March 21, 2025

John 16: 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

The only way to avoid troubles in life is to die!*

When my friend got word that he would be out of job in a couple of weeks, he was taken by surprise. He said, “I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming.” But he added, “I can look back now and see that there were signs, but I couldn’t see them then.” Jesus’ disciples might use a similar excuse sometime in the future when they are surprised by trials and persecution – except Jesus warned them very plainly: I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.

First he gave them the bad news: You’re going to have trouble. He didn’t just hint at trouble. He didn’t deliver vague warnings. If they didn’t see it coming, they weren’t listening.

But the good news is so much more good than the bad news is bad. He didn’t say, “Hang in there. I am going to overcome the world.” That would be like my friend’s boss saying to him, “We’re laying you off; but take heart. You’ll get a new job. Someday.” No. Jesus said, “I have overcome the world.” Already done. As if the boss had said, “We don’t need you in this job anymore; but take heart. Here’s a better one – starting now.”

Next time you have trouble, remind yourself that Jesus has already overcome the world. Your problem is already solved. Take heart – in him you will have peace until you finally see what you didn’t see coming!

True faith relies on God and believes before seeing.*

March 20, 2025

John 5: 17 Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” (NIV)

Jesus viewed the Sabbath as a gift to mankind, not a restriction.*

Jesus had just healed a man – on the Sabbath – and the Jews were incensed with him over it, and to make things worse, after  making this statement, he called God his Father. It isn’t clear which offense they found the most offensive but I’m guessing that they were just glad to have found such good excuses to persecute him. While I feel like he could have expounded a little in his response to them, his Jewish hecklers were quite aware of the context and subtext of his answer. 

Some facts about the Sabbath that they were well aware of: 

• God rested from the work of creating after six days but not from the work of being God. 
• The Lord gave them the Sabbath (Exodus 16: 29) as a reminder of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. 
• God had not instituted any Sabbath regulations that prohibited what Jesus had just done.* (See Mark 3: 1-4 for another instance of Jesus’ Sabbath-breaking and what he had to say about it.) 

Jesus was always tying the past to the present while setting the stage for the future. He frequently mentioned prophecies and foreshadowing that predicted his birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. In his ministry, he established his authority and divinity; and he alluded to the establishment and mission of the church. With this statement about God’s work, Jesus does both: refers to his credentials and to the church. But the Jews may have missed the subtext: “The Sabbath was given to Israel, not the church.”* 

God’s work of creation is complete. On the cross, Jesus completed the work of salvation when he proclaimed, “It is finished.” But Jesus and the Father are still working on our behalf. Jesus has gone on ahead of us to his Father’s house where he is making preparations for us (John 14: 2); and he is at the right hand of God interceding for us (Romans 8: 34). Always on the job!

We make room for him in our hearts, and he makes room for us in his house!*

March 19, 2025

Deuteronomy 18: 21, 22 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (NIV)

A trustworthy God is more than a match for untrustworthy men.*

In this passage, we have Moses delivering the Lord’s promise to raise up a prophet from among the people, a man who would tell them everything I command him. Experts agree that Jesus, the Messiah, was the prophet who fulfilled the prophecy.

When it comes to prophets and prophecy, skepticism can be healthy. God anticipated the questions about Jesus’ authenticity by providing a method by which the people could gauge it. If what he proclaims in the name of the Lord comes true, he’s a prophet. Listen to him. If his prophecies aren’t fulfilled, you have nothing to fear. He’s a phony.

Similarly, when we hear preachers and teachers who claim to come in the name of the Lord, we shouldn’t hesitate to listen with a dose of skepticism and be prepared to test their authenticity. What do you know about their personal lives? Do they practice what they preach? Read the scripture text along with them. If they don’t use scripture, they are motivational speakers, not prophets. The Holy Spirit speaks through the word; ask him to show you the truth. Search the gospels and see what Jesus said.

