Written by Bill Grandi on October 1st, 2024
Every once in awhile-not often but once in awhile-I hear someone say, “God doesn’t care about me.” I could argue the point from Scripture, but for the most part, when a person’s feelings and emotions get involved that is almost an effort in futility. But, then again, that is my go-to. I can’t argue subjective feelings. And that is why we have such messed up ideas of what is right and what is wrong. Subjective feelings vs objective truth. Many don’t want to hear or follow what the Bible says because the objective truth of the Word goes against their subjective feelings. Way back in the late 70s there was a song called “You Light Up My Life” that had the lyrics “It can’t be wrong when it feels so right.” That’s it in a nutshell.
If someone is governed by their feelings how do you/how can you point out right and wrong? “The Bible says” loses out to “But I feel.” I read Psalm 118 this morning. Here are some words that set us on the right path: “The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” (verses 6-9 NLT).
I want to add two more verses to that: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust my feelings. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to follow my heart.” Yeah…I know you are not supposed to add to the Word, but I’m not advocating that. I’m taking the current way of thinking and showing how it would work.
Objective truth vs Subjective feelings. You choose. I know which one I do.
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Choices, Christian Living, Faith/Feelings, God's Word, Miscellaneous, Objective truth, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Subjective feelings
Written by Bill Grandi on September 30th, 2024
I know I’m early. Like almost 3 months. September 30th to December 25th early. Not a snowflake has fallen. The temps have not dropped to frost level. I haven’t seen men in red suits yet. Sadly, I did see displays this past Friday. By now you know I’m referring to Christmas.
Here it is September 30th and I’m pulling the “early Christmas move” I accuse Hallmark and different stores of doing. Halloween hasn’t even arrived and I’m talking Christmas! Mine is a lot different. Knowing Christmas will be here sooner than I expect, I begin reading devotionals in September. I’ve already read one and have 2 in the works. It not only focuses me on what is to come, it also feeds my “pastor/preacher brain.” 🙂
What spurred me this morning was talk about names. I have never really liked my name. I don’t mind “Bill”; I’ve never been fond of “William.” I definitely don’t like my middle name or the initials that go along with it. Try monogramming WAG or BAG. See what I mean? My middle name distinguished me from my dad and kept me from getting the moniker of “Junior.” As bad as I think my name is, I found one that may take the title of “Worse Name in the World.” In I Samuel the wife of one of the priests gave birth to a son in great stress when the news came that the Ark of the Covenant was stolen by the Philistines. (Where is Indy when you need him?) She named her son…wait for it…Ichabod. Ichabod! It means “the glory has departed.” I realize there is significance there since a heathen nation was now in control of the Ark. But can you imagine going through life with a name like Ichabod? Imagine the jokes about the “ick factor.” Imagine introducing him to your parents: “Mom. Dad. This is Ick.” I know silly.
All kidding aside, there is one Name that changes everything. Say His Name in a crowded room. A speech. An interview. Watch people’s reaction. Man and women known for their speaking suddenly become speechless. Uncomfortable. Suddenly the “Aaaah yeah” factor comes into play.
J.E.S.U.S. The Name above every name. The Name the Apostle Paul says will cause “every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Phil. 2:10-11) Carry that name with you today. Wear it proudly. Speak of Him in awe and wonder. There is no other name like His.
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Tags: Christmas, Jesus, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story, Worship
Written by Bill Grandi on September 26th, 2024
Have you ever noticed how we grade sins? Let’s, for the sake of argument, just grade our sins.
- Grade 1- the really bad ones. Adultery. Murder. Homosexuality.
- Grade 2- Cheating. Lying (as far as its not a “little white one”). Theft.
- Grade 3- Division. Lying (little white ones). Laziness.
Granted, that is not an exact science. I’m only using it as an example of the way we grade our sins: some are really, really bad; some are so-so; some not so bad. We could even add a category of justified sins if we want. And, of course, there are many more sins we could list.
I left one out…on purpose. That’s because it is not seen as a really, really bad one and is even overlooked or simply forgotten. Let me give you a hint:
“Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.” Pr. 26:20
“Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.” Pr. 26:22
Okay…so I guess that is not so subtle, is it? The “respectable” sin, the “acceptable” sin, the one not graded harshly is G.O.S.S.I.P. On a scale of 1-10, gossip might hit a “3” on the Sin-o-Meter. That’s tragic though. Gossip has killed more people that we could count. While some would never consider carrying a firearm to take someone’s life, they have very little qualm about using their mouth to snuff out someone’s reputation, good name, future, friendship, etc all in the name of “passing along” some information.
Let’s get it through our heads-and hearts-that gossip is a deadly sin, capable of destroying lives, taking out families, even companies. Let me close with a thought from Proverbs 26:
“If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead. A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.” (Verses 27-28)
Just those two verses should sober us up real quickly. Let’s stop the GOSSIP.
{All Scripture from the New Living Translation}
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Gossip, Harmful words, Kindness, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Speech, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on September 25th, 2024
Yeah. I know it’s early. Early for what? “I know Bill does these devotions at 0-dark-30. Is that what he means?”
In all honesty. No. As soon as I write what is to follow you will understand.
In one sense, the whole of Scripture is both a lesson in history and a promise for the future, in order that we may become like Jesus and glorify Him in the present. It’s often been said that in the Old Testament Jesus is predicted, in the Gospels He is revealed, in Acts He is preached, in the Epistles He is explained, and in the book of Revelation He is expected. (p.159)
Okay, so may that wasn’t so revealing. 🙂 This will be:
Christmas isn’t only a celebration of what our newborn King came down to earth to save us from; it’s a celebration of what He came to save us for-eternal life with Him in His perfected kingdom. (p.163)
Now you get my drift? This whole month of September I’ve been reading a new book by Alistair Begg entitled Let Earth Receive Her King. Yes. Christmas devotions. 24 of them to be exact. The preceding two excerpts were from #23, which I read this morning. “Seems awful early to be reading Christmas devotions,” you might be thinking. Really? Have you seen the Hallmark Channel? Christmas in July…August…September…October…you get my drift. 🙂
Putting all kidding aside, as I read #23 today-and particularly highlighted those two excerpts as I read-it struck me how the Scripture all comes together. It is like one big woven story. I once heard someone say, “There is a scarlet thread that weaves its way from Genesis to Revelation.” I’ll add to that: the thread makes its way from the heart of the Garden and Adam’s sin through the sacrifices directly through the heart of the cross all the way through to the return of Jesus.
See the Bible as a whole-not as random pieces slung together. It tells a story-a redemptive story-one woven through the fabric of every scene, specifically designed for us to see and know and learn.
Don’t neglect the Book. And don’t slough off the story of Christmas…even though it is only September. In this one way the Hallmark Channel can teach us that the Christmas story-the real Christmas story-is timeless and to remembered all year long.
{Selections excerpted from Let Earth Receive Her King by Alistair Begg- The Good Book Company- Copyright 2024}
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Tags: Christian Living, Christmas, God's Plan, God's Word, Jesus, Opinion, Quiet Time, Reflection, Salvation, Scripture look, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on September 24th, 2024
“Becoming a Christian doesn’t make one sinless, but it ought to make one sin less.“ (Conway-p.35)
I’ve been reading a book the past few days entitled Does Christianity Still Make Sense? by Bobby Conway. Conway was a pastor, a host of the YouTube podcast One Minute Apologist (now called Christianity Still Makes Sense) who went through a crisis of faith-a dark night of the soul-where he questioned his Christian faith. He came out on the other side and has written a book looking at objections to Christianity. One of those is answering the question “Why are there so many scandals in the Church?” The follow-up question is the next chapter, the oft-used “Aren’t Christians just a bunch of hypocrites?”
No doubt those are two questions that crop up again and again. I’ve been asked them and I’m sure if you are a pastor or a Christ-follower, you have also. Maybe you have even asked them yourself.
I’ve often been tongue-tied trying to answer those questions because I know I struggle with that. I know I’m a sinner and sometimes exhibit that truth way too much and find myself a very poor representative of Jesus. But I’ve also come to the conclusion that the saying I started out with depicts me. While “I’m not perfect, just forgiven” can be flippantly tossed out to justify sin, I’m not trying to do that here. Exact opposite actually. Just because I have been forgiven doesn’t mean I won’t sin. I’m not sinless, but I should sin less.
Does my sin discredit Christianity? No. Just because a batter strikes out, he doesn’t represent the whole team. Just because I fail (sin) does not mean Christianity is a failure. The ultimate example-Jesus-never sinned. My trying to be like Him won’t make me sinless, but as I have said, it should make me sin less. My ultimate goal-any Christ-followers goal-should be to represent Jesus as close as we can. I will never do that perfectly.
