February 28, 2022

Acts 17: 11 (NIV)

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

[It is] tragic [that we] have had our seeking done for us by our teachers.*

What made the Bereans so special? First, they received the message with great eagerness; and second, they didn’t trust the messenger – even though that messenger was Paul. If you can’t trust Paul to preach the truth, who can you trust? The answer is: you don’t know who to trust, so you must do as the Bereans did: examine the Scriptures daily.

Perhaps you are on the same train of thought as I am right now . . . If we can’t trust what others tell us about the gospel, why do we need preachers?

I live in Florida where lots of people make their living as fishing guides. Now you might wonder why anyone would need to hire a fishing guide – you have a boat, you have all the necessary gear and bait, you know where the lake is. But the guide knows where the fish are and he can help you find them, too. Now if you let him do the actual fishing for you, you aren’t really fishing, are you? But when he helps you catch fish and teaches you some techniques, maybe someday you, too, can be a fishing guide.

Listen to your preacher/teacher/group leader with eagerness. He has studied and prepared and he knows where the fish are, but if you are going to actually fish, you have to do it for yourself!

None of us can hire a preacher and expect him to study for us.*

February 27, 2022

Revelation 4: 11 (NIV)

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

The . . . earth itself is . . . named as a witness of God's existence and his goodness. . . . The order and symmetry of the universe, the marvelous balance in nature, the incredible complexity and efficiency of the natural world, and the heavens which declare the glory of God, are all witness of the glory of God; and yet . . . none of these things tells men anything of God's love.*

One summer, my camp “crush” was a boy that my friend thought was conceited. I told her I didn’t mind that he thought he was great because I thought he was, too. On a much grander scale, I think of God that way. It is not ego that makes him demand that we glorify and honor him; it is his worthiness that compels us.

What makes him worthy? If his power was the only attribute employed on our behalf, he would be worthy of our awe. From nothing, he created everything. Of all the advances of modern science, none can top that. But his power accompanied by his love is a combination beyond description or understanding. Without his power, his love could not have saved us from our sins. Without his love, he would never have used his power to save us.

It was God’s will to bring all things into existence and that is all I know about his reasons. It was also his will to provide for our redemption. Again, I confess to ignorance of his reasons but I know that his power and his love were combined in his Son, Jesus Christ, and that is all I need to know to declare him worthy of praise.

Love undergirds all of God’s attributes.*

February 26, 2022

II Timothy 2: 23 (NIV)

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

“You have made yourself unnecessarily elaborate.”*

In my former career, one of my responsibilities was the training of temporary employees. Because they had so much to learn in such a short time, with only one day of actual application of their training, I wanted them to know that it was okay if they had to ask for help. I told them, “The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask.” I wasn’t lying to them – if they had a question about a procedure, I needed them to ask it rather than to do it wrong – but there really is such a thing as a dumb question. And I believe that Paul would agree: “Foolish questions deserve no answers.”*

It was typical in the culture of New Testament times for “learned” men to sit around and debate unanswerable questions. One writer warns, "A fool may put questions which a wise man cannot answer.”* He cites an example of a woman who liked to pose the question, “How can God be without a beginning?” Her argument (there’s that word!) was that if God never began, then there is no God. See how that kind of debate is pointless?

We’ve all witnessed that guy in the Bible study who asks what he thinks is a deep, probing question – one of those “unimportant subjects of inquiry and debate.”* I admire those intrepid Bible teachers over the years whose delicate handling of the situation avoided the quarrels about which Paul warns Timothy. Not only does Paul clearly not want us to have anything to do with such time-wasting activity, I think it is safe to say that he doesn’t want us to be “that guy.”

God doesn’t want us to be afraid to ask genuine questions concerning our faith. Our lack of knowledge or understanding is nothing to be ashamed of as long as we keep seeking the truth. And as someone has wisely observed, “There will always be issues and doctrinal nuances that keep us debating unendingly. But Jesus is still there as the one thing that keeps our relationships united.”*

God loves an honest question.*

February 25, 2022

I Timothy 4: 16  (NIV)

Watch yourself and your doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Regardless of what its bearer may claim, any message not in harmony with Scripture is not true.*

Paul urges us, through his words to Timothy, to be careful of the doctrine we adopt. This is good advice for everyone, of course, but especially for preachers, teachers, group leaders – and me. Every day I run the risk of leading someone astray with faulty conclusions and misunderstandings when I post another installment in my blog.

How do you “watch yourself and your doctrine?” The short answer, according to Paul, is to persevere. Here is how to put Paul’s advice into action:

1. Base your doctrine on what the scriptures say, not what you read somewhere else (including here!) It’s fine to discover what others have to say but compare their words to the Word and see how they measure up. If you can’t back it up by scripture, you need to back off! 

2. Pray – for wisdom to discern the truth for yourself and that your students, congregation, or other audience will be blessed by what you are saying. 

3. Practice what you preach. There’s no better way to grasp the meaning of a passage than by living it. Your impact on others becomes more powerful when you model the message. “Living holiness,” as opposed to just “preaching holiness,” “puts power in the message.”*

By persevering in the Word, we save ourselves and our hearers. That’s what Paul said. It’s in the Bible. Look it up and see!

It is only when truth is discovered that it is appropriated. When a man is simply told the truth, it remains external to him and he can quite easily forget it. When he is led to discover the truth himself, it becomes an integral part of him and he never forgets.*

February 24, 2022

Titus 2: 14 (NIV)

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.

The duty of the government is to protect us—not provide for us.*

We think of good works as doing things for others but Paul’s words to Titus indicate that doing good also includes providing for our own needs.

We live in a society that is becoming more and more dependent on government to meet our needs. I recently read a story that perfectly illustrates the modern mindset: a young woman who was in trouble with the law was asked by a counselor if her mother had ever had trouble with the law also. Yes, she said, her mother had been on welfare while holding down a job as well. When the counselor asked what happened to the mother when she got caught, the woman acted surprised that he even had to ask. “She quit her job,” she said.*

Dependency can come upon us in a sneaky fashion: the price of a school lunch doesn’t begin to cover the cost of the meal; when I worked for county government, for a short time they subsidized the employees’ insurance premiums for family coverage; immunizations are offered for free at county health departments, regardless of your financial status. I’m sure you can think of other ways we let our tax dollars work for us.

I don’t have the immediate solution to the mess we’re in but I can offer the ultimate cure: devote ourselves to doing good. (You thought I was going to say, “Get a job,” didn’t you?) Doing good involves submitting every area of our lives to God. According to Paul, a child of God who does good in general receives specific provision: daily necessities and productive lives. But it is a contagious way of life: devotion to doing good will never bless the doer only – it spills over into a world that desperately needs to know the force behind our good deeds – Jesus Christ.

If life on this earth were the end of the story, it would be easy to give up trying to do good.*

February 23, 2022

Job 42: 5, 6 (NIV)

“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

God can turn burning shame into a holy flame.*

When I started high school, “everyone” talked about one teacher and this disgusting thing she did when she thought no one was looking. I honestly didn’t believe it until one day as I was passing by her classroom . . . So now I am a believer. I didn’t despise myself for my unbelief, as Job expresses here, but I did feel a little bad for thinking my friends were just being mean.

Job has had to suffer a lot to get to this “seeing is believing” stage. God hasn’t really revealed any new information to him but Job’s experience has brought him face to face with God.* What he knew about God before was second-hand knowledge. Now, he hasn’t just heard about God; he knows him.

What do you know about God? Have you heard about him? Are you acquainted with him because you have friends in common? Knowing about God isn’t the same as knowing him personally. Like Job, you have to draw near to God for yourself. When your eyes are opened to how incomplete your knowledge has been, you, too, will realize your need for repentance. As you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer, you will begin to know God – to develop a relationship with him – and to see the shallowness of your former understanding of him. Perhaps some dust and ashes will help set the mood!

We expect a deep and transformative relationship with God to come upon us magically, without planning and preparation, without attending to the means of grace, and without attention to formative disciplines like prayer, scripture study, and self-denial.*

Extra equipment:

“Followers in most religions have no personal relationship with their deities.”*

February 22, 2022

II Chronicles 16: 9 

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

I Peter 5: 8 

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

(NIV)

Each of us is as full of the Spirit as we really want to be.*

Do you ever feel like you’re being watched? Perhaps you aren’t just paranoid. According to these two verses, you are attracting a lot of attention from high places and low places. Spiritual warfare rages around us at all times.

We underestimate both God’s desire to rescue us from Satan’s clutches and Satan’s determination to drag us into the pit with him. The devil is clever, sneaky, and deceitful. Though Satan is often referred to in enticing terms, Peter calls him a roaring lion – a creature to strike fear into our hearts. But a hungry lion doesn’t always roar before it pounces!

We are weak and gullible and we forget that we can choose to be on the winning side. God’s strength is available for hearts fully committed to him. He provides a way of escape when we are faced with temptation: an alternate activity; the recollection of an applicable verse of scripture; or a friend to hold you accountable. His Holy Spirit is our comforter and our counselor when we are troubled.

If the image of a hungry, roaring lion doesn’t alarm you, perhaps this will: God’s promise does not apply to an uncommitted heart. Where does that leave you? As fair game.

Most Christians seem to underestimate their ability to cope with suffering but overestimate their ability to cope with temptation.*

February 21, 2022

I Samuel 15: 24 (NIV)

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I have violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. . .”

Christians are never judged by the confessions they make, or the creed they recite; it is always by their deeds.*

This verse contains Saul’s confession – offered after Samuel had confronted him with his offense. This was not the first time that Saul had demonstrated his weakness under pressure, as well as a willingness to bend the rules.

Often we are sorry we got caught more than we are sorry for what we did. But sometimes getting caught is the first step toward repentance. Would we ever stop sinning if it weren’t for the natural consequences of our actions? 

The proof of the genuineness of our repentance will be found in how we live our lives from that moment on. Saul’s confession sounded good, but as someone has observed, “his direction of life did not correspond with his words.”* As John the Baptist preached, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3: 8) And don’t be sorry you got caught – be glad you got caught in time!

True repentance is not satisfied with resolutions, its sincerity must be proved by actions.*

February 20, 2022

Ephesians 6: 18 (NIV)

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.

When a man is through with praying, that man is through with any life that matters.*

Anyone who spent time with Jesus knew that he was a “pray-er.” He modeled a life of prayer and taught his disciples a model prayer. Paul’s letters are rich with references to prayer – whether mentioning others in his prayers, begging for prayers on his own behalf, or urging us to pray for each other and even for those in authority over us. This verse in Ephesians is all-encompassing: all occasions; all kinds of prayer requests.

Our Savior believed in the power (and necessity) of prayer, therefore so do I. I believe that the most important purpose of prayer is to get to know God, but scripture spells out some specific things we should pray for. And I wonder: what if I don’t pray for “all the saints”? What if there’s a missionary out there for whom no one has remembered to pray? What happens to him? Will God abandon him because we have? Why does God want us to pray for each other?

My husband and I were far from home (we were in Wyoming – we live in Florida), when we got word that the marriage of one of our sons was in trouble. He insisted that he didn’t need me to come home and I was managing to hold myself together until, after another offer to return home to be with him, he said that he was fine because his twin brother had made the eight-hour trip from Georgia to be with him. That was when I broke down and cried for my hurting child, and that was when I knew what it must be like for God when his children care enough about each other to pray for one another and to help a hurting brother or sister. He wants us to pray for each other because he wants us to love each other.

Make the Father’s heart swell with emotion and make it your habit to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The prayers of one saint are to God melody, but the intercessions of many are harmony.*

February 19, 2022

Revelation 21: 21 (NIV)

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

We toss around the word awesome pretty freely; but it’s too small a word to describe Heaven.*

We have been programmed to think of heaven in terms of “pearly gates” and “streets of gold” and while that is beautiful imagery I think we might be missing the point. Jewels and precious metals may be valuable on earth, but in eternity they are just building material. In heaven, gold is as common as concrete blocks. 

There is much speculation among Bible scholars as to the symbolism of the gems used to decorate the walls of the heavenly city, but at the least, as one of them points out, “it seems important that the very thing people worship on earth should at last have found its place under foot instead of upon the throne.”*

Remember the question posed by Jesus: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” And if that isn’t thought-provoking enough, he adds, “Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”  (Mark 8: 36, 37) What do you place the highest value on in this life? Can you take it with you when you die? Is it worth holding onto and allowing it to come between you and the Lord?  Looking at life through a heavenly lens helps us to determine what is truly valuable.

What is the real value of a thing, but the price it will bear in eternity?*