God’s Word

...now browsing by tag

 
Bible/Scripture Choices Christian Living Christmas Church Death Faith/Feelings Forgiveness Friendship Generosity God God's Plan God's Word Grace Humility Jesus Kindness Leadership Lifestyle Love Mercy Ministry Miscellaneous Opinion Parenting Perseverance Prayer Questions Quiet Time Reflection Resurrection Salvation Scripture look Second Coming Seeking Sermon Series Sin Speech Story Suffering Surrender Thanksgiving Trials Truth Telling Worship
 

January 9

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024

“Comparisons are odious”

I remember reading that years ago but I can’t remember where. It just stuck with me. I do know part of it was that “odious” was not a word I used in my vocabulary…like never. 🙂

In Bill-speak that saying would be “comparisons are stupid.” In Oxford-speak that word is defined as “extremely unpleasant, repulsive.”

We have a bad habit of comparing ourselves to others. “He is taller than me.” “He plays baseball or basketball better than me.” What teen girl hasn’t compared her looks, her hair, or her physical characteristics to another? Influencers (the bane of existence) are constantly telling us “How to…” Adults compare houses, cars, and even bank accounts.  There seems to be no end to our comparison.

It certainly happens in the church world. “He is a better preacher, teacher, singer, player, etc than me.” “He/she is wealthier than me so he gives more and what I give doesn’t matter.”

STOP!! HOLD THE PRESSES! SAY WHAT??? I have yet to see anywhere…ANYWHERE…that God’s Word makes that a criteria for serving Him. In fact, I read Luke 21 this morning and I love verses 1-4. It is the story of Jesus standing by and watching people give and a widow comes and gives her two mites (less than a penny in our currency). Pay particular attention to verses 3-4: “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (NLT)  Jesus put those “comparison-pickers” in their place. This widow gave all she had in comparison to the religious leaders who were mighty proud of themselves and thought they were all that and more. Looking down their noses at the “lesser givers” gave them a sense of being high and mighty. Jesus said, “Oh no. Not on my watch. This widow gave more.”

You see, it really doesn’t matter how much. It really does come down to your heart and the attitude in which you give. This widow gave all she had. Hang the comparison.

Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 3

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024

I mentioned in yesterday’s devotion under Goal #2 that I read recently read how Eve diminished God’s Word; she added to God’s Word; and she softened God’s Word. I’d like to elaborate on that very briefly in this devotion.

First, those thoughts came from Daily Strength-A Devotional for Men published by Crossway and compiled by various writers. These thoughts are from the January 2nd devotion and the writer is R. Kent Hughes.  The main thoughts are his. Much of the supporting material is mine. Now to the thoughts:

1. Eve diminished God’s Word. In Gen. 3:2 she tells the serpent: “Of course, we may eat from the trees in the garden.” She diminished God’s Word by leaving out the word “every” as in “every tree.” Her shrunken rendition left out God’s generosity.

2. Eve added to God’s Word. In 2:17 they are told not to eat the fruit, but in 3:3 she adds that touching the tree was also forbidden. Seems like a small thing but by adding the word “touch” she magnified God’s harshness.

3. Eve softened God’s Word. She left out the word “surely” in 3:3 that we find stated by God in 2:17. Her omission removed the certainty of death which the serpent exploited in 3:4.

So…here is what I see as it applies to today. God’s Word is often diminished as we see feelings and “follow your heart” become the mantra and take precedence over “What does God’s Word really say?”  Second, people are constantly adding to God’s Word to make it say what they want it to say. Add a little here; add a little there. What’s the harm? Third, we see God’s Word softened often. “Hell? There’s no hell, no eternal punishment for sin. Speaking of sin. What’s that?” Or we will hear “Everyone makes their own path to God. God doesn’t care.”

One more thing (and I’m grateful to John Eldredge from Wild at Heart for pointing this out years ago): The whole time Eve was having this exchange with the serpent, Adam was standing right there. (See Gen. 3:6b). Yep, good old Adam. Standing idly by. He sinned with his eyes wide open, watching the exchange. He never stepped in. He never put a hold or a stop to the conversation.

Perhaps the best way to conclude is a word from Mr. Hughes: “Eve followed the snake, Adam followed Eve, no one followed God.”  Jesus once said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  (Mt. 4:4) Let’s allow His Word to guide us.

