God’s Word
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Thursday, September 21st, 2023
One of the knocks against the Bible is that it is so hard to understand. “I tried reading the Bible once. What’s with all the begots and begats? I mean, like who in today’s world uses those words or talks like that that?”
Or here’s another: “I tried reading the Bible once. Who in the world can understand words like justification, sanctification, propitiation, and redemption?”
Granted, sometimes there are some places where the begats and begots get tiring (such is the way of a lineage). And it is true there are some big words used that we don’t understand or use very often (if at all) in 2023.
{Side note: Choose a more modern translation to use like the ESV (English Standard Version), the NIV (New International Version), the NLT (New Living Translation), or the NASB2020 (New American Standard Version 2020) and move away from the KJV (King James Version) with its more archaic language. Just a personal opinion}
But sometimes the Bible is very plain. John 3:16 is one of those verses. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” doesn’t get much plainer. My favorite chapter in the Bible is Psalm 37. Four words stand out at the beginning and they are as plain as the nose on your face:
- Trust (v.3)- Have faith
- Delight (v.4)- Find joy
- Commit (v.5)- Practice surrender (Lay it down)
- Be still (v.7)- Be quiet (Learn patience)
There is more in that chapter! I’d encourage you to dig deeper. Check out, for example, the first three words of verse 8. Or the reality of verse 16. See the refreshing encouragement of verses 23-24. Not only those, but you will find so much more in that chapter.
It is true that there are places the Bible is a bit difficult to understand or to grasp. Archaic words and language are tough to wade through. But the “dig” is worth it. There are so many riches to mine. Start digging!
And by the way: what did you learn from Psalm 37?
Posted in InTheShadow | 8 Responses »
Tags: Bible/Scripture, Deeper Dive, God's Word, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Truth Telling
Thursday, September 14th, 2023
Without a doubt our world is always changing. Besides the way we operate, other things change. Our morals. Our values. Our standards. Sometimes that is good; most often not so. Post-modernism’s basic philosophy is there are no absolutes. “Whatever floats your boat.” “If it feels good do it.” And so we make up our own rules, sometimes even changing them midstream. We wouldn’t do that playing Monopoly or Backgammon or even Chutes and Ladders. There are rules to follow. And yes, we don’t want to live that way. We want to make up rules as we go along to fit the situation, or even our mood.
One constant in the life of the Christ-follower is that God never changes. He’s not willy-nilly in His dealings with us. He’s not phlegmatic (wishy-washy) in His feelings toward sin. He doesn’t okay it one time and then come down hard on us the next. I know as a parent, even though I tried to be consistent, there were times I wasn’t depending on my mood, my schedule, or even how I felt. But God is consistent.
This coming Sunday I’m preaching on Our Unchanging God. This morning I read the following couple of sentences:
The strength of the covenant God made with Israel (and with all who would believe thereafter) doesn’t lie in our ability to measure up to God’s standards. If it did, we’d all fall hopelessly short. It rests on the unchanging nature of God’s character. {From Refresh Our Hope-Lori Hatcher-p.88)
God made a covenant with Noah; He kept it. He made a covenant with Abraham; He kept it. He made a covenant with the people of Israel of a Messiah; He kept it. He made a covenant with us; He kept it (that is where Jesus come in). God never changes. His character is always the same. His standards are always the same.
As for me? I’ll trust the ONE who is always the same. Always kept and keeps His promises. Said He would never leave me or forsake me. Never fails. Steady as a rock.
Change is good. I’m all for it in most cases. But I prefer a God who doesn’t change.
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Tags: God, God Unchanging, God's Plan, God's Word, Opinion, Reflection, Truth Telling
Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023
It has been said that we are known by the company we keep. A wise man once wrote: “Do not make friends with a person given to anger, or go with a hot-tempered person, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself.” In case you don’t recognize it, that wise man is Solomon and the saying from Proverbs 22:24-25 (NASB2020). It’s from the Bible. You know…that outdated and irrelevant book. (Okay, so that comment was a bit snarky 🙂 )
The truth of that statement has been proven down through the years. All I need to do is give a word or initial or two and you can see how true it is. Nazis. KKK. Black Panther. Nation of Islam. SDS. El-Qaeda. CCS. PP. History is replete with subversive groups, groups with their own agenda, groups who have made their mark (not always good either). There wouldn’t be groups like this if there weren’t “like” thinkers. “Birds of a feather flock together” is what we will say.
The church should be made up of like-minded individuals. Not cookie cutters, but people with a common goal. People who desire to mold together as a unit to fight our real enemy, not each other, but the one who can kill the soul.
I read I Timothy 1 this morning. I was struck again by the Apostle Paul’s words to Timothy in verses 12-17. My short version is “I was that but now I’m this.” “I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and violent aggressor, but I’ve received mercy. I’m no longer the chief of sinners but an example of a changed life.” Paul was part of a saved family. His goals changed. The company he kept changed.
He was now known by the company he keeps, not kept. What was, is exactly that, was. He’d rather be known by his new company. Please remember we are known by the company we keep. The question remains: who will do the influencing?
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Church, Company, Friendship, God's Word, Grace, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look
Monday, August 21st, 2023
Get a bunch of people together and ask them to discuss their favorite characteristic/attribute of God and you will hear all different answers. Love. Patience. Forgiveness. Grace. Mercy. Omnipotence. Omniscience. Omnipresence. Faithfulness. I seriously doubt you will hear, “I want to talk about the wrath of God.”
On July 8, 1741 Jonathan Edwards preached one of, if not the most famous sermon of all time. It was called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Reports say people literally felt like they were being dangled over the pit of hell and were screaming out of fear.
Truth is God’s wrath is real. God’s judgment is real. Frankly though, it is hard to accept that because we don’t want to see God as one who judges and will do so impartially. We don’t want to see Him as a God of wrath. It gets even harder to accept when we are told by our culture-and even by some religious teachers- that we all go to the same place in the end (Universalism which says we will all go to heaven), or that there are many gods so choose the one you want. The answer to both of those is No and No. They are lies from the pit of hell and they smell like smoke.
The wrath of God can be avoided or experienced. You can avoid it by hearing the Word, repenting and confessing your sin and accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. One can experience God’s wrath by rejecting God’s Word and all it says about sin and turning your back on Jesus.
The follower of Jesus avoids God’s wrath; the one who rejects Jesus will experience it. Which one are you?
And by the way: the reality of that should burden us, should want us to go our family and friends with passion in our heart and say, “I have to tell you about Jesus. I want you to be able to avoid what is to come.”
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, God, God's Word, God's Wrath, Opinion, Reflection, Salvation, Sin
Wednesday, August 16th, 2023
Huckster (Unofficial definition): “a user; a fake; a pretender; one who uses the gullibility of another to take advantage of them.” (my unofficial definition)
It’s not at all unusual to read of someone taking advantage of another. It seems like we read of or hear of some scam or some Ponzi scheme or some trickery about every day. We are being warned about people, for example, offering ERC (Employee Retention Credit) during COVID. What I wish I could tell them is “Stop calling me! We don’t want or need your fake help!” but that would probably embolden them even more. I am personally sick and tired of phone calls (fortunately silenced by my settings on my phone for numbers not in my contacts) or emails (can you say “junk mail”?) trying to get me or the church to take advantage of their garbage. (I’d like to use a number of words here but I don’t talk like that).
I read-more than I ‘d like to-of supposed “Christians/church members” taking advantage of others, especially seniors, for some “can’t miss” investment scheme. First hint: can’t miss. Second hint: otherworldly returns. Suggestion: avoid the Ponzi scheme like a plague.
Then there are those hucksters (so-called religious teachers) who prey on people because they want the money and promise healing, wealth, or good health. Here let me spell it out for you: H.U.C.K.S.T.E.R. If someone like the Apostle Paul learned to live with the thorn-in-the-flesh, should we not also realize that on one can promise health and wealth? Check out Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12: “…a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me…Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this…But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 cor. 12:7-10) (ESV)
No one- NO ONE- can promise you health and wealth. The one who does? Huh, a new definition of a huckster. Don’t fall for it. You will come out poorer in the end.
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Tags: Choices, False Teaching, God's Word, Leadership, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story, Truth Telling
Wednesday, August 9th, 2023
I suspect if there is one book of the Bible that all people can read and not be offended by, that book would be Proverbs. No mention of Jesus. No mention of vital doctrine. Not really any controversial words…unless one doesn’t like to hear the truth.
I have read Proverbs countless times. One chapter/day will get you through the book in a month. For years I have tended to do an every other month approach. It’s easy reading…unless, of course, a convicting point is made. Having read Proverbs many time it is easy to skip over things (although I honestly try not to).
A case in point are the seemingly parallel stories in Proverbs 5 & 7. Chapter 5 contains the warning about straying from faithfulness to your spouse. One verse really stands out: verse 15 which says, “Drink water from you own cistern, flowing water from your own well.” There is no doubt what that verse is saying, especially when the context is considered (a must when reading the Bible). Oh…I’ll let you read the rest of it.
Add to that the scenario painted for us in Chapter 7 of the young man enticed by a woman to go into her bed. The woman says her husband is gone and entices the young man to lie with her. She is generally pictured as a prostitute.
Other than the obvious lesson from both of those-and other Scriptures as well-let me jump off “into the weeds” for a moment. Sin always looks enticing. I’ve never yet seen an ugly sin that I gave into. Maybe I ought to say that I never saw sin pictured as ugly. It has always come off as enticing and beautiful. Sin entices us with a “come see what I got” and it always-A.L.W.A.Y.S.-looks good. One more drink. One more snort. One more toke. One more fortune. One more ticket. One more pull of the handle. It is that “one more” that gets us into trouble! And that is the pull of sin.
It promises but cannot deliver. While it promises contentment, fulfillment, wholeness and satisfaction, it can’t deliver!! It only delivers the opposite.
The real beauty of Proverbs is found in the picture of wisdom seen throughout the book as a woman who is enticing, fulfilling and one to pursue. That is the reality, the truth. Can you handle it or will you fall for the fake?
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, God's Word, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story, Truth Telling
Wednesday, July 5th, 2023
I confess to be envious of others from time to time.
For example, Jo & I were driving back from church camp after visiting some of our high school students, when she asked me about a certain situation that we were both familiar with and if I was jealous. I told her no because that doesn’t “float my boat.” “What I am envious of,” I told her, was “the handling of his money, that he could do what he is doing because of it.” There are other circumstances involved, or course, but I am not jealous.
What I have envied, in many way, are those who “hear” from God and change course or maybe take a certain action because of it. Like Acts 16:6 where Paul wanted to go to visit the churches in Asia Minor but was forbidden by the Holy Spirit. To be honest, part of me says, “Why would God forbid that? I mean, Paul had the Good News of Jesus but was told no.” Makes no sense to me but there it is in black and white. Why? Well…I don’t know. But I don’t have to. God does.
Paul listened. I want to be that open to the leading of the Holy Spirit so I can recognize His voice. Each time I get on my bike to head out for a ride, I say a short prayer: “Lord, protect me as I ride. Keep the drivers alert and me also. Let me “hear” Your voice, Your warning, if I need to get off the road to avoid getting hit.” I hope that never has to happen but I want to hear His voice of warning if it does. Been hit; don’t want to go there again.
One of my daily prayers is “God, speak to me through Your Word.” The key is to be ready to hear and obey. Have you ever “heard” God’s voice of warning or direction?
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Tags: Christian Living, God, God's Plan, God's Word, Hearing, Opinion, Reflection
Thursday, June 8th, 2023
We will often use or hear used a saying: “I really have to walk a fine line.” We use that phrase when we are trying to describe the “fineness” between choices. Some might use it to describe the slim difference between right and wrong. Or we might use it when describing whether to say or not, whether to do or not do something.
One of the struggles the church faces-and it has always been this way-is the battle between truth and love. Someone has put it this way: “All truth without love is legalism (and I might add harshness); all love with no truth is mere sentimentality.” It is a fine line between being repulsive to the world because of our stand, and yet be attractive to the world because of our love and care.
