December 4, 2025

Matthew 2: 1, 2 . . . Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? . . .” (NIV)

The Bible was written to bear witness to Christ.*

Wise men, who were not Jews, knew the signs that pointed to the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies. How much more they knew is not included in the story, but clearly they knew more than the very people to whom the prophecies had been announced and entrusted. If we follow Jesus’ life and ministry in the gospels, we see how the Jews couldn’t see the forest for the trees. They couldn’t see what was right in front of them. And other clichés.

When I first began researching for this passage, I was feeling some sympathy for the Jews as they witnessed Jesus’ march to messiahship. After all, Jesus was not the King David-ish person they were expecting. David was a victorious warrior and they believed that the Messiah would be the same, and that he would liberate them from their oppressors and make them a world power. Understandable, I thought. Until I checked out the prophecies from the Old Testament. In II Samuel 7: 16, God promises David, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever . . . your throne will be established forever.” And David alludes to that promise in Psalm 89: 3 and 4. It seems that the reference to an eternal kingdom should be a clue that it would not be an earthly one. Beyond this, the prophecies predicted a messiah who was very clearly fulfilled in Jesus. And the Jews didn’t see it because they didn’t want to see it.

And who are we to look down on the Jews for their short-sightedness? Do we see Jesus as the Messiah who came to establish the Kingdom of God or as a wish-granting fairy who makes our dreams come true? Do we understand that we need the whole Bible to paint the “big picture” for us, or do we pick passages of scripture, take them out of their context, and turn them into mottos? Do we seek God’s will for our lives, or do we make our plans and ask him to bless them as we move forward with them? Do we want to see Jesus the Messiah, or would we prefer to remake him in our own image?

If I’m free to ignore the larger context, then it becomes easier to read the Bible like a narcissist.*

December 3, 2025

I Peter 4: 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (NIV)

It is with consistently dependable people that God’s work moves forward.*

As I moved up in my career, I was given more and more work to do as I proved myself capable of handling it. But then a funny thing began to happen: as I continued to be promoted, I started doing less. I was responsible for more but I had to delegate many of the tasks that used to be part of my job. Some of those tasks I did well and/or enjoyed doing; some I was glad to pass on to others. The important thing was to give the jobs to those who could do them best for the good of the organization.

I see a similar pattern in the church. I have been a member of small congregations where, if my family didn’t show up, they couldn’t “have church.” When I was a teenager, for instance, my dad was the preacher/song-leader/adult Sunday school teacher; my mom was the children’s Sunday school teacher (and the soloist when special music was on the agenda); and I was the piano player. In small churches, the few have to wear many hats to get the job done, whether it’s their special gift or not. As the church grows, it becomes necessary – in a very good way – to spread out the tasks to those who are most capable and willing to do them. The more that a congregation is able to do well, and the more involved its members become, the more the church grows – for the good of the organization and the kingdom.

Peter may not have been thinking about the size of the congregation when he wrote the words of today’s verse, but he surely had the good of the kingdom in mind when he urged us to use our gifts to serve others and faithfully administer God’s grace. It’s just part of our job description.

The gifts God has entrusted to us belong to the community of believers.*

December 2, 2025

Hebrews 10: 17 “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” (NIV)

If you’re telling yourself you don’t deserve a second chance, remind yourself you didn’t deserve the first one either.*

If you have been a Christian for a long time, you have probably reached an understanding of God’s forgiveness: we don’t deserve it but he does it. But most of us still have that little nagging doubt about the limits of his forgiveness. We’re afraid that one day soon, God will finally reach his breaking point and say, “That’s it. You have blown all your chances.” We forget that God doesn’t count chances. To him, your second and third and 100^th chances are your first one.

Today’s verse is from a passage in Jeremiah, quoted in the book of Hebrews. Sometimes we mistakenly apply Old Testament passages to ourselves when they were actually being addressed to a specific audience, but this one serves a dual purpose – then and now. The writer of Hebrews assures us that the Holy Spirit testifies to us about this, tying it to Christ’s one-time all-atoning sacrifice (verses 14 and 15).

Does God really have no memory of your past sins? Or does he just “forget” the penalty for them? Does it really matter? As it is written: “And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” (verse 18). It’s a done deal.

As Christians, we can’t fully understand the New Testament or the work of Christ without the vocabulary of the Old Testament Law: sacrifice, atonement, unclean, holy, curse, blood.*

December 1, 2025

Ephesians 5: 25, 28 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her . . .  husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (NIV)

A husband’s role is not to dictate and dominate but to devote himself sacrificially to his wife’s welfare.*

First Corinthians chapter 13 is known as the “Love Chapter.” It is quoted at most weddings – and it contains some very good information for newlyweds. But for the biblical take on romance, give me this passage in Ephesians any time. Every time.

Love may be patient and kind, but we’re a little wary of allowing someone else to tell us what patience and kindness look like. But when we’re told that a husband must love his wife just as Christ loves the church, there is no doubt that self-sacrifice is involved in living up to that standard. So, while to the newly and giddily in love, romance may be about flowers and sweet nothings, to the seasoned lover, true love is so much more – and less.

I was in a weekly Bible study group that met on the hostess’s screen porch. One night, the weather turned a little chilly for us Floridians. As I was sitting there trying to keep warm, I became aware of a little disturbance from the couple sitting next to me. When I turned to check it out, I discovered that the husband, without fanfare, had removed his socks and gave them to his sandal-wearing wife. What could be more romantic than that?