***********************************

Please let me remind you again about my review of Martha Orlando’s The Glade Series I posted at Cycleguy’s Spin. You can access that here.

Posted in InTheShadow | 10 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

January 2

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024

My blogging friend, Martha Orlando, has written a wonderful series of books called The Glade Series. I read them a number of years ago (memory escapes me on when) but I recently reread them and decided to do a review of the trilogy. You will find that review over at my other blog, Cycleguy’s Spin. You can access that review/blog here.

***********************************************************

I’m a day late starting my new year with a devotional thought, but then again it is never too late I reckon. This past Sunday, one of our young men gave his communion thought on the phrase “New Year/New Me.” He did what was best: he brought it to the change/transformation that comes from knowing Jesus.

There is a lot of chatter at the beginning of every new year about resolutions. I had a friend text me last night saying, “I know you don’t do new year’s resolutions, but I do. More exercise, longer hair, less weight and get younger. Minor goals.” My response? “Minor? Ha. Two are possible, maybe 3. But that last one? Guess again.”

He is right. I don’t do resolutions. That’s not saying I don’t have some dreams and goals I’d like to reach. My sermon theme for 2024 is Run With the Horses. (Jeremiah 12:5) I want to do that.  But what will that entail? I’ll be working that out all year long! 🙂 But I can tell you it will require:

1. An ever-deepening love for Jesus. I long to drink at His well and be satisfied, but only to find myself wanting more.

2. An increasing respect and hunger for God’s Word. I don’t want what I will call the “Eve syndrome.” I recently read that Eve diminished God’s Word; she added to God’s Word; and she softened God’s Word. I plan to elaborate on those more in tomorrow’s devotion.

3. I want my relationship with Jesus and His Word to determine my choices and not let my choices/wants determine how I look at Jesus or interpret His Word.

All of this falls under one heading: I want to become more like Jesus by pursing Him. What about you? Do you have any overarching dreams or goals for 2024?

Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

December 20

Thursday, December 21st, 2023

There are just sometimes you just couldn’t orchestrate something any better even if you tried. Know what I mean? Case in point: this morning.

I have an almost constant pattern in the morning. I seldom deviate from it. Other than the shower, etc I take every morning, I have what I call my Encounter Time (ET). Some call it their Quiet Time. During my ET, I use several different resources to read and meditate on, but the crux is my reading from the Bible.  I am almost constantly reading from Psalms (usually 2 chapters a day, except 119); every other month the book of Proverbs (1 chapter/day = 31 days); and from the NT. This year I have read through the NT twice and am now on my 3rd time. This will obviously carry on into 2024. Today’s reading was from Psalm 39-40, Pr. 21, and Mark 15-16. There was some great stuff in Psalms and Proverbs today, but the real irony was in Mark. Mark 15-16 is about Jesus’ death and resurrection!!

This is Christmas…the birth of Jesus and I’m reading about the death and resurrection. The irony didn’t escape me. Birth. Death. Resurrection (Life). The story of His life and purpose. Then the words to a well-known Christmas song came to mind. Here is a snippet: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate Deity; Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel…Mild He lays His glory by, Born than man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give us second birth.”

The irony-no, the truth-does not escape me. Birth. Death. Life. They go together. For Jesus. For us. Or maybe I ought to say, “For Jesus. Because of Jesus for us.”  The birth needs the death and resurrection to give meaning. The death and resurrection needs the birth to have a beginning. “Born to raise the sons of earth/Born to give them second birth/Hark the herald angels sing/Glory to the newborn King.”

Celebrate His birth with the future (His and yours) in mind.

Posted in InTheShadow | 10 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

December 5

Tuesday, December 5th, 2023

There are some amazing moments in the Bible. There are some AHA moments. There are some puzzling moments (like, why did he/she do that?). There are some funny moments. There are some “raise your eyebrow” moments. And there are some euchatastrophe moments.

Eucha what?

