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Thursday, January 9th, 2025
One of the most confusing exchanges in Genesis is the life of Jacob and Esau. When in the womb, there was friction. In fact, Rebekah was told that there were two nations within her. When born Esau came first, but Jacob came out hanging onto his heel. That would seem to be the story of their whole lives.
Esau taking things for granted; Jacob always plotting.
Esau became a hunter; Jacob felt more at home, well…at home. Isaac loved Esau. Rebekah loved Jacob. If that doesn’t spell disaster I don’t know what does! I’ve seen the whole divided favoritism thing play out in real life and it NEVER turns out well.
Esau takes off hunting. Jacob stays home and makes a red stew. Esau has a lousy day hunting and comes home famished. So famished he thought he would die. Jacob, always the conniver, gets his brother to give up his birthright for a pot of stew. Perhaps Esau never thought much about it again but Jacob didn’t forget. You can bet your bottom dollar on that!
Fast forward a few years and Isaac is blind. He senses the end is near so he commissions Esau to go out and kill some game, cook it, bring it to him, and he will bless him as his firstborn son. Enter Rebekah who overhears the conversation. She calls Jacob and they set up a scheme. To his credit, Jacob doesn’t seem to be totally into the scheme of tricking his father that he is Esau. But he follows through with it and while Isaac questions who is in front of him, Jacob is complicit in the lie. He receives the blessing reserved for Esau, the firstborn. When Esau returned with the game, he found out Jacob was up to his old tricks again. This time he vows revenge so Rebekah convinces Jacob to run to her brother’s. Jacob does that and if there is such a thing as “turn about is fair play” Jacob was the recipient. After working 7 years to marry Rachel, Laban tricked him into marrying Leah instead. He worked another seven years to marry Rachel. The con got conned. (A retelling of Genesis 25:19-34; 27:1-29:35)
Did you ever wonder why some stories are in the Bible? Well…I don’t really wonder why on this. God definitely shows us through the story of Jacob that imperfect people can still fulfill His purpose. Just think about it: that is all He has anyway. 🙂 But Jacob? WOW!!
There is hope for me. True, I never cheated anyone out of a birthright or stole a blessing intended for the firstborn. (BTW: I am the oldest, but not firstborn). But I have cheated. I have connived. I have lied. I have pretended to be someone I’m not. I’ve taken advantage of people. And the list goes on. BUT I’M ALSO REDEEMED. I’m also a new creation. I’m also a child of the King. I’m also proof God is in the restoration business.
I’m thankful for the story of Jacob. It is quite revealing.
Posted in InTheShadow | 6 Responses »
Tags: Bible/Scripture, Choices, Christian Living, Conniving, Dishonesty, Forgiveness, God's Plan, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story
Wednesday, January 8th, 2025
There are many people, especially those who follow Jesus, who feel as though they don’t matter. That God doesn’t really care about them. He doesn’t hear them. He is not interested in what they are going through. I beg to differ, even though at times it might seem that way. I like what Paul David Tripp says in his opening gambit in his Everyday Gospel Devotional for January 8th: “Our covenant-keeping God is a God who speaks to us. In His words we find comfort, assurance, and direction.” He goes on to write: “Every bit of wisdom I have comes from the words of his book. I found my identity in the words of his book. I was drawn to put my trust in him because of the words of his book. I have found peace during times of trial because of the words of his book. I have future hope because of the words of his book. My life has been rescued, empowered, and defined by the words of his book.”
It is easy, as I stated earlier, to feel God doesn’t care. He seems silent. I started the New Year by reading Psalms and Proverbs again. It just so happens that my reading today took me to Psalm19. Within that chapter we find the following words: “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.” (19:7-11)
Let me add a few more verses from Psalm 119. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (v.105) “Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight.” (v.111) “Your laws are perfect and completely trustworthy.” (v.138). You will find so much more in Psalm 119.
Trust Him. Trust His Word. Trust that He has your back (and front, and side). May I suggest that you fall in love with the Author of the Book and then, in turn, fall in love with His words? It is like Peter said, “Where else can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” And, oh, to find out what happens when we disregard His words and ways and decide to do things on our own, check out Genesis 25-26 (and more).
{Note: All Scripture from the New Living Translation}
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Choices, Christian Living, God's Word, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story
Monday, December 30th, 2024
Hello and welcome to Living in the Shadow! If you are new here, I’m glad you came by. If not, thanks for being a faithful reader (and hopefully making comments)! 🙂
The new year always brings mixed emotions. Some are glad the previous year is over with. I talked with someone just the other day who had that idea. Some look back but then look forward with anticipation for what is ahead. My philosophy is that I can’t change the past; don’t live in regret; learn from the mistakes and the bright spots; and move forward trusting God to lead. In two short days 2024 will be in the history books and 2025 will be laid out in front of us. I can honestly say at this point the only thing I dread about a new year is knowing I will have to do my taxes. It is such a tedious thing and I have so many other more important things to do! Know what I mean? 🙂
The new year brings what many call “New Year’s Resolutions.” I don’t make them. You know how that works. “I’m going to lose so many pounds this year.” “I’m going to spend less and save more.” And for the gym rats among us it is the dreaded “I’m going to start working out more.” That means for January and about half of February the Y or gym will be crowded. Fortunately (for me but not for them) that resolve will soon get lost.
The new year is also a time of spiritual reflection for many. “I’m going to read my Bible more.” “I’m going to pray more.” “I’m going to get involved in church more.” “I’m going to be nicer to people, even those who mistreat me.” Sadly, those will often go by the wayside way too quickly as well. Least one hopes they last further than January or half of February.
The church I pastor is doing something we have never done as a congregation before. We are using Everyday Gospel Devotions by Paul David Tripp as a guide for our daily walk with Jesus. By the end of the year-if we stick to it-we will have not only taken part in the daily devotions, but also in reading through the Bible. I’m trying to help that out by basing my Sunday morning messages on the previous week’s Scripture reading. For example, this coming Sunday the sermon will be from Genesis 1-15. Sounds like a lot but I preach about 20-25 minutes so it will be a condensation of that Scripture. My theme for the year is Burning Hearts taken from Luke 24. After Jesus’ encounter with the two on the road to Emmaus they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
My prayer for myself and for the people of OVCF is to have my heart come alive and burn as I study the Scriptures. Feel free to join us in our venture. For more information just respond in the comments.
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Christian Living, Church, God's Word, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Story
Thursday, December 19th, 2024
I have a laptop that I use quite a lot. Over a year ago someone in the church gave me a big monitor which I absolutely love. My laptop sits closed at the base of the monitor because I like using an external keyboard rather than trying to fit my big fingers on the small keyboard of the laptop. I have a Bible open to my favorite chapter in the Bible sitting on top of my closed laptop and a post-it “thingy” (it looks like an arrow that says, “Read me!”) pointed directly to my favorite verse. I have one pointing to Luke 24:32 since that verse is the theme for my 2025 year of preaching. When Jesus walked with the two men on the road to Emmaus following His resurrection, they realized who He was when He broke bread with them. Their words were “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” I want to keep that constantly in front of me as I study.
But hands down my favorite passage in Psalm 37. I have the post-it arrow focused on verse 5. Please allow me to share with you the words from Psalm 37:1-8 this morning. I can think of no better way to start the day than to read Scripture and focus on what it says. Maybe this will be just for you today.
“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. (That was verse 5) He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper-it only leads to harm.” A little later in that chapter (verses 23-24) he writes, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Scripture from NLT)
I wrote it without verse divisions because I wanted you to see its flawless reading. How it flows. But most importantly the meaning and encouragement this chapter gives. I hope and pray you might take some time today to meditate on these verses and then allow them to flood your heart and soul. Who knows? They just may become your favorite as well!
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Christian Living, God's Word, Lifestyle, Ministry, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Quiet Time, Reflection, Scripture look, Truth Telling
Monday, December 16th, 2024
For 2025 I have asked the church I pastor (Owen Valley Christian Fellowship in Spencer, IN) to accept a challenge. The challenge was to use Everyday Gospel, a daily devotional written by Paul David Tripp as their go-to this coming year. Thanks to the generosity of Crossway Publishing, who offered the opportunity to buy them in bulk for $10 each (order at least 10), our folks were able to get on board for the challenge. To date we have had to order…wait for it…120 copies of the book!! That means there will be at least 120 people who will be reading the devotional each day plus the Scripture corresponding to it. By the end of the year, we will have read through the whole Bible. But I did something even crazier, which really put a target on my forehead. I told them that instead of preaching a series or a book of the Bible or even topics in 2025, that I would base all my sermons on the Scriptures read the previous week (Sunday through Saturday). For example, on January 5th, the first Sunday of 2025, I will preach on Genesis 1-15, the Scripture passages we are to read for January 1-4. In all of my 50+ years of ministry, I have never-read that NEVER- preached on the whole Bible from the first Sunday of the year to the last. I’m not kidding you when I say I come with a bit of fear after I opened my mouth and made that statement. I wonder now if it was what drove people to sign up for the book.
But I also have to admit to a ton of excitement and cautious optimism for the task in front of me. As I stated earlier, I have NEVER taken on this task before. It will require some serious study and preparation as I weed through some great parts of the Bible but also some tough parts (how does one preach through parts of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers and make it exciting?). It has also required me reading the Devotional ahead of time, then I will go back and read it again on its planned day, along with the Scripture passage. Last night I read the devotions for January 26 & 27 in preparation for the sermon on February 2nd. My thoughts today are taken from the January 26th devotion.
We hear a lot during this time of the year about love, joy, and hope. My daughter Tami’s favorite Christmas song has the lyrics “The thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.” (O Holy Night). I know how this whole scenario ends (Jesus wins) but even with that belief/truth, it is hard not to feel like many others do: where is the hope? We sure don’t live in a hopeful society do we? I’m not even talking politics here. I’m talking about life. Before I went to my ManCave last night to focus my thoughts and heart and to sit with an ice pack on my new knee and a hot pad on sore places from the needles of that surgery, I heard about Syria, the death of the United HealthCare CEO, the pardons, the rhetoric which seemed to say murder was wrong “but,” the immigration crisis, etc. You get the picture. So, tell me, where is the hope? I have an 18 year old, soon-to-be a high school graduate grandson, who will be attending THE Ohio State University this fall. What kind of world will he grow up in? One without truth? One without boundaries? One without knowing right from wrong? One without HOPE! I pray not. I pray that Braden’s generation says, “Enough is enough!” and claws its way back to truth and the hope that comes with it. In his January 26th devotion, Paul David Tripp writes, “True and lasting hope is found in these words: “I will dwell in the midst of my people.”
May Tripp’s words be a signpost for my grandson’s generation. Really, for every generation still living and will soon be living. “May you dwell in the midst of your people, Lord.”
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Choices, Christian Living, Church, God, God's Presence, God's Word, Opinion, Reflection, Truth Telling
Wednesday, October 30th, 2024
In my daily Bible reading, I began this morning in the book of Romans. Considered Paul’s magnum opus, it is chalk full of truth. All kinds of truth. The purpose of this devotion today is not to give an overview of the whole book, but to give a glimpse into chapter 1.
- Verses 1-7 has Paul greeting the Roman followers of Christ. He gives some serious doctrinal truth as to who Jesus is.
- Verses 8-17 has Paul grateful for the Roman followers of Jesus because the love they have for Jesus has spread and others have heard about their love. He gives, perhaps, the most succinct purpose of the Gospel in verses 16-17: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.'” (NLT)
But then he lowers the boom. He writes about God’s displeasure with sin-all sin. His approach is multi-pronged:
- There are those who disregard God Himself. They deny His existence. I would put them in the “We can’t see Him so He is not real” camp. Paul says they are without excuse. (v.20). He says those who want to think that way are fools. Instead of worshiping a real God, they worship a fake god (images of people, birds, animals and reptiles).
- Then comes a very distinct and very confrontational passage: verses 24-27. These are called “clobber verses” because they are used as clubs to confront, judge, condemn and beat people over the head who struggle with SSA. In all honesty, only those who want to justify theirs-or someone else’s actions-can overlook this. BUT…
- I am stopped dead in my tracks by verses 28-32. Lest I get arrogant and stand on a self-righteous soapbox, there is a laundry list of sin that condemns us all. We may say, “SSA? Not me!” and feel good about ourselves. But hold on! Look at the list: every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. Then Paul writes, “They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.” As each one is leveled, we start hopping around lest His divine foot stomp nail our feet to the floor and expose our sinful heart.
Short recap I know. There is so much more to say. I simply say: investigate on your own. Read this chapter slowly, all the while asking God to speak to your heart. The message will not only be clear; it is one you cannot escape. I think we all need the message of Romans 1, but I especially am grateful for the simple words about Good News in verses 16-17 (see above).
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Choices, Christian Living, God's Word, Jesus, Lifestyle, Love, Ministry, Opinion, Quiet Time, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story, Truth Telling
Tuesday, 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
Monday, December 11th, 2023
One of the most “passed over’ sections of Scripture is the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. I mean, let’s face it: who in their right mind would say, “Oh boy! A genealogy. I get to read a bunch of ‘begats’ and “father of’s”? Sounds good if you want to put your child to sleep or even yourself. But to be excited to read it? Nope.
But Jesus’ genealogy is filled with interesting characters. My devotions this week will take a look at some of them- 4 women, one outlier, and one man. Let’s take the first in the list in this devotion:
TAMAR
The whole sordid story is told in Genesis 38. Tamar was married to Judah’s oldest son, Er. The Bible simply says “he was wicked in the sight of the Lord and died.” We aren’t told what it was, but it must have been bad. She then married his next brother, Onan, but he failed to consummate the marriage correctly and he too died. Hmmm. Two up. Two down. What is Judah to do with the next son, Shelah? I can tell you what he didn’t do! He promised him to Tamar when he came of age, but then reneged on that deal. Tamar waited; he failed to deliver. So she took matters into her own hands. She pitched a tent; dressed as a prostitute; seduced Judah; took his staff and ring for collateral; revealed her pregnancy and who the father was; and gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah. All three are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus.
Tamar was a deceiver, who dressed as a prostitute in order to seduce her father-in-law. Even in our seeming “everything goes” age that would raise a few eyebrows. It is hard to believe she is in Jesus’ lineage…but she is. Along with the others whom we will look at over the next few days, several lessons pop out at us. One I will cover more later: GRACE. But one that is highlighted in this genealogy is the imperfection of all of us and the ability of God to change it all and to use the weak. His ability to use broken people is on full display.
I’m a perfect example of that. Broken but usable.
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I will be reminding you over the next couple of days about my other blog, Cycleguy’s Spin. I have recently revived it with a totally different approach. Today I review Glynn Young’s series of books on Michael Kent-Hughes (a fictional character) whom he developed over a series of five books. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please visit me there at this post.
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, God, God's Plan, Grace, Love, Mercy, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story
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.
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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.
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Tags: Amazement, Bible/Scripture, God's Word, Miscellaneous, Opinion, Reflection, Story, Wonder
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.
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Christian Living, Discernmenet, Fruit Inspector, God's Word, Judging, Leadership, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Truth Telling
