October 31, 2023

Deuteronomy 11: 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them to your foreheads. (NIV)

We don’t usually need to be taught new ideas as much as we need to be reminded of old truths.*

Modern technology has provided us with many methods to remind ourselves of things we don’t want to forget, from Post-It Notes to phones that alert us that we have an appointment in ten minutes. I am pretty much old-school myself: a calendar in my purse; a calendar (from the funeral home) on my desk; and, even though I am not very busy these days, an occasional “to-do” list. We have pictures to remind us of loved ones and good times, and ceremonies to commemorate historic events.

God did not want his people to forget his commands or that his love for them was the purpose of his commands. He wanted them to remember the words in their heads and to treasure them in their hearts. Meditate upon the words. Be creative in devising methods to remind themselves of them. Tie them around their hands or plaster them across their foreheads if that’s what it takes. How about a tattoo?

There was nothing inherently wrong with the Jews’ literal interpretation of God’s figurative suggestion. If that’s what it took to fix God’s words on their hearts and minds, I’m sure God was pleased with their devotion. If only they could have maintained the purity of their intent! Instead, by the time Jesus came along, the symbols on their hands and foreheads had become nothing but a “a showy way of expressing spiritual pride.”* (see Matthew 23: 5)

But let’s not dwell on the literalism and self-righteousness of the Pharisees. Let’s look beyond the devolution of their devotion and search for our own methods of remembrance . . . because it is still vitally important today that we meditate on God’s word, store it in our hearts, and know how to apply it in our daily lives. Memorize scripture that speaks to your personal struggles. Take advantage of that modern technology I mentioned earlier – a Bible app on your phone allows you to read and research anywhere, any time. Make Bible study a part of your schedule every day. Know your Bible: memorize the books of the Bible. Become so familiar with scripture that you can say, “I don’t know exactly where that passage is found but I know it’s in there.” And then know where to start looking. Go to Bible study groups where you can discuss the word with others. And get a tattoo if you have to!

When people say they wish they could watch more football, or they wish they could spend more time on the Internet, most of them will actually find a way to do just that. But when . . . people . . . say they wish they knew the Bible better, will they actually set out to do it?*

October 30, 2023

Jonah 3: 5 The Ninevites believed God. (NIV) 

Are there individuals in our circles of influence who might be surprisingly receptive to God’s Word?*

Have you ever invited someone to church and they surprised you by showing up? Perhaps you had no idea they were interested in church. The invitation was unplanned – a long-shot. Sometimes these people are one-timers, but sometimes they become committed Christians. And where would these new believers be if not for someone’s off-hand suggestion that they go to church?

Jonah didn’t want to “invite” the Ninevites to "church.” He had a very bad experience when he tried to run away from his assignment. After all was settled between him and God, Jonah obeyed the word of God and preached throughout the city. And, lo and behold, they believed God. They fasted and prayed and repented from their wicked ways.

I don’t know how long the Ninevites stayed true to the Lord. Some may have remained faithful for life. No doubt many fell back into their old lifestyle. Just like our friends who show up at church – some stay, some don’t. But that does not relieve us of our duty to make the effort to lead them to the Lord.

Witnessing to the lost is often a daunting undertaking. We don’t know what to say. But sometimes it’s as easy as, “Hey, would you like to go to church with me Sunday?” If you’re like me, if you have had any conversations with the person at all, they already know how important your church family is to you. You have already witnessed to them. Inviting them to church is just the natural next step. Don’t be a Jonah and cause God to take drastic measures to get you to do your duty!

Never underestimate the power of God’s truth to penetrate and transform human hearts.*

October 29, 2023

I John 1: 7 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)

Light reveals us to ourselves.*

I showed up at work one day wearing clothes that didn’t match. The top and the pants looked perfectly fine together in the light at home but not so much in the fluorescent lighting at the office. To determine the true colors in my outfit, I suppose I should have gone outside in the sunlight. 

John urges us to walk in the true light, not for the sake of fashion, but for the sake of fellowship with God and purification from sin. We could choose to walk in the light of our conscience: doing what we think is right or what is right for us. Some may walk in the light of duty: doing the right thing out of a sense of responsibility. Others may look to the opinions of the world for their source of light – walking in the light of the majority.* (As someone wryly observed: “What most people think is true is reality enough for me.”*) But for true enlightenment, our walk must be illuminated by the light that Jesus walks in. 

To avoid fashion faux pas, you should consider the light sources in the environment where you will spend your day. But for your spiritual walk, it is where you will spend eternity that matters. Choose the only light that can reveal your true colors and walk in that light as he is in that light.

All your life should be seen and measured in the light of eternity.*

October 28, 2023

Revelation 21: 4, 5 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (NIV)

Only in heaven will we know exactly what heaven is like.*

We aren’t so sure about what we are going to see in heaven. When God says that the old order of things has passed away, we have some cryptic clues as to what that will look like. But God has made it pretty clear about some of the things that we won’t see there: tears; death; mourning; crying; pain. I think we can safely say that we won’t have to deal with traffic jams or pancreatic cancer or mean people or freak accidents.