Dear readers, don’t take my word for it. Be skeptical of what I say. Make sure I am not speaking presumptuously. Even Jesus used scripture to prove that he was speaking the truth about himself (Luke 24: 27). Look it up for yourself.

We will always fall short when we seek to be scriptural without scriptures.*

March 18, 2025

John 5: 5-6 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, “Do you want to get well?” (NIV)

Fear wants nothing to change.*

The scene: the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, believed to have healing properties if you were the first one to take a dip in it after the waters had been stirred up – supposedly by an angel. The main characters: a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, and Jesus. There is no evidence that the water in the pool was any more therapeutic than any other body of water, but like the desperate people today who flock to faith healers, this man thought it was worth a try. If only he had someone to help him.

This man’s condition is sad on several levels: 1) he had been an invalid for so long; 2) he had no one to help him; 3) others, who apparently were able-bodied enough to leap into the pool ahead of him, were too self-centered to let him go first; and finally, 4) perhaps he had been sick for so long that his illness defined him.

So why would Jesus ask, “Do you want to get well?” At first, we might think that Jesus was being deliberately obtuse. Of course he wants to get well; he’s hanging out at the pool, isn’t he? There are lots of things we don’t know about the man: Had he been to a doctor? Had he ever seen anyone else actually be healed by the magical water? Had he tried to find someone to help him be the first into the pool - after all, he had found some way to get to the pool in the first place. Would he have to get a job if he was no longer sickly? And by the way, how had he managed to survive for 38 years with a disability if he had no one to help him?

Before we offer good advice or reach out a helping hand to someone in need, should we ask them that crucial question as well? “Do you really want to get well?” Are you willing to do the work, make the changes, give up the attention that your condition invites? If we feed you, help you out of your financial bind – are you going to be hungry and broke again because you have made no effort to improve your circumstances yourself? 

We don’t find examples of Jesus asking anyone else the question that he asked this man. Could it be that he didn't ask because he is God and he knew that the others were helpless to help themselves? Perhaps that’s why he asked it of this man – he knew the man had options. When it comes to helping others, we don’t have the advantage of Jesus’ gift of perception.

But what about you and your troubles? Do you really want to be healed? Are you ready to seek out scriptural solutions and submit to God’s will - even if it doesn’t always make sense, even if it’s not the answer you were hoping for? Are you willing to make sacrifices and commit to a course of action that will help you succeed? Can you look forward to your new life - a new you - without your problems? Is there a wise person of faith that you can trust to give you some good advice? Will you listen for the Holy Spirit’s counsel? Do you want to get well?

When we look closely at Jesus’ ministry, we see occasions when he offered the crowd exactly what they were seeking, whether it was healing, clarity, or lunch. . . His words were refreshing, encouraging, affirming. But then there were days he told them things so true they hurt. There were days he refused to answer their questions. . . There were moments he saw through their requests for healing and went right to their need for forgiveness.*

March 17, 2025

Luke 10: 19, 20 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (NIV)

We have authority to tread, not hold! We are to crush rather than cuddle.*

I wanted to share this passage today in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, because legend has it that he is responsible for banishing snakes from Ireland. As it turns out, though, there have never been snakes in Ireland.* The Bible, however, from Genesis to Revelation, is – ahem – crawling with snakes. Some biblical references to serpents are literal, some figurative. Which is it in this passage? I vote for figurative. I don’t think Jesus is concerned that Satan is going to use reptiles and insects to harm us. The snakes and scorpions are symbols of the subtle dangers in our path. Temptation is sneaky.

In this passage, Jesus is addressing the 72 disciples who had been sent out ahead of him, two by two, to the towns he was going to. They reported, with rejoicing, that even the demons were submitting to them in Jesus’ name (verse 17). Jesus says, “Yes. I have given you authority to overcome the enemy and nothing will harm you.” But then he issues a warning: Don’t let it go to your head. It’s all well and good for spirits to submit to you, but if you want something to rejoice about, rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

I have often wondered about people who rise to fame in ministry. When you are one of the rock stars of Christianity, how do you keep from becoming arrogant, proud, and shallow? I have a friend who was making a name for himself in Christian circles, so I asked him about it. He humbly admitted that it was hard. Not many months later, he left his ministry and his wife. I am happy to report that he and his wife reconciled soon after his crisis; and after a few years in another career, he has returned to the ministry God has called him to.