Euchatastrophe.  That is a word coined by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a combination of words combining the Greek word “eu,” which means “good” (as in good taste or good feeling) with the word catastrophe. Tolkien defines a eucatastrophe as “the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears.” (Source: Limping with God by Chad Bird).  It is like you are reading a story or watching a movie and you are so taken by the plot or twist that you find your eyes leaking! 🙂 For example, I recently finished reading the 5 book series by Glynn Young on Michael Kent, the Dancing Priest, and found moments I had to stop and blow my nose. {An aside: review coming}. And dare I say I had to walk out of the room to wipe the dirt out of my eyes while watching a Hallmark Christmas movie with Jo? (Yeah…I know. Turn in my Man Card right now!). I’m sure you have had eucatastrophe moments also.

How about Jacob when he hears Joseph is alive? How about the Resurrection? How about the elation of one healed by Jesus? How about the two on the road to Emmaus? How about Joseph and Mary? Long trip. (Very) pregnant wife. No vacancy. An animal shelter.  Sheep and oxen. Alone.  A new baby’s wail livens up the shelter environment and the sleepy town. Pure elation for Joseph and Mary. A EUCATASTROPHE!

That simple moment in time became the hinge upon which the story of humanity and our world turns. That eucatastrophe has truly become a world-changing event.

That’s enough to bring tears of joy to anyone’s eyes.

**************************************

For years I had another blog called Cycleguy’s Spin. It was my go-to blog since February 20, 2008. I have used it sparingly over this past year, largely because I was posting daily devotions here. But I have decided to repurpose it and bring it back to life. My plan is to post reviews of books and music; do some commentary; post some thoughts; have guest posts, etc. Yesterday, I posted a review of Memorable Loss by Karen Martin. May I ask you to check out that post and to subscribe to receive an email when I post there? There is no charge, of course. And may I also ask you to spread the word about Cycleguy’s Spin and this one, Living in the Shadow? Thanks.

Posted in InTheShadow | 10 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

November 21

Tuesday, November 21st, 2023

I’d like to follow up on my devotion from yesterday.

There is another rule of interpretation/Bible study besides the one from yesterday (“Let Scripture explain Scripture”). The one for today is “A text without a context is only a pretext.”  Interpreted: the failure to see surrounding verses, historical narrative and setting can lead to a whole lot of problems.

Yesterday’s passage was from Matthew 7:1-5. With that I presented the very common comment, “You have no right to judge me, to tell me that I’m wrong, or that my behavior is unacceptable in God’s eyes.” That is used in defense of sin: adultery, homosexual activity, “white” lies, and just about any other sin we want to justify doing.

But remember the context quote? Check out Matthew 7:15-16- “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.”  (NLT) That section ends with verse 20 saying, “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

Question: how can we identify a wolf in sheep’s clothing if we don’t (ahem) judge them? It is called discernment. But here’s the thing: it is not discernment based on our bias or personal opinion. It is based on…wait for it…what the Bible says. Every thought, every opinion, every decision, every judgment we form or express MUST BE and MUST FIND its source in the Word of God! If what we say or do does not find its root in God’s Word; if it does not find its anchor in God’s Word, then its a pretty fair assessment that it is false.

We need to be “fruit inspectors.” (Matt. 7:16-20). Last I looked a fruit inspector has to form a judgment and decide whether the fruit is good or not. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (ESV)

So, judging/discerning is an absolute must. Always compare what you are being told and taught to the Word of God.

Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 20

Monday, November 20th, 2023

There is a basic rule of interpretation for Bible Study that is important: let Scripture explain Scripture. A favorite method of some people when reading the Bible is the pick-and-choose method. Some may call it the-hunt-and-point method.  Here is how it works: a person cherry-picks a verse here, another one there, and maybe another one there to form a thought or belief.

There are, of course, multiple dangers in that method.  Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who used that method to decide what to do. One day he opened his Bible and pointed and it said, “Judas went out and hung himself.”  Wow! That didn’t say much. So he closed his Bible, opened it again and pointed. This time it said, “Go and do likewise.”  Yikes! He hurriedly closed his Bible, reopened it and pointed. This time it said, “Whatever you hand finds to do, do quickly.”  🙂  I know it is a fanciful story but it does show how some read the Bible and how dangerous it can be to take that approach.