You know what else we won’t find in heaven? Our own personal bad stuff. On earth, I am shallow, selfish, lazy, and judgmental. When I get to heaven, I will no longer struggle with my unholiness. Not only will I see my Savior face-to-face, I will be able to look him in the eye because I will have nothing to be ashamed of. When he says, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” I will nod modestly and accept the reward that Jesus earned for me.

PS: As a writer, I love that God had to remind John to take notes rather than trust that he would remember what he had seen and heard. I pray that the words I write prove to be trustworthy and true, too.

You will be at your best forever.*

October 27, 2023

Lamentations 3: 22, 23 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (NIV)

God is an inexhaustible fountain of mercy, the Father of mercies. (NIV)

The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, AKA “the Weeping Prophet.” In verse 19 of this chapter, he lists some of the things that bring him sorrow: Affliction, wandering, bitterness, gall. But even this poor sad fellow has found a silver lining in his cloud of sorrow: God’s faithfulness. He may wake up every morning with the same old troubles but God’s compassions (mercies, as the King James Version renders it) are fresh and new and never failing. Whatever tired old problems that are dragged through the dark night from yesterday to today, God’s mercy is sufficient for the day.

Our troubles are seldom ever brand new every day either. We usually wake up with the same ones we had the day before. You know what else isn’t new every morning? Our sins. Whatever we struggled with yesterday, we are probably going to be working on it again today. But God is not daunted by our weakness. As he told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (II Corinthians 12: 9) You might say that his grace is new every morning.

God is not limited by my weaknesses but liberated by them!*

October 26, 2023

Ephesians 4: 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (NIV)

We must work hard to have patience and not to react stubbornly to another’s stubbornness.*

Being completely humble and gentle is not an easy task. But how about being patient? How are you doing with that? I read somewhere that patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.* Is that true, do you think? If you are sitting there with one foot on the brake and the other on the accelerator, are you really being patient or are you just passive-agressively trying to appear patient?

Don’t get me wrong. Behaving in a patient manner is better than acting on your feelings of impatience, but the Bible speaks of being patient, not just acting like it. For instance:

·       Be patient in affliction. (Romans 12: 12)

·       Be patient with everyone. (I Thessalonians 5: 14)

·       Be patient and stand firm. (James 5: 8)

There are other passages that speak of learning to be patient – all presenting very good reasons to make patience a priority. But our verse today alludes to the ultimate motivation for acquiring patience: love. As Paul points out elsewhere, love is patient (I Corinthians 13: 4). Does that mean that if you are impatient with your children you don’t love them? If your spouse makes you feel like stripping your gears sometimes, have you stopped loving him? Let me answer for you by asking another question: do you think your love has reached the level of perfection?

We are human and imperfect. In every way we fail, but we don’t give up trying to be like Jesus. When it comes to patience, we just look to him for the perfect example and we keep trying. We continue to act patiently while still experiencing feelings of impatience, whether it’s with other people, or even with God as we wait for him to answer our prayers. The more we learn to love like Jesus, the less our feelings are a factor. Just be patient!

Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.*

October 25, 2023

Acts 7: 39 “But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.” (NIV)

The temptations of the marching Israelite nation in its infancy pretty well spell out some of our snares.*

In his book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell lists the three most common reasons that people reject Christ: ignorance, pride, and moral problems.* We might be inclined to excuse ignorance – a person can’t know what he doesn’t know. But Romans 1: 18-23 speaks of ignorance that is a result of ignoring the signs. Pride says, “I don’t need Christ,” while still seeking human approval. Those who reject Christ because of a moral problem may be the most guilty of willful rejection because they know they have something to hide.

This verse from Acts is part of Stephen’s sermon which so inflamed his listeners that they stoned him to death. Here he refers to Moses’ experience as the leader of the Israelites during their years in the desert. Through Moses’ leadership, God had led them out of their slavery in Egypt and provided for all their physical needs along the way. Moses listened to their whining and interceded for them, successfully negotiating with God on their behalf. But then, as Stephen says, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.

I’m not sure which of McDowell’s three rejection categories the Israelites fall under – perhaps all of them – but I would like to introduce two categories of my own: 1) those who reject Christ without ever knowing him; and 2) those who reject him after once having accepted him. 

My category #1 probably consists entirely of the ignorant people to which McDowell refers; but they are still without excuse (Romans 1: 18-23, again). If ignorance is no excuse, how much worse are those who, having known the blessedness of a relationship with Christ, reject him and look longingly at a life of sin? It would be better, writes Peter, if they had never known the way of righteousness than to have known it, only to turn their backs on it (II Peter 2: 21).

Jesus said that no one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God (Luke 9: 62). My advice: Don’t look back. Egypt may look better in hindsight than it actually was. The trek through the wilderness may be treacherous, but the Promised Land awaits for those who are faithful – and consequences are dire for those who fall away.