Romance is not love. Without self-sacrifice, romance is an empty gesture. Self-sacrificial love leaves romance in the dust. Husbands: do you want to be known as the world’s greatest lover? Love your wife as Christ loves the church. It will cost you but it will pay you, too: he who loves his wife loves himself. Win-win.

Love doesn’t look at the cost. It sees only what it can do for the one it loves.*

November 30, 2025

Psalm 105: 4 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. (NIV)

We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God.*

We all know that when we’ve lost something we always find it in the last place we look – no point in looking anywhere else if you’ve found it. With that principle in mind, we might think that the psalmist, by telling us to seek the Lord’s face always, is implying that we will never find it. Now there’s a sad thought. Could it be that we misunderstand his meaning?

According to St. Augustine’s interpretation, seeking God’s face always isn’t just an ongoing earthly task but an activity that continues on into eternity. Not because God won’t let us see his face but because “God is so great that we never finish our searching. He is always new.”* 

Now we get the picture – not of something lost or hidden – but of something that we never get tired of looking at. So, now, the psalmist’s words sound like good advice, because if you’re going to get tired of seeking the Lord’s face, eternity isn’t going to be so pleasant for you.

Just how much are you looking forward to seeing the Lord’s face? Personally, the older I get, the more I long for it. Is it because I am getting older and nearer to death? Maybe there is some truth in that. But the heart of my longing is found in the words of a song: the longer I serve him, the sweeter he grows. I really look forward to being in the Lord’s presence. I hope you do, too!

Heaven will seem more like a long-awaited homecoming than a visit to a new place.*

November 29, 2025

Mark 6: 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith. (NIV)

Put some people in a room and they behold no more than a blind horse would.*

What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever seen another human do (besides in traffic)? It’s hard to decide who gets the prize, isn’t it? In the college cafeteria, I saw a guy pour a glassful of Kool-Aid in his face because he was trying to read the logo on the bottom of the glass. Come to think of it, I’ve done stupider things than that myself. People will continue to amaze us – because I am sure we haven’t seen everything yet!

This verse gives us a peek into the humanity of Jesus. We aren’t told that he was amazed at the stupidity of the people in his hometown, but don’t you think it’s implied? His fellow Nazarenes were amazed by his teaching, his wisdom, and his miracles, and yet they couldn’t piece the clues together to form the logical conclusion: Jesus was the Messiah. Instead, they couldn’t get past his past: Isn’t he the carpenter? Isn’t he Mary’s boy? Didn’t I go to school with his brothers and sisters? And so, Jesus, who really had seen everything, was amazed at their lack of faith.

I don’t know if I’ve ever done anything that Jesus would consider to be amazing in a positive way but I would hope that I have never amazed him by my lack of faith. Perhaps my faith has been weak at times. And certainly I have been disobedient, rebellious, and indifferent; but how could I ever have no faith at all? There has never been a time when Jesus has not lived up to my faith in him.

What about you? Have you put the clues together and concluded that Jesus can be trusted? Or have you been distracted by your mistaken expectations of who he is and what he promises? Have you ever tested him by taking a step of faith, allowing him the chance to amaze you with his faithfulness? Or will you be among those who amaze him with their lack of faith?

A faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted.*

November 28, 2025

II Kings 4: 1-7 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “. . . my husband is dead . . . and he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied . . . “How can I help you? . . . what do you have in your house?” “. . . nothing at all,” she said, “except a little oil.” . . . “Go . . . ask all your neighbors for empty jars. . . . Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” . . . When all the jars were full . . . Then the oil stopped flowing. . . . “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your son can live on what is left.” (NIV)

God is the God of limitless resources who can provide incredibly for us when we are in need.*

How many of you hate to ask for help? . . . Show of hands . . . For some of you it’s a cultural thing – we Americans are pretty independent (since 1776, as a matter of fact!). For some, it’s a bit of a personality disorder: I don’t need nobody for nothin’. For anyone: is there a scriptural reason why we shouldn’t ask others to lend us a hand?

This story about Elisha and a widow down-on-her-luck resonates with me right now. My husband passed away from pancreatic cancer. This woman was probably a lot younger than I am – she has two “boys” so I’m assuming they are still children – but had very few resources. A little oil. I don’t know what kind of oil we’re talking about – cooking? heating? light? – but it wasn’t enough for her and her sons to survive on. . . . until she asked for help. She shared her problem with a man of God – always a good place to start – and God used him to bless her.

Notice that Elisha didn’t just swoop in and solve her problems for her. He was a prophet, not a knight in shining armor. He empowered her to help herself by introducing her to another resource: her neighbors. She was instructed to ask all her neighbors for empty jars. We don’t know if she got around to all of them; or if all of them had empty jars to donate; or even how many neighbors she had; but she came home with jars and filled them with oil until she ran out of jars. Do you imagine that she thought then of the neighbors she didn’t want to bother? If only I had asked for more jars!

Maybe we, too, limit our blessings: by being afraid to speak up; by not putting out enough containers; by not having enough faith in God’s provision. Perhaps we underestimate the resources that are available to us. The widow had neighbors. Do you have family? friends? fellow church-members? Will you allow them to help? Are you a good steward of what you do have? Are you willing to trust in God’s provision? Are you prepared to receive God’s blessings? Never forget that he is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask – or imagine! (Ephesians 3: 20)

God used what the woman gave him and did more with it than she could have done alone.*