech and social media posts, it could change many things. Notice that we are only to speak what builds others up, what others need, what benefits them. So often we spout what we want, what benefits us, what makes us look good. Because we have been made new in Christ, our communication with others must change drastically. It must nourish their growth and encourage them.
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In many sports, the secret to success is to control an object. In hockey, it’s the puck. In soccer, American football and basketball, you want to control the ball. This can be difficult in basketball, because the ball is only dead if it goes out of bounds. When someone shoots the ball, everyone jockeys for position to grab it should the shot miss and the ball bounce off the goal. Coaches teach players how to get into position and keep their opponents away from the ball. The next time you watch a good basketball team, don’t just watch the shot arcing toward the rim. Watch the players work to block each other from a place near the goal.
Also keep this picture in mind when you hear Ephesians 4:26-27, ‘”In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.’ (NIV) That word foothold can also be translated “room,” “place” or “opportunity.” In other words, we must be careful when angry to block out the devil. We can’t allow him room to attack us. It takes active effort, just like positioning for a rebound in basketball.
How do we do this? We make sure we don’t stay angry. We work to reconcile as quickly as we can. Because if we hold a grudge, we give the opponent room to beat us.
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I’m sure you change out of dirty clothes, right? At least I hope you do. I have to change out of the clothes I wear to mow the yard. Even though I mow in the morning, the heat of summer leaves me drenched in sweat. Sometimes, I have to do yard work as well. I built a retaining wall earlier this summer. Besides sweat, dirt stained my jeans and crusted my socks.
So, when I finish the yard work, I take off the dirty, sweaty clothes, grab a shower and put on fresh clothes. Please note that I don’t take a shower and then put the same dirty clothes back on. My momma taught me better than that.
Paul uses the illustration of changing out of dirty clothes to describe the effort we must take to match our new life in Christ. In Ephesians 4:25 he says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (NIV)
After Jesus has saved us, we must rid ourselves of any deceit and falsehood. We must speak truthfully to others. Otherwise, we do the spiritual equivalent of taking a shower and putting back on filthy clothes. That’s not good for us, or our neighbors. Nor does it reflect the reality of our new life in Christ.
Remember, put off falsehood and put on speaking the truth.
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I had a teacher many years ago who said two important questions exist. The first is “what’s so?” In other words, what is the truth? What is the reality? The second questions is “So, what?” If you know the truth, what difference should it make in how you live? The bible answers both the question “what’s so?” and the question “so, what?” It tells us the truth and also tells us how to live because of the truth.
In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul explained the truth -- God saved us by grace through faith and formed us into one church. In Ephesians 4 Paul shifts to the second question. Verse 17 says, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.”(NIV) After describing the ignorance and hard hearted sensuality of the non-Christians, Paul said in verses 22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (NIV)
Today, take off the way our culture thinks, and put on a new attitude. An attitude seeking to be holy and righteous, like God.
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Would you say we live in a deeply divided nation? It seems that way, doesn’t it? People shout down those who disagree with them, whether on a college campus or in the street. No one wants to discuss or debate anymore. Many never seek to persuade others, just silence them. Others simple avoid the rancor and try to go about their daily lives.
The division is often between the political left and the right. But it also exists between those running the country and the country. The priorities of those in power do not overlap with the priorities of the common people. Many of the experts in power don’t even listen to the common people, vainly believing they know what’s best. Politicians motivate others to action through division and anger. The media pumps conflict and division, knowing it sells clicks and grabs attention.
And what about Christians? Do we approach each other with the same spirit of division that sours our culture? We’d bettered not. Listen to Ephesians 4:3-6, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called– one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (NIV)
Today, make every effort to preserve unity with other believers.
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Do you have a wild imagination? Do you think up outlandish things? Do you have vivid and colorful dreams? Many people do. I am often amazed at the imagination of artists and authors. They sometimes dream up entire worlds and stretch our imaginations by their work. Science fiction does that for me. It is one of my favorite genres. I guess it started by watching Star Trek when I was a youngster. My brother and I would pretend to be the crew of the Enterprise. That love of sci-fi has lasted my life. In the last couple of decades, sci-fi novels displaced westerns and thrillers as my favorite books. Oh, I know science fiction is fiction. But traveling throughout the cosmos to explore sounds like tremendous fun.
Why all this talk about imagination? Because our imagination is mentioned in Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (NIV)
You see, God is not limited. He exists without limitation of space and time. He is all powerful, eternal, present everywhere and holy. And, do you know another thing he is not limited by? Your imagination. You can’t measure how much more God can do than in your wildest imagination. And his power is at work in us.
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During my years in business, I travelled to a few different countries. From the moment I landed, I knew I was a foreigner. I went through the passport control line marked for non-citizens. Road signs were different and sometimes they drove on the opposite side of the road. In some countries, English was spoken, but the local accents and idioms separated me. In other countries, hardly any English was spoken. I was also careful about walking on the streets alone, since I didn’t know which neighborhoods were safe and which were not. Although repeated trips to the same location made them more familiar, I still knew I was a foreigner. After a week or two, I was more than ready to go home.
The same is true in a spiritual sense. We are alienated from God until we follow Jesus. Then the words of Ephesians 2:19-22 come true. It says, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (NIV)
Doesn’t it feel good to be at home in the Lord?
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I don’t know how many times I’ve gone through the house to find something I’ve misplaced. I look high and low, upstairs and down. I search, but don’t find it. Then my wife looks for it and finds it in short order. I bet this has happen to you, right? Why is it that when we are searching for something we often overlook it?
We can also overlook things we are not searching for. We just don’t notice. I understand how that happens. I focus on something so much I overlook other things. That’s the way I usually shop for groceries. I hunt through the store to get the items on the list and miss a great deal on something I would have enjoyed.
This also happens when we read scripture. What do you overlook in Ephesians 2:8-10? It reads, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV)
Most people refer to this passage to highlight our salvation by grace through faith. They may overlook the last two phrases. God saves us for a purpose – to do good works. And God prepared those for us before we followed Jesus. What has God prepared for you to do today?
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Did you shoot off fireworks during the 4th of July weekend? Many people did. We usually picture fireworks as aerial blooms of sparkling fire in the night sky. But fireworks also include firecrackers. They make more noise than light. They’re also good at blowing up things. I admit that I blew up old models and toy army men as a teen. One small firecracker has the power to blow off a finger or destroy an eye.
The most powerful manmade explosions come from nuclear weapons. Thankfully, only two have ever been used in warfare. But there is something more powerful. Every second, our sun releases energy equivalent to nearly 92 billion tons of high explosives.* Every second. But that is nothing compared to the creative power of God. He gives life to the dead.
In Ephesians 1:19-20, Paul prays that his readers would know three things, “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” (NIV)
Did you catch the important word? It is only three letters. God’s incomparably great power is for us who believe. Thinking about that will bolster our confidence today.
*"Nuclear Fusion in the Sun Explained Perfectly by Science," UniverSavvy, https://universavvy.com/nuclear-fusion-in-sun
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As I record this, I’m wearing a t-shirt that has the word every emblazoned across the chest. It is tan and the word appears in lower case letters. Below the word a scripture reference appears in smaller letters. It reads “Ephesians 1:3.” A few weeks ago I wore the shirt into a cell phone store. The person helping me asked what “every” was all about. I explained the shirt announced the 2022 theme for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She said she’d have to look up the verse later.
See if you understand the word “every” as you hear Ephesians 1:3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (NIV)
Did you catch it? God blesses us with every spiritual blessing. The following verses list many of the blessings, but the one mentioned first is God choosing us to be holy and blameless. A choice he made before time began.
The word every means that God gives us all possible spiritual blessings. Nothing is withheld. We receive blessings to the greatest degree possible. Stop for a moment and think about the blessings of God. He has given you and me every spiritual blessing in Christ.
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Have you ever been around a campfire and dropped something right on the edge of it? If it was a toasted marshmallow, you probably shrugged and let it burn. Much easier to toast another. But if you dropped your phone, you’d quickly snatch it from the flames, right? Or kick it to safety. Your phone is important enough to risk a burn.
Jude 1:23 tells us one way to watch out for others. It says, “snatch others from the fire and save them.” (NIV) In other words, when a follower of Jesus falls, we need to quickly reach out to restore them. We can’t just shrug as if they were a marshmallow. They are far too valuable.
The verse continues and says, “to others show mercy, mixed with fear–hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” (NIV) To understand this, picture a virulent disease. People need help, but you must be careful. All the clothing and bed clothes are contaminated and highly infectious. You must take precautions. The same is true in a spiritual sense. People who struggle with powerful issues need our help. But we must be vigilant to avoid falling ourselves.
Jude urges us to contend for the faith. We need to fight for the truth. But we also need to care for each other, assisting those who doubt, snatching some to safety and carefully helping those with powerful problems.
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In boxing, a challenger for the title with potential to win is called a contender. They enter the ring to battle for the championship. The word is used in other sports as well, describing teams good enough to vie for the championship. It is even used to describe competitors in business.
The book of Jude uses the word as well. We are told to contend for the faith. One way we do this is by watching out for each other. Jude 1:21 says “keep yourselves in God’s love” or “watch over yourselves in God’s love.” Then Jude gives some specific ways to care for each other. Verse 22 says “Be merciful to those who doubt.” (NIV)
Two words provide the meaning to this verse. First is the word doubt. It describes one who hesitates or is uncertain. Many followers of Jesus have a few doubts or are uncertain about some items of the faith. How do we treat them?
Well, the second word shows the way. It is translated “be merciful.” It can also mean “to be kind” and “to assist.” It is the word used of God’s action toward us. His mercy assisted us by providing Jesus to secure our forgiveness. So, we too must be kind to those followers with doubts. We must assist them to answer their questions and strengthen the certainty of their faith. This is one way to contend for the faith once for all delivered to us.
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A week or so ago Elaine and I visited a friend. She was babysitting her new grandchild. She said she’d be keeping the baby most of the week. Did you hear the word keep? She did not mean the child would stay at her house 24/7. She used the word keep to mean “watch” the child while the mother worked. Several of our other friends also have grandchildren. They use the words keep and watch interchangeably to describe babysitting. The words stress the protective nature of the care provided.
Keep this in mind when hearing Jude 1:21, which says, “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” (NIV) What does it mean to “keep yourselves in God’s love”? Well it doesn’t mean that our efforts are more important than God’s grace. Did you notice the plural? “Keep yourselves” carries the connotation of Christians watching over each other, of being on guard to protect each other and care for one another.
But there’s more to this story. The same word is used of Jesus keeping us in Jude 1:1, “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” (NIV) Just like loving grandparents watch over their grandchildren, Jesus watches over us. And we should also watch over each other.
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Do you ever ignore important information? Nutritionists tell us to eat a balanced diet and avoid certain fats and excess calories. Public service announcements describe the link between diet and various diseases. At our checkup, the doctor or nurse advises us on dietary choices to reduce our bad blood test results. Yet many of us ignore all the dietary advice, or at least cheat on it.
The same thing happens with prayer. Jude 1:20 says, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)
So, what is praying in the spirit? It is an intense prayer surrendered to the will of God. We don’t always know what to pray for, but we can be surrendered to God’s will. Romans 8:26-27 says, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (NIV)
I know how tough it is to eat right. We grab fast food or a candy bar and an energy drink. We’re just too busy to eat healthy. And we think we’re just too busy to pray more than a quick word or sentence. But today, take the time to pray in the Holy Spirit.
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For several years, my father built houses. Then he worked building larger buildings. As a teen, I helped on several of his house projects. Construction is an interesting and time-consuming process. It starts by clearing the building site. Stakes are set to mark the location of the excavation. Dozers and backhoes move dirt. Forms are set and concrete poured. Lumber is delivered and the framing crew raises the walls and roof. Windows, siding and shingles are installed. Electricians and plumbers drill holes and string wire and pipe. Dry wall is hung and finished. Trim carpenters nail in the woodwork, followed by painters who cover walls and trim in color. Finally, flooring covers the rough plywood and sod covers the yard. It takes a lot of steps, and a lot of work, to build a house.
Jude likens the Christian life to construction in verse 20. It reads, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” You and I have a lot of work to do to build ourselves up in faith. We have to clear away the spiritual brush. Some of our dirt must be dug up and removed. A solid foundation is laid. Then we can build and finish. Our faith becomes stronger, higher and sealed against the winds of our culture. We do this through scripture, obedience, prayer and encouraging one another. Keep building your faith today.
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In 1972 the film A Thief in the Night enthralled audiences with its depiction of the sudden disappearance of all Christians at the start of a seven-year tribulation prior to the return of Jesus. The event, called the rapture, has fascinated audiences. Following the film, bumper stickers appeared announcing a car’s driver would disappear at the rapture. An urban legend held that airlines paired Christian pilots with non-Christian pilots so someone could land the plane should the rapture occur. The study of the end times has always been popular, as the sales of the Left Behind book series showed in the 1990s.
Many people look forward, believing the end times will arrive in the future. Maybe they should look back instead. Jude 1:17-18 says, ‘But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”’ (NIV) In the next verse, Jude indicates that those scoffers were present in the church of his day. And today we still have religious leaders who scoff at Jesus’ miracles, resurrection and divine nature.
That’s why we still need to contend for the faith. We can’t lose the truth about who Jesus is and what he accomplished. The Lord Jesus is our hope. We trust in him knowing the next big event on God’s agenda is his return.
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Earlier this year, Russia invaded Ukraine. People were killed, homes destroyed and cities devastated. Thousands of people fled west to Poland and other countries to escape. But other people remained behind. The took up arms to meet the advancing invaders. They headed into combat to fight for their country. Picture them when you hear the word contend. That word means to “fight for something like a combatant.” When the Ukrainians head into battle, they contend for the freedom of their country.
We also must contend as followers of Jesus. The book of Jude urges us to fight for our faith. Verse 3 says, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (NIV)
Please do not misunderstand. Jude is not suggesting we use violence or start a religious war. But he is urging us to struggle for the truth. As he says in verse 4, false teachers “have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” (NIV)
Immorality and the denial of Jesus mark our culture. Tragically, they also mark the teachings in some churches. This week, we’ll look at Jude’s instructions for times like these. We must contend for the faith.
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Did you ever make mud pies? I can’t remember doing so, but my wife remembers making them as a child. I guess my play didn’t involve pretend baking. Oh, I played in the mud, but it wasn’t creative. I just oozed it between my fingers and toes.
Mud has been used as a building material by many cultures. Clay, water and straw were formed into bricks in ancient Egypt by the enslaved Israelites. Exodus 1:14 says the Egyptians, “made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields.” (NIV) Exodus 5:6-8 says, ‘That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.”’ (NIV)
Archaeologists have discovered papyri that confirm some of these details. One expresses a soldier’s complaint that no straw exists at his location to make bricks. Another mentions the use of daily quotas for brickmakers. A tomb discovered held drawings on the wall of slaves making bricks, though Hebrew slaves were not depicted. Even the practice of beating someone before interrogating them, mentioned in Exodus 5:14, has been confirmed.* Believe the bible. Even the mud brickmaking practices mentioned in it have been confirmed.
*David A. Falk, "Brick by Brick," Biblical Archaeology Review 46:2, Spring 2020: https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/46/2/6
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What is the biggest vacuum cleaner? Oh, I didn't ask about the best. People can debate about Hoover, Dyson, Bissell, Henry and other brands. They can debate whether canisters or uprights are best. No, I'm talking about the biggest vacuum. You might suggest the biggest is one of those truck-sized vacuums that suck out the sewers. They’re big alright, but you need to think bigger. Think something the size of the sun.
Ok, technically speaking the sun does not use air to suck up stuff. But it is constantly cleaning the solar system. Its gravity sweeps 100,000 tons of micrometeoroids from the solar system every single day. It also pushes dust out of the solar system through the radiation pressure called the Poynting-Robertson effect.*
The sun is such a good cleaner of the solar system it should be done by now. That is, if the solar system is billions of years old, it should be devoid of dust and micrometeoroids. At the rate the sun cleans, it only needs about 10,000 years to clean everything up. But micrometeoroids still clutter our space and no source to replenish them has been identified. This evidence contradicts the theory that the solar system is billions of years old. It supports the idea that the universe is actually relatively young. This is just one of the many facts that reassures me I have reason to believe in God the creator, and so do you.
*Scott M. Huse, The Collapse of Evolution (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983), p. 29.
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Have you driven past a survey crew working along a highway or in your neighborhood? Surveyors use some sophisticated equipment. Lasers determine straight lines and GPS receivers often provide coordinates. It hasn’t always been this way. In the past, they used devices that combined a compass and two metal slits to determine a straight line in a particular direction. Someone peaked through the slits and waved at an assistant to mark a spot. They also dragged chains between markers to measure distance. How did they know they found the right spot to mark the corner of a land tract? Geometry. They worked from one or more known markers to measure where the new marker should be.
History is the same. Whether considering testimony in court or reading historians, facts are confirmed by using multiple sources. How do we know Jesus actually lived? Well, the writers of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John testify to his life. But they are not alone. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote in 112 A.D. that Nero battled the rumor he ordered Rome burned by falsely charging Christians with responsibility. Tacitus explained the origin of Christians in this way, “Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.”* Ten other ancient writers also mention Jesus, though none provide the account of his life found in the gospel writers.
The fact Jesus walked this earth has been confirmed by multiple sources.
*Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), pp 84-89.
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Good transportation is vital to the health, and wealth, of a city. In the horse-drawn past, rivers were the major highways. Many of the world’s premier cities, like London, Shanghai and New York, grew up along a river. Rivers made the transportation of goods easier and often faster. Boats were cheaper to build than long roads.
Today, rivers are still important, but roads have become easier to build. Vehicles have also become faster and more powerful than the wagons drawn by a team of horses. The interstate highway system in the United States, and similar systems in other countries, are vital connections between cities. We take for granted these roads and the large trucks that use them. Cities depend on highways. In fact, most large cities hold junctions of several highways.
In ancient Israel, large, navigable rivers did not exist. Trade was conducted over roads. Like today, some cities stood at the junction of major trade routes. One such city was Gezer. It sat on the junction of the road from the seaport Joppa to Jerusalem and the international trade route connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia. It is mentioned fourteen times in the bible.
Archaeologists discovered Gezer and have studied it since the early 1900s. One important find was a calendar carved into a small limestone tablet. It may be the oldest known Hebrew inscription. Again, archaeology confirms the existence of Gezer.* One more fact showing you can trust the bible.
*Nosson Shulman, "Unique Sites of Israel Blog: Biblical Gezer," JewishPress.com, May 15, 2022, https://www.jewishpress.com/blogs/unique-sites-israel/unique-sites-of-israel-blog-biblical-gezer/2022/05/15/
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How do we know that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492? Or that Abraham Lincoln was a tall, skinny man with exceptional strength? Or that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock? Or that Ghengis Khan conquered China? Or that Julius Caesar ruled the Roman empire? We know because people wrote history, recording events and facts.
For centuries, we have relied on people to record history. Some do a good job, truthfully recording events with an acceptable level of editorial comments and spin. Others are less reliable. So, what about the writers of the gospels? Three were eyewitnesses who recorded what they saw and heard. But one was a historian. Luke researched and wrote to record what others experienced of Jesus. How good was he?
He was exceptional. He recorded that Quirinius was governor of Syria at the time of Jesus birth. He said a census was conducted that required people to travel to their ancestral hometown. Archaeological evidence has confirmed that the Romans conducted a census every 14 years. Archaeology has also confirmed that Quirinius was the governor of Syria twice, about 7 B.C. and then in 6 A.D. A papyrus found in Egypt also details how a Roman census was conducted. It directed people living away from their ancestral homes to return for the enrollment.*
This evidence confirms the care Luke took in recording facts in his gospel. You are reasonable to believe the bible is true.
*Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), p. 73.
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Do you visit the hairdresser or barber? Most of us do. A barber is an example of a personal service. People often need someone else to provide personal services that they aren’t skilled to do or are too difficult to manage. Many different personal services exist besides haircuts, including nail care, massage and chiropractic adjustments.
Did you know that fish also need personal care services? Many predatory fish develop dirty teeth and gills. Debris from meals and parasites clutter their mouths. What do they do? They rely on small fish to clean their teeth. They open their mouths and let the small fish swim in to tidy up. When finished, the small fish swim back out. The small fish gets something to eat and the big fish gets a clean smile. A very similar relationship exists between one species of bird and the Nile crocodile. The croc opens up and in steps the bird to pick his teeth clean.*
These symbiotic relationships fly in the face of evolutionary theory. Several different species would need to evolve in a symbiotic way, which defies the odds. How would the crocodile know not to eat the bird, the first time this occurred? How could it ever learn through generations of evolution to just hold its mouth open rather than gobble down a meal? On the other hand, these relationships between animals provide one more reason to believe in an intelligent creator God.
*Scott M. Huse, The Collapse of Evolution (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983), p. 76.
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Have you ever played the board game Monopoly? I remember playing as a child. I always wanted the race car as my board piece. Games could take hours. Sometimes we played by the short game rules. At other times, we just played with the Monopoly money. As a parent, I also played the game with my children, although Carrom was their favorite game. Board games have been around for a long time. New ones are also invented. In the past couple of years I learned to play Catan.
Did you know that archaeologists have uncovered different board games from ancient Canaan? Gath, the hometown of Goliath the giant killed by David, is the site where scholars from Bar-Ilan University and the University of Manitoba uncovered remains of board games. One is called “30 Houses.”* Do you suppose it was similar to Monopoly?
Although finding ancient board game pieces is interesting, does it really matter? What difference does it make for faith in God? Well, the pieces are not the important thing, but where they were found is. Tell es-Safi has been identified as the location of the ancient city of Gath. Many aspects of ancient life have been confirmed, such as a diet consisting of figs, olives, wheat, barley and grapes.* Archaeology has repeatedly confirmed details of the bible’s story. It presents many reasons why you can trust what the bible says.
*"Monopoly-like board games were part of life in Goliath's birthplace - study," The Jerusalem Post, May 22, 2022, https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-707353
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Can you think of anything that people do on a continual basis? I know, if you're the mother of small children, you have some ideas. Some children continually talk. Or they constantly bicker with their siblings. If you have a teenager, they seem to continually look through the fridge for something to eat. Or they constantly stare at their phones. Look outside the home and you can find ideas as well. Some politicians seem to continually lie. Gas prices continually rise. And our society seems to continually go from one problem to another.
But really? None of these things are truly continual. Children and teens sleep. Gas prices sometimes go down, though I’m having a hard time remembering when that last happened. About the closest thing people truly do on a continual basis is breathe. We might hold our breath, but not for long. No matter what we’re doing, we keep breathing.
So if the bible tells us to do something continually, we should think about it like breathing. Something we do without thinking. Something we can only pause for a moment or two. Something we do with rhythm. What are we told to continually do? Listen to Hebrews 13:15-16, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (NIV)
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On May 22, two men and a two-year-old child sat in a rubber raft at a boat dock on Lake Washington in Seattle. High winds and waves carried the rubber raft away from the dock. Neither the two men or the two-year-old child wore a life jacket. The wind blew the raft through the choppy water until it pushed against the floating I-95 bridge. Waves then filled the raft and dropped the three into the icy water. The Seattle Police Department Harbor Unit rescued the three, none of whom suffered serious injury.*
Keep this story of being carried away in mind as you listen to Hebrews 13:9, “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.”
We sometimes fail to recognize the destructive power of false teaching. The people in the rubber raft were threatened by forces they couldn’t control. One minute they were at the dock, the next drifting across the lake. In the same way, we think we are safe and in control. But if we're not careful, we can start believing false teaching that denies God’s grace. It in turn can drive us to spiritual injury or ruin.
Strengthen your heart with the grace of God, not eating ceremonial foods and other riturals. Trust in Jesus and the forgiveness he freely gives.
- Stephen Sorace, "Seattle police rescue 2 men, toddler after rubber raft sinks," Fox News Channel, May 22, 2022, https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-police-rescue-men-toddler-raft-sinks
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Have you ever watched a skyscraper rise from the ground? I’m not talking about a snap shot. I’m talking about watching the project over time. I used to drive by a construction site. I learned that skyscrapers don’t rise from the ground, they rise from under the ground. The first phase is digging a deep hole. Then steel beams and tons of concrete are arranged in the hole to provide a stable base for the building. They drive girders down to anchor the foundation to bedrock. The taller the building, the more important a stable foundation is.
The tallest building in the world is in Dubai. The foundation consumed over 110,000 tons of concrete and 192 steel piles driven more than 164 ft deep.* The building, called the Burj Khalifa, was featured in a Mission Impossible film. I can’t even imagine the weight the foundation must bear, let alone the stresses resulting from the wind load on a building more than half a mile high.
We also need a stable foundation for our lives. We often bear a lot pain and hardship. The turmoil in our culture buffets us. Do you feel the stress of inflation, shortages and political rancor? How can we stand though all the stress? That’s easy. Trust in Jesus. He’s as solid as a rock. As Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (NIV)
*"Building a Global Icon," Burj Khalifa, https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/design-construction/
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Patrick Mahomes is an outstanding quarterback. He plays for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. He’s had a terrific start to his career. He performs amazing no-look or side-arm passes, often scrambling around before connecting with one of his outstanding receivers. He also has a crazy haircut.
I chuckle at all the young boys in our area who’ve gotten their hair cut just like Mahomes. Kids often model themselves after a sports star. If they play baseball, they learn all the batting mannerisms of their favorite player. They kick dirt, tighten their gloves, tap the plate with the bat and hold it over their shoulder, just like the pro does. Hopefully, they also learn the important things like how to properly swing the bat and drive the ball.
Imitating someone is also important spiritually. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (NIV) First, the passage tells us to consider the outcome of their way of life. This is like finding the hitter who has great stats. You want to imitate someone who is successful. Surely you know a leader who has a track record of following Jesus. Watch them.
But more important than watching, is to imitate. But don’t imitate mannerisms, imitate the important thing. Imitate their faith. Learn to trust God the way they do.
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I hate ticks. It seems that every year I hear of another strange disease carried by ticks. And tick season is here again. I helped on a service project recently where we cut and hauled brush. It looked like prime habitat for ticks. I wore long pants and sleeves. I also sprayed my shoes and legs with repellent. When I got home, I showered and checked that none of the critters were sucking my blood.
We need to have the same attitude in relation to money. We have to work with money. We need to use money. But money is an environment where evil lurks, just like grass and brush can harbor ticks. We must guard against the love of money. The love of money is like a tick. It sucks our spiritual blood and spawns all manner of spiritual ailments. Hebrews 13:5 says, ‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”’ (NIV)
Rather than loving money, we need to be content with what we have. I know, contentment is hard at times. But contentment does not flow from being financially secure. The verse says we can be content because God will never leave or forsake us. Trusting God is the repellent that wards off the love of money. Keep your faith in him.
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Recently, the news reported that an environmental activist disguised as an old man in a wheelchair, leaped up and smeared cake on the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci called “Mona Lisa.” Well, he didn’t actually touch the painting. The cake smeared across the glass protecting the painting. The glass was installed some years ago following multiple attacks on the painting.
This reminds me of our culture and marriage. Many try to sully marriage or destroy it. Often they disguise their attempts. But activists are not the only ones destroying marriage today. It is often damaged by the attitudes of everyday people who fail to honor it. Listen to Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” (NIV)
The passage uses two words to describe violating the purity of marriage. One word, adulterer, is very specific. It refers to a married person that breaks his or her vows. The other word is more general. It is the source of the English words porn and pornography. It refers to sexual sin and is translated here as “sexually immoral.” Honoring marriage is something all must do. Both those married and those who are single.
No protective glass exists for the masterpiece of marriage. We each must protect it in our attitudes and actions. Honor it by following God’s teaching about sexuality and marriage.
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Over ten years had passed since my father and his older brother had spoken. They were not mad at each other. They just lived in separate ends of the country and were busy with work and raising their families. They drifted apart. Then, my uncle phoned. He was traveling through our area on business and asked if he could spend the night. My Dad said yes. I remember sitting in the living room as Dad and his brother talked and caught up on each other’s lives.
My Dad’s offer of hospitality was a sign of brotherly love, the love for family. It illustrates what Hebrews 13:1-3 says, “Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (NIV)
The passage mentions two ways to show brotherly love. First, showing hospitality to strangers. In the first century, people often stayed with others when traveling. Christians often asked to stay with other Christians. The passage also mentions Christians suffering in prison. In the Roman world, friends and family often provided food to supplement the meager fare prisoners received. This shows us that Christians should help other Christians because we are members of the same spiritual family. We must love each other as brothers.
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You have probably heard the saying that “the best defense is a strong offense.” Whether playing chess or football, taking the battle to the opponent keeps them on the defensive. It is also the only way to score points. Baseball teams may have a defense filled with Gold Glove winners. They can have the best defense in the league, but if they can’t hit the ball, they can’t win the championship.
This week we’ve looked at the armor of God. Paul described the Christian life as a soldier, donning equipment for the battle. Many of the items Paul listed were defensive, protective. Such as the belt of truth, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. But how do we win the struggle? What is our offensive strategy? He turns from defense to offence in Ephesians 6:17-18, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (NIV)
The way to fight the spiritual battle of life is through prayer and God’s word. Prayer is our offense. And did you notice God’s Spirit is involved in the word of God and our prayers. We are to pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayer on all occasions for all the saints. So, be a prayer warrior.
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A couple of years ago, we moved from a state that required motorcycle drivers and passengers to wear helmets to one that does not. Seeing people riding cycles with bare heads caught my attention. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet has higher risks of death and serious injury in an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 25,000 lives have been saved over a 15-year period because people wore helmets on motorcycles.*
Helmets are also worn in many risky sports, including auto racing and American-style football. Some occupations, such as construction, also require people on a job site to wear a protective hardhat. Perhaps the riskiest activity where helmets are used is warfare. You just don’t see soldiers in battle without a helmet.
You know what? Life also has a tremendous amount of spiritual risk. The apostle Paul likens the Christian life to warfare. In Ephesians 6:17 he encourages us to “take the helmet of salvation.” (NIV) The word take implies reaching out to receive something. God offers salvation and we receive it by faith. Like a helmet, it protects us in the spiritual struggle of life. The word take also carries the force of a command. We urgently need God’s salvation. When the bombs fall, soldiers grab their helmets. As you face the spiritual struggle of life, be sure you reach out and take the salvation God offers to you.
*"Motorcycle Helmets," NSC Injury Facts, https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/occupant-protection/motorcycle-helmets/.
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Did you ever want to be a superhero? My brother and I were once fascinated with Batman and Robin. We ran about as the dynamic duo with towels tied around our necks like capes. Usually this was immediately after drying off from our bath! We’d race down the hall, leap on our beds and traded capes for pajamas. Superheroes also sell a lot of comic books. I admired Spiderman and bought a few issues. Does your fascination with superheroes continue as an adult? Perhaps the Marvel movies in recent years increased your desire to be an Avenger. I mean, who wouldn’t want a shield like Captain America?
Well, we can’t be superheroes. But we do have a shield. In the description of spiritual armor needed for life, Paul says in Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (NIV)
In life, the evil one constantly fires barbs at us. His goal is to use a small flame and ignite our lives in chaos. Do you feel flaming arrows flying at you or that everything is burning and your dreams are going up in smoke? Consider the shield of faith. Notice it doesn’t deflect the arrows. No, Paul says it extinguishes them. They strike, but fail to spread flame because we trust God. Faith in Jesus is far better than Captain America’s shield!
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Have you ever stepped on a sticker? There are different types of stickers. Cockleburs can be half the size of your thumb and covered in spines. But they are pretty easy to see on the ground and avoid. Sand burs are small. I picked a lot out of my socks as a kid. I also stepped on a few. They stung, but they were nothing like goathead stickers. These hard, spiney seeds from a ground hugging plant are about the size of a pencil eraser. The sticker looks like a miniature goat head. They can stab bare feet. In fact, another name for goatheads is puncturevine. I learned at an early age to wear shoes where goatheads grow.
Protecting the feet is important in battle. Today’s infantry soldier wears combat boots. If your feet are injured, you usually can’t complete your mission. Ephesians 6:15 describes part of the spiritual armor we should wear. It says we should have “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (NIV) It means we must be ready to march on our mission to spread the message about Jesus.
I think one of the biggest challenges for followers of Jesus in today’s culture is to stay on mission. So many things distract us. We can easily expend ourselves fighting the wrong battles. We hop around and howl like stepping on a sticker. Instead, we must focus on being ready to spread the peace that Jesus provides.
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Have you ever made a trip to the emergency room because you did something stupid? I have! Once I worked on a project that required grinding off a small area of a metal rod. I had to lay under the area to do it effectively. What was my stupidity? I didn’t wear safety goggles. You guessed it. I had to go to the emergency room to get a filing out of my eye. Thankfully, no permanent damage was done.
Many safety devices are useless if they are not in place. The same is true of spiritual armor. Listen to Ephesians 6:14, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” (NIV)
Can you imagine an ancient soldier owning a breastplate and refusing to wear it into battle? He wouldn’t last long, would he? The same is true of the spiritual battle. The righteousness that defends us is not our own. It is the righteousness we gain from Jesus. As Romans 1:17 says, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.” (NIV) You see, we trust in what Jesus did to restore our relationship with God, not in our own goodness.
A physical breastplate protects your core, your vital organs. In the same way, Jesus’ righteousness protects the core of our spiritual well-being. Make sure you are covered by his righteousness.
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When I played high school football, our team followed a tradition to prepare for the game. We entered the locker room in silence. We quietly donned our gear and carried our helmets to the area just outside the building. When everyone was present, the coach gave us a pep talk. We pulled our helmets on and our captains led us on the walk two blocks to the field. Now we made noise, calling out “Let’s go Red.” We entered the field, running in single file past the opposing team. We formed lines and warmed up, yelling the exercise cadence as loudly and deeply as we could. Part of our routine was psychological. Part of it was necessary. You really do need cleats, helmet and shoulder pads to play American football.
In the spiritual battle of life, we also need equipment. That’s why Paul lists different items as the armor of God in Ephesians 6. Everyone needs helmet, shield and a sword right? But that is not the first thing he mentions. No, something else is of first importance for the spiritual battle. Verse 14 says, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” (NIV)
Today, many try to pressure us to change our beliefs about the value of life, equality, gender, sexuality, and more. The first defense we need is a clear understanding of truth. We need to read and study God’s word. Be sure you “buckle on” some bible today!
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I have never experienced war. I can’t imagine what people on the front lines in Ukraine experience. The intense pressure of attacks, the restless nights of bombings, the worry for loved ones. Yet many stand firm. The words “stand firm” are appropriate for people in battle. Standing firm is the opposite of running, hiding, retreating.
At one time, this was literally true. In Jesus’ day, soldiers lined up with swords and spears to face each other. Standing fast, standing your ground, standing firm – that was an important key to success. Perhaps that is why Paul uses the language to describe the Christian life in Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (NIV)
Have you noticed we are now in a spiritual battle? We do not just face disinformation and discouragement. We are bombarded by malignant ideologies and pressured to hide our faith. If you follow Jesus, be bold. Don’t hide or retreat. Stand firm.
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Parenting is hard. Sometimes children break your heart. They make decisions that lead to pain, sometimes death. Many parents have mourned because their children succumbed to drugs or entangled themselves in gangs or landed in prison or pursued unhealthy relationships. Sometimes, children disown their parents. Many parents grieve for their wayward children.
The pain of a broken-hearted father provides the backdrop in the story of the prodigal son. A son demands his inheritance and runs off. He lives contrary to every wish and teaching of his father, wasting his inheritance. Eventually, broke and desperate to eat in an economic downturn, he returns to his father, seeking a job. But the father sees him coming and runs to hug him. The father throws a party because his lost son returned. The older brother doesn’t understand the father’s joy. So the father has to explain it to him.
This story highlights the attitude of God toward all of us. We are the wayward children. He waits for us to come to our senses and return to him. He longs to hug us and celebrate our return. His attitude is that of the father, who said this to the older brother in Luke 15:32, “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (NIV)
Remember, God desires a relationship with you. He is a loving father.
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When I was growing up, my father disciplined me. Sometimes, that involved a spanking. I know, that’s out of fashion today. But my dad was not harsh. I always deserved it. I never remember him disciplining me in a rage. He wanted to teach me respect and consequences for breaking the rules.
I suppose it is also out of fashion to think about God as a father who disciplines us. But that is exactly what Hebrews 12:7-11 says about hardship. It says, “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (NIV)
Are you going through something difficult and painful? Remember that God loves you, even in the midst of tough times. He will use your experiences to produce righteousness and peace in you.
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Did you ever write something down so you wouldn’t forget it? I’ve seen people jot a phone number on their palm when they didn’t have paper. Many of us use a paper shopping list. Others jot out sticky notes and plant them on the refrigerator, the counter, mirror or door frame. I sometime use them to place a note to myself on my desk. Walk through any office and you’ll find at least one computer screen adorned with sticky notes
The act of writing something down and posting it helps us remember. Maybe that’s why Deuteronomy 11:18-21 stresses an ancient practice much like sticky notes. Speaking of God’s commands, it says, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” (NIV)
God’s word is important to remember and observe. Take a moment today to jot down a verse of scripture on a sticky note and plant it in a place it can remind you of Him.
I enjoy contemporary Christian music. Many songs celebrate the fatherhood of God, but a few talk about being a father of children. Steven Curtis Chapman’s haunting piece “Cinderella” brings tears to my eyes, as it recounts a daughter growing up. But it seems contemporary Christian music generally lacks songs that celebrate the faithfulness of our parents or forefathers. At least, I couldn’t find any when I searched.
I also like old hymns. One old hymn celebrates the faith of those who went before. “Faith of Our Fathers” was written in by Frederick William Faber in 1849 to honor martyrs who were faithful unto death.*
We are blessed by the faith of those who go before us. I had great examples of faith. My father, father-in-law and grandfather were all followers of Jesus who were faithful to him and to their families. I’ve been blessed by their example. For many people, it is not their immediate family, but a father figure who has blessed their life as an example of faith.
Psalms 22:4-5 celebrates both the faithfulness of God and the Jewish forefathers. It reads, “In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” (NIV)
Remember, your faith is an example for those who follow. Remain faithful to God and love the people around you.
*"Faith of Our Fathers," GodTube, https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/faith-of-our-fathers/
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When my children were toddlers, I sat one night in the recliner, deeply engrossed in a novel. I don’t remember the title, but it was probably sci-fi or something by Tom Clancy. One of my children stepped up beside the recliner and asked for a drink of water. Without taking my eyes from the book, I automatically answered, “No.” Elaine heard my reply from the kitchen. She broke my concentration and asked if I knew the answer I had given. I’m sorry to say, I didn’t even remember the question. When I understood the request, of course I wanted to give my child a drink of water.
Thankfully, God is never distracted. He always hears our prayers. Listen to Luke 11:9-13 talk about God’s response to our prayers, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (NIV)
Our God is a father who hears us and gives us good things!
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Have you ever developed a blister? I’ve gotten blisters on my hands, usually from using garden tools without gloves. I’ve also had them on the heel of my foot. Those on the foot can make it painful to walk. Nobody likes blisters!
Blisters form under constant irritation. Something continually rubs against your skin, like a new pair of shoes. The constant friction eventually raises the blister. This is a great mental picture when reading Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” (NIV) The word embitter means to stir up, to provoke, to irritate. It talks about one who is continually needling another person.
This is inappropriate for fathers. They must avoid constant friction with their children. Continually harping at them and irritating them discourages them. Think of it as an emotional blister. A parallel passage in Ephesians 6:4 gives the alternative. It says, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
So, combining the instruction in these passages tells fathers to encourage their children, train them and teach them about God. As an example, watch the heavenly Father. God challenges, corrects, teaches, loves and encourages. But He does not irritate or provoke us to anger. He is a God of love and grace. If you are a father, be like him!
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Today is Father’s Day, a day to honor the approximately 70 million fathers currently living in the United States.* I suppose that number includes both baby daddies and real fathers. Being a father is certainly more than being involved in a child’s conception. Fathers take the time to love us, provide for us and train us for adulthood. How will you honor your father or the men who were like fathers to you?
The first known observance to honor fathers occurred on July 5, 1908 when a Virginia church held an event to honor men killed in an explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company mines.* But the annual observance actually began in Washington state the following year. People have been honoring fathers on this day in different ways since that time.
One interesting event occurred in 1916, when President Wilson honored fathers in a snazzy new way. Thanks to the telegraph, he pushed a button in Washington D.C. and a flag unfurled in Spokane, Washington, thousands of miles away. One of the first instances of remote control.* Ahh, the remote control. Fathers still like those today!
Of course, we don’t need a national observance to know honoring fathers is good. We have the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (NIV)
Take time today to honor your father.
*"Father's Day 2022," History, May 31, 2022, https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/fathers-day.
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Nobody wants to break the law. Oh, ok, I take that back. There are many people who are quite willing to break the law. But I’m sure the listeners of this podcast are law abiding folks. So why am I talking about breaking the law? Because the Old Testament prophet Daniel was a law breaker. Did you know that? Oh, he didn’t break every law, just one. His political enemies hoodwinked the king into passing a law forbidding prayer for 30 days, except to the king. Those who broke the law, would be executed.
Daniel 6:10 tells what Daniel did, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (NIV)
Daniel broke the law against prayer. The king threw him into the lion’s den as the law demanded. But God’s angel saved Daniel. Then the king executed those who had tricked him into passing the law. And he issued a decree to honor God.
Daniel is an example of faith and commitment. Do we live our faith openly? If following Jesus were illegal, would we continue to follow him? Would people catch us breaking any laws against faith in Christ? We must follow what God says is right. We must dare to be faithful and committed, just like Daniel.
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Were you ever told as a child to grow up? This can be confusing to kids. Children think literally. They think growing up is growing taller. But adults use the term in a figurative way. We want them to have more mature attitudes.
As adults, we may also be confused by some phrases. If you are told to honor God, what do you do? Do you know? Well, one thing you’d bettered not do is insult him. That’s what king Belshazzar did. He had a banquet with 1,000 guests. He had the goblets from God’s temple brought to the banquet. He and his guests used them to drink wine. While doing so, they praised false gods. Then a hand appeared and wrote on the wall. No one could read the message. The king sent for Daniel who read the writing and explained the meaning. The king would die that very night and his kingdom would be handed to his enemies. Why? Daniel 5:23, contains the reason, “But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.” (NIV)
So, honoring God is important. Bu how do we do it? A good place to start is the Ten Commandments. The first one reminds us that only God should have the divine role in our lives. He alone defines what is right and wrong, not our culture or our whims and prejudices. He alone deserves worship. Honor God today.
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During part of my youth, we lived in the country. Sometimes my brother and I would pluck long stalks of grass. You know, the ones with a big seed head on the end? We’d clamp the stem end in our teeth and let the head hang out front. I don’t know why. I guess we thought it looked cool.
But we never really ate grass. But the king of Babylon did. Listen to Daniel 4:29-32, ‘Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
The king refused to acknowledge God’s blessing in his success. So he learned humility by grazing on grass. May we be humble and realize God blesses us with success. Chew on this thought today. It's a lot better that eating grass!
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Do you like to build a camp fire and sit around it? Years ago, our church held a hay ride each Fall. After the ride we gathered around the fire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Those fires can get hot! Once, the side of our plastic cooler bubbled in the heat, even though it was three feet from the flames!
That reminds me of the fire king Nebuchadnezzar built in a furnace to punish Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He demanded that they bow before his idol. But they refused to violate their faith in God. Listen to their words to the king in Daniel 3:16-18, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (NIV)
Of course, Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the furnace. But God delivered them. When they came out, they didn’t even smell of smoke! But did you notice the strength of their faith? It wasn’t that God would save them. The faith was so strong they refused to bow to the idol even if God did not save them.
Is our faith strong enough to follow God, even if he doesn’t deliver us from our trials and problems?
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Do you remember the fictional character, Jason Bourne? He is the main character in a few books by Robert Ludlum which were made into popular films. Jason had to fight off assassins while suffering from amnesia.
Gladly, most of us don’t know what it's like to have someone out to kill us. But the Old Testament prophet Daniel did. The king had decreed every advisor in his kingdom would be killed unless one of them would tell him what he had dreamed and what it meant. As an advisor, Daniel heard he was slated for death. Daniel 2:14-16 tells us what he did, ‘When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.’ (NIV)
If you know the rest of the story, you know that Daniel is able to report what the king dreamed and the meaning, thus saving all the advisors. What I want you to notice is that he spoke to the commander with wisdom and tact. We sometimes find ourselves attacked by others, don’t we. Maybe at work or in our social groups. When this happens, take a lesson from Daniel. Respond with wisdom and tact.
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“Well, I tried.” Have you ever said those words? I know I have. Sometimes we make an effort to do something and then resign ourselves to failure or disappointment when it doesn’t work out. But that is not what leaders do. They persist and find a way forward.
Yesterday, we looked at Daniel’s effort not to defile himself with the food assigned to him by his captors. He asked the chief official for different food. But that official refused because he didn’t want to anger the king and risk being executed. But Daniel didn’t return to his friends, shrug and say, “Well, I tried.” No, Daniel 1:11-13 says, ‘Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”’ (NIV)
Daniel found a way to practice his faith by persuading the guard to run an experiment. The guard agreed. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his friends were healthier and continued to receive the food they requested.
When you face obstacles to your faith, don’t shrug and say, “Well, I tried.” Instead, be like Daniel. Be persistent and persuasive and find a way to follow God.
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Have you ever wanted to be the leader? We usually want to be the leader to have our own way. Like the childhood game of Simon Says, we want others to do what we want. But leadership is not the same as being in charge or having power. And, it can be lonely. Every leader must be willing to take the risk of standing alone.
In the Old Testament, we find an example of leadership in the story of Daniel. He and his three friends were forced to leave Jerusalem. They were taken captive to Babylon about 605 B.C. to be educated in the culture of Babylon. The king of Babylon planned use them serving his empire. But Daniel saw a problem. The food assigned to him and his friends violated their religious beliefs.
Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” (NIV)
Notice Daniel did this alone. His friends did go to the chief official with him. Daniel assumed all the risk to take a stand. When his friends saw his stand, they followed his lead.
We too must be willing to risk taking a stand for our faith. Like ancient Babylon, parts of our culture challenge us to ignore, or even violate, our faith. We must resolve ourselves to stand for God. Our leadership may inspire others to follow.
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Do you remember the old television show Home Improvement? One of the gags the show repeatedly used was when Tim “The Toolman” Taylor wanted more power in a tool or appliance. Whether it was juicing up the kitchen disposal to chip tree limps or powering the riding lawn mower with a jet engine, it always led to laughs – and disasters! But the gags tap into a truth. We often want more power, don’t we?
Unfortunately, we usually want power for our wishes. We pray for our desires. What we need is power to perform God’s will, to complete the mission Jesus gave us.
One of the fascinating things about the book of Acts is the source of power in the early church. It wasn’t from having a great band to draw a crowd. Nor having polished celebrities to deliver motivational messages. No, the first church was powered by the Holy Spirit. Of the 25 times the Spirit is mentioned in the book, half of them talk about specific actions the Spirit took. One example is Acts 9:31, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” (NIV)
Those who follow Jesus have God’s Spirit dwelling in them. He wants to power us on the mission Jesus left us. He can strengthen and encourage us. Seek God’s power to do his will.
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Have you ever admired boldness in another person? People who have the confidence to take on a challenge, start something new or take a stand for what’s right are admired. Many of us wish we had more boldness. We often feel uncertain, small or weak. We want boldness, but don’t find it in ourselves.
Today, I want to share with you the secret to boldness. It is the secret the first Christians knew. Peter and John healed a man and preached Jesus. The authorities arrested them, commanded them stop preaching Jesus and threatened them. So, Peter and John gathered with other Christians and prayed. Listen to part of their prayer and the answer in Acts 4:29-31, ‘”Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.’ (NIV)
Did you notice the secret? Boldness came from God. Peter, John and the other Christians were distressed by the harassment delivered by the authorities. So they prayed for boldness and God answered. The next time you need to speak out about your faith or take a stand for what is right, remember to pray for boldness.
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Have you ever tried to lay brick? Good bricklayers make it look easy. It isn’t. Our first house had an unfinished room with a roughed in fireplace in the basement. I decided to finish the room and figured I could lay the brick face of the fireplace. I once hauled mortar to bricklayers, so I thought I could do it. Well, eventually I completed the job, but not without tons of frustration!
You see, bricks are easy to stack. I could stack bricks up dry without a problem. But stacked bricks are not stable. They need mortar to bind them together. Mixing the mortar to the right consistency, applying it to bricks and placing them in a straight and plumb wall – these things are the challenge.
This reminds me of Ephesians 2:19-21. Listen for the bricklaying language in this passage. “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” (NIV)
Those words joined together sound a lot like what a bricklayer does by applying mortar and building a wall. God wants the followers of Jesus joined together as active members of a local church. Together, we are a holy temple of God's spirit.
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My first experience playing a team sport was in the second grade. I joined a Little League baseball team. We were so bad, we only won one game all season. And we won that game because the other team was short a player and had to forfeit! Maybe that’s why I focused on football after that!
Many sports rely on the teamwork of the players. In football, everyone must work together to run the same play. The more unified the team, in general, the better their play. If teammates bicker with each other off the field, it usually impacts their play on the field. That’s why a lot of professional teams consider how a player will fit into the locker room before drafting or trading. They know unity is important.
Following Jesus is also a team affair. Our relationships with others must display unity. Acts 2:42-44 says this about the first church, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.” (NIV)
Doesn’t that sound like a unified team? All believers were together. All believers had everything in common. Relationships with other Christians matter. Remember, the words of Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (NIV)
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Have you played the telephone game where a group of people whisper a message to each other? The last person then says the message out loud. It is amazing how a message will change as it goes from person to person!
Messages are not the only things that can change over time. Organizations and institutions can also change. Take the church. How much has the church changed since it began after Jesus resurrection centuries ago?
Let’s look at how the first church acted. Acts 2:42-47 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (NIV)
Does that sound like your church today? If not, remember the followers of Jesus are the church. If it has changed from the original pattern, we can restore it by following the example of the first church. Let’s devote ourselves to bible study, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper and prayer!
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What do you think about when you hear the word mission? If you have a military background, you may think of a set of orders that sends you out from a base of operations. If you live in the American Southwest, you may picture a historical building constructed by Spanish monks spreading the message of Jesus. Or, maybe you think of the films where a spy is given a task which is clearly impossible, but the team still accomplishes it. The common denominator in all of these is a mission is an important task.
Jesus also gave his followers a mission. It is found in Matthew 28:18-20, ‘Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’ (NIV)
This passage tells us our mission is to make disciples of Jesus from all nations. This involves going, which is the intentional effort to reach all nations. Disciples are made by baptizing them and teaching them to obey what Jesus commanded – which means teaching them to also make disciples. The mission is to reproduce more people discipling others.
So, how are you doing on your mission? Just remember, with Jesus, making disciples is never mission impossible!
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Do you ever forget something important? My wife tells me that I need a written list if I try to remember more than three items. I guess I’ve forgotten too many times!
Thankfully, the bible records the message about Jesus so we don’t forget. On this day, centuries ago, Peter preached the first sermon about Jesus following his resurrection.
Acts 2:22-24 records his words, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (NIV)
Of course, like most preachers, Peter had a lot more to say. But here are the five important points from his sermon. In fact, if you compare every time the message of Jesus was preached in the book of Acts, you’ll usually find these same facts included:
God was at work.Jesus was crucified.Jesus was raised from the dead.God made Jesus Lord & Christ.It is all about forgiveness.
Today, share this good news with someone you know.
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What is the most spectacular rainbow you have ever seen? I’m not sure I have just one. I’ve seen a lot of rainbows. Some have just been one leg. Others have been the complete arc, vivid and bright against the clouds. I’ve also seen double rainbows – one arch inside the other. The splendor of a rainbow is a special thing.
Did you know that the rainbow is a memorial? It commemorates the promise God made after destroying the earth with a flood. Genesis 9:12-16 says, ‘And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”’ (NIV)
The next time you see a rainbow, be assured that God remembers and keeps his promises. And also marvel at splendor of the oldest memorial we know!
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The Washington Monument is a massive column 555 feet tall. It was erected to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States. Many cultures have erected pillars as memorials, including Rome, China and India. In the Pacific Northwest, Native American Tribes created pillars we commonly call “totem poles.”
It shouldn’t surprise us then, that the bible character Jacob also erected a pillar. Genesis 35:9-14 says, ‘After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel. ’” So he named him Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.’ (NIV)
Jacob’s pillar commemorated God’s promise to him. That promise was fulfilled by the ancient nation of Israel, culminating in the coming of Jesus, the King of Kings. The next time you see a pillar, remember that God keeps his promises.
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My father didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. Oh, I remember him helping with canning up peaches or tomatoes. But he didn’t cook meals. The one thing I do remember him making is fruit cake. No, not some dry loaf with a bit of candied fruit that you had wash down. Dad’s fruitcake had just enough cake to hold the fruit and candy together. It was loaded with dates, raisins, pecans, candied fruit and gum drops. He enjoyed making it and we all enjoyed eating it. Today, if I see a fruit cake made in that style, I’ll remember dad.
Meals and food items were also used in the bible as memorials. The Passover is a famous memorial meal. It commemorated God delivering the Israelites from slavery through a plague of death – a death that passed over his people. Deuteronomy 16:1 says, “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night.” (NIV) The Passover has been observed for thousands of years. Jewish people still celebrate it though the Seder observance each year.
It was at this meal that Jesus started the Lord’s Supper. Out of remembering God saving the Israelites from slavery came the simple act of remembering God providing a way of salvation from spiritual slavery, which is available to all people. The next time you observer the Lord’s Supper, remember the deep roots from which it came.
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High on a shelf in my basement sites a special box. The box is sealed inside a plastic bag. Inside the box is another bag, which holds a dress. It is the wedding dress Elaine wore when she married me. It has been sealed away for a long time. It is a memorial of a special night and the commitments we made to each other. We usually don’t think of clothes as memorials. But I bet you keep something in your closet that reminds you of a special occasion.
The high priest in the Old Testament also wore a piece of memorial clothing called an ephod. It had special gem stones. Listen to Exodus 28:9-12, “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel in the order of their birth–six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.” (NIV)
Take a moment to look through your closet. Do you have anything that reminds you of God’s love or of a special time with him? If so, stop, and remember and give thanks to God.
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How far can you carry a boulder? That depends on how big the bolder is, right? How far can you carry a 50 pound rock? I doubt I’d get much further than a city block, if that! In Joshua 4:4-7, men were asked to carry large rocks. Listen to what it says, ‘So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”’ (NIV)
These men hoisted a rock on their shoulder and carried it until they made camp for the night. The stones were then piled up to form a memorial. It was a reminder of the miracle God performed by parting the waters of the flooded Jordan River. A miracle God performed for his people.
We all need to stop and remember God's work for us. Take a moment today to look back on your life and remember something God has done for you.
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Today is Memorial Day in the United States. It is a day to honor and remember the military personnel who died while in service. Most people also extend it to remember all family members who have died. Cemeteries are tidied up and flowers are placed on graves. In many communities, the American flag is flown, guns are fired in salute and bugles play Taps. Many people forgo traditional celebrations and just head to the lake for the first long weekend of summer. A famous car race is also held. Many people break out the grill and cook their favorite steak, hamburgers or hot dogs.
Exactly how Memorial Day started is debatable. Over two dozen places claim to have been the first to observe it. It definitely was observed following the Civil War. In 1971, a Federal law took effect moving it from May 30th to the current observance on the last Monday in May.*
This week the podcast will look at different memorials mentioned in the bible. Memorials are very important, for we often need to be reminded of important sacrifices and victories that others have won for us. Today, I urge you to hear the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:8-9, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” (NIV)
*"Memorial Day," Wikipedia, last updated May 10, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day#Decoration_Day_(Appalachia_and_Liberia)
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Along the highway near my home is a very small patch of mowed grass. In it a bench sits and flowers bloom. Someone spends time tending this small plot. It is a memorial to a person killed near the spot. Have you seen something like this? I’ve seen several along the highways of the Midwest. Often they have crosses and nearly always they have flowers.
This is not the only way people create memorials. Some use stickers on the back windshield of their automobile to spell out a name and dates. Others give memorial gifts to charities to honor someone who has died. Unless someone has no friends or family, a memorial service is usually held following their death.
One type of memorial is prominent among Christians. It is the memorial meal. Jesus started it, as Luke 22:17-19 states, ‘After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”’ (NIV)
The Lord’s Supper was started to remember the death of Jesus. Of course, it also reminds us of his resurrection. Don’t miss out gathering with other Christians to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in this special way.
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Promises, promises! Have you noticed that people make a lot of promises? Many politicians make promises in order to get elected, then never deliver. But we all do it. Here are some common promises:
The check is in the mail.I’ll always be here for you no matter what.I’ll give you a call later.It won’t happen again, I promise.
These are often called pie crust promises – easily made and easily broken. It’s why people invented oaths for the court room. You know, “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
God also makes promises. But he is different than us. God keeps his promises! One of the most important promises God made is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3, ‘The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”’ (NIV)
God fulfilled this promise. Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham, was prosperous. His descendants became the nation of Israel and settled in the promised land. And all people on earth were blessed when Jesus, the descendant of Abraham came. Praise God, for he is a promise keeper!
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I’ve been fascinated by the story of Noah’s ark for many years. Evidence exists in the geologic record that a global flood actually happened. Also, many cultures around the world have some type of story about a flood. If you want to have a fun day and enjoy learning about some of this evidence, I highly recommend you visit the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. This replica of the ark is a great museum.
The story of the ark from Genesis recounts the destruction of the world by water. But why did God unleash such a flood? What could possibly justify such destruction? Genesis 6:5-8 says, ‘The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.’ (NIV)
This passage reminds us of two important things about God. First, he punishes evil. But second, it is possible to find favor in God’s eyes and escape judgement. And that, we know, is possible through Jesus.
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Have you noticed we use colors to symbolically describe human emotion and mental states? Someone who is “yellow” is deemed a coward. When we’re “blue” we are discouraged or depressed. Someone who is angry is described as “seeing red.” And one who is jealous is said to be “green with envy.”
One of the foundational stories in Genesis is Cain and Abel. It records the first murder in human history, though certainly not the last. Genesis 4:2-5 says, “Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” (NIV)
Sound to me like Cain was feeling blue, was green with envy and seeing red -- all at the same time! Cain invited his brother out into the field and killed him. When we are angry, we need to remember the words God spoke to Cain in verse 7, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”(NIV)
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History is vital to understand the present. One cannot fathom why the United States government took the form it did without understanding the relationship between the United Kingdom and it’s American colonies in the decades prior to the American revolution. Issues such as the taxation of the colonies without allowing them representation in Parliament led to the revolt and shaped the US government. Other historical events since that time have also impacted the United States.
In a like manner, we can’t fully understand life or what Jesus accomplished without understanding the history recorded in Genesis. When Adam and Eve sinned, God pronounced judgement upon them and the serpent. But he also made a promise. Genesis 3:15 records God’s words to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (NIV) God promised the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head.
This promise foreshadowed Jesus’ death and resurrection, which was the ultimate victory. Hebrews 2:14 says this about Jesus, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil.” (NIV)
As we live focused on the day-to-day routines of life, it’s easy to lose sight of history. Take a moment to thank God for the victory he promised which Jesus has achieved.
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In June of 2021, the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Florida collapsed. 95 people died.* Do your remember that? I do. It goes to show that building inspection is vitally important. When a structure no longer meets the specifications of the designers and engineers, things can break, people suffer and lives can be lost.
The same is true for the cosmos. This world no longer meets the specifications that God designed. The bible tells us that disobedience to God, called sin, had a profound effect on creation. Now, things break, people suffer and lives are lost. In fact, God did not include death in the Garden of Eden. It came after Adam and Eve’s sin. Genesis 3:19 says, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (NIV)
This is why the resurrection of Jesus astounds us. He defeated death. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says ‘”Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (NIV)
So, when you look around and see this broken world, filled with suffering and death, know that God will restore it some day!
*Sarah Al-Arshani, "An apartment building not far from the Surfside building that collapsed last year has been evacuated after being found structurally unsafe," Insider, April 5, 2022, https://www.insider.com/florida-condo-near-surfside-building-that-collapsed-last-year-evacuated-2022-4.
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Over the years, I have sweat a lot. Haven’t you? My first job as a teenager was throwing 70-pound hay bales onto a wagon in the blistering Kansas heat. I’ve also worked as a construction laborer and a janitor. I’ve sweated working on my own home and in my own garden.
According to Genesis, work and childbirth became painful toil as a result of sin entering the world. Listen to God’s pronouncement following Adam and Eve’s sin in Genesis 3:16-19, ‘To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”’ (NIV)
Yes, we live in an imperfect world. Work is hard. Life is often sweaty toil. But God provides the answer through Jesus. Remember that the next time you break a sweat!
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Have you ever wanted to hide? I distinctly remember hiding under my bed once when I was in the first grade. A child from my class and her parents stopped at my house. I don’t remember why. I also don’t remember why I hid. But I do remember my mother’s astonishment to find me hiding under the bed. Another thing children do is blame each other. Were you anxious to point the finger at another when you got in trouble?
Even today, when we do something wrong, we want to hide. And we blame others. This started happening in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, Genesis 3:7 says, “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” (NIV) People have been hiding from God and each other in various ways since that time.
Genesis 3:12-13 also tells us that Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent for eating the forbidden fruit. Sounds like children saying, “he made me do it!”
One impact of sin in this world is hiding and blaming. One way people avoid God is by skipping prayer and worship. They also blame something else for their disobedience, much like kids making excuses. When we find ourselves doing this, remember that the best action is to face God and ‘fess up.
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During the pandemic, all kinds of information circulated about Covid. Some scientists and physicians even published information that disagreed with the government’s advice. Then there’s the news media. They refuse to cover stories damaging to some politicians, but turn around and attack other politicians. Social media isn’t any better. The news media and social media both use fact checkers to reduce the so-called “fake news.” But fact checkers are people. They make mistakes and they also have agendas. Deception is prevalent in modern life.
We shouldn’t be surprised. Deception has been present since almost the beginning. Remember the serpent in the Garden of Eden? He flat out lied to Eve. Genesis 3:4-6 tells the story, ‘“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.’(NIV)
This verse reminds us that we all can be deceived. Eve saw the fruit was beautiful, tasty and would give her knowledge. Those are all good reasons to want something. But she was still wrong to eat it and violate God’s command. Remember, good reasons always exist to do bad things. Be sure to obey God.
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When my son was a toddler, he climbed onto the bathroom counter and began playing with a pair of tweezers. He did something that tweezers are not intended to do. He stuck the prongs into the electrical outlet. A spark flashed between the prongs, melting part of the tweezers. My son survived, thank God, but he received a jolt from the experience.
We all realize that things must be done according to the design, or pain will result. This is true about marriage as well. Adam was alone in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:21-22 says, “So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” (NIV) Adam was thrilled. Verse 24 says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (NIV) This verse is often read at weddings.
One of the timeless foundations of human life is marriage and family. When done according to God’s design, it is a tremendous blessing. When it is not, pain will result. Today, thank God that in his wisdom he designed marriage to bless the husband and the wife and provide a loving home for children.
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Do you get the Monday blues? You know, do you groan and complain when it is time to go back to work after the weekend. We’ve all done that, right? We drag ourselves out of bed and plod off to work. Work seems like a burden or a curse at times. Often, it produces a lot of stress in our lives. It’s hard to remember that even paradise had work. That’s right, God gave work to Adam in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:15 says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Maybe we need to change our view of work!
I read somewhere this past week that interest in gardening surged when the pandemic erupted in 2020. I don’t know if it was because people were worried about food production or because they just wanted to enjoy nature. Maybe it was just for stress relief.
I enjoy gardening for several reasons. The plants and flowers are pretty and the produce is tasty. But it is work to prepare the soil, weed the plants and harvest the fruit and vegetables. Maybe there’s just something therapeutic about work. God made us to be creative and productive. A balanced work life is part of God’s plan for our lives. I hope you are being creative and productive. And I hope you keep it in balance with rest and other priorities.
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“Eight days a week I love you.” Those lyrics were made famous by The Beatles, who sang them much better than I just did! If you haven’t heard the song, you may think they were confused. Everyone knows a week has seven days. But Paul McCartney and John Lennon were exaggerating the number of days to show the totality of dedication to their loved one.
That brings me to another thought. Why do we have seven days a week instead of eight, or five, for that matter? You probably know the answer. The week is based on God’s work in creation. Genesis 2:2-3 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (NIV)
The seven-day week is a foundational concept we find in Genesis. We also find the Sabbath as a day of rest. But the Sabbath is not just to remember God’s work. It was made to benefit people. Mark 2:27 says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Oh, I suppose I should have aired this episode on Saturday. But the schedule didn’t work out that way. This also gives you a bit of time to adjust your schedule. Be sure you find some time to rest this week.
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Just stop for a minute and marvel at the creativity and productivity of people. Whether creating works of art or engineering a rocket ship, people have created amazing things. From agricultural innovation, to medicine, to information science, the world has been blessed by the work of countless people. In fact, we probably take for granted many amazing things like air conditioning, water heaters, running water and sewer systems.
We are seeing the result of what God said to the first people in Genesis 1:28-30. It reads, ‘God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground–everything that has the breath of life in it–I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.’ (NIV)
These verses describe the mandate that God gave to people. We were given the job of making creation productive as the human population expanded. Aren’t you glad God made people to be creative and productive?
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Do you have special furniture in your house, maybe a family heirloom? Each of my children have one. It is a simple two-shelf bookcase. They are not antiques, but they are special. Why? Because of who made them and how they were made. The oak wood was sawn from trees on their Grandpa Cantril’s farm and aged in his barn. Their Grandpa Fuller planed and cut the wood for the shelves. And I, their father, assembled, stained and finished the shelves.
Did you know that you and I are also special? Like my children’s bookshelves, we’re special because of who made us and how we were made. Listen to Genesis 1:26-27, ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.’ (NIV)
Human life was created by God. Unlike other creatures, people were made in God’s image as spiritual beings. This is true of men and women, boys and girls. As you deal with people today, remember that regardless of race, wealth, intelligence or ability, every person is just as special and valuable as you are. We have all been made in God’s image.
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The beginning is always important. Think about the way books and movies begin. They draw us into the story. The beginning sets the tone and direction for what comes after. The same is true of weddings. They are celebrations because two people from different families are beginning a new marriage and family.
Every country also had a beginning. The United States started when people left Europe for new lands and opportunities. Many came to find freedom of religion. The founding of the country resulted from the ideas of the day and the experiences of the British colonists. To understand the United States, you must know the circumstances of its beginning.
The same is true for you and me. To understand the meaning of our lives, we have to understand how it all began. That’s why Genesis 1:1 is so important. It says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (NIV) If the beginning of life was just a random event – the accidental combination of chemicals followed by blind evolution – then our lives have no meaning. We have no purpose. Our attempts to provide our own meaning are pathetic at best.
But we have been created by God. Therefore, our lives have meaning. This week, we are going to look at the foundational concepts taught by the book of Genesis. Genesis 1:1 is not simply the beginning of the bible’s story. It is the beginning of our story.
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In the days before cell phones, I was driving the family down an icy road in northern Michigan. I lost control and the car spun into the ditch. We were miles from home, where we didn’t know anyone. I remember thinking, “Now what? Where do I go for help?” I walked to a nearby house to make a phone call. Help arrived and sometime later, we were on our way.
Have you ever had that feeling? Have you asked “where do I go now?” I think the apostle Peter had that feeling. He had been jailed following the execution of James. But an angel miraculously freed him from prison in the middle of the night. It must have taken a bit to sink in. Because Acts 12:12 says, “When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.” (NIV)
When Peter faced the question of where to go, he thought of John’s mother, Mary. She appears a few times in the bible. She must have been a hospitable woman. Peter probably knew to go to her house because that’s where people gathered for prayer. He’d probably been there before.
Good mothers are hospitable. Even though it is extra work, they open their home to others. Mary, the mother of John, serves as an example of hospitality and prayer. We can all be like her!
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My daughter possesses a treasure. She has an old quilt. It’s not a spectacular thing to look at. It has orange and blue squares and has come apart in some places. What makes it valuable? It was made by her great, great grandmother. When I say, “made by,” I don’t mean simply sewn together. Great, great grandma Purvis carded the wool, died the wool, spun the thread, weaved the cloth, sewed it together and finished the quilt. It is special not simply because it represents antique methods, but because it was handed down through family generations.
This reminds me of a couple of mothers in the bible. They handed down their faith. Listen to Paul talking to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (NIV) Paul must have known Lois and Eunice and witnessed their faith. What a tremendous compliment to them Paul gave by seeing that Timothy’s faith was a result of their influence! They remind us that good mothers pass on their faith.
Although we can’t all be mothers, we can all pass on our faith. We should certainly pass it on to each generation. But we can also pass it on to others as well. Stop for a moment and think of someone to whom you can pass on your faith in Jesus!
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Quick, think of a famous mother. Was it difficult to do?
Perhaps the most famous mother in the bible, after Eve, would be Mary, mother of Jesus. I love what Luke 2:19 says. At the birth of Jesus, after the visit of the shepherds, it says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (NIV) Isn’t that just what mothers do? Their hearts are filled with love and memories.
Then look at Mary when her son was a man. She still prompted him to take action! John 2:1-3 says, ‘On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”’ (NIV) Of course, we know how that story ends! Jesus performed a miracle.
We also see Mary at Jesus’ death. John 19:25 says, “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” (NIV) I’m sure you know of mothers who did all they could and were as close as possible when their children tragically died.
Mary shows all the traits of good mothers. Filling her heart with love and memories, prompting her adult child to do good things and supporting her child in his suffering. Thank God for mothers!
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Have you ever had your car detailed? You know, cleaned and polished inside and out, down to the smallest detail? The carpets are cleaned. Bugs are removed from the bumpers and mirrors. Every little speck is removed. Some people love to do this on a sunny day. Others prefer to hire it done. Of course, my car is lucky to get washed before we go on vacation. I don’t polish it dry. I just let the wind dry it. I guess I don’t sweat the details.
You know who does sweat the details, at least where their families are concerned? Mothers. Day in and day out, most households run well because mom is on the job! They keep things going, often shopping, cleaning, cooking, helping with homework, and more. In fact, this attention is one of the noble characteristics the book of Proverbs discusses in chapter 31. See how many of these are true of the mothers you know.
Verse 15 says, “She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.” (NIV)Verse 21 says, “When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.” (NIV)Verse 27 says, “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” (NIV)
This world would be an entirely different place without mothers of noble character! Find a mother today, maybe your own, or not, and express your appreciation for her.
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When was the last time someone in your city was murdered? In the past couple of years, crime has increased in many American cities. Well over 150 people were killed in our metro area last year. And the increase in the homicide rate isn’t just a small rise. It has spiked! Every death is a tragedy. At least our culture still sees murder as evil.
Have you noticed that many of the 10 commandments are not considered that serious anymore? Sure, theft is still a crime and is usually condemned. But coveting – you know, desiring your neighbor’s property – is hardly looked down on. Or take adultery. There is hardly any shame associated with it any more.
Our culture may not considered these serious sins, but God does. That’s why they are listed in the 10 commandments. And you know something else God considers serious? How we treat our fathers and mothers. Remember this commandment from Exodus 20:12? “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (NIV) This is the first command with a promise. Keep it and life will go well! Doing this positive command is just as important as avoiding murder! God considers the work of mothers, raising and teaching their children, as extremely important – even if our culture does not! Take a moment to honor your mother today!
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While in college, I had a part-time job in a jewelry store. Christmas, by far, was the busiest season of the year. However, the second highest sales were generated in relation to Mother’s Day. People really appreciate their mothers, often purchasing gifts of gold chains or jewelry!
I also remember in those days that placing a phone call to our moms on the afternoon of Mother’s Day was difficult. Sometimes my brothers or sister were tying up mom’s phone line. At other times, the limited circuits in the old telephone system would be full, since everyone in the country seemed to call mom at the same time! But when the call got through, we wished Mom a happy Mother’s Day and expressed our love. Perhaps you did this yesterday.
But communication with mom is usually a two-way street. There are times, like yesterday, when we express our love and appreciation. At other times, we listen to what our mothers teach us.
This is how the book of Proverbs describes mothers. They teach us right from wrong. As Proverbs 1:8-9 says, “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.” (NIV)
This passage flips the idea of giving a gift of jewelry on Mother’s Day on its head. The teachings of our mothers are like chains adorning our neck. They give us our understanding of right and wrong.
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Have you ever wanted something so badly, you poured out prayers and tears asking God for it? I’ve had a few times like that. I received some of the answers I sought. For others, not yet. Today, we look at a woman who prayed with tears to overcome infertility. 1 Samuel 1:10-11 says, ‘In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD Almighty , if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”’ (NIV)
God answered Hannah’s prayer! She bore a son named Samuel and dedicated him to the Lord. That was no easy thing. When Samuel was a few years old, she left him miles from home to be raised by the priests at the tabernacle. Once a year she would journey there to worship and see her son. Each year, she brought him clothes she had made. Samuel eventually became a leader in Israel.
This week, the podcast will look at mothers from the bible. Hannah was a remarkable mother. She reminds us that dedicated mothers make sacrifices so their children will follow God. Take a moment to remember the sacrifices your mother made for you.
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Do you remember high school? I bet you had someone in your school who thought they were better than everybody else. It seems that every school has at least one. Then there’s the other side of the story as well, right? Remember the kids who were the worst? Practically everybody was better than they were. In fact, as adults we may still look at some people and say, “What a bunch of losers.” Of course, if we do, it damages our prayer life.
Hear what Jesus said in Luke 18:9-14, ‘To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”’ (NIV)
When we approach God in prayer, let’s be sure we do so with humility!
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Imagine that your basketball team is down by 15 points at the half. Do you give up? Not if you are the Kansas Jayhawks. They recently made an historic comeback to win the NCAA tournament. It’s not just the team that never gave up. One of their players, Ochai Agbaji, has a history of persistence. At one time, he was rated at the 334th best high school senior basketball player in the nation. Yet he worked hard to improve his skills. He not only helped KU win the championship, but he was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. He is an example of never giving up.*
Persistence is also needed in prayer. Listen to Luke 18:1-5, ‘Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”’ (NIV)
How much more willing is God to answer our prayers than that arrogant judge! So, don’t give up! Keep on praying!
*Sam McDowell, "Why Ochai Agbaji fell into his parents’ arms, crying, after Kansas Jayhawks’ title win," The Wichita Eagle, April 12, 2022, https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article260121915.html
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I love superhero movies, don’t you? It's fun to fantasize about having special power or astonishing strength. Who wouldn’t want to be “faster than a speeding bullet”?! Just being able to shoot webs from your wrist would be fun!
We may fantasize about being a superhero, but most of us don’t fantasize about the power of prayer. In fact, we usually think the only relationship between prayer and power is that both words begin with the letter “p”! Yet one of Jesus’ most intriguing lessons on prayer should make us think. Mark 11:23-25 says, “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (NIV)
This tells us of two things vital for our prayer life. First, we must have faith that God will answer. As Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God.” (NIV) Second, we must forgive other in the same way God forgives us. Holding a grudge is dangerous. .
So, which is the challenge for you? Today, trust God and forgive others!
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Coaches often teach athletes by modeling. A basketball coach will demonstrate how to hold and dribble the ball. He will also show the proper foot work for defensive positioning and rebounding. In baseball, the coach will show young pitchers the grip and arm motion for various pitches. Jesus is also a coach. He gave us the model for prayer. Found in Matthew 6:9-13, we usually call it the Lord’s Prayer, but it is a demonstration of what prayer is and how to do it.
It begins, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (KJV) Jesus shows us to approach God as a father. One who is special and holy. We also approach him by expressing our submission to his will.
Then, Jesus teaches us to express our dependence and ask God to provide for our physical and spiritual needs. He does this in verses 11-13, “Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (KJV) We depend on God for our very food. We should also seek his forgiveness, as well as deliverance from evil.
Jesus’ demonstration ends by acknowledging God deserves to rule in our lives. Verse 13 ends with these words, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” (KJV)
Today, follow Jesus’ model in prayer!
One of the things that makes life interesting is that we are all different. Some are tall, others short. Some are bubbly and excitable, others calm and collected. One thing I’ve noticed is people are also different when they talk. Some are like the old cow poke. They say few words. What they do say, they drawl out slow. Then there are others who fire off words faster than a machine gun. One wonders how they breath in that torrent of speech! Then there are the people who talk so much, you can’t get a word in edgewise. They think a conversation is a monologue.
I wonder if God notices the different ways people pray? He must, because Jesus did. Hear what he said in Matthew 6:7-8, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (NIV)
What’s the lesson here? Prayer is not the mindless repetition of words and phrases. Nor does the number of words somehow improve the odds of a favorable answer. Prayer is a meeting with God where we speak to him. We admire him, confess our dependence, thank him for blessings and request his help. Saying words without focusing on God is not prayer. Remember, when you pray, you speak to God.
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Have you ever wanted to learn something? Maybe you saw someone playing the guitar or the drums and yearned to play like they did. When I was a child, I took piano lessons. It wasn’t my idea. It was probably my great aunts’ idea, because they gave us a piano. But I wanted to learn the guitar. I also took guitar lessons. I put far more effort into learning how to play guitar than the piano!
Which brings me to prayer. Have you taken any lessons in prayer? Jesus must have been so good at it. His disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. That’s what we are looking at this week. One of his lessons is found in Matthew 6:5-6, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Jesus tells us that prayer is not a virtue signal. We should never pray in order to make other people approve of us. Their opinion is not relevant. God’s judgement is relevant. We must focus on him when we pray, not what other people think. Find some time today to pray.
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Have you ever seen a child that other children pick on? It happens all the time. Sometimes, a parent will show their child how to defend themselves. They may enroll them in karate or boxing. Sometime parents just give verbal advice, like “punch them right in the nose.” One of the things we have to learn about in life is how to handle those who pick on us.
You know, Christians also are picked on. Sometimes, their business is attacked. At other times they are attacked on social media, called names or attacked with physical violence. One of the things Jesus did, was instruct his followers on how to handle those who pick on them because of their faith. But he did not say “smash them in the nose.” Listen to Jesus in Matthew 5:44-45, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (NIV)
This week, we are looking at Jesus’ teachings on prayer. Here is the surprise. Jesus says we should pray for those who pick on us or persecute us. Why? Because we must be like God. God sends his blessings – the sun and the rain - on all people. We must also pray for all people, even those who persecute us.
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In March of 2020, Mike Sexson froze to death searching for treasure near Dinosaur National Monument. He was the fifth person to die searching for a million-dollar treasure hidden in the Rocky Mountains by Forrest Fenn. Another person found the treasure later that year.* It seems tragic that one person found treasure and others failed and a few died.
Fortunately, this is not true for the search for life’s meaning. Oh, many fail. But many have found it. Anyone who knows where to look can find it.
This week, we’ve looked at Solomon’s search for the meaning of life in the book of Ecclesiastes. Although we didn’t look at everything Solomon tried in his search, we did discover he rejected pleasure, education and knowledge, as well as accomplishment and career as ultimately meaningless pursuits. He gives us his conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (NIV)
Solomon’s wisdom is that the meaning of life is found in a right relationship with God. To respect and obey God is the path to satisfaction and purpose, for we are accountable to him. Take a moment today to acknowledge the one who created you!
*"One chest of gold, five deaths: The search for Forrest Fenn's treasure," CBS News, December 25, 2021, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/forrest-fenn-treasure-five-deaths-48-hours/.
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I like money, don’t you? It’s such a handy thing. I can use it to pay my bills, go out to eat, buy gifts for others or do things I enjoy! Everyone likes money. And you know what? Practically everyone also wants more money! So how much money is enough? Someone once said, “I have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life – if I die next Thursday”! They must not have had much money!
John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest men of his day. He founded Standard Oil and made it a monopoly. If you adjusted his fortune for inflation, he was the wealthiest American of all time. He said, “How much money does it take to make a man happy? Just one more dollar.”* He was speaking from experience, though he may have known what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?” (NIV)
If we are searching for satisfaction and meaning by pursuing wealth, we will be disappointed. Solomon was the wealthiest king of ancient Israel. He knew from experience wealth does not satisfy. Tomorrow, we will examine his conclusion on what gives life meaning.
*"John D. Rockefeller Quotes," AZQuotes, https://www.azquotes.com/quote/919457
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Remember Charles Dicken’s character Ebenezer Scrooge in the book A Christmas Carol? He was a grasping, miserly workaholic. He had no friends. Devoid of charity, with hardly a relative, he pursued business above all else. In his youth, he sacrificed a relationship with a young love to pursue career success. He wasn’t very happy, was he?
Yesterday, the book of Ecclesiastes reminded us that meaning in life can’t be found by piling up accomplishments and advancing our careers. Yet some people persist in being workaholics. They often sacrifice relationships with family and friends in their drive to succeed. They need to hear Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 4:8-11, ‘There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless– a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?’ (NIV)
This passage reminds us that relationships are more important than career success. In fact, one relationship is the key to the meaning of life. But we won’t discuss that until Saturday!
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Do you use LinkedIn? It’s an employment-related social media site. People use it to keep up on the careers of coworkers and friends. They also use it to advance their own careers. People list their job history, qualifications, accomplishments, skills and recommendations. When searching for a new position, many people use it to network with friends and the friends of their friends. Recruiters also use it to search for talent.
Let’s face it. Careers are one of the ways we look for satisfaction and meaning in life. For some, they try to climb the fabled career ladder. For others, they don’t search for advancement as much as a job they’ll like better than the one they currently have. But does a long list of accomplishments and career advancement provide meaning in life?
Solomon was a king. But he found little satisfaction in it. He called his work as king “toilsome”! Listen to his words in Ecclesiastes 2:20-21, “So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.” (NIV)
We may find some satisfaction in our work, but Solomon reminds us that the ultimate purpose and meaning of life will not be found in our accomplishments or career. Tomorrow, we'll continue our search for meaning through Ecclesiastes.
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Think back to the election year of 2020. Do you remember the flap over whether Jill Biden should be called “Dr. Biden?” She earned a doctorate in education, so the title was appropriate. But some people were concerned she would be confused with a medical doctor, especially during a pandemic. That, and it gave people an excuse to criticize political enemies!
You know, most people who earn a doctorate, whether in medicine or another discipline, like to be called “doctor.” We value education. Some people even get multiple degrees. This makes me ask whether the pursuit of knowledge and education is what gives meaning to life. King Solomon also asked the question. He systematically pursued knowledge. Listen to his words in Ecclesiastes 2:12-15, ‘Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I thought in my heart, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said in my heart, “This too is meaningless.”’ (NIV)
In other words, knowledge and education have some value, but are not the meaning of life. Death ultimately makes them empty pursuits.
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Do you enjoy parties? Most people like to have fun, eat good food, and enjoy life. I enjoy getting together with friends and family, don’t you? There are a lot of things I enjoy, like frozen custard, grilled brats and sour cream donuts – though usually not at the same time. I also enjoy coffee every morning. But is pleasure what gives life meaning? If it does make life meaningful, why are so many people who live a Hollywood lifestyle so unhappy?
One of the first things Solomon did in his search for meaning, was to explore pleasure. Here’s what he said in Ecclesiastes 2:1, ‘I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.”’ (NIV) Well, he sampled food, wine, comedy, and music among other things. He had a huge harem of women. Let’s face it, as a wealthy king, Solomon lived larger in his day than Hollywood stars and Silicon Valley tycoons do today.
What did he conclude? Listen to Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (NIV) So, enjoy life, but remember you will never find true satisfaction and meaning in pleasure.
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Do you remember the Indiana Jones films? Each story was about searching out treasure, some ancient artifact. The stories could be a picture of life. We often search feverishly for something much like Indiana searched for the lost ark. We strive to find satisfaction and meaning in life, often in our hobbies, careers or education. But unlike the movies, our search does not end in a couple of hours!
Solomon also searched for satisfaction and meaning in life. He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to share his conclusions. I must admit, the opening is pessimistic. Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 says, ‘The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”’ (NIV)
He continues in verses 12-14, “I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (NIV)
This week, the podcast will look at Solomon’s search for the meaning of life. Is everything really meaningless as he said, or is he exaggerating to make a point? Can we find satisfaction and meaning, or will all our efforts be as empty as grabbing a handful of wind? Join me tomorrow as we follow Solomon’s search.
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This week, we’ve looked at the resurrection of the dead. It is the central hope of the Christian faith. Without his resurrection, Jesus’ death would have accomplished nothing. With it, Jesus not only provides forgiveness for sins, but eternal life to his followers in new, glorious bodies. He is the first fruits of the resurrection. We’re just waiting for his return to receive our new bodies.
So, how should this hope affect us? Well, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (NIV)
This verse mentions two things. First, we must stand firm. In the context, he is urging us to keep our faith in Jesus and in the reality of resurrection – both Jesus’ and ours. The world tries to deceive us about the big truths. You hear it. Claims like “there is no creator, we evolved,” Or, “death is natural, there’s nothing after this life.” Don’t believe it! Stand firm in your faith!
Second, we should “give ourselves fully” in serving the Lord. What does that look like? Well, we go all in. We leave everything on the field. We hold nothing back from serving Jesus. Why? An old saying express it well. “Only what’s done for Jesus will last.”
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“Hey, let me tell you a secret.” Have you ever heard words like that? How do you react when someone offers to tell you a secret? Does it raise your interest? Do you lean in close, anxious to hear? What is it about secrets that make them so interesting? Is it because something hidden is surely worth discovering?
Or consider mysteries. Do you like to read mystery novels? Do you enjoy films where the main character has to solve problems and discover the truth? Would you find hunting for and discovering buried treasure exciting?
If you like mysteries, listen to 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, ‘Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory?”’ (NIV)
These verses give us a glimpse of the return of Jesus. Christians alive at that time will be changed, receiving a resurrection body. The death that entered the world through Adam’s sin will be gulped down, gobbled up -- swallowed in victory!
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Have you noticed that a lot of popular portrayals of heaven or of life after death are a bit mundane? Sometimes, they picture a person in a white robe with wings, often sitting on a cloud and strumming a harp. At other times, they are portrayed as having a body much like the one they had before death, although they may be able to walk through walls or have special power. You know, like Clarence in the film It’s a Wonderful Life.
I think these ideas miss the mark. Listen to 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (NIV)
Notice how different the resurrected body is? It will not decay or grow old. It will not be subject to frailty and weakness, but will be raised in power. It will also be more glorious than what we have now. I like to think of this as the difference between flower seeds and the beautiful blooms they produce! Today, we have a body suited to life on this earth. But the resurrected body will be suited to life eternal!
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Spring is here and I am looking forward to planting the garden. Elaine and I will put radish, spinach, bean, okra and zucchini seeds in the ground. Years ago, we even started tomatoes from seed, growing them indoors before transplanting outside. But today, we find it easier to just buy a couple of tomato plants!
Planting seeds tells us something about the resurrection from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 says, ‘But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.’ (NIV)
You know, a little tomato seed is so different from the plant and fruit it produces. After the seed sprouts, it grows tall and produces the tomatoes so many people love. Likewise, the bodies we have now will die. But just because we die now, does not mean the resurrection will never happen. We will be raised with a body that is very different.
If you plant flower or vegetable seeds this spring, stop for a moment and consider the resurrection from the dead Jesus has promised those who follow him!
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Earlier this week, I said that the most important event in history was the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, what would be the second most important event in human history? I can think of a lot of candidates for that honor, can’t you? How about the invention of the wheel? Or the discovery of yeast? The harnessing of electricity has certainly changed things. As did the invention of gunpowder, the development of the airplane or splitting the atom. But none of these are as important as another. The second most important event in human history must surely be the sin of Adam and Eve, commonly called the Fall.
Why would this be so important? Because it introduced death into the world. Listen to 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” (NIV)
So, if the Fall introduced death, that brings us back to the resurrection of Jesus. He defeats death! He is the first to rise from the grave. And we who belong to him will also rise when he comes again!
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Many skeptics scoff at the resurrection of Jesus as pure propaganda, just religious myth. They claim no evidence exists to prove it. Of course, to do this, they have to deny the eye witness accounts recorded in the New Testament.
Did you know that some in the first century also denied that resurrection was possible? Even though they heard of Jesus’ resurrection from eye witnesses, they did not believe. So, we should ask, does it really matter if Jesus rose from the dead?
Yes, it does. Listen to 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (NIV) Paul goes on to say this in verses 17-18, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (NIV)
I urge you to examine the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. One good book on the subject is Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ. It matters that the resurrection of Jesus happened. It also matters that you believe it!
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Today, Easter is celebrated by millions of people around the world. What do you think is the symbol of Easter? Is it the Easter bunny? Or maybe you think of Easter eggs or the Easter lily. Let’s change the thought, shall we? Picture in your mind the symbol of Christianity. Do you see a cross or a crucifix? Did you know that the death of Jesus is useless without his resurrection?
That’s what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15. The gospel that saves us relies on Jesus’ death and resurrection. Listen to 1 Corinthians 15:2-5, “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” (NIV)
This day is all about the resurrection of Jesus. It, along with his death, is the most important event in history. However you celebrate this day, whether gathering with family for dinner, watching children hunt for eggs or attending a breakfast at church, stop and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
This week, the podcast will look at the impact Jesus’ resurrection makes on our lives. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
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This week we have been looking at highpoints in Jesus’ ministry. Yesterday we remembered his death. Tomorrow, we celebrate his resurrection. So, what should we remember on the day between his death and resurrection?
On this day, his disciples surely grieved. They stayed home because of the Jewish Passover. Some may have made plans to complete his burial the next day. Probably, they all kept a low profile, fearing the Romans may arrest more of them. However, we’re not told what the disciples did on this day.
On this day, the Jewish leaders probably felt immense satisfaction that they had arranged for the Romans to kill Jesus. They’d been trying to silence Jesus for some time. Were they happy? Again, the bible doesn’t really say.
We are told about the squad of Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:62-66). They guarded the tomb lest anyone attempt to steal Jesus’ body. It was probably a boring day. They may have arrived Friday night. I’m sure they hardly saw anyone on Saturday, since Jews observing the Sabbath didn’t walk very far. Did they gamble? Maybe they told stories. They probably ate meals. Do you think they worried that someone would attempt to steal the body, or thought the risk low? I wonder if they grumbled about this lonely duty or considered it a cushy assignment. A long, lonely day turned into another night. They had no idea what God was about to do! Are you ready to celebrate the resurrection tomorrow? Be sure to gather with other Christian because Jesus lives!
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Today, Christians all over the world remember Jesus’ death. So why is it called “Good Friday?” The day marks the trials, torture and execution of Jesus. Why call it “good”? The historical reason is not entirely clear. Some think it started as “God’s Friday” and slowly changed. Others think the term good was applied to mark it as a holy day. At any rate, the earliest known use of the term was from about 1290 in the literary work call The South English Legendary.*
The bible does not call this day “good,” but does describe the event. Mark 15:24-30 says, ‘And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!”’ (NIV)
Whether we call this day “good” or not, it must be remembered. We marvel at the love of God who gave his son, as well as at Jesus who endured the cross for our sake. We cannot delight in his suffering, but we have deep gratitude that he died for us.
*Magazine Monitor, "Who, What, Why: Why is Good Friday called Good Friday?" BBC, April 18, 2014, https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27067136
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When my adult children come home, we often remember events from their years growing up. Often we remember holiday meals at Grandma’s house. They can tell stories about sleeping on the living room floor with cousins, or getting in trouble for opening their Christmas stockings in the middle of the night. One very memorable story is when the house was filled with cousins and almost everyone got the stomach flu! We have many warm memories of holidays and dinners at Grandma's.
As we remember the high points of Jesus’ ministry, one of our memories is of a meal. In fact, the meal was about remembering. On the night before his arrest, Jesus celebrated the Passover. It commemorated the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt.
But Jesus also changed the meal to form a memorial of his death. Matthew 26:26-29 says, ‘While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”’ (NIV)
Jesus created this simple observance so we could remember him. I hope you can gather with other Christians and remember Jesus through the Lord’s Supper!
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When I worked for a corporation, we developed a succession plan. It looked at the employees in the organization and identified those who could step up into different positions. The idea was, that if I was promoted, then someone could fill my spot. Of course that was true for all the other leaders in the organization as well. Having people ready to step up leads to success.
One of the important events in Jesus’ ministry was the selection of the 12 apostles. Jesus knew he would eventually leave and the birth of the church would rest in their hands. Luke 6:12-16 says, “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” (NIV)
Notice Jesus spent the night in prayer. He often prayed at night, sometimes for hours. But this is the only time we are specifically told he spent the night praying to God. That shows the importance of selecting the apostles.
This also challenges us to be people of prayer like Jesus was. Spend some time today praying to God!
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If you made a list of the high points of Jesus’ ministry what would you include? Oh, we’d all include his death and resurrection. Would you also include the Sermon on the Mount or the feeding of the five thousand? Which parables or miracles would you included? Now, let me ask, would you include his temptation by Satan?
This event was probably not high on your list, right? Immediately after his baptism, Mark 1:12-13 says, “At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” (NIV) Of course, Matthew and Luke give us details on some of the specific temptations he endured. But the key point is that Jesus was tempted, but did not sin.
Why is this a high-point? Because Jesus needed to be tempted and he needed to be sinless. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.” (NIV) Jesus needed to be sinless to fulfill the redemption mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Today, remember Jesus’ temptation and his obedience to God!
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On Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. So, this week, the podcast will look at highlights from the ministry of Jesus. Today, we’ll look at how his ministry began. About three and a half years before his crucifixion, Jesus went to the Jordan River and was baptized by John. This began his ministry. It also clearly identified who Jesus was. Listen to Mark 1:9-11, ‘At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”’ (NIV)
Even before Jesus’ first miracle, God declared Jesus was his son. Not just his son, but loved and well-pleasing to him. God also continued to provide evidence that he sent Jesus through multiple miracles over the next few years. As Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” (John 3:2 NIV)
Take a moment today to remember that Jesus is the Son of God, born through a miracle and dearly loved by him. And be sure to thank God for sending Jesus!
Today is Palm Sunday. On this day centuries ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem is a simple parade, riding on a young donkey. Luke 19:36-38 describes the scene, ‘As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”’ (NIV)
Much like Air Force One is a symbol of the United States President, Riding the donkey was the symbol of a king of peace. Jesus was hailed as king and people rejoiced!
In fact, an appropriate song for today could be Joy to the World. Though we sing it at Christmas, it is really about the coming of the king. Remember the lyrics?
Joy to the world the Lord is come, let earth receive her king;Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing.No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground;He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove,The glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love.
Today, celebrate Jesus as the king that redeems us and rules over all!
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For the past two weeks we have focused on one another passages. All the passages we’ve looked at urged us to take positive action, such as being hospitable, loving each other or spurring each other on to do good things. Today’s passage is different. It warns us to avoid something. Listen to James 4:11, “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” (NIV)
The word translated “slander” literally means to speak against another. The noun form can be translated as “back biter.” Isn’t that a great mental picture? What do you see when you think of back biting? I see a sneaky little dog with a nasty disposition. He never attacks you head on. The little cur may growl, but his main attack is to sneak behind you and bite your leg.
Some people are like that. If they have a problem with you, they don’t try to work it out face to face. No, when you’re not looking that say bad things about you to someone else. Face them, and they may grumble. But when you’re not present, they lash out viciously.
Don’t be a sneaky little mutt! Don’t slander others. It’s far more serious than you think. As the next verse says, “who are you to judge your neighbor?”
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I have great appreciation for jazz musicians. Rather than playing notes that have been planned and written, they improvise. They listen to each other and adjust their playing to create music while maintaining harmony and rhythm. It takes great skill and attention to the other band members to make good jazz music.
Keep that in mind when you hear Romans 12:16, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” (NIV) Don’t you wish more people lived in harmony? The same phrase is used in 1 Peter 3:8, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” (NIV)
A jazz musician must listen to other band members to make good music. They have to stay in the same key and mind the rhythm. What do we have to do to live in harmony with one another? Well, combining the two passages, we get a list of things to do and a list of things to avoid. We must be sympathetic, have brotherly love, be compassionate, be humble and associate with people in low position. The two things we are told to avoid are being conceited and proud.
Today, may you listen to and be sensitive to those around you and create a harmony of life!
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I recently attended a Christian conference. My wife and I, along with over 2,000 other attendees, spent three nights in a hotel in a major city. It was a blast, though we sometimes had to wait quite a while for an elevator! I really enjoyed the teaching sessions, worship and free time. Of course, I expected all of those items to be good. But what impressed me was the attitude of the Marriott hotel staff. Whether serving dinner, manning the breakfast buffet, cleaning the rooms or staffing the hotel convenience store, they were all pleasant, cheerful and focused on helping us. With such a full hotel, I’m sure the staff was stretched and working hard. But their hospitality was cheerful! In fact, they were the most helpful hotel staff I have ever encountered.
Those men and women also demonstrated for me the attitude that Peter urged in 1 Peter 4:9, which says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (NIV)
Offering hospitality takes effort, doesn’t it? We have to change our usual routine. It may cost us time or money to provide food or housing for others. It is often stressful. I guess that’s why we often grumble, at least to ourselves! I’m sure Peter was not simply telling us to offer hospitality in a neutral way. I think he wanted us to do the opposite of grumbling. So, offer hospitality to others with cheerfulness!
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When you get up, do you ever open the closet or pull out the drawer and try to figure out which clothes to wear? For me, the decision starts with “what’s clean?” Or “what’s clean enough I can wear it again?” Then I consider the weather forecast, my planned activities, colors and other things. It takes a bit of effort to dress each day and even more to dress well.
Don’t you wish people gave as much attention to the attitudes they assume each morning as they do to their clothes? Wouldn’t that be something? Maybe we need a mirror that focuses on our attitudes instead of our external appearance. I Peter 5:5 tells us one attitude we should don each day. It reads, ‘All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”’ (NIV)
I like that phrase “clothe yourselves.” It means we can adopt a humble attitude. Humility isn’t something some people possess as a personality trait and others don’t. We can all put it on. It also tells us we need to make a conscious effort to don humility, just like we must make the effort to clothe ourselves each day.
So, did you dress your attitude today? Be sure you have clothed yourself with humility toward others! Why? Because God gives grace to the humble!
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This week and last, the podcast is focused on one another passages. We’ve looked at things like loving one another, encouraging one another and forgiving each other. Well, today is a doozy. Listen to I Corinthians 16:20, “All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (NIV)
What?! We are supposed to kiss each other?! I hope this just a fluke passage! Well, hardly. There are four passages in the New Testament that tell us to great one another with a holy kiss or a kiss of love. Paul and Peter both urge this. What in the world are they talking about?
Well, this is not telling us we need to lock lips with other Christians. It refers to the practice in their culture where men greeted each other by kissing each cheek. Women greeted women in the same way. This showed two things. First, it demonstrated affection and friendship. Second, it demonstrated there was no division or hard feelings between each person. It was a mark of unity.
Every culture has a similar custom. Some still exchange kisses on each cheek. Others may use a handshake or a hug, or something else. These verses encourage us to greet each other by demonstrating we are not holding grudges. And the greeting is to be warm and friendly. This is not some special service or ordinance. Rather, it should be the way we always greet each other.
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Do you have an anemic understanding of fellowship? Typically, we only use the term in reference to eating together, as in “fellowship meal,” “fellowship dinner” or “fellowship hall” where such dinners are held. But the concept is much stronger. It talks about the common bond between those who share a purpose and share life. Think of the film The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo and his companions were bound together by a common purpose – the destruction of the ring. They traveled together, fought for and supported each other. Their bond was much stronger than simply eating together!
Or listen to the use of the word fellowship in 1 John 1:5-7, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (NIV)
Our fellowship with one another is based on Jesus’ sacrifice. It requires us to live by the truth. We share a bond, a mission and the one Lord, Jesus Christ. So, how should we treat each other because of this fellowship? With the dedication and camaraderie of teammates or soldiers. That’s fellowship!
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Most people who know anything about Jesus know that his followers are supposed to love others. 1 John 4:7-8 says this, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (NIV)
This passage tells us four things while urging us to love one another. First, love comes from God. He is the source. That’s because God is love, which is the second fact. The remaining facts are that those who love have been born of God and they know God.
Remember, this is not talking about the casual, self-centered type of love. You know what I mean. I love sour cream donuts! But that is not the love mentioned here. This passage talks about the self-sacrificing love that benefits another. That is the type of love God is. He so loved us that he sent his only son to die for us.
Loving one another sounds like such a simple thing. But it is profound and a challenge. That’s why we need God as the source of such love. He gave us the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in our lives. And love is the first item mentioned. Perhaps that’s why the greatest commandment was to love God. That is needed before we can love our neighbors. Today, love God and love others!
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I’m sure you know that the bible tells us to encourage one another. What do you picture when you hear the word encourage? Do you see someone with an arm around another’s shoulder? Do you hear kind words? I believe we often think that encouragement is simply making other people feel good. That’s because it feels good to be encouraged. Our confidence is boosted. But if this is our idea of encouragement, we’re missing something.
Encouragement is focused on a specific thing. Just look at all the ways we are encouraged today. Starbucks recently announced that they will start allowing customers to use refillable mugs. They’re encouraging better environmental practices. Governments are installing charging stations for electric cars to encourage their adoption. In school, girls are encouraged to enroll in STEM classes, that is, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
So, when we are told to encourage one another in scripture, what is the specific action? One of them is mentioned in Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The encouragement is focused on attending gatherings of Christians. Wow, this verse speaks to us today in the wake of the pandemic. Now that it is ramping down, do you know someone who’s given up on church and small group meetings? Take a moment to build their confidence today to gather with other Christians.
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Have you noticed that westerns are not as popular in films and on television as they once were? Shows like Gunsmoke, Bonanza and Maverick once filled the television. John Wayne, Gary Cooper and othersc starred in countless films. Oh, a few westerns are still made, but they have been displaced mainly by police and detective shows. Stop for a moment and picture the classic western hero. See his white hat and the gun slung low. Notice his blue jeans and the jangle of the spurs on his boots.
Spurs – they are not very nice, are they? I’ve ridden horses. I never wore spurs. A gentle kick in their ribs was all I needed to get them going. Spurs must really irritate a horse!
That’s why Hebrews 10:24 is so interesting. It says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” In the original language, it is sometime translated “provoke.” It can be used of stirring up anger. Now, spurring someone to anger, that I understand! Sibling can usually do this very well!
But we are not told to stir up anger. We are told to stir up, to provoke, to spur each other to love and good deeds. This doesn’t picture a gentle suggestion or a tentative approach. It pictures urging others enthusiastically to act with love for others. If you feel like provoking someone today, be sure you are spurring them on to love!
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Are you old enough to remember the 1965 television series Lost in Space? It followed the adventures of the Robinson family who are lost in their scientific exploration of outer space. June Lockhart starred as the mom. Bill Mumy played Will her young son. In the show, Will is often unaware of the trouble he stumbles into. However, he is usually protected by the expedition’s robot. In one episode the robot waved his arms and cried out, “Danger!” This became the catchphrase, “Danger, Will Robinson!” It is still sometimes used today to warn people who are about to make a mistake
The robot can also help us understand the word admonish, which means to caution or warn, often with instruction. Colossians 3:16 tells us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (NIV)
As Christians, we look out for one another. We need to take the teaching of Scripture to heart so we can use it to warn others about the spiritual dangers they may not see. We need to learn the bible’s wisdom so we can share it with others. That’s the meaning of the passage. We teach and admonish one another. Though, we don’t need to wave our arms and cry out “Danger, Will Robinson”!
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Have you ever kept a list of grievances? You know, a list of complaints? That’s what a grievance is, a complaint about something you consider unfair or unjust. For instance, I bet you have an informal list of complaints about the current situation, right? It might include COVID stuff or a complaint about a co-worker. But I know one item you have on your list is the price of gasoline. It’s too high, right? Inflation is a real grievance.
But not all grievances are real. For example, Vladimir Putin claimed a long list of grievances as his reason to invade Ukraine. On the list was his desire to remove Nazis from Ukraine. But there were no Nazis there.
It seems that everyone can come up with a list of complaints or grievances, whether they are real or not. That’s what makes Colossians 3:13 such a challenge. It reads, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (NIV)
Wow! That list of complaints and grievances we carry, is the list of things we are commanded to forgive. And the quality of that forgiveness must be the same as the Lord’s forgiveness of us. We can’t simply grumble and pout about them. We must extend grace and forgiveness to those who have treated us unfairly. Today, join me in checking off your list of grievances with forgiveness!
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Have you ever watched mixed martial arts? It is a violent, hand-to-hand combat. It involves punches, kicks and grappling moves. Some of the moves are designed to force an opponent to surrender the fight out of fear of injury or pain. These moves include twisted fingers, arm locks and choke holds. The moves can cause injury, and some, if held too long, may cause death.
Why do I mention mixed martial arts? Because this is the way most of us approach the concept of submission. We don’t like the idea of submission! We equate it with being forced to surrender the fight. So, we don’t like bible verses like Ephesians 5:21 which says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (NIV)
We need a different mental picture because submission is the voluntary alignment of our will with another. It’s like the football huddle. The coach sends in the play and everyone lines up to execute it. That is the picture of submission. Eleven team members line up to execute the decision another has called.
As Christians, we should not view relationships like a mixed martial arts bout where the last thing we want to do is tap out in surrender. No, we are members of the same team. And sometimes, we need to line up to run the play another has called. This is the way we honor Jesus.
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Do you like to sing? Some people like to sing to themselves while in the shower or puttering about the house. But do you like to sing to others? Most of us don’t! So, you may be surprised to hear what Ephesians 5:19-20 tells us to do. It says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV)
This passage is interesting because it talks of speaking to each other with the use of song. Did you hear that? “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” So what’s it telling us to do? Well, the word translated “speak” can mean to talk. But it was also used by Paul to describe proclaiming the gospel of Jesus in Ephesians 6. He also used the same word to describe people speaking in a church service in 1 Corinthians 14.
So, is this passage telling us that we should sing a solo at church? Well, maybe! Or it may be talking about joining with others as they sing. Either way, the passage encourages us to be thankful to God and encourage each other in song. So, whether you sing a solo or you just join in with everyone else, remember to speaker to others in song.
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When you were a child, did your mother ever tell you to “be nice”? Mine did. I guess I needed it. Sometimes I’d hear it when heading to school. But usually, I heard it when I was not being nice to someone! It was her reminder of how to act.
Being nice is all about treating other people with kindness, of using good manners and having a pleasant disposition. The Bible doesn’t use the words “be nice.” It does use other words to describe our ideal behavior. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (NIV)
Who comes to your mind when you think of a kind person? One of the people I think of is Mary. Years ago, she taught my children at our church. She was a gentle person who always wore a smile. I never saw her harsh with anyone. She and her husband, Jim, were always willing to help out in any way. She comes to mind when I think about someone who is kind. She is the epitome of “being nice.”
This week, the podcast will focus on passages that instruct us on how to treat others. I think a good place to start is being kind to one another. Stop for a moment and think of someone you know who is kind. Then, determine to have the same attitude toward others today!
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Did you know that since 1960, millions of dollars have been spent searching for extra-terrestrial intelligence? In 2019 alone, the SETI Institute spent over $23 million.1 How do they search for intelligent life among the stars? Researchers point radio telescopes at the cosmos and listen for signals. If they find patterns that indicate encoded information in the radio signals, they will have found what they're searching for. So far, they haven’t found any encoded information in cosmic radio sources.
It's rather ironic, actually. Many have faith intelligent beings will one day be found. Yet many of the same people ignore the encoded information that points to God the creator. The DNA molecule is packed with information. For a human being, 20,000 genes are contained in a DNA molecule. What does DNA do? The National Human Genome Research Institute says, “DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. To carry out these functions, DNA sequences must be converted into messages that can be used to produce proteins, which are the complex molecules that do most of the work in our bodies.”2
People have been searching the heavens for years, believing intelligent life exists. But they’ve found nothing. Yet DNA has vast amounts of information, and many people never see it is evidence that God exists! I guess little green men are easier to believe in even though the evidence all points to the existence of God!
"Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax," SETI Institute, May 11, 2021, https://en.calameo.com/read/004812363e925446c4235Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Fact Sheet, National Human Genome Research Institute, Last updated: August 24, 2020, https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Deoxyribonucleic-Acid-Fact-Sheet
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Listen to 2 Samuel 5:6-7, ‘The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.’ (NIV)
These verses summarize David’s conquest of Jerusalem. In fact, in the next verse, we’re told David told his men to use the water shaft to enter the city. A parallel passage in 1 Chronicles says Joab led the way, earning his rank as commander of David’s army.
What really happened here? The Jebusites lived in a walled city. To access water, they created a tunnel system connecting to the Gihon spring from inside the city walls. The tunnels and passages were dug through the rock. They also connected to a natural vertical shaft. Joab led the assault by entering the city through the spring. The soldiers may have climbed the vertical shaft or ascended through the tunnels. They probably then killed the guards at the gate and let the rest of the army into the city.
In the 1860s, an archaeological effort led by Charles Warren found the water shaft mentioned here. You can visit it today. It is one of the many tourist spots in Jerusalem.* The existence of the water shaft is another confirmation of the bible that archaeology has provided.
*"Warren's Shaft," Go Jerusalem, http://www.gojerusalem.com/items/137/Warrens-Shaft/
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Have you ever seen the theory of evolution supported through radioisotope dating, such as carbon-14 or potassium-40? You see, some elements go through radioactive decay. They slowly convert from one isotope into something else. The rate of decay, called a half-life, is known. Therefore, measuring the amount of one isotope to the other provides a way to estimate the age of the sample. These methods sometimes produce claims that fossils or rock are millions of years old. This may challenge your faith in God.
However, the dating is all based on assumptions. It assumes we know how much of the isotopes were present when the decay started. It also assumes the rate of decay has never changed. And third, it assumes no outside process has changed the amount of isotopes in the sample.
Think of it this way, if the street where you live is wet, it must mean it has rained, right? If that is your conclusion, you are basing it on the assumption the only explanation for the wet street is rain. However, other explanations are possible. The moisture could come from someone watering their lawn, washing their car or from a water main break. A wet road is not enough evidence to say it rained. We usually check the sky and other things to draw that conclusion.
Likewise, don’t believe radioisotope dating without other evidence. These methods once dated lava that flowed between 1949 and 1975 as having formed over 250,000 years ago!*
*Don Batton, David Catchpoole, Jonathan Sarfarti, Carl Wieland, The Creation Answers Book (Australia, Creation Book Publishers, 2006) pp. 67-77.
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Have you ever wondered if thousands of years from now, anyone will know your name? Will our cutting edge digital technology be as out of date as clay tablets? I mean, you don’t see cassette tape players anymore. Will all the cloud storage and other technologies be just shattered remnants of a forgotten time?
It is interesting to look back at the ancient civilizations and try to understand them. Archaeologists dig and sift through the remains of the past. Because of their efforts we now know the name of an ancient official probably involved in managing the Temple’s treasury in Jerusalem at the time of Jeremiah the prophet. His name was Hisilyahu, son of Immer. His name was found on a seal that was used to close a bag of coins near the location believed to be the temple treasury. He could have been the brother of Pashhur, son of Immer who is mentioned in the bible.*
Jeremiah 20:1-2 says, “When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD’S temple.” (NIV)
The thing to note here is we have archaeological evidence for a man whose father was Immer at the time of Jeremiah. I know, a name is such a small fact. But once again we get external evidence that the bible is historically accurate.
*Rossella Tercatin, "Biblical name seals shed light on First Temple treasuries," The Jerusalem Post, January 6, 2022, https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-691768.
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Have you considered the complexity of the human eye? From the six muscles that move it, to the pupil and lens that focus light, to the molecular processes of the retina, to the transmission and processing of the signals to the brain, it is a marvel! Many see it as evidence that an intelligence designed all the complex, interrelated systems. But Nathan Lents, a Professor of Molecular Biology, disagrees. He points to the defects in human sight, such as near sightedness, color blindness, macular degeneration and more. He concludes, “Why an intelligent designer would deny his favorite creatures the excellent vision that he provided lowly birds is quite a mystery.”
But, could the existence of defects in sight actually prove an intelligent designer? Cornelius Hunter, who holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics and Computational Biology, thinks so. In his article “Did Nathan Lents Refute Design,” he argues that defective vision would never survive according to evolutionary theory, which is all about the survival of the fittest. He also points out that Lents’ argument is not about science, but metaphysics.*
For believers in the bible, it is quite reasonable that defects in human sight exist. That’s because the perfect world God designed was broken by sin. So continue to view the human eye as evidence of God’s design. And the existence of the diseases and defects in human sight also refute the theory of evolution.
*Cornelius Hunter, "Did Nathan Lents Refute Design?" Evolution News & Science Today, January 21, 2022, https://evolutionnews.org/2022/01/did-nathan-lents-refute-design/.
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I once had a friend ask me about the reliability of the bible. At work, someone had challenged him about Cain’s wife. She is mentioned in Genesis 4:17. According to Genesis, God created Adam and Eve who had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain murdered Abel and left the Lord’s presence. Then, suddenly, Cain lay with his wife and began to have children. Where did she come from? My friend was confused and wondered if the bible was accurate.
The answer to the dilemma is Cain married a sister. If God started the human race with two people, this would need to happen. The bible only mentions three of Adam and Eve’s children by name. But they clearly had others, as Genesis 5:4-5 says, “After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.” (NIV)
If we do the math, Adam may have been 100 years old when Cain killed Abel. That’s plenty of time to have other children. The bible doesn’t name all their descendants, just the ones key to the story.
I recommend The Creation Answers Book if you’d like to learn more about this topic. It discusses this passage as well as the genetic risks and moral objections to Cain marrying a sister.*
Many people often find objections to the bible, thinking it untrustworthy. But answers exist to their objections. You can trust what it says!
*Don Batton, David Catchpoole, Jonathan Sarfarti, Carl Wieland, The Creation Answers Book (Australia, Creation Book Publishers, 2006, pp. 127-139.
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Have you heard the term cultural appropriation? It refers to one culture adopting items from another culture. Today, the “woke” culture in western societies thinks it is a bad thing. But this has happened throughout history. Words, food, music and other things have been adopted by one culture from another. Take Arabic numerals, for instance, or Italian and Mexican food. Also, many words in the English language are derived from words in other languages.
Did you know that the bible also has evidence the ancient Hebrews adopted Egyptian sayings? Exodus 6:1 says, ‘Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”’ (NIV)
The expressions “might hand” and “outstretched arm” are used many times in the account of the Exodus. They are Egyptian expressions from the same time period. Listen to what Prof. Joshua Berman from Bar-Ilan University’s Zalman Shamir Bible Department says about the expression, “When we look at inscriptions from the period of the New Kingdom, between 1500 and 1200 BCE, roughly the period of the enslavement, these expressions are routinely used to describe Pharaohs and their victories in battle, for instance, ‘Pharaoh defeated the Lybians with a mighty hand.’”*
So, archeology shows the Hebrews used Egyptian phrases from the time period. Here again is evidence showing the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt.
*Rossella Tercatin, "Did the Exodus happen? Israeli scholar tours Egypt to show it did," The Jerusalem Post, January 18, 2022, https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-693872.
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Everything comes to an end. Years ago, I went skiing with my family. I had lots of fun riding the lift and shooshing down the hill – I even shooshed up on my skis some of the time, instead of my face! But the day came to an end. I remember feeling a bit melancholy as I started the last run of the day. But everything comes to an end. While in the midst of college, it felt like all the hard studying would last forever, but it didn’t. I loved raising my family, but they all grew up. We become so focused on the business of life, but this will all end.
Hear what Jesus said in John 12:44-48, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” (NIV)
So, don’t run out of time! Hear Jesus’ word and believe in him!
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Do you redeem coupons? Years ago, all coupons were printed, usually in magazines and papers. You had to clip them and present them at the merchant. Some still are redeemed in this way. But many coupons can be found online or texted to you or delivered through an app. It certainly makes redeeming them easier!
Over the years, we’ve redeemed coupons for many different things – food items, health and beauty products, even a free appetizer at a restaurant.
Because of coupons, we have an upside-down view of the word redeem. For us, it means getting an offered discount. In the bible, the word means paying the full price. When Jesus redeemed us, he paid the full price for our disobedience. The word was also use for paying the price to free a slave. That’s why it is so meaningful to describe Jesus’ action. He paid the price to free us.
Keep this in mind when you hear the King James Version of Ephesians 5:15-16, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
What does “redeeming the time” mean? Buying it up, paying the price, freeing it. It can also be translated, “make the most of the season.” If we are to live wisely, we can’t waste time. We must make the most of the time we have. We must free it up to do what matters, which is following Jesus.
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Have you ever known someone with impeccable timing? A person who always says the right thing, or does the right thing, at just the right time? Recently, Samaria Jefferson was described as having impeccable timing. Samaria is the wife of the Los Angeles Rams football player Van Jefferson. On February 13, she was 40 weeks pregnant and attended the Super Bowl to watch her husband play. She told her husband, “You play, I’ll see you at the hospital afterwards.” She also said, “I want to see him glorify God on the field that day. Just like any other game, I’m going to be there this Sunday and I’m going to stay calm … and pray to God my water doesn’t break.” You know what happened, don’t you? She went into labor. But she stayed at the stadium until the end of the game. Then she and her husband rushed to the hospital for the birth of their son.*
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Timing is everything.” That’s true of God. He has divine timing. As Romans 5:6 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (NIV)
So, how’s your timing? Did you know that today is the right time to encourage others? Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (NIV) So, encourage someone today!
*Cerith Gardiner, "Wife of Rams’ Van Jefferson leaves in a stretcher after game to give birth," Aleteia, Feb 15, 2022, https://aleteia.org/2022/02/15/wife-of-rams-van-jefferson-leaves-in-a-stretcher-after-game-to-give-birth/.
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I love my smart phone. But, I must admit, at times I also hate it. Or rather, I hate some of the apps on it always clamoring for attention with notifications! As if it is just as important to know about a breaking storm warning as the latest offer from the ice cream shop.
I remember an old booklet called The Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles Hummel. Hummel noted that we focus on things that demand attention now. In so doing, we often fail to do things that are important, but not urgent.
I think there is another danger as well. We often miss the fact that some critically important things are also urgent. They need attention now. Consider the words of 2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (NIV)
So, don’t forget to take action now, because it is the day of salvation!
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One of the most well-known passages in the bible talks about the different seasons of life. I'm sure you've heard it. It talks about a time to love and a time to hate. Usually, people usually stop the passage there at verse eight. But I think it better to go a bit further. Listen to Ecclesiastes 3:1-11:
1 There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven:2 a time to be born and a time to die,a time to plant and a time to uproot,3 a time to kill and a time to heal,a time to tear down and a time to build,4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,a time to mourn and a time to dance,5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,a time to embrace and a time to refrain,6 a time to search and a time to give up,a time to keep and a time to throw away,7 a time to tear and a time to mend,a time to be silent and a time to speak,8 a time to love and a time to hate,a time for war and a time for peace.9 What does the worker gain from his toil?10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Today, thank God for the seasons of life.
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Have you ever been anxious to do something before the proper time? I once thought it unfair that my older brother got to do things I didn’t. I thought I was old enough to drive and to stay out late, like he did. While in college, I led a high school youth group. I distinctly remember one 15-year-old girl who wanted to date a boy in college. She thought it vastly unfair her parents didn’t let her. All through our society, we have certain rights and privileges that are reserved until the proper time.
God, the creator of time, also moves within it. He does things at the proper time. Listen to Psalms 145:14-15 describe how God cares for our needs at the proper time, “The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.”
God also sent Jesus at exactly the right time, as 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time.” (NIV)
Today, are you anxiously praying for something? Do you think it unfair God hasn’t granted it yet? Just remember, God knows the proper time for everything. Trust that God will care for you and answer your prayer in his time.
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As we look about the world, it is easy to see what God has created. We examine the stars and the limitless universe. Or we look at the intricate nature of creation at the molecular and sub-atomic levels. Or we simply admire the sunset, sip coffee and smell the roses. What a wonderful creation!
But there is one thing we often miss. That’s probably because it can’t be seen. God also created time. Science is still trying to understand the way space and time are related. Scientists talks about the space-time continuum. That’s because three-dimensional space and time are somehow interwoven. God exists outside of time and space. The word eternal refers to God’s existence outside of time. He created it, but is not limited by it. He existed before time existed!
Listen to the description of God in Deuteronomy 33:26-27, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you.” (NIV)
One of the things that makes God divine, is his eternal nature. For us, we can’t stop time, rewind it or save it for another day. All we can do is measure it. We are creatures in time. But God is eternal. That’s one reason we can rely on him to care for us.
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When I was a teenager, I worked out by lifting weights. I really wanted to beef up my upper body. I was on the high school football team and the coach also wanted me to gain strength. Alas, God gave me a skinny body. I never did develop the chest and arm muscles I wanted. But I did get stronger. The coach also ran us through drills and sprints to improve our cardiovascular fitness. It wasn’t fun to leave practice panting for breath. Nor to experience all the sore muscles training produced. But it did get me ready for the game.
Listen to James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (NIV)
Don’t you want to be spiritually mature? Don’t you want to be spiritually fit and ready for the game of life? Well, the process to get there is not always easy. It requires perseverance. Yesterday, we saw we sometimes have to persevere through suffering. This verse tells us we sometimes are tested in our faith. That’s right, we endure trials that force us to trust God more. As we persevere, we mature spiritually. Are you facing problems that are testing your trust in God? Hang in there! Keep on trusting him!
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Have you ever visited a gym or fitness facility? You know, one that has rows of machines, such as treadmills, stair climbers and weight machines. Have you noticed that the people on those machines are huffing and puffing? Some may be talking on the phone, but nobody looks happy. I have never seen the same facial expressions at the gym as I do at a party!
So, why do people put so much energy and devotion into working out, if it isn’t that fun? Well, they do it to accomplish a fitness goal. All the work against the resistance will reduce their weight, improve their chances to live longer and or prepare them for a sport they do enjoy.
Perseverance is like working out at the gym. It isn’t pleasant, but is contributes to a spiritual goal. Hear what Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (NIV)
Do you want hope in your life? These verses tell us that one way hope is produced is by persevering through suffering. I know. No one wants to suffer. But I hope you realize that your suffering may be a workout in the spiritual fitness center!
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Have you heard about the effort to cancel Joe Rogan? He’s a podcaster. He has guests on his show that don’t always spout the approved ideas of government. For instance, some of his guests challenge the official positions on Covid. So, people have criticized Rogan and attempted to cancel his show and silence him.
You know, if Jesus were alive today, I’m sure the same people would try to cancel him. Face it, the religious leaders of Jesus' day tried to cancel him. They sought to discredit him, argued with him in public, criticized him for minor things, and hatched assassination plots against him. Jesus faced all of this, as well as crowds who wouldn’t accept his teaching, disciples who sometimes missed the point of his teaching and the temptation in Gethsemane to turn from his mission. But he stuck with it.
If you want to understand perseverance, look at Jesus. He is an example, as 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5 says, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (NIV)
That should be our pray today! May God direct our hearts into his love and give us a perseverance like Jesus'!
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It must have been amazing to see miracles performed by Jesus. Can you imagine his apostles seeing the things he did? To see the lame walk and the blind see! To see people healed and the dead raised! I bet they found it exciting.
Then, Jesus sent them out with authority to perform miracles as well. Can you imagine how exciting that was – to see God perform miracles through you?! But I think there’s more to the story. I don’t think performing miracles was a lark. Why do I say that? Because of these words in 2 Corinthians 12:12, “The things that mark an apostle–signs, wonders and miracles–were done among you with great perseverance.” (NIV)
In the original language, the word perseverance is made by combining the words abide and under. Think of someone straining under a heavy weight. Staying under that weight is the meaning of perseverance. The word is sometimes translated “patience.” Evidently, Paul performing miracles at Corinth required some kind of perseverance. Maybe he suffered opposition. Maybe he had to put up with a lot. At any rate, he persisted in performing the miracles, even though it wasn’t easy.
This reminds us that our mission to make disciples for Jesus isn’t easy either. It is something that requires continual effort. So, stick with it! The only way to produce a harvest for Christ is to persevere.
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Do you know what love looks like? That’s an interesting question, because most of us probably thought of romantic love. We may have pictured a happy couple, a wedding or a Valentine heart. That’s the way our culture usually thinks about love. But I am talking about the selfless kind of love. Do you know what that looks like? It is described in 1 Corinthians 13:6-7, which says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (NIV)
So much of that description is delightful. But were you surprised that love always perseveres? When you hear that phrase “always perseveres,” what comes to your mind? I think of parents who have to care for their special needs child for years. I think of my friends Jim and Eileen, who cared for their son, Tim, for most of the 57 years of his life. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. I’m sure they were often tired. I’m sure at times it stretched them financially. But they never quit. That’s what perseverance is. It never quits even when it is difficult to continue.
God’s love for us never quits. Most of us can be pretty hard to love, at least some of the time! But God keeps loving us. May we also persevere in loving those around us, even when it’s not easy to do so!
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This week, we are trying to understand perseverance. In the parable of the soils, Jesus used this term to describe the people who hear his message and produce what he desires. So what is perseverance? The place to begin is athletics, specifically in track and field. Perseverance is something exhibited in certain foot races. Hebrews 12:1 uses a race to illustrate the Christian life. It says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (NIV)
How do you picture this race in your mind? Is it a 100 meter dash? If so, then you don’t have the right picture! The word in the original language talks about endurance. We should picture a long race, perhaps a marathon. The Christian life is about faithfulness over the long haul.
Did you notice the illustration of a race also tells us how to improve our perseverance? Distance runners don’t run in long robes or fancy clothes. They wear just enough and no more. Anything else will hinder them by adding weight or restricting their stride. To persevere in our faith, we need to strip off sin and reduce the other things in life to the bare minimum. Our focus and goal must be on Jesus!
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Are you anxious for spring? I am. We had a warm spell in December and our daffodils poked through the soil. I guess they are anxious for spring too! They didn’t grow much before winter’s freeze returned. I’m looking forward to spring when we can plant a small garden.
Jesus once told a parable about planting seeds in the spring. Do you remember it? The farmer’s seed fell on different types of soil. Some fell on the hard path, others in the rocks and some was choked by weeds. The parable was about how people respond to Jesus’ message. Listen to how Jesus explains the good soil in Luke 8:15, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (NIV)
I’ve discovered that I’ve always missed something in this parable. We know the good soil represents people who hear the message of Jesus’ kingdom and retain it. They produce a crop. But until recently, I missed the fact that the crop was produced by perseverance. That doesn’t sound easy or automatic!
This week on the podcast, we are going to explore several verses about perseverance. If we want to be those of noble and good heart who are good soil, then we need to understand what perseverance is and how we can persevere.
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In many sports, aiming is important. This is certainly true in hunting. You have to aim a bow or firearm correctly to succeed. In fact, different devices have been invented to improve aim. These can be as simple as a notch and post on the barrel of the firearm or a variable power telescopic scope. But aim is also important in fishing when casting the lure or bait. Or take basketball. I was taught that my eyes should aim at the back of the rim, not the front.
Success in business also relies on taking aim. We usually refer to it as setting goals or objectives. You set a specific and measurable goal, then align effort and resources to achieve it. As Zig Ziglar once said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”*
The apostle Paul also understood the importance of aim. In Romans 15:20 he said this, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.” (NIV) Did you notice the word ambition? In the original language it contains the concept of aim. It can be translated “It has always been my aim to preach the gospel.”
So, what is the aim of your life? May we all aim at pleasing God and sharing the message of Jesus!
*Zig Ziglar, Brainy Quote, https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/zig_ziglar_617761?src=t_aim
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Have you ever heard someone say “I don’t want to brag, but . . .” You know what happens next, right. They say they don’t want to brag, but then they do. Now, I don’t say those words, but I don’t do much better. I sometimes find myself telling people about my achievements. It might be something job related or a volunteer position I hold. I used to tell people about my success in hunting and fishing, though I haven’t done either of those things in years. Have you ever done anything like this?
I think there is a fine line between telling others about something we are celebrating and telling them what we glory in. The apostle Paul understood this line. Listen to what he said in Romans 15:17-18, “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done– by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” (NIV)
Paul didn’t want to talk about his achievements. He wanted to talk about Jesus’ achievements in his life. Yes, Paul fully proclaimed the message of Jesus. But Christ accomplished the success. So, don’t stop bragging. Rather, switch from bragging about our achievements to glorying in Jesus.
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Are you making plans these days? I must admit that during the height of the pandemic, I didn’t like to make plans too far in advance. Now that’s strange for me, because I usually make plans months ahead. But that is changing now. I have several things on my calendar. Maybe you do as well.
The apostle Paul was also a planner. Listen to his words in Romans 15:23-24, “But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.” (NIV)
So, Paul was planning to stop through Rome on his way to Spain. Can you get excited about a trip to Spain? Most of us would be planning which sites to see, where to stay and what to do. That’s because we’d go as tourists. But Paul was planning to go on a mission.
What is the challenge for us here? Well, I think it’s this: do we spend more time planning a vacation or focusing on a mission for God? I hope you are far enough through the pandemic to make plans again, and that your plans are about furthering the mission God has given us.
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Have you ever sat down to write an encouraging note to a friend? It may take some thought, but most of us can write an encouraging note. But what would you write to encourage people you have never met? The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Rome. Although he had worked with and knew some of the Christians there, most were strangers. Yet he said this in Romans 15:14, “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” (NIV)
Think about those words – “full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct.” He said this at the end of the book in which he had to instruct and correct the church. They were condemning each other over dietary rules and other things. In fact, in the next verse, Paul admitted, “I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again.” (Romans 15:15 NIV)
We learn something about encouraging others by seeing what Paul did here. He gave them the benefit of the doubt. He complimented their character, knowledge and ability, seeing the positive even though he had taught and corrected them. Note also that giving them the benefit of the doubt in this case wasn’t Paul being unsure. He was convinced about their character, knowledge and ability. We also need to encourage others by communicating we are convinced about their positive traits.
Right now, I want you to picture something that is overflowing. Picture something overflowing. Now, was what you pictured a good thing or a bad thing? Often, we think of something overflowing as a bad thing, right? Did you think of an overflowing coffee cup? An overflowing emergency room during the Omicron spike? Or the overflow of a clogged toilet? Those are all bad things! I did a web search for news articles using the word overflowing. The majority of the articles on the first page of results described something bad.
But having an overflow can also describe something positive. In my web search, twice it referred to an abundance of good deals at retail stores. Another time it described the level of tips left at a deli. There must have been a lot!
In fact, you and I should have something overflow from our lives. Listen to Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)
Isn’t that a neat picture?! Hope can fill us to the point is spills out and flows to those around us. Think about what that would mean in this crazy, broken world. People need hope. God can fill us with so much hope it overflows. Today, trust God to fill your life until hope overflows!
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Have you ever seen a mother beaming at the achievement of her child? Most mothers love to see their children receive recognition and awards. They attend school assemblies, sports awards banquets, or other activities of their children. And they smile and take pictures and videos. While all of these occasions are great, there is still another thing mothers love. That is to receive a compliment on the behavior of her child. In fact, she hears it as praise for her work as a mother.
In a similar way, we can bring praise to God. People can see us and turn in praise to him. What is it that others will see in us that will cause this praise? If you’re thinking it is some great act of self-sacrifice, you may be surprised. I know, a safe answer would be love, right? When people see our love, they will praise God. I’m sure that’s true, but Romans 15:7 talks about something else. Here’s what it says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (NIV)
How did Christ accept us? He accepted us in our imperfect, broken state. He takes us where we are and changes our lives. So, we too need to accept broken people. That doesn’t mean we claim what’s broken is good or moral. But, we don’t avoid or attack others either. Accept others and you will bring praise to God.
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What do you picture in your mind when you hear the word unity? What do you see when people are united? Think about their hands. Do you see handshakes or people holding hands? How about a team on the sideline before the game stacking their hands together and shouting in unison “Let’s go”? I have a memory from my youth, probably from Scouts, of everybody putting their left hand into a circle and grabbing the thumb of the next person. As a teen at summer camp, we would stand in a circle and hold hands for an evening prayer. However, each of us would cross our arms in front of us before clasping hands.
It is one thing to see unity. But what do you hear when unity exists? Well, you don’t hear arguments, that’s for sure! If you're talking about followers of Jesus who have unity, you will hear all praising God. Listen to Romans 15:5, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV)
Did you note where the unity comes from? According to this verse, God gives a spirit of unity to those who follow Jesus. In this divided and bickering world, be sure to follow the spirit of unity God has given!
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This week, we have looked at several of the stories in the book of Judges. We’ve talked about Ehud, Deborah, Gideon and Samson. There are several other stories as well. But they are not so happy. In fact, the entire book can be summed up by the last verse in the book, Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (KJV)
People did what they wanted, rather than following God. That set up a pattern. People walked away from God, so God allowed their enemies to oppress them. Then the Israelites turned to God and asked for deliverance. God used a judge to deliver them. But after a while, people again walked away from God and the cycle repeated – over and over again.
Is life today at all like the book of Judges? Do we see people today doing what is right in their own eyes? Are any today redefining right and wrong? Are any oppressing others? Do we see the abandonment of God? I think so. We can find all the same debauchery the characters in Judges displayed around us today. In fact, when we look around at all the brokenness of our world, we might get discouraged. But we shouldn’t. Just as in the days of Judges, if we turn to God, he will forgive and heal. If you’ve been walking away from God, turn back to him today!
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Samson, one of the most famous judges of ancient Israel, was born and raised as a Nazirite. A Nazirite took a special vow of separation to the Lord. The Nazirite could not eat or drink anything derived from grapes, cut his or her hair or go near a dead body. At the end of the vow, their hair was cut and offered to God.
One day, Samson was going to make arrangements to marry a woman. Judges 14:5-6 says, “Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.” (NIV)
But that is not the end of the story. Sometime later, Samson returned and found honey in the lion’s carcass. He scooped it out and ate it, even though touching carcass of the lion probably violated his Nazirite vow. It isn’t the only thing Samson did wrong in God’s eyes. He broke many commandments. He also broke his vow when he told Delilah to cut his hair. Yet despite all his sins, God used Samson to deliver his people.
Samson reminds us, that no matter how imperfect we are, God can still use us for his purpose.
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The Covid-19 pandemic have been an interesting display of human nature. We’ve seen numerous government officials, in different countries, impose severe restrictions on people. Those measures included vaccine and mask mandates, as well as lock downs. In some countries, people were locked in their own homes for weeks, without the chance to buy food. In others, some people were confined in camps to isolate them. All people like to have power, and some love to use the power they have!
That’s why the story of Gideon is somewhat surprising. Yesterday we described how God delivered Israel from a vast army with just 300 men led by Gideon. Today, we’ll look at what happened after the battle. Judges 8:22-23 tells us, “The Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us–you, your son and your grandson–because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.’ But Gideon told them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.’” (NIV)
This story also displays human nature! We like to believe in super heroes. The Israelites thought they were delivered by Gideon’s power – that he was the hero. They wanted him to be king. But Gideon knew that the power came from God. He was the hero.
Today, don’t think you are the hero with all the power. Also, don’t place your trust in some other leader or politician as the hero. Place your trust in God and follow him!
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I love the story of Gideon. Yesterday we learned he thought himself a nobody. But God sent him to deliver Israel from the Midianites. So, Gideon called together all the men for war. He had 32,000 men to face the vast army of Midian. We’re not sure how large the Midianite army was. They’re described as so numerous, you couldn’t even count their camels.
The story picks up in Judges 7:2-4, “The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, “Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.”’ So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the LORD said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, “This one shall go with you,” he shall go; but if I say, “This one shall not go with you,” he shall not go.’” (NIV)
After God sifts them, Gideon is left with 300 men to face a vast army. Impossible odds, but they are victorious through God’s power! You really should read the story!
But more than that, remember that anytime you are doing the work God has commanded you to do, the odds don’t matter. Because the power comes from him!
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“I’m a nobody.” Have you ever thought that? Have you thought that you were not special, had no power or abilities? That you were a nobody?
Gideon thought that about himself. Enemies of Israel had invaded. Gideon and others were hiding in the caves and hills. Gideon had managed to harvest some grain and was stealthily threshing it. That’s when the angel of the Lord showed up and said to Gideon, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12 NIV) Not only that, the Lord commanded him to fight the enemy. Listen to Judges 6:14-16, “The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’ ‘But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’” (NIV)
Did you hear it? Gideon told God he was a nobody – the weakest guy in the weakest family! Verse 16 records God’s answer, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” (NIV)
The next time you are tempted to think you’re a nobody, remember Gideon. God saw what Gideon could be through his power. God called him a mighty warrior. If you think you’re a nobody, that’s because you’re not seeing what God can do through you. Don’t look at your strength, look at God’s and trust him!
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Deborah was a leader of ancient Israel. She was a judge and prophetess. The Israelites had been oppressed for twenty years by a general named Sisera, who served a Caananite king. But God used Deborah to deliver Israel. Judges 4:6-7 says, “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: “Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.”’” (NIV)
Deborah and Barak assemble their forces at Mount Tabor and the enemy army arrives. The story continues in Judges 4:14, “Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?’” (NIV) So, Barak leads the charge and the enemy is defeated.
What encouragement do we find in this ancient battle? Well, as in Deborah’s time, God commands us to go on a mission. According to Matthew 28:19, that mission is making disciples for Jesus. But unlike Deborah’s time, God does not go ahead of us. No, Jesus goes with us. The very last words of the command are “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 NIV) If we’re by Jesus’ side, who can stop us?!
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The board game Trivial Pursuit became popular decades ago. Then team trivia events, or trivia nights, became popular as well. So, how are your trivia skills. Here’s a question for you. In the bible, name the left-handed judge.
Do you know the answer? Ehud was the left-handed judge. Unlike judges in our government, the ancient Israelite judge didn’t just settle disputes. They were military leaders as well. Ehud delivered his country from oppression by a fat king, by killing him with a sword. Since he was left-handed, he hid it on his person in a place the guards didn’t expect.
After killing the king, Ehud stepped out and told the guards the king was relieving himself. Judges 3:26-28 picks up the story, “While they [i.e. the guards] waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.‘Follow me,’ he ordered, ‘for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.’” (NIV)
I imagine it was easy to follow Ehud into battle, since he had already killed the enemy’s king.
In the same way, we can have great confidence following Jesus. Because he has already defeated the enemy of death. As 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV)
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The book of Ruth is a story of love and dedication. When Ruth is widowed, she pledges to remain with her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, even though it means a life of poverty. Ruth is hard working and provides for them by gleaning during the barley harvest in the fields of Boaz. As the story develops, Boaz marries Ruth, which provides for her and Naomi. But there is more to the story!
Ruth 4:13 says, “So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.” (NIV) Everyone celebrated that birth! The neighbors said that Ruth was better than seven sons, which was very high praise! The baby was named Obed.
But the story does not end there. Obed became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. That’s right, David, the man who killed Goliath. David, the king of Israel. But more importantly, David, the ancestor of Jesus. Dedicated, hard-working Ruth, a foreign woman, was an ancestor of Jesus.
But Ruth had no clue about this fact. She simply loved people and followed God. Likewise, we have no clue what God will do in the future because we have followed him. Like Ruth, we just need to love people and trust God!
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I have fond memories of my wedding. We have pictures of the ceremony at the church, but don't have pictures of getting the marriage license at the courthouse. At least we didn't have to get someone to remove a sandal!
Sandal? What does that have to do with weddings? Well, in our day, nothing. But in Ruth's day, Boaz had to do the equivalent of going to the courthouse for the legal establishment of the marriage. He was not the closest relative of Ruth's deceased husband. So, he had to get an agreement from that relative to transfer the deceased husband's land to him and to marry Ruth. Their custom for making such agreements was the one transferring the property removed a sandal. As soon as the sandal was off, Ruth 4:9-10 says Boaz replied, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!” (NIV)
The book of Ruth tells of a widowed foreign woman pledging to care for her widowed mother-in-law, rather than seek marriage in her land. They returned to Israel in poverty. But God redeemed them from poverty through a marriage to Boaz.
Are you facing difficult times? Keep trusting God. He’s got this!
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What is your idea of romance? Do you think of quiet walks, under a full moon? Or flowers and a nice dinner? I bet you aren't thinking of an middle-aged guy tossing barley in the air! Or about land ownership rights! But that is how the romantic scene in Ruth 3 begins.
In Ruth’s culture, one provision for widows without a son was the kinsman-redeemer. He was a close relative of the deceased husband who would marry the widow. Any son of their union would be considered the descendant of the deceased man, and eventually inherit his property.
In Ruth’s case, Boaz was one of her dead husband’s kinsman-redeemers. But he was much older than Ruth. So, one night he was winnowing his barley. When he lay down for the night. Ruth secretly lay at his feet. Boaz discovered her in the middle of the night. In so many words, Ruth asked Boaz to be her kinsman-redeemer. Boaz’s reply is recorded in Ruth 3:10-11, “’The LORD bless you, my daughter,’ he replied. ‘This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character.’” (NIV) The following day Boaz took the legal steps to fulfill the role.
You really should read the story in Ruth 3!
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The rest of this week, we are looking at the story of Ruth. A story of love, dedication and compassion.
The quickest route to poverty in ancient Palestine, was to be a widow without a son. That’s because men had ownership rights. Welfare benefits and food banks did not exist. But the culture did have a provision to help the poor called gleaning. Since it was an agricultural society, poor people had the right to follow the harvesters in a field and pick up the heads of grain that they missed. It was a lot of work for a little bit of food.
When the widow Ruth arrived in Israel, gleaning was the only honest way to get food. So, she went to a barley field and gleaned. The owner, Boaz, saw her hard work and took three specific actions of compassion. He told her to continue gleaning behind his harvesters. He also allowed her access to the food and water arranged for his harvesters. Ruth 2:15-16 tell us the final thing he did, “As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, ‘Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.’” (NIV)
Compassion often is arranging help for another. May we be compassionate like Boaz!
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Have you ever looked at a list of the top movies of all time? Usually, such lists are focused on a particular genre. For example, I found one on the Internet Movie Database website listing the 30 best movies about love stories. According to this list, the best movie about a love story is still the classic Gone With the Wind.
Although not a movie, I believe one of the greatest love stories of all time is the story of Ruth from the bible. It displays love and dedication in different relationships, not just a romantic relationship. The story begins when an Israelite family travels to a foreign land to escape famine. While there, the father dies and the two sons marry. Ten years later, the sons die. Naomi, their mother, decides to return to Israel. She encourages her daughters-in-law to stay behind and find new husbands. One does. The other, Ruth, pledges to stay with Naomi with these words in Ruth 1:16, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (NIV)
Ruth pledged to stay with Naomi, even though she would face poverty. Ruth abandoned her prospects of a better life because of her love for Naomi. May Ruth inspire us to show love and dedication to others rather than pursuing our own interests!
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Today is Valentine’s Day. I thought I’d remind you. I have forgotten this day in the past. I really like to remember and do something special for my spouse, don’t you? So, take note of the day.
Do you know why we celebrate Valentine’s Day? The exact origin of the Christian celebration is debated. One idea is that the Roman Catholic church replaced a pagan fertility festival with a Christian feast day to honor St. Valentine.* But the problem is which Valentine? There were actually three different saints called Valentine or Valentinus. All were martyrs. So if they were martyrs, where did the idea of celebrating romance come from? Well, that’s pretty murky too! One possibility is the Roman emperor outlawed marriage, so he would have more single young men to become soldiers. A priest named Valentine continued to marry young couples in secret. But there are other possibilities as well.
So, rather than digging further into Valentine’s Day history, maybe we should just remember that in God’s plan romantic love and marriage are linked. The Song of Solomon describes the love of a groom and his bride. It predates Valentine’s Day. Today, don’t just celebrate romantic love. Remember that God created us with the capacity for romantic feelings and the best way to experience them, namely marriage. Take a moment to thank God for these things.
*"History of Valentine's Day," History.com, https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2
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Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Millions of people will tune in to watch the Cincinnati Bengals face the Los Angeles Rams for the National Football League title. Super Bowl LVI will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. I, like many other fans, am disappointed my team didn't make it. But many of us will still watch. Why? We all like to see competition where the stakes are high.
Today, many people will also remember other big games. I remember the 1967 league championship game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. It was played in Green Bay where the temperatures at game time was -15 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s -26 degrees Celsius! Wind chill was -36 degrees Fahrenheit! That game is now known as “the Ice Bowl.” I was just a kid, but I still remember Bart Starr’s quarterback keeper to win in the closing seconds of the game. I also remember other big games over the years.
Today is also a day when we remember a contest with unimaginable stakes. It was a battle to the death. Our church will remember when Jesus destroyed death itself. With a bit of unleavened bread and some grape juice, we’ll remember Jesus’ death and resurrection. With it he defeated sin and death. Today, don’t just celebrate a Super Bowl. Take time to remember and celebrate the victory of Jesus. A victory he offers to each of us!
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Today, marks the one-year anniversary of the podcast. I want to take a moment today to step away from the regular program. Instead, I want to celebrate what God has done, as well as thank you for listening.
In the past year, over 8,800 times, someone has listened to an episode of the podcast. Most of those have been in the United States, but the podcast has been tried in 14 different countries. A few listeners are in Belgium, Germany and India. The newest country where it's been tried is the Russian Federation.
Within the United States, it's been tried in 95 metro market areas scattered across 42 states. The top five metro markets during the past month have been Kansas City, New York City, St. Louis, Wichita, KS and Detroit.
Thank you for telling others about the podcast, whether sharing through your app, posting it on social media or just mentioning it to others. Your enthusiasm is such an encouragement to me.
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and recording these two minute episodes. Lord willing, I will continue to do so.
If you haven’t already, I hope you will rate the podcast and write a review. The show notes have a link to information on how to do this for the major podcast platforms.
Also, if you’d like to help promote the podcast by handing a business card to a friend, please go to the feedback page on the website and provide your mailing address. I’ll mail a few cards to you. See the show notes for a link to the feedback form. Thanks again for all your support!
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This week, we’ve been learning how to encourage others. We’ve been looking at the life of a man nicknamed Barnabas, which means son of encouragement. We began by noticing his generosity. We’re told he sold a field and donated the money to help the needy. Have you priced farmland lately? Even a few acres of ground add up to a very significant price! Barnabas was willing to use his property to lift the burden of poverty other Christians faced.
But there’s another way Barnabas encouraged others financially. 1 Corinthians 9:3-6 tells us that Paul and Barnabas were often self-supporting in their missionary work. Listen to Paul’s words, “This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas ? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?” (NIV)
You see, Paul and Barnabas didn’t want to be a burden on others. They gave up their right to receive payment from the churches for their work in preaching. As far as we know, Barnabas had never been to Corinth. Yet, even there, he was known as a good man who encouraged others.
Remember, if you want to encourage people, your focus must be on them, not demanding your rights.
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Acts 15:36-40 says, “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” (NIV)
Did you notice the sharp disagreement mentioned here? Paul and Barnabas had such a difference of opinion that they split up their successful missionary team. Why? I think the roots of the disagreement are in Barnabas’ desire to encourage Mark.
You see, Mark had traveled with them on their first journey. But something happened and he quit. Paul didn’t want to take him on the second journey. But Barnabus went to bat for Mark. Paul, however, was not convinced. So, they divided their efforts. Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus. We don’t hear much more about Barnabas after this. But I find it interesting that Mark will write the Gospel of Mark at some point after his trip with Barnabus.
This account shows us that one way to encourage another is to give them a second chance. Do you need to give someone a second chance?
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Some people always have to be first. Do you know someone like that? Always rushing to be first in line or cutting you off in traffic? Always sharing their opinions, even cutting others off? Or maybe you know someone who is always taking the credit at work or school, even though they didn’t do much for the project. Not very encouraging, is it?
One of the interesting things about Barnabas, is his ability to lead or follow. Notice how he is listed first in Acts 13:1, “In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.” (NIV) The church sends Barnabas and Saul on a missionary journey. Up to this point, Barnabas has always been listed before Saul. He was the leader. But that changes later in the chapter. Saul, who had started using the Greek version of his name, Paul, is listed first. Paul had become the leader.
This tells us that Barnabus was comfortable playing second fiddle. He loved to come alongside people and encourage them. He loved to see them grow and develop and take the lead. You can’t be a control freak or attention hog if you want to encourage others! One way to encourage another is to let them take the lead. Who will you encourage today?
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Have you ever tried to teach toddlers to pick up their toys? It doesn’t work very well to stand by and just tell them to do it. It works much better to work with them and pick up the toys together. Many things we have learned in life are a lot like that. We learn better when someone encourages us by working together with us.
Listen to what the apostles did when news of the rapidly growing church in Antioch reached them. Acts 11:22-26 tells the story, “News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” (NIV)
Did you notice? Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch to help encourage and teach the church. I also think this was his way of encouraging Saul. Barnabas brought him alongside and they worked together. Today, look for someone you can bring alongside in serving the Lord!
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Have you noticed that many sayings describing a relationship use terms of physical location? For instance, when you hear the saying “in your face,” you think of confrontation and anger right? The sayings “behind my back” and “finger pointing” also describe negative relationships, don’t they?
So, what are the sayings that picture someone encouraging another? “In my corner” might be one. It comes from the boxing world. It pictures someone who cheers for you, tends your wounds and offers advice for the battle. A similar saying is someone who “goes to bat” for you. But even better is the phrase “at my side.”
This is the phrase that describes Barnabas smoothing the way for Saul. Saul had persecuted Christians. Then, he became a Christian and people were reluctant to trust him. See what Barnabas did in Acts 9:26-27, “When he [i.e. Saul] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
If you want to be an encourager like Barnabas, stand at the side of others and go to bat for them. Look around you. Is there someone who needs you to stand at their side today?
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Everyone likes to receive encouragement. I've been blessed during my life to have several men who encouraged me. My father, Sid Evans, Elmer Ellis, Don Lee, Ed Breckle, Bernie Rauch, Bob Bennett and many others come to mind. Wouldn’t you like to be an encourager? This week on the podcast we’ll look at the actions of a man known for encouraging others. He is Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus. Of course, you probably know him by his nickname, Barnabas.
Acts 4:32-37 says, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” (NIV)
Did you notice that Barnabas was exceptionally generous? One of the ways we can develop our ability to encourage others, is to develop our generosity. May we generously meet the needs of others!
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Today, we finish up our look at Jonah, the grumpy prophet. For the most part, Jonah has been the example of what NOT to do. He tried to avoid obeying God. God wanted him to preach to the hated enemies of his country. Jonah tried to run away. God sent a storm. Jonah tried to die by being thrown overboard. God sent the big fish. Jonah committed himself to go to Nineveh. The city repented and God spared them. So, Jonah got mad. He sat out east of the city. God sent a vine to shade Jonah. The only time Jonah was happy in the entire book was when the vine shaded him. Then God sent a worm to kill the vine. Jonah was mad again. God did this to teach Jonah a lesson.
The book ends with God’s words in Jonah 4:10-11, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (NIV)
Jonah had a warped perspective. If God destroyed the city, 120,000 children – those who can’t tell their right hand from their left – would die. We must have the concern for people that God has. May we be compassionate and gracious like God!
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Someone once said you could summarize the four chapters of Jonah in the following way. In chapter one, Jonah ran. In chapter two, he prayed. He preached in chapter three and pouted in chapter four. He pouted in anger because God spared the city of Nineveh from destruction.
We pick up the story in the fourth chapter, beginning at verse 4, “Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’ But God said to Jonah, ‘Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?’ ‘I do,’ he said. I am angry enough to die.’” (NIV)
Jonah displayed a destructive effect of anger. He was depressed. Don’t be like Jonah who held a grudge even when God forgave his enemies! Don’t hold grudges, forgive!
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Sometimes, nothing will satisfy some people. We said earlier in the week that Jonah was a grumpy prophet. Nothing seemed to make him happy. God sent him to preach to the enemy of his country. He traveled to the capital city of Nineveh and preached the message God gave him. Hundreds of thousands of people heeded the message Jonah preached. Was he happy? Did he feel a sense of accomplishment? Hardly. He was mad.
Jonah 4:1-3 tells of Jonah’s response to God sparing the city, “But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, ‘O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.’” (NIV)
What a grump! He was mad because God was gracious and compassionate to his hated enemy. Some people are still like that today. They want God to judge and condemn others. Frankly, we should all rejoice that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love -- even when his grace extends to those we hate. Rather than be like Jonah, we should strive to be loving and gracious like God!
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Many preachers have had a large number of people respond to their message. When you think of someone like this, who comes to mind? Billy Graham? Some other preacher? Did you think of Jonah, the Old Testament prophet?
Listen to his story in Jonah 3:1-6, “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city–a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.’ The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.” (NIV)
Talk about a large response to a preacher’s message! The city of Nineveh and surrounding suburbs probably contained at least a half a million people, maybe more. The response of the population was so overwhelming, even the king displayed repentance. The city turned from their wickedness and God spared them.
This is an encouraging message for us. We too can turn from wicked disobedience and receive grace from God!
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It must be human nature to run from God. Ever since Adam tried to hide from God in the Garden of Eden, people have tried to run from God in different ways. Some deny his existence. Others simply ignore what he commands. The Old Testament prophet, Jonah, ran by booking passage on a ship to a distant land. But it didn’t work out very well! God sent a storm to get him back on track.
But Jonah still ran from God. He asked to be thrown overboard. He’d rather die than do what God wanted! But he didn’t die. A large marine animal swallowed Jonah. Can’t you just picture him sloshing around in the black belly of the beast? If it were me, I’d want out immediately! But Jonah was there for three days. Finally, he committed himself to obeying God.
Part of his prayer is found in Jonah 2:7-9, “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.” (NIV)
Whether your life feels like a day in the sun or you’re sloshing in the belly of a beast, commit yourself to obey God!
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I have never been in a ship tossed and battered by a storm. It must be a terrifying experience! That’s what happened to Jonah when he tried to run from God. God sent a storm to get Jonah back on track. Of course, Jonah didn’t want to change directions. No, he decided that the way to save the ship and people on board was to be thrown overboard. That’s what he said in Jonah 1:11-12, “The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they [the sailors] asked him, ‘What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?’ ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied, ‘and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.’" (NIV)
The sailors didn’t want to throw Jonah overboard. But after exhausting all other possibilities, they finally heaved him over the rail. The raging waves grew calm!
Notice the extent of Jonah’s rebellion. God had called him to preach to the enemy of his people. He ran from God by sailing for Tarshish. Then, he decided to keep running from God by dying in the sea! But you know the story, right? God thwarted Jonah’s plan because a big fish swallowed him and later spit him up on shore. When people run from God, they get in over their heads. Storms often batter them. Take it from Jonah – don’t run from obeying God. Rather trust him!
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Have you ever known someone who was always angry? Someone who was grumpy at best? Some people go through life surly and mad. They’re not too pleasant to be around, right? Did you know that one of the Old Testament prophets was like this? During most of the book of Jonah, the prophet was angry. This week, we will look at lessons from the life of Jonah, the grumpy prophet.
The story begins in Jonah 1:1-3, “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.” (NIV)
In this passage, we don’t see any obvious anger from Jonah. But we do see someone who did not want to obey God. So, Jonah decided to run away. He booked passage on a ship for the farthest port, hoping to stay away from God.
Many people today also try to run away from God, often because they don’t want to obey him. But, as we’ll see in Jonah’s story, no matter where you go, God is there. As we’ll seen in Jonah’s life, it is best to rely on God and follow him.
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Did you like to eat vegetables as a child? Most children have at least one vegetable they detest. Was yours peas, carrots, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts? How children can struggle to eat what they are supposed to eat!
For adults, the struggle to do what is needed, but not wanted, is different. The stakes are usually higher. Sometimes, we don’t want to obey the company rules. At others, we don’t want to obey the law. For many of us, we are challenged to obey God – at least in one area of life.
Jesus was also challenged to obey God. His mission was to come to earth and die on a cross to provide a way to save people from God’s wrath. But he didn’t really want to face crucifixion. On the night before his crucifixion, he struggled with his obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane. How did he resolve his turmoil and commit himself to obey God? By prayer. He prayed with his team of friends, Peter, James and John. Although they did more sleeping than praying! Here’s what Matthew 26:39 says, “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” (NIV)
Are you struggling to obey God? Then learn from Jesus’ example. Pray honestly and commit yourself to do God’s will.
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We can learn so much about prayer by looking at the example of Jesus. John 17 is the longest prayer of Jesus we have recorded. It has far more lessons than we can discuss in two minutes! So, we’ll only focus on one part of the prayer. Listen to Jesus’ prayer for his apostles in John 17:11, “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one.” (NIV)
Notice that Jesus prayed that God would protect his apostles. And the purpose of the protection was to make them one, just as Jesus and the Father are one. But Jesus also prayed for you and me in verses 20-21, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Did you notice the progression? Jesus asked for God’s protection of the apostles so that they and all believers would be unified. This would result in the world believing Jesus was from God. We also should pray for the unity of believers.
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Do you have some buddies? You know, two or three people that you like to spend time with? Maybe they’re co-workers and you always do lunch together. Or maybe they’re friends and you always get together to watch your favorite sports team. Or to play video games. Some buddies also love to go hunting together, or to go shopping, or just drink coffee and chat. We all need a few close friends.
Jesus also had three disciples who seemed closest to him. Listen to Luke 9:28-31, Jesus “took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” (NIV)
We usually focus on the transfiguration of Jesus in this passage. But did you notice that Jesus and his buddies were up on the mountain for prayer? The focus of their prayer may have been what Moses and Elijah discussed with Jesus, his departure which was approaching at Jerusalem. Peter, James and John would also go with Jesus to pray in Gethsemane before his arrest.
What do we learn about prayer from Jesus’ example? That getting together with a few friends to pray is a good idea. So, be sure to develop some prayer buddies in your life!
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When was the last time you had one of those long, draining days? You know, when you were exhausted and didn’t want to see anyone. Was that a day of travel, or lots of meetings at work? Maybe it was physically draining labor at your job, on the farm or in your yard. Or maybe, it was a day at home with the kids! When you’ve had a long day, what do you do? Do you park in your favorite chair and read, play a game, or watch TV? We all need to recharge at some time, right? And we often have different ways to relax and recharge.
Jesus also had some long days. For example, one day he heard the reports of his disciples who returned from their preaching assignments. He also learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded. Jesus left with the apostles in a boat for a solitary place. They needed some rest too. But the crowds followed them, walking along the shore to where they landed. So, Jesus continued to teach and heal them. About 5,000 were present and he miraculously fed them with five bread rolls and two small fish. Then he dismissed the crowd. We pick up the story in Matthew 14:23, “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.”
The next time you need to recharge after a long day, why not get by yourself and pray?
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We’re all creatures of habit, aren’t we? I bet you get up at about the same time every day. You go through your morning routine. I know I do. I roll out of bed, pull on the sweats and head for the coffee pot. I’m very thankful it starts automatically and has hot coffee waiting. If you’re like me, you also have routines for other parts of the day and the week. Sure, some people have more structured habits than others, but all of us have some sort of routine or habit.
Jesus did too. Luke 5:16 tells of one: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (NIV) Did you hear the word often? Jesus had a habit of prayer. One example of this habit is in Mark 1:35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (NIV)
What is amazing is how much Jesus prayed. He was a busy man. He spent the days teaching and healing people. Often, crowds would not leave him alone. Yet Jesus was in the habit of shutting out the busy demands on him and praying. How about you? Do you have the same habit in the midst of your busyness? A friend once said this about Jesus, the man who needed to pray the least, prayed the most. When we look at Jesus, we learn to make time for prayer.
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Did you ever lose sleep over a big decision? Some decisions have a huge impact on our lives. Should I quit the job? Should I marry this person? Should I move to a new city? Should I buy the house? Should I get the surgery or treatment? Should I retire now? Decisions like these often keep us up at night.
Jesus also faced some big decisions. Luke 6:12-16 tells of one. “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” (NIV)
This passage shows how Jesus approached one of his biggest decisions – who to pick to become his apostles. He would pour his life and teaching into these men. Then, he would leave and entrust them with his message for the world. Jesus was up all night before selecting them. But notice, he didn’t simply lose sleep. He didn’t worry and fret. He spent the night on a mountainside praying to God.
The next time you face a big decision, don’t just lose sleep. Climb out of bed and lift the decision to God in prayer.
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How did you learn algebra or geometry? Did you just read a book and get it? Not me! My high school teacher would assign reading in the textbook. I read it, but it didn’t always make sense. For me, I learned more by watching my teacher work problems in class.
So, how is the best way to learn to pray? We could look at bible passages that teach about prayer, but this week, we are going to learn by watching. We will examine Jesus’ prayer life. Luke 3:21-22 gives us the first example, ‘When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” (NIV)
This was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Matthew and Mark also tell of the baptism of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit. But only Luke tells us that Jesus was praying. What do we learn from this? Jesus shows us that prayer is important at the beginning of things.
Are you beginning something new? A new year, a new job, a new project, a new hobby, a new relationship, a new marriage, or a new effort to meet a New Year’s resolution? Whatever you are starting, remember to pray!
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Have you noticed that Covid isn’t the only thing that spread during the pandemic? Misinformation spread as well. As did fear. Fear is contagious. Remember how fear in the early days made people stock up on toilet paper? And when you saw people with a shopping cart full of it, didn’t you also want to stock up too? And maybe you did! Fear is contagious.
Not only is fear contagious, it is the opposite of faith. We see that in the miracle recorded in Mark 5. Jairus, the synagogue ruler came to Jesus. He wanted Jesus to come to his house and heal his daughter. Verses 35-36 says “While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher any more?’ Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’” (NIV) The rest of the passage tells how Jesus went to the house and raised the girl from the dead.
Many things cause fear. We worry about our health or the health of loved ones. Then there’s inflation, the job market, civil unrest, poisonous ideas taught in school, enemies and terrorists that want to shatter peace and order. And, when we see other people afraid of things, it causes our fear to spike too.
Hear the words of Jesus. Don’t be afraid, just believe in him!
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One of the most fascinating miracles performed by Jesus is recorded in Mark 5:24-30. “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’” (NIV) Mark continues to describe how the woman fell at Jesus’ feet and told him the whole truth.
I can’t imagine the desperation this woman must have felt. She had suffered a long time. But the desperation gave way to hope when she heard about Jesus. As the crowds pressed about Jesus like a mosh pit at a rock concert, she strained and reach out to touch his cloak.
Do we see Jesus as the answer to our problems? Are we willing to go against the crowd, to reach, stretch and strain to connect with him? We should. Because he has the power to change our lives!
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Who is the scariest person you have ever met? I bet he or she doesn’t compare to the man Jesus met in Gadara. This man was crazy, possessed by evil spirits. He lived naked in the tombs and hills. He cried out and cut himself with stones. People tried to restrain him with chains. But he broke the chains and leg irons! He’d been that way a long time.
But Jesus cast the demons out of him and into a herd of swine. The man was restored to his right mind. As Jesus prepared to leave, Mark 5:18-19 says, “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” (NIV)
Most of us don’t have the same kind of scary past as the demon possessed man. But Jesus has worked in our lives. He’s forgiven us and made us a part of his people. Jesus would also say to us “Go, tell how much the Lord has done for you.” Today, look for ways to tell others what Jesus has done for you!
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I recently learned a new word, derecho. A derecho is a storm with high winds. Unlike a tornado’s circular winds, derecho winds blow in a single direction. The one that hit our area recently collapsed the steel rafters and frame of a building under construction.
Think of a derecho or hurricane force winds when you hear the story of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee recorded in Mark 4:35-40: “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” (NIV)
Did you hear what Jesus said? “Why are you so afraid?” It doesn’t matter what storms buffet us in life. It doesn’t matter if we feel swamped and sinking. It doesn’t matter what we face. If we follow Jesus, we can replace fear with faith. He calms storms!
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Magicians are amazing, aren’t they? They perform illusions and sleight-of-hand tricks that are so entertaining. We keep thinking, “How’d they do that?” But magicians don’t perform miracles. Miracles are different than magic tricks. For example, can you imagine someone walking up to an embalmed body at a funeral and putting life back into the dead body? Now that would be a miracle! And that’s exactly the type of thing Jesus did.
Luke 7:11-17 says, “Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out–the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’
Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
We have a Lord who promised to raise each of us from the dead someday. Spread the news!
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I once supervised a team of people in my workplace. They were a great team and made me look good through their efforts! I could assign tasks to my team members. They in turn would perform the work. This is similar to the military. When an officer gives orders, he has confidence that they will be carried out. However, in the military, soldiers don’t have a choice. They must obey the authority of the chain of command. And, they can’t quit if they receive an order they don’t like. Unlike my team members who could quit at any time.
Jesus once healed the servant of a Roman military officer. The servant was near death when the officer sent for Jesus. The officer was a good man and knew he didn’t deserve for Jesus to enter his house. So, he sent friends to tell Jesus to just command the healing from afar – just like a military commander gives orders. Luke 7:9-10 tells us Jesus’ response, “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.” (NIV)
What was the faith of the officer? He knew Jesus had the authority to command the healing.
We too, must remember that Jesus has been give all authority in heaven and on earth. So, trust him!
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A recent news article said laughing was outlawed in North Korea for eleven days. I know! Strange, right? The dictator outlawed laughter and other fun activities to observe the 10th anniversary of his father's death. Sometimes governments ban the strangest things! This was true even in Jesus' day.
For instance - would you outlaw miracles of healing? That sounds like a perverse idea, doesn't it? In Jesus' day, miracles themselves were not outlawed, But they might as well have been. The religions leaders of the day had laws that banned certain activities on the Sabbath day. They were incensed when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. They did not allow that kind of activity!
In Mark 3, Jesus healed a man with a deformed hand. He called the man to the front of the synagogue and asked the religious leaders this, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4 NIV) The religious leaders did not answer him. Jesus looked at them in anger. He was deeply distressed by their stubborn efforts to condemn him rather than help the man. Then he healed the man’s hand.
This miracle not only shows Jesus’ compassion for the disabled, but also his anger at people who are so consumed with their own rules that they fail to help others. Let’s keep our eyes on doing good and loving people!
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John 5:2-9 says, “Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie–the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?''Sir,' the invalid replied, 'I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.'Then Jesus said to him, 'Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.' At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” (NIV)
Did you notice the disabled man talked about the water being stirred? He wanted someone to help him to be first into the pool. He thought healing would come from the water. He was totally oblivious to the power of Jesus, who stood right in front of him. Jesus commanded him to get up and the man was immediately cured.
As you go through the problems and challenges of your life, where do you look for help? Are you oblivious to the help Jesus can give? Put your faith in him!
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One of my favorite miracles is the one in Luke 5 where Jesus healed a paralyzed man. Jesus was in a house teaching. People were crowed in and around. Some men came with a paralyzed man on an improvised stretcher. But they couldn’t get close to Jesus. So, they went up on the roof and removed the roofing material. They lowered the man down in front of Jesus. However, Jesus surprised them. He didn’t heal the man. He told the man his sins were forgiven. This caused some religious leaders there to mutter. They said something like “Who does he think he is? Only God can forgive sins.”
Verses 22-25 pick up the story, “Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, ‘Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .’ He said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” (NIV)
This is a good reminder for us. Jesus has the power to heal. That power proves something more important. Jesus has the power to forgive. May you enjoy forgiveness from Jesus!
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One of the early miracles of Jesus was healing a man with leprosy. Luke 5:12-15 tells the story:
“While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ And immediately the leprosy left him.Then Jesus ordered him, ‘Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” (NIV)
To me, the most amazing thing in this miracle is that Jesus reached out his hand to touch the leper. He didn’t need to. We’ve seen an example where Jesus healed someone remotely, from miles away. Can’t you just hear the crowd gasp when Jesus reaches out to touch the leper?! No one wanted to touch a leper! And this man was covered with leprosy. Jesus did not simply use divine power to heal the man. He connected with him on a personal level. This miracle shows us the almighty power of Jesus alongside his love. We also need to spread the news about both Jesus' power and his love.
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Every now and then, some tweet or post on social media “goes viral.” In other words, it spreads quickly, like a fire in a dry, overgrown California forest. Sometimes the viral post is a cute video, such as a puppy. Or it may be someone’s dance moves. Often, it is something amazing, like a death-defying stunt or near miss.
Did you know that news about Jesus also went viral? Oh, they didn’t call it that back in his day. But talk of Jesus’ miracles spread quickly and widely. One example is in Mark 1. Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath. People were impressed with what he taught. They were also impressed with the authority he displayed as he taught. That’s when a demon possessed man interrupted him. Jesus commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man, and it did. Verses 27-28 say, “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching–and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.’ News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.” (NIV)
Let’s face it, if you saw a miracle, you’d tell others, wouldn’t you? But things go viral, not because everyone experienced it, but because people pass on the news. So, to whom will you pass on the news of Jesus’ miracles?
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Wouldn’t it be nice to talk to actual witnesses of Jesus’ ministry and ask them what convinced them to believe in Jesus? Well, we can do something like that, at least in the case of Simon Peter. If you asked Peter why he believed in Jesus, he would say, “Fish, a lot of fish.” The story is told in Luke chapter 5. Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee. He climbed into Peter’s boat to get a little distance from the crowd. Then he taught the crowds on shore from the boat. When Jesus finished, he asked Peter to head out and drop the fishing nets. Peter was reluctant. He’d been out all night and had caught nothing. I’m sure he wanted breakfast and a nap! But Peter did it anyway. And he drew in such huge load of fish they needed two boats! And the boats were so full of fish they began to sink!
Verses 8-11 tell us the rest of the story. “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” (NIV)
I hope that as you hear of Jesus' miracles, you will also follow him!
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The bible records over 30 miracles that Jesus performed. John 2:23 indicates that Jesus performed many miraculous signs while attending Passover. But no details are given. The second miracle recorded happened after Jesus returned from Jerusalem to Cana in Galilee. A royal official in Capernaum had a son near death. This man journeyed to Cana to beg Jesus to come and heal his son. Jesus didn’t go. Rather he told the man to go, his son would live. The next day, as the man was traveling home, his servants met him. They told him the boy had been healed. When they compared notes, the official realized that his son had been healed at the exact time when Jesus said the boy would live.
Jesus healed the boy over a distance! He didn’t need to see him or touch him. Capernaum was at least nine miles away as the crow flies, longer if walking on the roads. Yet Jesus healed the boy without even seeing him! The man and all his household believed in Jesus. That’s exactly why the miracles were recorded – believing in Jesus. John 20:30-31 says, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
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Have you ever thought that Jesus was reluctant? This week the podcast will look at the first miracles Jesus performed during his ministry. As we look at the very first miracle, it seems that Jesus was reluctant to perform it. Do you know the story of his changing water into wine?
Jesus was attending a wedding with his disciples in Cana of Galilee. Evidently, the hosts ran out of wine – a real embarrassing situation. So, Jesus' mother Mary, who was also attending, told Jesus, hoping he’d address the situation. Jesus was reluctant, saying his time had not yet come. But, he instructed the servants to fill six large storage jars with water. Each held 20 to 30 gallons. After they were filled, Jesus told the servants to draw some out and give it to the master of the banquet. The water had turned to wine!
The exact reason Jesus seemed reluctant is unclear. But the result of the miracle is not. Not only were people impressed with the high quality of wine produced, but something more important happened. John 2:11 says, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”
As we looked at miracles of Jesus this week and next, may you see his glory! May you also see the evidence that Jesus is God’s Son and place your trust in him!
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Many years ago, I had the opportunity to work a fishing net with a friend in Alaska. He set the net perpendicular to the shore. When the tide went out, we walked across the sand and picked the fish out of the net. That was very different than the nets used in Jesus’ day. Those were thrown or lowered from a boat then hauled in.
A fishing net is the focus of the parable in Matthew 13:47-50, “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (NIV)
Notice the words at the beginning, “once again.” Jesus tells the parable to repeat a point for emphasis. Here, he repeats the point of the parable of the weeds. Evil and righteous people will exist together until Jesus returns. Then the angels will separate the wicked and they will be judged.
So, don’t get discouraged by the rising crime and hatred in the world. Just remember – God will set things right when Jesus returns.
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Pearls are beautiful things. Many women own a strand of pearls. They have been prized for centuries. They actually come in many colors, including pink, green, blue, grey and black. But white is the most popular. Did you know that the biggest pearl ever found was discovered by a Philippine fisherman in 1996? It weighs 37 kilograms – that’s over 81 pounds! It is 67 centimeters in length or just over two feet. Named the Pearl of Puerto, it was never sold.1 So, determining its value is difficult. But the second largest pearl ever found, the Pearl of Lao Tzu is valued at $3.5 million.2 Can you imagine finding either one of these pearls?
Jesus told this parable in Matthew 13:45-46, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (NIV)
This sounds a lot like the parable of the hidden treasure, right? That man also sold all he had so he could buy the field with the treasure. This parable highlights the great value of being a part of God’s kingdom. It’s worth everything we have.
But are you puzzled? Jesus told these two parables on the same day, one right after the other. Did you notice that word “again”? Why did he tell both parables? I think Jesus told them together to emphasize the point. Nothing is more valuable than knowing Jesus!
1Nancy Levin, "9 Largest Pearls Ever Found," Largest.org, March 29, 2020, https://largest.org/nature/pearls/.
2Ruth Daly, "The 10 Most Expensive Pearls In The World," The Richest, March 15, 2014, https://www.therichest.com/luxury/the-10-most-expensive-pearls-in-the-world/
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Have you ever lost something valuable? I lost my wedding ring once. I never found it, even though I searched for it. I think someone else spotted it and pocketed it. My experience was very different than a man in Northern Ireland. He lost his wedding ring, too. So, he asked a friend to bring a metal detector to the place the ring was lost. They started searching and the detector started beeping. But they didn’t find the ring. They dug down and found a gold coin. Then they found another, then another. Eventually they uncovered 84 gold coins! Some dated from the 1500’s! Imagine their excitement! Their treasure was later estimated to be worth £100,000.*
Fun, right? Keep that in mind as you hear Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (NIV)
This parable tells us two things. First, finding the kingdom of heaven is exciting. Imagine the excitement of finding buried treasure. Finding forgiveness in Jesus gives great joy. Second, the kingdom of heaven is the highest priority. In the parable, the man sold all he had to buy the field and treasure. Likewise, Jesus’ kingdom is worth all we have in order to be in it. Take a moment to appreciate the treasure of following Jesus.
*Emma Kumer, "10 Valuable Items People Have Found by Accident," Reader's Digest, updated October 29, 2020, https://www.rd.com/list/valuable-items-people-found-by-accident/.
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I love home-made yeast bread. Don’t you? It’s all possible because of the leavening action of yeast. Jesus used the concept of yeast in Matthew 13:33, “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (NIV)
What is Jesus telling us about his kingdom? How is this parable different that the one about the mustard seed? Both speak of the spread of the kingdom of God. Here’s the key – this parable speaks of the tremendous influence Jesus’ followers would have on the world. Just as yeast transforms and improves the dough, so his kingdom would work through the entire world and improve it.
How have Jesus’ followers improved the world? Here’s a few examples. Christianity was pivotal in recognizing the rights of women and children, changing their legal status. It was also instrumental in abolishing slavery. In the United States, all but one of the first 123 colleges founded in the country were Christian institutions. Christian charities have fed the poor, started scores of hospitals and responded to numerous natural disasters.* Today, I personally know of missionaries who not only share the message of Jesus, but also provide medical treatment, or start schools, or drill water wells, or teach everything from agriculture to sanitation.
In fact, you are part of that yeast. Today, help make your neighborhood, community and world a better place!
*"The Impact of Christianity," Faith Facts, https://www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-impact-of-christianity
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Have you heard the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32? “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”(NIV)
Why did Jesus tell this parable? I think he wanted to encourage his disciples. Remember he told several parables on the same day. The first one, the parable of the sower, indicated that 3 of the 4 responses to his message would ultimately fail. Then he told the parable of the weeds. In it, an enemy sows bad seed in the field.
If you were a disciple of Jesus, you might have been discouraged at this point! First, a lot of effort would produce nothing. On top of that, Jesus’ kingdom would be opposed. So, the third parable, which he told to the crowd and his disciples, indicates that Jesus’ kingdom will grow far beyond the few who followed him that day. It would grow tremendously, even in the face of opposition.
This is a good parable to keep in mind. When you’re discouraged because others don’t want to follow Jesus, or because many oppose him, remember the mustard seed! Jesus’ kingdom has grown, and will continue to grow!
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The earliest teaching of Jesus about his second coming was a parable. Matthew 13:24-30 reads:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ” (NIV)
Jesus explained the parable in verses 37-39. He is the sower. The seed are his followers. The enemy is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the harvesters are angels.
Why did Jesus tell this parable? He reminded us that he is coming again and people will be judged. Those who follow him will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” In other words, those who follow Jesus will live forever in heaven.
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This week on the podcast, we’re going to look at seven parables Jesus told, all on the same day. The first is the parable of the sower. Perhaps you’ve heard it. It is recorded in Matthew 13:3-9,“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Jesus told this to the crowd that followed him. However, he gave the explanation to his disciples. The different soils represent different responses to the message about God’s kingdom. One response is to never consider it. That’s the path. Two responses accept the message, but don’t last. One falls away because of persecution. The other is choked by worry and wealth. But the true response accepts the message and reproduces it.
Which soil are you? I hope you are sharing the message of Jesus widely.
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Happy New Year! Do you have plans to celebrate? Maybe you just want to sleep late because you were up in the wee hours welcoming in the new year. Maybe you gather with friends or family and watch football. Or maybe you go for a run or play a game of your favorite sport. There are many ways to celebrate New Year’s Day. An old one is to make some resolutions.
I did say “old” right? Did you know that the ancient Babylonians made new year resolutions 4,000 years ago?! They were the first to record celebrating the new year. Of course, their calendar was different. The new year began in March. Julius Caesar was the one who tweaked the calendar to begin on January 1st.*
When I was a teenager, our church youth group gathered on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, we’d write a resolution on paper and seal it in an envelope. Then we’d write our address on the envelope. The adult leader would collect them. Later, usually about June, the leader would mail out all the envelopes. It was supposed to remind us to keep the resolution.
If you are looking for a resolution for this year, why not use Psalm 17:3? It says, “Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” (NIV)
If you haven't already, take a moment and set your goals for the new year.
*Sarah Pruitt, "The History of New Year’s Resolutions," History, December 30, 2015, updated December 21, 2020, https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions.
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Some of the highlights of my year were times spent with family. How about you? It was so hard to gather with family in 2020 with the Covid pandemic. I think our largest gathering with family that year numbered four! Things improved this year after the vaccines became widely available. Elaine and I gathered with all our children in June. We attended a family reunion on her side in July. Then we visited Elaine’s sisters in September. Thanksgiving was also a big affair at our house with my daughter, mom and the families of my brother, niece and a nephew. It is so good to be with family!
Proverbs 17:6 says, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” (NIV) It reminds us that the bonds of family flow up and down the family tree. Look at the delight in a grandparent’s eyes as they show you pictures of their grandchildren! See also the delight of adult children in gathering with their parents!
The most important social structure is not the national, state or local government. Nor is it non-profits or social agencies. No, it is the family. God created the family when he created Adam and Eve. I hope you can get together with your family.
As someone once said, “Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. And having both is a blessing.”*
*Shutterfly Community, "55 Family Quotes And Family Sayings," Shutterfly, last updated October 4, 2021, https://www.shutterfly.com/ideas/family-quotes/
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As I look back on the year, one of the blessings God gave me was the opportunity to preach each Sunday. In May, I was asked to fill the pulpit for a small church a little over an hour away. Their minister retired and they needed someone to preach while they looked for a new minister. It has been my joy to drive down most Sundays to worship with some wonderful, friendly people! Hopefully, I have encouraged them as much as they’ve encouraged me!
For many people, gathering with other Christians has been difficult in the last two years. Sometime health concerns made it difficult. At other times, government has restricted churches. In some locations, government even banned worship services. Thankfully, many used video meeting services to create virtual church services.
Gathering with other Christians is a blessing Hebrews 10:24-25 talks about. It says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
I encourage you to return to church services and small group meetings as soon as you are able. Gathering in person is so much better than watching an electronic screen! Don’t miss out on the encouragement! Gather to spur each other on toward love and good deeds!
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I suppose that an important event this year for most people was the availability of the Covid vaccines. The largest public vaccination effort in U.S. history was launched. Most were eager to get vaccinated. We know people who drove long distances to get the shot. Although the vaccines were created and rolled out in record time, it seemed like a long wait! People wanted life to get back to normal. The vaccines were the promise. As the number of vaccinated rose, the restrictions imposed by governments began to lift. Then, of course, the breakthrough infections and new variants appeared. Cases climbed again. More people died of Covid this year than in 2020. Thinking about all of this can be discouraging!
We need to remember Psalm 13. David felt like his troubles would never end. Hear what he said in the first two verses, “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (NIV) But when David’s thoughts turned to God, he said this in verses five and six, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.” (NIV)
Remember our trust must be in God’s unfailing love. Keep your focus on him! Maybe even sing a little to him today, because he has been good to us!
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Are you spending time this week reviewing your year? Looking at all the important events? I am. Looking back can be an encouraging thing. One of the important events in my life happened in early March. My older brother died after a long illness. Because of the pandemic, we didn’t do a funeral. Rather, on a cold blustery day, members of the extended family huddled under a tent in the cemetery. There, a minister friend conducted the burial service and Air Force airmen presented the military honors.
Funerals often wet our faces with tears and raise lumps in our throats. Though Vic would no longer suffer from his illness, we missed him. Yes, we grieved. But we also have hope because Vic was a believer. Yes, he was an imperfect and sometimes grumpy man. But his faith was in Jesus.
This is the same type of hope Paul expressed in Philippians 1:20-21, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (NIV)
Let’s remember, no matter how bad, or how good, this life is, something better awaits. For those of us in Christ, we have eternal life. Let this hope encourage you each and every day!
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In February of this year, I wrote and recorded the first episode of the podcast. My goal was to provide two minutes of Christian encouragement each day. It has been a lot of fun! Thousands of downloads have occurred. People from thirteen different countries have tried it. In the United States, it has been tried by listeners in 41 states, which includes over 90 metro market areas. Though many have tried it, a small audience listens regularly. Thank you so much for listening! Though I may not know who you are, you are an encouragement to me! Some of you, who I know, also asked for business cards about the podcast to hand to your friends. Your support promoting the program has also encouraged me!
Encouragement is needed, don’t you think? Look at the challenges of life today! Covid outbreaks, mandates for masks, lockdowns, vaccines mandates, supply chain issues, rising inflation and political turmoil. Add to those the regular challenges of illness and the loss of loved ones. In the midst of this, we all need to encourage each other. That’s exactly what Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (NIV)
Take a moment to thank those who’ve encouraged you this year. Then, find someone and encourage them in their Christian walk! To paraphrase Hebrews, it’s still today, so keep encouraging others!
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The week after Christmas is traditionally when newspapers and televisions stations publish articles and programs that review the year. These “year in review” features recap the important news stories, sporting events and cultural happenings. I really suspect that they are written and produced in the weeks prior to Christmas, so the staff can take the week off! However, it is good to review. You know what the old saying is, “Hindsight is 20/20.”
This week, the podcast is going to do a year in review. However, we will not review podcast episodes. Instead, we’ll look at different events in my life. I hope to use them to encourages all of us.
So where to begin? Well, in January 2021 I made the decision to retire. It was a few years early, but I sensed the Lord closing doors in the job market. In fact, that decision enabled me to create this podcast, among other things. It brings to mind James 4:15, “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” (NIV)
We have to realize our plans are subject to God’s will. That means God may change our plans. He did mine. What plans did you have at the beginning of the year that the Lord changed? What blessings did he provide? Take a moment to review your year and see where God led you.
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When you think of Christmas, what do you think of? Stockings, Christmas trees, fruit cake? I bet you, and everyone else, associate Christmas with gifts, right? Whether we are buying gifts, wrapping gifts or opening gifts, at some point today, you’ll likely gather with family and open Christmas gifts.
This week, we have been looking at the people who received announcements about Jesus at the time of his birth. We’ve been looking at them in order. Today, we remember the Magi, or wise men. We don’t know the exact time they first saw the star that led them to Jesus. So, they may have known about Jesus’ birth long before they saw him. But it seems appropriate to talk about them on Christmas day.
How did the Magi respond to Jesus when they saw him? Matthew 2:11 says, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (NIV)
Notice the two things they did? They worshipped Jesus and presented him with gifts. In your family tradition, take a moment to sing a Christmas carol or read of Jesus’ birth from the Bible. Worship him. Also, as you give gifts to each other, think of what you can give to Jesus. You don’t need to buy him anything. He wants you to love him and follow him.
Merry Christmas!
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This week, we have been looking at people who received an announcement or revelation about Jesus near the time of his birth. Yesterday, we looked at the time Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. A man named Simeon held Jesus and praised God.
An old woman was also there. She walked up while Simeon was holding Jesus. Listen to the events recorded in Luke 2:36-38, “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” (NIV)
Did you notice her response? First, she thanked God. I’m sure she knew Jesus was the Savior. Second, she spoke about Jesus to other people. Can’t you just see this smiling old widow speaking joyously to others?
In all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, do we respond like Anna? We must give thanks for Jesus! Hopefully, you have family traditions like Advent candles or attending Christmas Eve services that help you focus on this. And, like Anna, we must joyously tell others about Jesus. There’s no better way to celebrate Christmas!
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While Jesus was still an infant, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple in Jerusalem to fulfill requirements of Jewish law. While there, a man named Simeon came up to them. God had revealed to Simeon that Jesus was the Messiah. Luke 2:28-32 says, “Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’” (NIV)
Simeon also had a message for Mary. He told her, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35 NIV).
Simeon knew that Jesus would be a polarizing figure. People would oppose him. Mary would suffer heartache because of opposition to her son. Isn’t that a strange message to tell a mother celebrating the birth of her first child? Yes, but she evidently needed to hear.
We also remember that Jesus is still opposed by many today. But we choose to follow the example of Simeon. Today, praise God that we can know Jesus and the salvation he gives!
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Don’t you just love A Charlie Brown Christmas? I know people whose tradition is to watch the cartoon each year. One of the iconic scenes from this classic is Linus reciting the announcement of Jesus birth from Luke 2. Here’s part of the passage from the New International Version: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’” (Luke 2:8-11)
Then, verses 16-18 tell us how the shepherds reacted to the announcement, “So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” (NIV)
Hurrying seems to be a part of Christmas, doesn’t it? We have events to attend and shopping to do. But see what the shepherds did after finding Jesus. They spread the word. We should too! Celebrate Christmas by telling someone else about the birth of Jesus!
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The third person to hear the announcement of Jesus’ birth was Joseph. He actually got the news in two different ways. First, he got the earthly new. Matthew 1:18-19 says, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (NIV)
Evidently, Mary, or her family, told Joseph she was pregnant. He may have heard the complete story of the angel’s announcement to Mary. We don’t know for sure, but it seems reasonable. At any rate, Joseph was thinking of starting the legal process to end their engagement.
That’s when Joseph got the news in the heavenly way! An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and confirmed that Mary was a virgin and the conception was a miracle. The angel told Joseph to proceed with the wedding. Verses 24 and 25 give us Joseph’s reaction, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”(NIV)
Joseph did what God commanded. May we also obey God this Christmas, and always!
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Who was the second person to hear an announcement of Jesus’ birth? We know that Mary was the first. Are you thinking Joseph was second? Maybe, we don’t really know for sure. But I think it more likely that the second person to receive an announcement of Jesus’ birth was Mary’s relative, Elizabeth.
Luke 1:39-45 reads, “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!’” (NIV)
Talk about an interesting announcement! Mary heard about Jesus’ birth from an angel. Elizabeth heard the news through her unborn child! When the baby leaped, the Holy Spirit reveal the message to Elizabeth.
So, what did Elizabeth do? She shared the news in a loud voice! Today, let’s share the news of Jesus’ birth loudly! Shout it out, if you’d like. Or walk about your day singing a Christmas carol.
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Christmas is coming! So, this week the podcast will focus on the announcements of Jesus’ birth and the reactions of those who heard the news. We’ll look at these announcements in the order they were given. Of course, the first to hear the specific news of Jesus’ birth was his mother, Mary.
Luke 1:26-27 says, “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” (NIV)
You remember the story, don’t you? Gabriel told Mary she would bear a son and name him Jesus. Jesus would be God’s son and the messianic king. Mary questioned how this could happen, since she was a virgin. Gabriel explained that God would work this miracle through the Holy Spirit.
Notice also that Gabriel made no mention of Joseph, the man engaged to Mary. This was life-changing news for her! Do you remember Mary’s response? She said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38 NIV) She was willing to serve God, even though it would change all the dreams and plans she had.
What an example for us! As you celebrate the miracle of Christmas this week, commit yourself to serving the king that the holiday celebrates. Declare like Mary, that you are the Lord’s servant.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever been surprised by the power of something? Maybe you bought a new car and stomped on the accelerator and were surprised by the car’s rapid response. Or how about electricity? We don’t stop to think about what is flowing through the lamp cord plugged into the wall. But if the cord is frayed, and we touch it and get shocked, we suddenly understand the power!
Would you be surprised by the power of prayer? James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (NIV) Verses 17 and 18 provide the example, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” (NIV) The passage in James also says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.” (5:13 NIV)
So many people fail to pray. I think one reason is they don't think it will accomplish anything. How can saying a few words to God do anything? They forget that the act of prayer is not the power any more than the lamp cord is the power. The power flows from God. Prayer is the way to seek God’s power in our lives. If you don’t pray, you’re not looking for His power. Take some time today to seek God’s power through prayer.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
“Are we there yet?” Did you ever ask that question of your parents while they drove you on a long trip? Or maybe you asked, “How much longer?” Waiting is hard! Have you ever been waiting for your food at a restaurant and wondered how much longer it would take? I think people by nature are impatient. That’s why we like things that are fast, like microwaves, fast food and peppy automobiles. That’s why people in cars honk the horn when the car at the head of the line doesn’t quickly notice the traffic light turned green. And people get irritable when they have to wait!
So, do you find it hard to wait for the Lord’s return? James 5:7-9 says, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”
This is sort of like the reply parents give to the “How much longer?” question. When you are near the destination, they say, “Just a little bit longer.” That’s part of James message to us as well. Today, remind yourself that the Lord’s coming is near!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Are you rich? If you're like most people, you will say “no.” We know that being rich is a relative thing. We can find a lot of people with more wealth than we have. So, we conclude we are not rich. But we forget to look in the other direction. There are even more people in this world who have less than we have.
In Jesus’ day, the rich were defined by possessions and servants. They had servants to do all the work. Using this definition, we are wealthy. We had lots of possessions. We also have mechanical and electronic servants to wash our clothes and dishes, warm our food and water, vacuum our rugs, drive us so we don’t have to walk, and entertain us all night long. We are rich!
So, we need to listen to James chapter 5’s warning to the rich. Verse 1 says, “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.” (NIV) The passage then lists sins the rich commit. Verse 3 says, “You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” (NIV) Verse 5 says, “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.” (NIV) Now that doesn’t sound good!
So, how do we make sure to escape the condemnation James has for these rich people? Two words, generosity and stewardship. In other words, rather than hoarding wealth and spending it on ourselves, we must first love people by being generous. And second, we must manage our resources to advance the kingdom of Jesus.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
The other night, we experienced the first freeze of the season. Before long, freezing rain and accumulating snow will be all too likely to happen where I live. When we walk outside, our breath will show as short-lived bursts of vapor.
Now, picture that breath cloud and listen to James 4:13-16, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” (NIV)
It is so true that our life is fragile and short-lived, much like clouds of breath on a cold day. But what was the rest of this passage about? Why is it boasting to announce our plans?
This passage warns against planning our lives without considering God’s will. It is a subtle act of rebellion. Instead, we should incorporate God’s will into our plans. Do you think about how your plans will accomplish God’s goals and further the kingdom of Jesus? You see, none of us will even live tomorrow unless God wills it. We’re just a puff of breath on a cold day!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
When people get upset with others, they usually say bad things about them. Whether verbal attacks or messages on social media, they attack. Sometimes the words are snide and catty, at other times filled with curses and vitriol. Sometimes they say wicked things to the other person’s face, at other times behind their back. Judgmental anger is almost always accompanied by slander.
This is really a dangerous behavior. Why? Well, not so much because it invites retaliation from the person attacked, but because it invites God’s judgement. Hear what James 4:11-12 says, “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you–who are you to judge your neighbor?” (NIV)
Did you catch the part where slander and judgement is an attempt to take the position of the only Lawgiver and Judge, namely God himself? That’s right, people who slander and judge others think they are above God’s moral laws. They are acting like God. To paraphrase the last sentence in the passage, “Who do you think you are to judge your neighbor?” The next time you’re angry with someone, be sure to address the issue without verbally attacking the person.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Recently, Xi Jinping, the leader of China, held a video call with U.S. President Joe Biden. Xi greeted Biden as an “old friend.” This was after President Biden had publicly denied they were friends, saying, “Let's get something straight. We know each other well; we're not old friends. It's just pure business.” I guess things can be a bit confusing in diplomacy!
This also reminds me of the human tendency to claim friendship with important people. Have you every known someone who says a celebrity is a friend? When you check it out, you realize they don’t know each other at all. Maybe the celebrity greeted them at a party or function, but they don’t spend time together!
People even do this with God. Many claim to be friends with God, but they don’t really know him. In fact, some people who claim to be friends with God may actually hate him! Confused? James 4:4 makes it pretty clear, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (NIV)
Many people don’t like this verse. They want to have it all. They want to be friends with the world and with God. But it’s just not possible. Today, if you want to be a friend with God, spend time with him rather than doing worldly things.
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Have you ever scratched your head over the behavior of children? I think most mothers have! I also have distinct memories of my father shaking his head at the behavior of my siblings and me. One thing that puzzles parents is why children fuss and fight with each other. It can be exasperating!
I’ve also scratched my head over the behavior of adults, haven’t you? Why can’t adults get along with each other? Well, we think our arguments are more important than childish squabbles, right? But, sometimes the arguments of adults are just as childish – and just as exasperating – as the arguments of kids!
The book of James talks about quarrels between adults in James 4:1-3. It says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (NIV)
Well, that clears up the mystery of why people argue! We argue because we're self-centered. We become frustrated when we want something and don’t get it. The next time you find yourself in an argument, stop and make sure you are not being self-centered.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Technology has radically transformed our lives. We carry computers in our pockets, which we increasingly take for granted! Electronics have changed so many different areas, such as office work, medicine, entertainment and engineering. Cars are now loaded with computers chips. Even farming has changed. Did you know that farmers can now use planters that are incredibly precise? Global positioning satellites feed information to the planter, allowing it to avoid overplanting a part of the field. The combination of GPS with the mechanisms that insert seeds at precise distances in rows precisely spaced, allow farmers to save seed, fertilizer and money. Nothing is wasted.
It wasn’t that way in Jesus’ day. Farming wasn’t about precision. They sowed seed by hand. Some seed fell on good soil, other seed fell on the path or in rocky areas. Even though some seed didn’t produce a harvest, the wise farmer sowed generously. He couldn’t worry about wasting a little seed. If you scattered a lot seed, you would have an abundant harvest.
We need this type of thinking. We need to scatter some things abundantly rather than precisely. That’s what James 3:18 says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”(NIV) We must scatter seeds of peace. Sometimes it will result in peace among people. Sometimes it won’t. But the only way to harvest righteousness is to sow abundantly! Scatter some peace today!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
In the heart of the United States lies Big Spring. Big Spring may be the nation’s largest freshwater spring. 286 million gallons of water – on average – flow from it each day. Some of the water flows 45 miles underground before rising to the surface. The water is colored blue by dissolved limestone. The equivalent of 70 tons of dissolved limestone is carried away each day.*
Why all this talk about a spring? Well, James talks about a spring when he talks about our speech. In James 3:9-12 he says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” (NIV)
So, what’s his point? A spring produces what flows from inside the earth. It doesn’t produce both good water and bad water. We think nothing of praising God, or of saying hateful things about people. We think we can do both. But we can’t. As James says, a salt spring can’t produce fresh water. Any praise we lift to God is polluted when we also curse people. So, remember, keep your speech fresh and pure!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever ridden a horse? Horses come with different personalities. My wife’s father once had a horse named Tony. He used Tony to round up the cattle on the farm. Once, I decided to take Tony for a ride. I climbed on and we headed away from the barn across the pasture. I really had to prod and urge Tony to go. You’d have thought he was a mule! Eventually, I got him well out into the pasture. Then, when we turned toward the barn, he bolted and ran as fast as he could. Tony really liked being in the barn! It was a good thing I hauled back on the reins and stopped him, or I might have gone straight into the barn with him!
This reminds me of the what James says in James 3:2-3, “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.” (NIV)
Here, James refers to our speech as if it were a bit in a horse’s mouth. It is small, but affects the entire animal. Likewise, our speech – whether verbal, written or posted online – seems to be a minor thing. But it has tremendous power. So, keep a tight rein on your speech!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever known someone who talked a good game, but their words didn’t match actions? Maybe it was the new person at school or work. They tried to impress everyone describing their talents or abilities. Then you found out they could not do what they said. I understand there’s a saying in Texas for this. They say that the man who boasts but can’t back it up is “All hat and no cattle.” Other ways to say the same thing include “all bark and no bite” and “he's full of big talk.”
If we follow Jesus, we have to be careful. Our faith can’t be all talk. It must be demonstrated by action. That’s what James says in chapter 2 verses 14-17, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (NIV)
Faith is more than believing God exists. It is more than spouting pious words. It goes beyond kind intentions. If faith is alive, it produces action in our lives. Today, may your faith live!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you noticed that racism is a major topic of conversation these days? Of course, how could you miss it! You hear it in the national political debate. The media focuses on it constantly. It is even a hot topic at local school board meetings. It seems everyone is talking about racism. It also seems everything is racist! Some are even arguing that the difference in the number of trees in some neighborhoods vs. others is a sign of racism.
There’s also a lot of discussion about how to solve the racism some believe permeates the culture. White privilege and critical race theory have become buzz words. According to these concepts, the way to counter racism is to discriminate in favor of the oppressed groups. All the talk is confusing and exhausting!
What a contrast James 2:8-9 provides. It says, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” (NIV)
This is much clearer that critical race theory! First, notice James tells us that favoritism and discrimination are sins. Racism is wrong. These violate the royal law. Second, he tells us how to overcome these sins. Love your neighbor as yourself. Wouldn’t we all be happier if we lived by this law? Today, don’t focus on arguing and debate. Rather, love your neighbor as yourself.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
“It’s not fair!” Have you ever said that? Most of us learn to say it at an early age. Every human being cares deeply about fairness and justice. Unfortunately, we don’t always understand what fairness is. For many, fairness is whatever they want. That’s how most kids use the term. Someone else has the toy so they lament that it’s not fair.
It takes most people a few years to learn that fairness means treating people the same, equally. It is the opposite of favoritism or discrimination. Even as adults, many struggle with fairness. They treat others differently because of their looks, their education or their fame. But the most common way they treat other differently is all about money.
This shouldn’t be the case! Listen to what James 2:1-4 says, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”(NIV)
If we follow Jesus, we must be truly fair. We can’t discriminate or show favoritism toward the rich, or the poor!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Bird watchers learn songs, colors and flight patterns of birds. That’s so they can spot them. You have to know what a species looks like to be sure you’ve seen it.
This is true for religion and spirituality as well. Can you spot a religious person? Mark DeJesus published an article entitled “10 Signs You Have a Religious Spirit.” Included in his list are the following things: being argumentative and emotionally stiff, judging people on appearance and being closed to change.* Are you surprised? DeJesus believes being religious is bad. Like many people today, he defines the word religious as the counterfeit of a heart in tune with God. For him, being religious is the same as being a hypocrite.
But that isn’t the way the book of James uses the word religious. It uses the word in the opposite way, as one truly pleasing to God. Hear what James 1:26-27 says, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (NIV)
In other words, a truly religious person displays control of speech, helping those in need and avoiding the moral compromises of the culture. I hope James would find me, and you, to be religious.
*Mark DeJesus, "10 Signs You Have a Religious Spirit," September 22, 2017, https://markdejesus.com/10-signs-religious-spirit/
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
There are a lot of mirrors in our house. I bet you have many as well. We have a mirror in the bathroom, one on the dresser and another on the bedroom wall. We have another near an entrance. Some women also carry mirrors in their purse. Mirrors are useful. We use them often to check our appearance, which is a good thing! You wouldn’t want to see my hair the way it looks first thing in the morning!
Can you imagine someone who looked in the mirror and saw their messed up hair, dirty face and stained clothes – and didn’t do anything to fix their appearance?! That would be silly, right?
James tells us that we often do something like that on a spiritual level. James 1:22-25 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.” (NIV)
Today, when you see a mirror, may it remind you to listen to God’s word, and do it.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
If there is one command in the Bible that everyone wants others to obey, it is James 1:19-20, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (NIV)
Every mother wants her kids to be quick to listen, right? They also want their husbands to be quick to hear! But let’s not talk about that, ok?! We all also want co-workers, government leaders, teachers and neighbors to be quick to hear us. I think being quick to hear and slow to speak are connected. If you are going to listen to another, you will be slow to speak.
Also, being quick to listen means you will likely be slow to anger. Now that is one thing, I’d like to see more politicians live by! It seems that they are always quick to anger. They also stir up anger in others. Probably because angry people want to take action. So, they stoke the outrage to get people to act on their agenda.
You know, if we all lived by these three rules life would be better. But that is not the real reason to follow them. The real reason is because anger does not bring about a righteous life. Today, slow down your anger. Slow down your speech and listen to others!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever been disappointed in the outcome of something? Sometimes, after going trick or treating on Halloween, kids are disappointed in the types of candy received. It’s kind of a microcosm of life, isn’t it. We get some good things and some bad things. We vote in an election and some of our candidates win while other lose. Some days are sunny and warm. Other are cold and wet. We have years of good health, and then something bad crops up.
When bad things happen, some people blame God. They think God gave them something bad. They’re kind of like those kids with the Halloween candy, upset that someone gave them junk candy. They need to listen to James 1:16-18, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (NIV)
Remember, God is the source of everything good in life. He doesn’t bless you one day and then change his mind and drop bad things on you the next. He doesn’t change. He chose to bless us with new birth in Jesus. And that is the very best thing God has given us!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
A few decades ago, Flip Wilson was a comedian with a popular television show. Part of his act was to dress up like a woman named Geraldine. Geraldine repeated a line that became a catch phrase at the time. It was, “The devil made me do it.” That was Geraldine’s excuse. If she bought an expensive dress, the devil made her buy it. Wilson got a lot of laughs talking about the temptations Geraldine and other characters fell into by using the line “the devil made me do it.”