Christianity doesn’t rise and fall on me. My sin brings a stain, but doesn’t undermine the rock solid truth of Jesus as the perfect and firm foundation. Is sin a problem? Yes. Is hypocrisy a problem? It can be. But Jesus offers the solution to the problem. If you or someone you know keeps using these excuses, stop making excuses by pointing fingers at fallible people and start looking at an infallible Christ.
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Tags: Christian Living, God, Hypocrisy, Jesus, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Sin, Story, Truth Telling
Written by Bill Grandi on September 23rd, 2024
Let me start out by saying, “What a weekend!” That is not a complaint; I am stating a fact. An outdoor wedding with a rehearsal that held so many moving parts it was way beyond my norm. Did I mention it was an outdoor rehearsal in 90+ degree weather? 🙂
Saturday, the day of the afternoon wedding, was brutal. Friday night brought a rain shower of 10-15 minutes that elevated the “sticky” factor. On Saturday, the sun was bright and poured down on us mercilessly. I went through a towel I kept handy and barely had a dry spot on the clothes on my body. I think even my tie was wet. 🙂 If nothing else, it was from the sweat that poured down from my head to my face and went everywhere. Did I mention it was an outdoor wedding in 90+ degree heat? 🙂
You get the picture. Sweet relief came when the sun went behind the clouds for about 45 minutes of the outdoor reception. But then… Did I mention the reception was outdoors in 90+ degree heat?
Again…I’m sure you get the picture. The bride in her gown. The groom in his dress blues. He never complained until the next day when I heard him say. “I was hot and couldn’t wait to take them off.” Logan and Kathryn have a story to tell of their 3 years of dating. It started when Kathryn’s family decided to go to school in our district, leaving the one they had been in all the way to her Sophomore year. Logan’s inquiry of “Who is that new girl?” led to a friend getting a name and number. The rest is history. Much of their dating has been long-distance since he was two years ahead of her and enlisted in the Marines. They have a story to tell of their courtship and wedding, and now of their life together.
Their marriage is a cord of 3 strands: Logan, Kathryn, and God. They have put Him at the foundation of their relationship from the start and I’m sure He will continue to be. I challenged Logan to lead his family with love. I challenged Kathryn to fill her family with love. And challenged them both to allow Christ to be the foundation of their home and the source of that love.
Knowing them…I have no doubt they will. They will have more of a story to tell. Their honeymoon will take them through Gatlinburg and surrounding areas and then to Quantico where he is stationed and where they will make their home for the next year and a half. I can’t wait to hear their story!
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Tags: Jesus, Leadership, Love/Marriage, Opinion, Reflection, Story
Written by Bill Grandi on September 19th, 2024
A switch of gears today. No commentary. No “human” thoughts. Just allowing Scripture to explain and illustrate Scripture.
Luke 19. Jesus is entering Jerusalem riding on a borrowed donkey. It was a prophecy fulfilled from Zechariah 9:9- “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey-riding on a donkey’s colt.” The people were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Meanwhile, the religious leaders were telling Jesus to silence His followers. Jesus replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones along the road would burst out into cheers!” (19:40)
Psalm 98:7-9a. “Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord.” Jesus knew what He was talking about. If we don’t praise Him, creation will. This is only one example of Scripture, especially in the Psalms, where we are told creation will break out in praise.
Let’s not allow creation to do the praising. The sunrise. The sunset. The vivid colors. The display of God’s handiwork in the sky. The display of God’s creative ability in the changing leaves and the hues of colors. May we be like those on that first Palm Sunday shouting out our praise to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
{Note: All Scripture from New Living Translation}
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Tags: God, God's Word, Opinion, Praise, Reflection, Worship
Written by Bill Grandi on September 18th, 2024
I read the following story recently. I thought I would share it with you:
In 1942 Davis Ellis was hired as educational director for Allstate Insurance Company. His job was to recruit and train female insurance agents during WWII. In 1950 Ellis’ daughter got sick with hepatitis. One morning as Dave headed out the door for work, the family physician called to let the family know that he was very concerned about JoAnn and that he was calling in a specialist, a Dr. Keyser. That evening when Ellis returned home, his wife, Helen, rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Dave,” she said, “the specialist has examined JoAnn and Dr. Cummings tells me that JoAnn in in good hands with Dr. Keyser.”