In my reading this morning, I was in Matthew 7 (I’m starting over in the NT reading from the New Living Translation. Since I had finished reading through twice last year in the ESV, I decided to just start again in Matthew 1 and use the NLT). Anyway, in Matthew 7 there are  two passages which cause a lot of angst and consternation and even vehement speech, with one of them especially being a “clobber verse” in reverse. A “clobber verse” is one of those verses that Biblically conservative people are accused of using to clobber those who refuse to follow the teachings of the Bible. This is one in reverse in that it is a favorite of those who don’t like being told they are morally wrong. They like to throw this one in the face of the one who has shared biblical truth with them.

Those verses are Matthew 7:1-5. It says, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

You know how that is used. “How dare you judge me! How dare you tell me that what I am doing, the lifestyle I’ve chosen, the choices I’m making are wrong! Who died and left you boss?” This person wants to live by his/her own standards and the devil be hanged if anyone tells him differently.  Take a risk and say something and you are judging. Guaranteed these verses will be thrown into your face.

But we can’t lose sight of the other passage in Matthew 7 that throws some light on understanding that passage as one Scripture helps explain another. Read Matthew 7 on your own and let me know what Scripture you think will be referenced…TOMORROW.

Due to the length of this devotion today, tune in tomorrow for the rest of my thoughts on these two passages.

Posted in InTheShadow | 10 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

November 2

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023

A little bit of housecleaning first: in yesterday’s devotion, I used the phrase “Jesus is Lord.” After looking again it is actually “Jesus is Honored.” So P-L-A-C-E won’t work. Plus, there is a tendency when dreaming of things to get a little too “cute.” I decided to go with the original of “Jesus is Honored” and not try to get too cute. That was confirmed by my study class last night when I mentioned “Jesus is Lord” vs “Jesus is Honored” and mentioned about being too cute. Several said, “Right” and liked the original version better.

Okay, now to today’s devotion. One of the “old” parts of the church’s Vision statement was Revealing Jesus Clearly. I’d like to share with you what I said Sunday morning. But first, this…

Today’s church culture is being assailed by forces designed by the enemy as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Let me explain. On one side is the progressive side. No conviction. No positive stand. Jesus is whomever you make or want Him to be. Jesus is a feel good, smile-all-the-time guy (maybe) who won’t condemn anything except bigotry, or anyone against BLM, environmentalism, or some social justice issue.

On the other side is the legalistic, fundamental side that sees God as a God of wrath, judgment, nationalism, and one-sidedness who tolerates nothing and wields a divine whip and sword.

Those two, to be honest, are anathema to me.  They are too radical for the Christ-follower in me. However, I do believe a stand needs to be taken about who Jesus is and His character. With that in mind, I shared the following on Sunday morning about Jesus and how we will not compromise these truths:

Mark 1:1 tells us Jesus is the Son of God. Mt.16:15-16 teaches us Jesus is God in the flesh, the one and only virgin born Son of God. John 1:1 tells us He is co-equal with God-“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God.” He was fully human and fully divine. He lived a perfect, sinless life; died on a cross in our place, for our sins; rose bodily from the grave; ascended into heaven; and will return to take us to be with Him for eternity and judge the righteous and unrighteous (You lose Satan). He is fully God and fully man; our Savior; the Great I AM; the Lord of all; the King of kings; the only way to the Father; our Redeemer; and the coming King.

Those truths about Jesus will stand. One cannot compromise who Jesus is. To do so is a slippery slope on greased tracks. Compromise on one and another will follow until the picture of Jesus is nothing like the real Jesus of the Bible. In fact, He almost becomes a cartoonish representation of His true self. Jesus does not change. Never has, never will…no matter our attempts to liberalize or pigeon-hole Him.

Who is Jesus to you?

Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: , , , ,

October 11

Wednesday, October 11th, 2023

Spoiler Alert: longer than normal post.

I paid a price last night. The price? At 10:00 I was left writhing in agony as my left hamstring seized up and went into a violent cramp that lasted 5-10 minutes.