See the point? There are those who are hard-liners…no bending whatsoever. “You must stand your ground even if it offends” and I agree we should not compromise. But that ground should be stood with love in our hearts not belligerence. That is the fine line. How much “stand” vs how much love?
There is a battle going on between isolation and assimilation. Do we withdraw or do we just drift with the cultural? You have probably heard this quote in some form: “The boat is to be in the water, but its bad news if the water gets in the boat.” That is the constant struggle. And while we are debating the rights and wrongs of things, the world has wormed its way into the church. For example, while we have debated the rightness and wrongness of say, same sex attraction (and for the record I do believe God is very clear that He created us male and female), the church has become inundated and has allowed false teachers who tell people God owes them special blessings because they are people of God to infiltrate our defenses. Seems like the classic example of misdirection by the enemy. Get them to focus on this and I’ll slip in under the radar with this.
We do walk a fine line between acceptance and love. Love and truth always go together. It’s a fine line but one we need to thread and navigate carefully.
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Choices, Christian Living, Church, God's Word, Leadership, Lifestyle, Love, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Speech, Story, Truth Telling
Thursday, June 1st, 2023
“Worldview matters.” So says John Stonestreet in his introduction to Faithfully Different by Natasha Crain. He goes on to say, “A worldview makes a big difference in how we think, how we make decisions, and how we relate with others.” (p.9)
My thoughts were turned to his quotes for two reasons: 1) I’m reading her book; and 2) I read 2 passages of Scripture today that spurred my thinking.
The first is the whole chapter of Psalm 1. (Please take a moment to read its 6 verses). It is a chapter of opposites, of comparisons. It compares the godly person to the wicked (ungodly). {Note: the psalmist uses the word “wicked” but that has such a sharp connotation in today’s language so I use the word ungodly instead. Same species. Different fish} Verses 1-3 describe the one who walks with God, while verses 4-6 describe the one who doesn’t.
The second Scripture is Proverbs 1:7- “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (ESV). The goal of the righteous person is to seek the knowledge of God (His Word, His way, etc.), but it begins with a healthy fear (awe) of God. Wisdom is despised by the fool.
I think the word that comes into play here is the word “discernment.” Going back to the quote at the beginning about worldview, we are constantly being bombarded with and by a secular worldview-a worldview described in Psalm 1:4-6.
One can either have a biblical worldview or a secular worldview. Like it sounds, a biblical worldview is based on God’s Word to man. A secular worldview is based on man’s word to man. They are diametrically opposed to each other.
The world needs to conform to God’s Word (biblical worldview) rather than trying to conform God’s Word to the culture (secular worldview). For that to happen the follower of Christ must become discerning. That comes from putting Psalm 1:1-3 into play.
Choose your worldview but choose wisely. It matters.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, God, God's Word, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Truth Telling, Worldview
Wednesday, May 31st, 2023
There is a saying you may have heard or will hear from time to time: “You can take that to the bank.” When a person uses that phrase it means “what I have said to you is a sure thing.”
The Bible is filled with “take-it-to-the-bank” moments:
- “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:10
- “We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” Romans 3:23
Can anyone really argue with the logic-and the TRUTH-of those two statements? I think not. There is not a person on this planet who think someone is perfect and has never sinned or done anything wrong.
There are many other statements you can take to the bank. Let’s give another scenario: You are feeling overwhelmed. You are feeling alone. You are feeling like you are drowning. You are anxious. You feel abandoned, like you are in a boat in the middle of an ocean without a paddle. You are being tossed around by a storm and YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT. But God’s take-it-to-the-bank words come to you in the nick of time to reassure you: “You are not alone. We are in this together. I promised you I would never leave your or forsake you. You belong to me. Trust me. You are safe.” I’ve just given you a different take on the passage that says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” He says, “I am with you, even to the end of time.”
Those words-trusting those words-turn panic into peace; bad news into good news; fear into faith; confusion into calm. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you in my righteous right hand.” (ESV)
And…You can take that to the bank.
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Tags: Christian Living, God, God's Word, Ministry, Opinion, Perseverance, Prayer, Reflection, Suffering, Trust, Truth Telling