JoAnn recovered, and later that year, Ellis was part of a group working into the night to plan Allstate’s ad program for the coming year. Dave Ellis remembered how his anxiety eased when hearing those words: in good hands. He suggested using it as a slogan, along with an illustration of a pair of hands cradling a car. “You’re in good hands” has been Allstate’s slogan ever since. (found in Saved by Nancy Guthrie-p.127)
Just so you know, this is not a commercial for Allstate. My insurance company has been a “Good Neighbor” for close to 50 years. 🙂
But here is my thought I’d like you to ponder as well: Many people deem trouble and suffering as a bad thing. To be transparent, I’ve done my fair share of complaining, whining, and even crying when situations seem to keep coming and want to overwhelm me. But one thing I need to, no, want to keep in mind is that every moment, every event, is either a learning moment or a teaching moment. I can use it to learn something or use it to teach something. Mr. Ellis used the moment with his daughter to learn something and then, in turn, use it to teach/share into a positive lesson.
In I Corinthians 10 the Apostle Paul is writing about Israel’s history in the wilderness and says these words: “These are things that happened as a warning to us.” (v.6). In verse 11 he says, “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us…”
Waste nothing. Learn from it. Teach it.
{Note: All Scripture from New Living Translation}
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Tags: Christian Living, God's Plan, Leadership, Ministry, Opinion, Perseverance, Reflection, Scripture look, Story, Suffering, Trials
Written by Bill Grandi on September 17th, 2024
As one can expect there are many different views of God. Some are heretical, but those are not the kind I’m speaking about. Views like God is a God of wrath. Of Love. Of Vengeance. Of Patience. On and on it goes.
There is one which is gaining traction, I think, these days: God is a God who hates. On one end we have disgusting, narrow-minded, bigoted people who say, “God hates fags.” Or “God hates people of a different color, race, or different lifestyle than us.” On the other hand, we find a reaction from the side that says, “God is a God of love and hates bigoted, homophobic, racist people.” You know…ad infinitum, ad nauseum (on both sides).
How about this? God hates no one. While it is true God hates sin-and we all sin and will have to pay someday for our sin-God loves His image-bearers (that would be all of us). Proof you say?
My pleasure. “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. For this is how God so loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:14-17 NLT) Please take special note of verse 17. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save us. Case closed. He has offered us salvation, forgiveness of sin, and freedom from the chains and shame of sin. To all who look to the cross (depicted in verses 14-15) salvation is offered. Not forced…offered. How can anyone read verses 16-17 and say, “God hates (you fill in the blank).” Those verses say the exact opposite! God of hate? Think again.
We might flippantly say, “God is a God of love.” The truth of the matter is that He most definitely is! His arms are open. Open the door of your heart and let Him in.
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Tags: God, God's Word, Jesus, Love, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin
Written by Bill Grandi on September 16th, 2024
It never ceases to amaze me when people who say they follow Christ allow petty differences to separate them. Yes, the words or actions hurt. I am not denying that but seriously? Lifelong friends becoming the rest-of-life enemies? I read the following story awhile back and used it yesterday during a communion thought:
Esther (Eppie) and Pauline Friedman were identical twins born on July 4, 1918. At age 21 they were married to their husbands in a double wedding. In 1955 Eppie took over an advice column in the Chicago Sun-Times called “Ask Ann Landers.” Only a few months later Pauline took up a similar column, “Dear Abby,” under the name Abigail Van Buren. Trouble began when Pauline offered their hometown paper, the Sioux City Journal, a lower rate for her “Dear Abby” column if the paper promised not to print her sister’s “Ask Ann Landers.” Eppie was furious. They both became very successful advice columnists, but their relationship was never the same. They counseled people on relationships, for crying out loud! Even after they both died, their children continued the feud. (copied from Feels Like Home by Lee Eclov-p.61-62)
I shake my head at that story, finding it almost unbelievable (but it’s true). Here are two advice columnists giving advice, but they can’t or won’t take their own. Hmmm. Sounds like many Christ-followers who carry grudges long past their prime. In fact, why carry a grudge at all? I tell people that “when you carry a grudge you are a slave to that other person. They own you.” They own your thoughts. They own your actions. Sometimes they even own your sleep. I will say it bluntly: it ain’t worth it.
Stop allowing past difficulties to waylay your future. Stop allowing past differences to stymie your steps. Give it up and let the offense go. Or at least, forgive from your heart. If they refuse to reciprocate, the ball is in their court and you walk free.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Christian Living, Forgiveness, Friendship, Grudges, Lifestyle, Love, Mercy, Opinion, Reflection