I think my friend, and others in his position, would do well to heed Jesus’ caution to his disciples. Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you – or that your church has doubled in size in a year; or that your articles appear in Christian publications; or that you are in demand as a guest speaker or worship leader. Have you overcome a habit or an addiction? Are you no longer tempted by a formerly favorite sin? Good. It’s all good. Thank God for those things; but if you want something to rejoice about, rejoice that your name is written in heaven. Rejoice that the price for your sin has been paid in full. Rejoice in your salvation. That is what matters.

The deceitfulness of Satan and of our own hearts will lead us to focus on secondary issues.*

March 16, 2025

John 1: 5-7 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. (NIV)

It is precisely their distinctives that are the reason for having four gospels in the first place.*

The four gospel writers are like a newspaper staff. Matthew, Mark, and Luke were the reporters – just the facts, each with his own target audience. John was the editorial columnist. When it comes to the news, I want to know the who, what, when, and where – not how the reporter felt about it. But sometimes I don’t quite understand the ramifications of the event. That’s when I need John. Someone I can trust to provide the context and the subtext without putting his spin on it.

If you were a new Christian – or interested in becoming one – I would recommend that you start your journey of faith by reading the gospel of Matthew, Mark or Luke. Mark is the shortest, while all three give you all the background information you need. Armed with that knowledge, and accompanied by prayer, I would tell you to move on to John’s gospel for his insight as an insider, inspired by the Holy Spirit. He reveals Jesus as he proves his identity as the Son of God; spells out what is wrong with humanity; and tells us how to be saved.*  And of course, John is the one who brought us the most famous verse of all: John 3: 16.

The book of John isn’t just for the beginner or the seeker. The first line of this passage is all I need to remind me that I need to read the book again. “The light shines in darkness, but the darkness had not understood it.” What does that mean? Let’s read the rest of the John's gospel and see if he can shed some light on it!

Information without context strikes the mind but peters out before the heart.*

March 15, 2025

Luke 6: 12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. (NIV)

We are . . . prone to make our own plans or decisions before we pray, but we should pray about everything first.*

As a supervisor, I made the decisions about who to hire for my department. I got to choose who to fire as well, except there was this one time . . . I had a new employee who seemed to be working out pretty well – until his probationary period was up. Within a few months, my boss finally told me that I had to fire the guy, but I asked her to give me one more day – it was a very busy time, we were short-handed, and I needed someone to load a truck. That day, while loading the truck, he faked an injury and we were on the hook for his Workman’s Comp claim until his benefits ran out.

Luke tells us in this verse that Jesus went out to a mountainside and prayed all night. Next morning, he chose his staff of twelve. Perhaps Jesus spoke to his Father of other things besides who was going to be in his inner circle, but it is clear that there was a connection between his night-long vigil and the important business decision he made the next day. How much better my story could have turned out if I had thought to follow the example of Jesus and prayed about whom to hire - and when to fire them.

We should bring all our important decisions to the Lord. Nothing wrong with praying about the not-so-important ones as well. Sometimes the little things turn out to have a big impact on our lives and the lives of others. Is it enough to mention the matter in our daily prayer time prior to the big decision – or is it necessary that we stay up all night praying about it? Jesus never gave precise instructions about how long our prayers should last in order to be effective, but his long nights in communication with God should tell us that quantity, not just quality, is important. After all, prayer is more about getting to know God than about getting things from him. Thank you for today. And please help me make a wise decision tomorrow, doesn’t seem conducive to relationship-building, does it?

His life was encapsulated by prayer. It wasn’t because he felt he had to meet some spiritual requirement. It was a relationship.*