He grants us the ability to continually reject him in order that we might actually, freely choose him.*

October 24, 2023

Acts 12: 5-16 So Peter was kept in prison . . . Suddenly an angel . . . appeared . . . He struck Peter . . . and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off . . . Peter followed him out of the prison . . . They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. . . . Then Peter came to himself and . . . he went to the house of Mary . . . Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant . . . came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice . . . she ran back without opening it. . . . But Peter kept knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. (NIV)

"Where one door closes one must open it again. That is the very function of a door. There would be no such invention as a hinge if that were not the case."*

Let’s follow Peter on his night of adventure: He was in prison, expecting to go to trial the next day. Suddenly, his chains fell off; he was escorted out of his cell and out of the jail by an angel; and the iron gate to the city mysteriously opens for them. Then Peter, abandoned by the angel, made his way to the home of Mary, where the gang had gathered to pray for him. He knocked on the door, but it didn’t get opened. He knocked again – kept on knocking – until someone had the presence of mind to open it and let him in.

Peter’s experience, and his actions, show us that not every obstacle is a permanent one. How many times have you had a door shut in your face and you thought, “Well, that’s that then.” Here was Peter in chains – they came off. He was in a cell in a prison – those doors, once closed and locked, now open. Then the iron gate – an insurmountable obstacle, it would seem - swung open for him. And then he came to the door to his friend’s house. He knocked but no one let him. Did he shrug and say to himself, “The door is closed to me,” and walk away? No. He kept on knocking until the door was opened.

God is in the business of opening doors, not just closing them. Read in Acts 5: 19 of some other apostles who were also broken out of jail by an angel. When Paul and Silas were in prison, an earthquake blew open the doors (Acts 16: 26); and Jesus proved that a locked door could not stop him (John 20: 26). And in Colossians 4: 3, we have Paul asking for prayers that God would open a door for him to proclaim the message (for which he was in chains!).

Sometimes, a closed door is a clear sign that we need to go another direction. But before you leave, perhaps you should turn the knob. Just because the door is closed doesn’t mean it’s locked. Oh, it is locked? Did you knock? Maybe, if you knock again, someone will let you in.

If. . . [God’s] hand is in it, an obstacle is only a door waiting to be opened.*

October 23, 2023

Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (NIV)

Blessed are those who are totally dependent on Jesus for their joy.*

The Old Testament is full of examples of rejoicing for good cause - for God’s provision, for his deliverance, for his lovingkindness, for his faithfulness. There are similar occasions of rejoicing in the New Testament; but along the way, our joy takes an ominous turn.

• Matthew 5: 12; Luke 6: 23 – Jesus said to rejoice and be glad because we are going to be persecuted.
• Acts 5: 41 – the apostles rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 
• II Corinthians 6: 10 – Paul’s long list of paradoxes includes “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” 
• Philippians 2: 17; Colossians 1: 24 – Paul rejoices in sacrifices made for others. 
• I Peter 4: 13 – Peter urges us to rejoice when we suffer for Christ because we will know more joy when his glory is revealed.

In this very short verse in Philippians, Paul reveals two important secrets for rejoicing in the midst of persecution, suffering, sorrow, and sacrifice. The first: it is a choice. Rejoicing for blessings comes naturally; only the most mentally dysfunctional are unable to find joy in the good things. But Paul’s admonition to rejoice indicates that we can – we must – choose rejoicing. The second: we rejoice in the Lord. 

It is ridiculous to think that Christians are supposed to want to suffer merely for the sake of suffering. But our hope is in the Lord. He gives meaning and purpose to sorrow and persecution, and we give glory to him when we choose to rejoice in him.

You are one decision away from joy.*

October 22, 2023

Matthew 19: 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)

How silly we must appear to God.*

Following this declaration, Jesus restated it for emphasis. “Again, I tell you,” he said, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Forget all the speculation you’ve heard about camels and needles. Jesus said it was hard, not impossible, for a rich man to go to heaven. The camel and the eye of the needle was a figure of speech. He was speaking figuratively, not literally. Other people speak figuratively, why not Jesus?

Now that we have that out of the way . . . let’s talk about why it’s hard for a rich man (or woman) to enter the kingdom. I think this quote from Max Lucado provides us with a clue: It’s not just the rich who have difficulty. So do the educated, the strong, the good-looking, the popular, the religious. So do you if you think your piety or power qualifies you as a kingdom candidate.*  In other words, the problem lies in where we put our trust.

It doesn’t matter if you have all the advantages listed above or if you have none of them. Your money or your power or your good looks may open doors for you in this world, but don’t count on them to open heaven’s gates for you. And, in fact, being poor, dumb, weak, ugly, and/or unloved won’t help you either. When God looks down on us, he is looking for the blood of Jesus. Without the blood, we might as well be that camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle.

Be careful never to place your trust in God’s blessings rather than in God.*