But I have no one to blame but myself. Here’s why: I decided to ride yesterday and even though I only rode 14 miles, it was a hard and quick ride. I pushed myself. To compound the issue it had been about a week since I last had a chance to ride due to my crazy schedule. My original plan was to ride, go home to shower, then celebrate a belated birthday meal at Texas Roadhouse (probably #1 in my eating book). But that changed while I rode when I received a “kind” word that neither of the other two of my meal cohorts wanted to venture to the town where TR is. So I suggested several alternatives and they accepted the one that had us staying in town. That gave me 2 hours before picking up the pizza, so I stayed at the office and did some work. It was cool yesterday (60s) so I didn’t think I had really broken a sweat that much, i.e. lost electrolytes. I was wrong so I FAILED TO EAT PROPERLY in those 2 hours. I had a recovery drink but I failed to replenish the electrolytes I found out later I had lost.

Hence, the seized hamstring. I was able to make it to my ManCave where I used some CBD cream and a massage gun. I also took some ibuprofen to calm the muscles, sat in my chair and massaged the muscle, then ate some peanut butter-filled pretzels (my go to snack) and drank a 32 oz Zero Gatorade.  Fortunately, I was able to calm the muscle down, climb back in bed about 10:30 and sleep solid (like never moved) until my normal wake up time of 3:30.

Ten minutes of sheer agony followed by 20 minutes of doing what I should have done after the ride trying to alleviate that agony and refuel my empty body. All because I DIDN’T DO WHAT WAS NECESSARY to recover in the first place.

Two things stand out to me. One, the importance of taking time to eat (which I did not).  We are admonished in the Scriptures to grow in our faith. The problem, according to the Hebrews writer is that the people weren’t growing and they “needed milk not solid food.” (Heb.5: 12-14). We are also told by Peter in I Peter 3: 2-3 to “long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” Take away: eating is essential whether speaking physically or spiritually.

The second take away is the undeniable truth that there are consequences  for failing to eat properly. Screen time, phones, gaming, and mindless watching of the tube are often the cause of the failure to properly “feed” on God’s Word. I failed to refuel properly after my ride, i.e. expending much-needed electrolytes. I paid the price. Failure to take time to slow down and have what I called an Encounter Time also brings consequences.  You see…the one who fails to come apart will eventually come apart.

Take time to be alone with God. Take time to replenish your spirit. Come apart. Set time aside where you unwind and relax and listen. But remember to refuel as you do so.

Posted in InTheShadow | 10 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

October 3

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2023

I was watching a video yesterday at the request of someone and the man the video was about was asked by a reporter (as they were riding in his horse-drawn carriage. And no, he is not Amish), how he hears the voice of God.  That was an interesting question, one I’m sure the non-believing reporter was sincerely curious about.

I’ve given some thought to that same question. Here are some common, and I’m sure, not all the answers:

“I follow my heart.” That is a very familiar one today. I could give you the name of a very well known movie and entertainment company whom I think has sort of adopted that moniker as their modus operandi. I’m going to be very open and honest here: I am really, really tired of hearing this same old drivel time after time.  But it also is not new. I can remember a song back in the ’70s with the lyrics: “It can’t be so wrong; it feels so right.”

“I hear His voice.” Now…hearing His voice has a connotation that I’m uneasy with. If speaking about hearing His voice audibly, I have a real problem with since I don’t believe God speaks through a burning bush type of approach today.  Many are waiting to “hear from on high” and for God to speak out loud before they make a decision or move ahead.  Why do I have problems with this?

“He speaks through His Word.”  God’s Word, the Bible, is His voice today. The psalmist says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and light for my path.” 

Granted there are other answers to this question people give. We have to be careful what voice we listen to. Our culture will tell us that what used to be wrong is no longer wrong but acceptable. The Bible is out-dated and old school. Or possibly even worse, people will make outright attempts to reinterpret Scripture to make it mean what they want it to mean.  They deny what is clearly defined as wrong and will either hedge on it or completely misfire because it doesn’t fit their narrative.  That is why “follow your heart” is so troublesome. The Bible says, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NASB2020)  Long story short: our heart cannot be counted on to make or decide the right thing to do. Emotions enter the picture and convince us of what is not the truth or changes our view.

Don’t follow your heart; follow the Bible. Don’t allow our culture to convince you that the Bible is old and dusty and out of tune with today’s world. The Bible is the truth and it still stands. Jesus once said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words will never pass away.”  I’ll stake my claim on His words and His Word.

Posted in InTheShadow | 10 Responses »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »