July 1, 2025

Judges 2: 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger. (NIV)

The home needs to be the center of faith formation for our youth.*

For the first twelve years of my life, I attended church with my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins galore. I have a lot of good memories of Christmas plays, Easter egg hunts, potluck dinners, and VBS. But that was a long time ago and there is no reason for me to expect my children to share in my nostalgia for those good old days. That congregation is part of their heritage but not part of their memory.

In this passage, we read about the “spiritual amnesia”* of the people who were a generation removed from the Israelites who took possession of the Promised Land – and two generations from those who were led out of Egypt. There is no shame in their having no memory of the plagues and miracles of those long-ago days - because they weren’t there when they happened. They hadn’t been born yet! But shame on the parents who allowed themselves and their families to be absorbed into the culture around them and failed to teach their children to worship God.

If one generation neglects to set an example of worship and obedience, the next generation may forsake the Lord and provoke him to anger. My kids do not sing the same songs that I sang. My grandchildren may never know the joy of attending church every week with their extended family. The traditions of my past are not so important to the next generation, but the gospel is. The truth that was taught in my Sunday School classes and preached from the pulpit should never become part of a forgotten heritage. 

Many parents deserve hell on their children's account, because they neglect to train them in piety.*

June 30, 2025

Mark 9: 5, 6  Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) (NIV)

[God] sees our defects, errors, and blemishes. But he also sees our value.*

The conversion of Paul makes for a dramatic story – as does his ministry. His life was a series of adventures, not unlike Indiana Jones. But for an apostle I can relate to, Peter is my guy. Like me, he seemed to subscribe to the “saying something stupid is better than saying nothing at all” school of thought. And also like me, not everything he said was stupid. 

Here are some highlights, starring Peter and his often-unruly, sometimes-silver tongue: 

• “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16: 16) He got it right! 
• “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16: 22) Oops! Jesus had to scold him for not having in mind the things of God. 
• “Let’s put up three shelters . . .” (Mark 9: 5) Because he didn’t know what to say. 
• “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” (Mark 14: 71) Jesus predicted it and he did it – three times. 
• “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” The conclusion to his sermon on the day of Pentecost – after which 3,000 accepted his message and were baptized. 
• “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (II Peter 1: 16) This is Peter’s testimony and it is no less powerful for all the times that he failed. 

God didn’t reject Peter when he failed, nor did Peter give in to despair over his failures. He wasn’t defined by them – he was refined instead. I am encouraged when I see that the man who didn’t know what to say on the mountain that day has been transformed into the one who said, “Listen carefully to what I say,” and 3,000 people did! 

Peter’s life demonstrates what happens when we realize that “failure is an event, not a person.”* Our sermons may not be to thousands; our escapes may not be from prison; but God can use us powerfully if we get back up after we fall.

Peter denied Christ before he preached Christ.*

June 29, 2025

Mark 12: 42-44 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more in the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.” (NIV)

There is no risk in generous giving.*

We don’t know why this woman would sacrifice everything she had to live on in order to make a contribution to the temple treasury. Maybe two copper coins – all that she had – weren’t enough to buy anything so she felt that she might as well contribute it to a good cause. Although Jesus seems to be commending her for her generosity, I think he was also making a point about other people’s lack of it. Rich people were casually tossing large amounts of money into the receptacle – leaving themselves with plenty for their own needs and luxuries.

There are those who use this story to excuse their own stinginess. They seem to be of the opinion that if their income hasn’t reached “wealthy status,” they are exempt from tithing. They give a tiny percentage of their wealth to the church and call it their “widow’s mite.” While there is no New Testament command to tithe, I believe there is ample support for the position that 10% is the least we can do. Jesus didn’t lower the bar on matters of the heart – he expects more from us than the Law required. (Read Matthew 5:17-48.)

I can testify from my own experience that it is quite possible to survive on the remaining 90%, no matter how poor you are. Return to God his small share and you will find that he provides in amazing and generous ways. “Test me in this,” he challenged Israel through the prophet Malachi. “Test him in this,” I challenge you today.  Bring in the whole tithe and see if he will not throw open the floodgates and pour out the blessings. Test him and learn to trust him.

Always give to the Lord up front. It is far easier to live on the 90 percent that remains than to withhold the tithe that is the Lord’s due.*

June 28, 2025

Luke 6: 2, 9 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” . . . Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (NIV)

We must not let our own rules or customs or habits or practices become hardened or sanctified beyond the reach of human needs.*

Were you ever the “new kid” and someone told you, “That’s not how we do things around here”? My first day at a new job I wore my best outfit because I hadn’t been issued my uniforms yet. At the door, another employee didn’t even say hello, she just looked me over and said, “We don’t wear pants to work.” How was I supposed to know the rules if no one told me? Why was I embarrassed?

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law didn’t know who they were dealing with when they tried to embarrass Jesus. He knew what the law said – he wrote it. He knew the intent of the law - as well as the intent of all the petty rules and traditions the religious leaders had imposed on top of the law. Jesus was not a law-breaker but he surely was a rule-breaker!

In every way, we need to try to think and act like Jesus. He refused to let traditions interfere with his compassion for people.* He wouldn’t refuse to come to someone’s rescue because it might cause him to miss church on Sunday morning. He wouldn’t deny entrance to someone who wasn’t dressed properly for church. Some behavior, while not acceptable for a Christian, should be tolerated while the “new kid” is still waiting for his orientation class and his new uniform.

There are few things required of Christians that are more important than caring for others. It’s what we do. It’s who we are.

Jesus was more tolerant of lost people than most of us will ever be, because he loved lost people more than most of us ever will.*

June 27, 2025

Jeremiah 16: 8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.” (NIV)

Sometimes we forego what makes us temporarily happy in order to pursue a life of holiness.*

There are many careers that take a toll on one’s personal life - law enforcement and espionage come to mind. Long hours, erratic schedules, and secrets can wreak havoc on families – so much that some give up on real life and choose to “be the job.” Jeremiah the prophet had a similar experience. Perhaps he could have chosen not to accept his mission, but he was called by God and so he became the job. It is not surprising that he remained “reluctant, insecure, and often unhappy”* in his career. As this verse indicates, apparently his job description included, “Don’t have any fun.” 

Most of us will never know what it means to suffer in service to God. Our sacrifices require nothing more extreme than inconvenience. If you haven’t been called to a ministry of suffering, don’t feel guilty. As someone has said, “While physical suffering has been a common faith-building experience for many believers . . . it is not essential to spirituality.”* BUT . . . if you have ignored the ministry that God has called you to, then you should feel guilty! 

God’s “staffing” decisions are steeped in mystery. We don’t know why he chose Jeremiah to be the “weeping prophet” or why Moses was the only one qualified to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Of all the young Jewish women in the world, was Mary really the only one who met all the qualifications? 

I have friends who have answered God’s call to go to mission fields in dangerous foreign countries – and they are happy to be there. And while we would never characterize Jeremiah as happy, we might say that he found fulfillment – and that he certainly would not have found happiness if he had refused to take God’s job offer. The same goes for you and me. “Bloom where you are planted,” may be a cliché, but it’s good advice – until God says, “Go.”

Suffering in the will of God is a ministry that God gives to a chosen few.*

June 26, 2025

Romans 5: 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (NIV)

Shall the Father not give us freely all that Christ purchased for us?*

In my college class on the book of Romans, we learned a heading for each chapter. Many years have passed since then but I still remember: Chapter 1 – Gentiles are sinners; Chapter 2 – Jews are sinners; Chapter 3 – all are sinners. When Paul wrote that Christ died for the ungodly, he meant everyone. It wasn’t a matter of our Savior’s willingness to die for the mistaken, misinformed, sincerely wrong, or victims of fate. He gave his life for the worst deliberate and defiant sinner.

Utterly helpless to save ourselves though we may be, we are not hopeless. That is, we are not hopeless if we choose to come to him. Jesus paid the price for sin - death - to give us the gift of life. A gift is free – but you have to open the package before it has any value. Tearing open the wrapping doesn’t mean you have earned the gift, only that you are accepting it.

Some people think that they are beyond saving. Maybe you have done some really bad things and you can’t forgive yourself. Perhaps there are other people who have been unable to forgive you. Guess what? Christ died for the ungodly – that’s you. Your sin is not more powerful than his grace.

His grace exceeds the largest dimensions known to man.*

June 25, 2025

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)

The brilliance of Jesus shines brighter than the different tones of our culture, gender, and reputation.*

Because the Old Testament concentrates on the antics of a select group of people, it’s easy to get the impression that God ignored the rest of the world – and that, likewise, the world ignored him - until God opened the door to the Gentiles. But if you read the Bible carefully, you will find intriguing little clues that God’s interaction with humans was not limited to the Jews and their predecessors.

Luke tells us that Cornelius was well-acquainted with God. As a Gentile - and a high-ranking Roman soldier at that - how, when, and where was he exposed to knowledge of the one true God? There is no indication that he was a Jewish proselyte – someone who had been converted to Judaism – so his worship did not follow their traditions. All we know is that he and his family were devout, God-fearing, generous to the poor, and they prayed to God regularly. In other words, good people.

But they were good people who didn’t know Jesus. All their godly attitudes and actions couldn’t save them. After some divine intervention, Peter was convinced to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius and his family were convicted of their need to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Their obedience, their example, and their acceptance by the Holy Spirit opened the door for all Gentiles to join the family of believers.

Perhaps there is a good person in your life who needs Jesus. It’s easy for someone to think that because they are kind and generous and they believe in God, there is no reason for them not to expect to make it into heaven. They don’t understand that no one is that good. Tell them the story of Cornelius – a good man who couldn’t get to heaven on his own merits. A good man who understood that Jesus is The Way.

All our best efforts at morality and spirituality could not expunge our guilt or deflect his wrath.*