But we know the devil doesn’t make us do anything. And we know temptation doesn’t come from God. James 1:13-15 makes it clear where temptation starts. It says, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (NIV)
That’s right! Each of us have desires that are the source of our temptation. The more we entertain those thoughts, the harder it is to resist. We may laugh about temptation in a comedy skit, but it is no laughing matter. Stay faithful to God when facing trials and temptation! When you have stood the test, God will give you the crown of life!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Do you consider yourself rich or poor? Or maybe you think you are somewhere in the middle. You know, neither rich nor poor. The funny thing is, being rich is really a relative thing. People can usually think of someone richer than they are. So they tend not to view themselves as rich.
Let’s change the thought a bit. James wrote in his book about the rich and poor. Most of us today would be considered incredibly wealthy by James. The wealthy of his day had servants. Today, we have replaced servants with things such as microwaves, washing machines, automobiles, automatic vacuums, plumbing and electricity. We have access to electronic devices, meal delivery services and medical care. So don’t kid yourself. You are rich.
Listen to what James says to us in James 1:9-10, “The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.” (NIV)
James reminds of an undeniable truth about life. Even as we go about our business, we will fade away. We last a short time. So focus on receiving the crown of life that God gives to those who love him!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Have you ever agonized over a decision? Maybe it was which job to take, or which college to attend or whether to go to college or not. Sometimes people agonize over whether to date a person or continue to date the person. Life is filled with decisions about what to do and which path to take. And these decisions are often difficult to make. That’s why we need wisdom.
Of course, most people don’t understand what wisdom is. It is all about ethics and morals. Wisdom is about right vs. wrong. Sometimes in our decisions, we have the choice between two options that are both ethical. But every decision must begin with right vs. wrong. That’s what wisdom defines.
The good news is that wisdom can be acquired! James 1:5-8 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
Need some wisdom? Ask God. He’ll show you what is right. When you ask, don’t try to have it both ways. Trust God and follow him!
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
Many years ago, I was an athlete on my high school team. After football or basketball practice, the coach would line us up for a drill called wind sprints. It sounds like such a pleasant term! But they were not pleasant. The coach would blow his whistle, making us run in short bursts. Then we’d do it again, and again and again. He didn’t stop until we had no wind left! They should have been called “windless sprints” because he left us gasping for air.
Why would the coach put us through such agony? Because he wanted to build our endurance. We needed to be in condition for the real game. So, he put us through the drills.
The same thing is true about our spiritual endurance. It requires testing to develop. Listen to what James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (NIV)
Do you see the big picture? It can be unpleasant, even agony, to go through the trials of life. But they are useful for creating in us perseverance and eventually maturity. And, as verse 12 says, if we persevere under trial, we will receive the crown of life!
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Did you go shopping yesterday? Yesterday was Black Friday, the traditional start to the Christmas shopping season. Stores usually have some great deals, if you arrive early enough! Usually, crowds pack the stores and queue up to snatch up the door-buster specials. Then, on Monday, online shopping specials are available, at least in a normal year. However, I think some stores and web sites started their sales early this year because of the supply chain issues stemming from pandemic problems.
Rather than thinking of this as the start of the shopping season, maybe we should think of this time as the start of the Christmas generosity season. I mean isn’t that the reason we’re shopping? We want to be generous, right? Many churches and organizations also make special gifts of holiday meals or food boxes at this time of year.
A byproduct of generosity should be thanksgiving to God. Just listen to what 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 says, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (NIV)
So, in this season, be generous to others in Jesus name so that thanksgiving will flow to God.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.
How was your Thanksgiving? Was it full of family, friends and food? If you’re like me, you probably ate foods you only get once or twice a year, such as pumpkin or pecan pie. Come to think of it, we don’t eat homemade bread rolls and cranberry sauce very regularly either! And does your family have a special, traditional food? For Elaine’s family, it was homemade noodles. We piled them on top of the mashed potatoes! It seems like we always ran out.
Thanksgiving meals are intended to be a celebration of all the blessings God has given us through the year. But I’m also thankful for the meal itself. Aren’t you thankful for food?
1 Timothy 4:3-5 talks about people who thought it wrong to eat certain foods. But Paul corrected that thinking. He wrote, “They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”
So, one thing we should be thankful for is food. Remember Jesus’ teaching in the model prayer? He taught us to pray with the phrase “give us this day our daily bread.” We rely on God for our daily needs. So, thank him for good food!
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How can we celebrate Thanksgiving in a country divided by masks, mandates, critical race theory and identity politics? Is it even possible?
Did you know that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national observance in the midst of the Civil War? Listen to some of Lincoln’s words. May they inspire you on this Thanksgiving day!
"The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
. . .
I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, . . . to set apart and observe . . . a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, . . . fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union."*
*Derrick Wilburn, "The True Origins of Our Thanksgiving Holiday," The Federalist Papers, November 23, 2017, https://thefederalistpapers.org/history/true-origins-thanksgiving-holiday.
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Did you know that an estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder during their life time?1 That’s a lot of people! In addition, one quarter of adolescents suffer anxiety disorders, putting them at higher risk of poor school performance and higher risk of substance abuse.2 Clearly, anxiety is a problem many face.
So, in the week of Thanksgiving, is there any hope for those with anxiety? Or will this holiday just be one more thing to be anxious about? I guess that depends on whether we are focused on a holiday, or on what the holiday is about – giving thanks to God. If we are stressed by the guest list, setting the table, cooking the food and more, we may miss the best part.
You see, Philippians 4:6 tells us that giving thanks can help with anxious feelings. It says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
The hope to relieve anxiety is not in the act of giving thanks, as much as in the One to whom we give it. Giving thanks focuses us on our almighty, loving Father. It helps us focus on what he has given us. It reminds us that he is the source of all good things and that he is in control. Today, give thanks to God and take your requests to him.
"Prevalence of Any Anxiety Disorder Among Adults," National Institute of Mental Health, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder."Facts and Statistics," Anxiety and Depression Association of America, https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics.
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Did you vote? I wrote this episode on election day earlier this month. I voted in our local elections, which included the school board. Even school board elections can get sucked into the political turmoil we experience these days. Though our school board politics have not been as raucus as some in Virginia.
When surveying the government, I find a lot to dislike. The Federal government is always spending more money than we have, or inventing new ways to tax us. Some members of Congress push harmful policies. At the city level, many cities are defunding their police departments. Watching or reading the political news can be discouraging!
That’s why I need to hear 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Maybe you need to hear it as well. It urges us to be thankful for government. Yes, thankful! Listen to what it says: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (NIV)
So, take a moment today to be thankful for your school boards, as well as your local, state and national governments. Pray the end result of their efforts will allow us to live peacefully and quietly, sharing with all the knowledge of the truth!
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Recently, my wife and I started playing pickleball. It’s a cross between tennis and ping pong. It’s a lot of fun. It has also given me a few aches and pains as I use muscles I haven’t used in a while!
Usually, we’re not very thankful when we hurt. Oh, my pickleball aches are nothing. Some people have real pain and suffering. Sometimes it is physical, at other times emotional. What we want is a life free of pain. That would make us thankful, right?
Psalms 69:30-31 says, “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.”(NIV)
The psalmist knew that giving thanks to God was better than the act of animal sacrifice. But look closer. This Psalm is about giving thanks to God in the midst of pain, distress and despair. The psalm starts “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.”(Psalms 69:1-2NI V). Then, just before declaring his intention to glorify God with thanksgiving, he says, “I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.” (Psalms 69:29 NIV)
One of the surprising things we’ve learned here, is we should always be thankful for God’s salvation, even in the midst of distressing times. Even when we hurt, we can thank God for his salvation.
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You know, mothers of small children often repeat themselves. That’s because children need repetition and prompting. I’m sure you’ve experienced this: a small child receives something and mom says, “What do you say?” She is prompting the child to say “thank you.”
This week, the United States has a holiday that prompts us to be thankful to God. This week, the podcast will focus on being thankful. We’ll look at different reasons to be thankful.
One of the easiest reasons to be thankful is the salvation God gives to us. Psalm 95:1-2 says, “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” (NIV)
God is the rock of our salvation. In other words, our salvation is secure and solid – like a huge rock. This isn’t just a boulder, but an outcropping of bedrock.
Notice also the Psalm tells us to shout or sing our praise and thanksgiving. Many songs have been written about being thankful. One oldie was written by Don Moen in 1986. The lyrics tell us, “Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.”*
Today, take a moment to sing your favorite song of thanksgiving to God. Of course, if you prefer, you can just shout it out!
*Don Moen, "Give Thanks," Give Thanks, July 1986, https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/donmoen/givethanks.html
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Have you ever made a total mess of something? I’ve done that making cookies. I once left out the flour. They were sweet, but just crumbled! I’ve also messed up relationships. I’m sure you have too.
The past two weeks, we have been looking at several people listed in Hebrews 11. This chapter is like a hall of fame for biblical characters who displayed faith. One of the most surprising people listed had a messed up life. Rahab was a prostitute in ancient Jericho. When Joshua sent two spies to check out the city before the attack, Rahab hid them and helped them escape. Hebrews 11:31 says, “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”(NIV) That’s a bit of an understatement! The story doesn’t end with her surviving the battle. She married an Israelite. Her son married Ruth. That story is told in the book of Ruth. Also, Rahab’s great, great grandson was King David. She is even listed in Jesus’ genealogy. Talk about a change in her life!
What was her act of faith? She believed the Israelites were God’s people. She chose to join them.
This is an example for us. No matter how much we have messed up our lives, God will accept us through faith in Jesus. We can choose to join God’s people and follow him. Trust God to change your life!
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Do you know this old song? “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came a tumbling down.” The conquest of Jericho is one of the better-known Bible stories. It tells us the Israelite army circled the city once a day for six days. Priests blowing ram’s horns and the ark of the covenant led the way. On the seventh day, they circled the city seven times. Then the priests blew a long blast on the horns, signaling all the people to shout. The walls fell. The Israelites then went in and destroyed the city, burning it.
Archaeology has discovered Jericho and it’s fallen walls. The ruins also include a three-foot-thick layer of burnt ash and debris.* So, how did the walls fall? Some archaeologists believe it was caused by an earthquake. That’s possible. God could have used an earthquake to coincide with the actions of his army.
Earthquake or not, faith was involved. Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.”
Sometimes God wants us to do things in a certain way. The Israelites trusted God and followed his directions about marching around the city. We must have the same faith. Is there something God’s word has instructed that you need to do? If so, then do what another old song says – trust and obey.
*Bryant G. Wood, PhD, "The Walls of Jericho," Associates for Biblical Research, June 9, 2008, https://biblearchaeology.org/research/conquest-of-canaan/3625-the-walls-of-jericho.
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Most hall of fame museums do not honor large groups of people. They may honor a sports team, but I don’t know of one that honors a group of a couple of million people. Yet a group this large is honored in Hebrews 11:29, “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.”
This passage describes the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. They were pursued by the Egyptian army, which wanted to return them to slavery. The army trapped the Israelites against the shores of the Red Sea. But God delivered them!
I remember as a child seeing Charlton Heston star as Moses in The Ten Commandments. The film depicts this crossing. I encourage you to watch the movie. It’s a classic!
Or, go to a lake. Visualize wind blowing and piling up water on each side of a path across the lake bottom. Envision the walls of water being far taller than a house! Taller than the waves people surf! Would you have the faith to walk between those walls, held in place by some invisible force? That’s what the Israelites did. That was their act of faith. They trusted God to protect them. They passed through the sea, then watched God use it to annihilate the pursuing army.
Remember, trust in God, even if it seems there is no way through the difficulties you face!
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Have you ever gone to a museum and visited every room, read every display, watched every video presentation and listened to every audio recording? That takes a lot of time! I like to look at everything, but rarely have the time to experience it all. The same is true when looking at Moses in Hebrews chapter 11’s faith hall of fame. There is a lot there! So, we’re going to look at just the first example of his faith. Verses 24 and 25 say, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.”(NIV)
Moses had the faith to stand as a despised slave – a Hebrew, even though he would be mistreated. He had privilege, power and wealth, being the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. But he renounced it and stood with the people of God.
Today, his example inspires us. We must have faith to identify as followers of Jesus. The culture we live in is increasingly hostile to our faith. This is especially true in the United States on university campuses, as well as in the large cities on the east and west coasts and in large corporations. If we believe God exists, and that he rewards those who seek him, then we will stand with Jesus’ people.
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If you were in charge of designing the hall of fame display to honor the faith of the Bible character Joseph, what would you do? What examples of faith would you highlight? Would it be his ability to interpret dreams? Would you highlight his faithfulness to God, even as a slave, even in refusing to sleep with a beautiful woman? Would you point to his understanding of God’s providence in sending him to Egypt and helping him rise to second-in-command of the country?
There are a lot of things in Joseph’s life that could be an example for us. So, you may be surprised to learn what Hebrews 11:22 says is the example. It reads, “By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.”(NIV)
So, his funeral plans were an example of faith? How so? The key is he spoke about the exodus of his people from Egypt back to the promised land. The promise had been made generations before. And as verse 39 tells us about all these faith heroes in Hebrews, “None of them received what had been promised.”(NIV)
It’s pretty hard to trust in God when it seems his promises are not coming. Most us want the Amazon delivery model. You know, order today, get it tomorrow – or sooner! Let Joseph’s faith inspire you to trust that God may deliver some of his promises even after you’re gone!
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What will happen next? Do you feel that way? In 2020 we first had the Covid pandemic. That was followed by rioting and protests against racism. Then lockdowns spread, then mask mandates. We endured a divisive election with lots of questioning of the results. Then the January 6 riot occurred. The government spent trillions of dollars and declared a vaccine mandate. Now prices are rising steadily and the supply-chain is struggling. What will happen next?
It’s a good time to look at Jacob and his example of faith. Of all the details of his life, the thing that is memorialized in Hebrews 11:21 is this, “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.”(NIV)
Where is the faith in blessing Joseph’s sons? Jacob actually blessed the boys in the opposite order that Joseph wanted. This probably has something to do with it, but I think there’s more here. Jacob had decided to take his family to a foreign land and live there in his old age – following God’s leading to preserve the family. On his death bed, his blessing essentially made his two grandsons joint heirs with his sons. He promised that God would bless their future greatly.
Do you have that kind of faith? Do you believe that God holds the future and will deliver on his promises? Don’t face the future with dread, face it trusting God!
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As we stroll through Hebrews 11 and the list of faith heroes, we come across some that may be unsung heroes. Take Isaac, for example. His father Abraham, and his son Jacob, have more chapters of the Bible devoted to their story than Isaac does. He seems left out. Most people probably remember him from the story of Abraham offering him as a sacrifice to God. Many may not realize why he is in this hall of fame lineup. He’s here for blessing his sons. Hebrews 11:20 says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.”(NIV)
Are you puzzled? If you know the story, you should be! Jacob deceived Isaac and took the blessing traditionally given to the oldest. In essence, he stole the blessing from Esau. So, why didn’t Isaac change his blessing when he discovered the deception? How is this an act of faith on Isaac’s part?
I’m not sure, but I can speculate. When Isaac’s wife was pregnant with Esau and Jacob, the Lord told her that the older would serve the younger. Therefore, Esau would serve Jacob. Isaac intended to bless Esau, but was tricked. Did this call to his mind what God had told Rebekah? Did he trust that God was in control of the future, even when things didn’t turn out as he intended? I’d like to think so. We should all have faith that God holds the future even when our current plans fail!
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This week, we’ve been looking at the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11. It’s like a hall of fame, describing the faith of several characters in the Old Testament. It describes how they were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see. Some of them did amazing things. Take Noah, he and his sons worked for years, maybe a few decades to build an ark. They’d never seen one, but God gave them the mission and basic design.
But if you want to talk about believing in something you’d never seen before, Abraham takes the cake! Hebrews 11:17-18 tells us the situation, “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’”(NIV)
How could Abraham prepare to kill his promised son? Because he believed in the power of God. Verse 19 says, “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.” Where did that belief come from? No resurrections had yet happened when Abraham lived. God didn’t promise to raise Isaac when he told Abraham to sacrifice him. Abraham’s faith trusted that God would raise Isaac to fulfill his promise of descendants forming a great nation. Like Abraham, we need to trust in God’s promises, even if we’ve never seen them before!
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Jesus once told his disciples, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 NIV) Of course, we need to remember that faith doesn’t move the mountain. God moves the mountain. The faith is in God.
This verse reminds me of Abraham’s faith mentioned in Hebrews 11:11, “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age–and Sarah herself was barren–was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Yes, God promised Abraham descendants, but he didn’t fulfill the promise until Abraham was 100 and Sarah was over 90 years old! I also like the humor in the next verse, “And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.”
Abraham encourages us to trust in God to deliver on his promises, even if reason says the chances are “as good as dead”! He has promised to care for our daily needs, if we will seek first his kingdom and righteousness. He has also promised to be with us always. You see, just a speck of faith in the infinite God, can witness spectacular results!
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When visiting a hall of fame, you can be amazed by all the great athletes who played the game. Sometimes people will also debate who was the greatest of all time. They’ll discuss factors likes player statistics, the relative strength of competition in different periods and rule changes over time. Usually, there is no one player all agree was the greatest.
I don’t think that’s the case in our virtual hall of fame about faith in Hebrews 11. The epitome of faith was Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. When looking at his treatment in the chapter, he is mentioned for four different things. It’s like his display in the museum is four times bigger than the average hero! Ok, we’ll see that Moses is also mentioned for three things, but I’m sticking with Abraham as the greatest of all time!
What were the first two things that displayed Abraham’s faith? Verse 8 says, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Then verse 9 mentions the second, “By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents.”
Like Abraham, we live as strangers in this world, for our citizenship is in heaven with Christ. Like Abraham, we long "for a better country – a heavenly one,” just as Hebrews 11:16 says.
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Don’t you just love a good film?! Did you know that there is probably a film about Noah in your favorite genre? The film Noah, released in 2014, is a big epic adventure with special effects. Whereas 2007’s Evan Almighty is a comedy. Dozens of films have been made about Noah and the ark. It is one of the most known Bible stories. And it inspires the imagination of movie makers.
So, we shouldn’t be surprised to find Noah listed as a hero of the faith in Hebrews 11. Verse 7 says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”
Remember the definition of faith at the entry to this chapter? It spoke of being “certain of what we do not see.” That was Noah. He was told about a world destroying flood. He was told to build a ship bigger than anything he’d ever seen. God explained he’d need to bring a male and female of every kind of creature on board. He trusted God, even about things he’d never experienced!
Noah inspires us to have faith in God. We have never seen anything like the return of Christ or of eternal life in heaven. But we can be sure it will happen, just like Noah was sure about the flood!
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One of the things I enjoy about museums is they often teach you a little more about a famous person. Some years ago, I toured a museum in London. It was the bunker where Winston Churchill governed Britian during World War II. Seeing the rooms and furnishings, gave me additional insight into Churchill.
In the same way, our virtual museum of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 tells us more about many Bible characters. For example, verses 5-6 says this: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Enoch is not mentioned much in the Bible. His story in Genesis is only five verses! We know who his father was, as well as his son. We know how long he lived and the fact that God took him to heaven without experiencing death.
So what does Hebrews tell us that we didn’t know? That Enoch’s faith was what made him pleasing to God. In fact, he inspires us as an example of faith. We too must be absolutely sure that God exists and rewards those who seek him!
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Most people know the story of Adam and Eve. Created by God, they disobeyed him and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. One consequence of their action was being banished from the Garden of Eden. The Bible says that sometime after this Eve gave birth to Cain. Later, she gave birth to Abel. Most people think of Cain as the first murderer and Abel as his victim. But Abel is the first person listed in Hebrews 11 as an example of faith. He was much more than a victim! He is the first example of faith in history!
Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” (NIV)
This tells us that the offering Abel brought to God flowed from his faith. So, what made Cain offer a sacrifice to God? We’re not told. Cain obviously believed God existed. But Scripture never indicates that Cain had faith. Belief in the existence of God is not the same as faith.
Abel makes us pause and reflect. As we live for God and offer to him gifts of service, money and worship – it all must flow from faith. We live confidently for God, even in the face of insult or persecution. We must have faith like Abel!
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Have you ever visited a hall of fame? Several exist, many honoring athletes. The first hall of fame was the U. S. Baseball Hall of Fame. But one exists for professional football, basketball and soccer. Even bowling has a hall of fame. Some sports franchises have their own hall of fame. Though it is not a sport, rock and roll also has a hall of fame.
I have never been to any of these halls of fame. But I have been to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. You might as well call it a hall of fame. Besides telling the history of Negro Leagues Baseball, it also honors some of the greatest baseball players of all time.
For the next two weeks, the podcast is going to explore a hall of fame. No, not a sports museum, rather we will look at heroes of faith listed in Hebrews chapter 11. As we begin, we see at the entry – that’s in verses one and two – the theme of our “virtual museum.” Like an inscription over a museum entry, the verses read, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”(NIV) Join me tomorrow as we begin our tour of the heroes of faith. Let it inspire you to be certain of what you do not see and sure of your hope!
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Do you remember the film Jurassic Park? I do. I’d known about Tyrannosaurus Rex. But that film introduced me to Velociraptors. I know it is fiction, but the film made me very thankful that dinosaurs are not living today! Can you imagine going to a wilderness area and having to keep watch to avoid a t-rex? Bears are bad enough!
Evolution tells us that millions of years before humans, dinosaurs became extinct. However, the evidence is not so clear.
Consider the following:*
A Cambodian temple erected in 1186 A.D. – that’s 600 years before any dinosaur fossil dig – has a carving that looks just like a Stegosaurus.At the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, rock carvings and paintings believed to be made by the Anasazi Indians between 500 and 1500 years ago include a painting that looks like a Brontosaurus.Artifacts from Acambaro, Mexico include hundreds of figurines that are easily identified as Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Iguanodon, Brachiosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex.In Peru, Inca carvings from 500-1500 A.D. depict pterosaurs, including details like dermal frills or spines. It wasn’t until 1922 that fossil records were discovered of dermal frills. How could ancient Indians depict them, if they’d never seen them?
This evidence strongly suggests that the dates given for humans and dinosaurs in order to support evolution should be viewed with suspicion. I think I’ll just trust the Bible on this topic!
*Victoria Rowbottom, "DINOSAURS AND HUMANS – DID THEY CO-EXIST?" The Creation Club, 2015, https://thecreationclub.com/dinosaurs-and-humans-did-they-co-exist/.
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Archeology is an interesting science. People carefully dig through old ruins to find artifacts. Did you know that since 1846 archeology has repeatedly validated the historical accuracy of the Bible?
Recently, Nature Scientific Reports published information confirming the existence and destruction of ancient Sodom. Researchers used the biblical description of Sodom’s location to discover ruins at Tall el-Hammam. As they excavated, they found a five-foot layer of soot with random bits of melted bricks and burned human bones. Also, the pottery bits had a glaze similar to the sand melted by the atomic tests in the New Mexico desert in 1945.
Researchers calculate an explosion causing this destruction produced temperatures of at least 3,500 degrees and a wind of 700 miles per hour. It vaporized the city and all in it. “The Nature article concludes explicitly that what happened in 1700 BC bears inescapable parallels to what the Bible says about Sodom.”*
Here’s what Genesis 19:24-25 says, “Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah–from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities–and also the vegetation in the land.”
Archeology again validates the historical accuracy of the Bible! You can trust what it says!
*Eric Metaxas, "Is Archaeology Proving the Bible?" Newsweek, October 4, 2021, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/is-archaeology-proving-the-bible-opinion/ar-AAP7j9p.
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Have you ever been in a natural history museum or science center and felt your faith challenged? The Bible says God created the earth in six days. Museum displays say animals evolved over millions of years. Where do they get the age for the fossils in the museum? Usually from the age of the rock. How do we get the age of a rock? From the geologic column. Do you remember it from your science textbooks? It was a chart of rock layers. The oldest, lowest rock layer had no fossils. Then layers with simple fossils are on top, followed by other layers with increasingly complex animal fossils. The entire set of layers is called the geologic column.
But you shouldn’t let it challenge your faith. Did you know these facts about the geologic column?*
It does not exist anywhere on earth as depicted in textbooks.Layers are often missing in nature, for example the Grand Canyon only has half the layers.Layers are often out of order, supposedly older rock often sits on top of younger rock.Fossils are found in the wrong layer, occasionally with fossils that are supposed to be separated by hundreds of millions of years.Fossils are found crossing through layers.
Clearly, the geologic column is not a rock solid way to date fossils! So, enjoy the museum and marvel at the creatures God created!
*Scott M. Huse, The Collapse of Evolution, (Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1983), p. 9-16.
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I’m sure you have heard of a lightyear. If nothing else, you remember it is the last name of a character in the film Toy Story, you know, Buzz Lightyear! So where did he get his name?
A lightyear is a measurement of distance. It is how far a ray of light will travel in a year. It’s pretty far! A lightyear is nearly 5.9 trillion miles! Or it is nearly 9.5 trillion kilometers! Lightyears are used to measure vast distances across the universe. Did you know the distance across the known universe is calculated to be 46.5 billion lightyears?!
Some see this distance as a problem for faith in the biblical account of creation. They think that billions of years are needed for the light from distant objects to travel to earth. I don’t think so. Here’s why: God created the world with the appearance of age.
Take Adam and Eve. When they were just one hour old, they looked like adults. I think the same is true of the animals. They were not babies or eggs, but mature creatures. Since God created the universe out of nothing, and he created things with the appearance of age, I find it quite reasonable that God could create a distant star at the same time he created the beams of light from it to our earth! To me, lightyears evoke awe at what God has done!
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Why should we believe Jesus is from God? There are a lot of reasons. One is fulfilled prophecy. Over 60 different prophecies were made about Jesus, some hundreds of years before his birth. For many, Jesus did not have control over them, such as where he was born, who his ancestors were and how he died. Yet Jesus fulfills the prophecies. Was it just coincidence? Far from it! The odds of Jesus fulfilling just 48 of the prophecies has been calculated. But before we talk about that, we need to understand the number trillion.
Do you know how big a trillion is? It is the favorite number of the current U.S. government for spending. It seems they always want to spend a trillion or two more. So, how much money is a trillion dollars? If you spent a million dollars every day since Jesus was born, you would not yet have spent a trillion dollars!1 A trillion is a big number!
So, now let's talk about the odds of Jesus fulfilling 48 of the 60 prophecies about him by chance. That number has been calculated as 1 chance in 10 to the 147th power2. That is 1 chance in 10 million, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion! Talk about a big number! Talk about the odds! Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy did not happen by chance! God made it happen!
Scott Leonard, "Leonard: Why I believe Jesus rose from the dead," Vail Daily, April 20,2019,
Do you remember playing hide and seek as a child? Someone hid their eyes and everyone else scattered and hid. You always wanted to have a good hiding spot. Hiding the longest was how you won the game! Now, imagine hiding for 273 million years!
Ok, so I’m not talking about a game. I am talking about a recent news article. Two living fossils have been discovered. No, not dinosaurs! It is a non-skeletal coral living on a crinoid. They were discovered in the Pacific Ocean 330 feet deep off the coast of Japan. Supposedly, both creatures became extinct 273 million years ago. That’s the estimated age of the rock containing the fossils of these two creatures.*
But they obviously did not go extinct. Generations of the creatures must have lived for the modern pair to exist. I guess the deep ocean is a good hiding place! Also, this is not the first time a living creature has been discovered that scientists believed to be extinct by millions of years. I also predict it won’t be the last!
Perhaps there is something wrong with the assumptions evolutionists use about the dating of rocks or of the fossil forming process. Perhaps fossils were formed in a catastrophe such as a global flood. Maybe the fossils were formed only thousands of years ago. At any rate, discovery of so called “living fossils” should make us reconsider accepted scientific theories.
*Hannah Sparks, "‘Living fossil’ rediscovered in Pacific Ocean after 273 million years," New York Post, May 10, 2021, https://nypost.com/2021/05/10/living-fossil-rediscovered-after-273-million-years/.
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This week on the podcast we’ll explore reasons to believe in God and the Bible.
Have you been hearing the number a trillion lately? It seems like the U.S. government is always trying to spend a trillion or more dollars!
Large numbers are often lost on us. For example, many today seem to accept the fact that the earth is 4.5 billion years old. We hardly bat an eye. The earth has to be billions of years old in order to support the theory of evolution.
I’m sure you know that the Bible’s description of earth’s creation seems to support a young earth, not one that is billions of years old. But did you know scientific evidence exists for a young earth?
For example, evidence measuring the delta of the Mississippi River shows it started flowing 4,000 years ago.Also, the earth’s magnetic field is decaying. Using the current rate of decay, the earth can’t be more than 10,000 years old. Otherwise, the magnetic field would have surpassed that of a star!Then there are the Polonium 218 halos in certain rocks. They formed when the rocks cooled. Their existence contradicts the idea the earth’s molten rock cooled over thousands and millions of years, because the Polonium doesn’t last that long.*
I could list more examples, but only have a bit of time left! Just remember, a lot of evidence exists for the relatively young age of the earth and solar system, which contradicts the idea of evolution.
*Scott M. Huse, The Collapse of Evolution, (Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1983), p. 20-27.
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