Tag Archives: bible

Wednesday in the Word

God is Always In Our Corner

Leave a comment

Romans 8:31
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

A lot of times we hear this verse quoted in almost a warlike way–“if you’re not for us, then you’re against us, and since God is on our side, you won’t win.” But this is not meant to be a war chant, especially when considered within the context of the preceding paragraph:

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Verse 31, then, is meant ultimately as encouragement to believers who still struggle, wondering whether they’re really important to God. Paul asserts that most certainly they are important to God, that they were called, predestined to be part of His Kingdom, and that God is always working for their good even while other human beings may scheme to tear them down. The same is true for us modern-day believers.

Now, God “always working for our good” doesn’t mean that our human-designed plans will always go flawlessly, that we’ll win every game we play, or that we’ll have all our heart’s desires fulfilled. But God will be there to support us when tragedies come, when sorrow creeps in or when betrayal strikes, orchestrating a far grander plan in which all believers will be glorified in the end.

Wednesday in the Word

Everything is Meaningless–Without God, That Is

Leave a comment

Ecclesiastes 11:8
However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.

Depressing, isn’t it? Ecclesiastes is not the happiest book of the Bible to read through, simply because the author repeats that “everything is meaningless” while we live “under the sun.”

But indeed, everything purely worldly (“under the sun”) is ultimately meaningless–“in a hundred years, what will it matter?” as my mom always says when I get upset about something breaking or not going right. Without God and a grand divine plan to give life an overarching meaning and goal, life can seem a bit pointless. After a while, we get tired of searching for pleasure, power, and wealth; most of us start looking for a deeper meaning during our “days of darkness.” And, if we’re not looking toward God, we simply won’t find it.

This is why the author of Ecclesiastes (possibly King Solomon) keeps insisting that “everything is meaningless”–because life without divine direction leaves us ultimately wishing for something more, something only God can give us.

Wednesday in the Word

Human Hatred Blocks Christian Love

Leave a comment

1 John 4:19-21
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

John doesn’t mince words here: if you hate another human being, who is your sibling in the family of God, then you aren’t showing true Christian love to anyone.

This is an extremely hard truth to realize, especially since most of us have prejudices of some sort when it comes to other human beings. But given that all genuine love comes from God, if I refuse to show love to another person, I’m refusing to show God to them. And if I refuse to show God to another person, how can I call myself a Christian?

This verse hearkens back to two other places in the Bible–John 13:34, when Jesus commanded His disciples to “love one another as I have loved you,” and even back to Mosaic Law in the Old Testament. We are not only commanded to love our families and friends to show God to them, but to love each person as a brother or sister in Christ…even if they haven’t quite made it into the fold yet.

This is a simple command in words, but very, very difficult to live out. It’s part of the reason that being a Christian can be a struggle; our human natures want to hate those who have hurt us, inconvenienced us, or crossed us, but God commands us to love and forgive. It takes diligence and a daily commitment to behave like God has commanded, but it’s necessary if we want to show God’s love to the world.

Wednesday in the Word

Boaz Redeems Ruth, as Christ Redeems Us

Leave a comment

Ruth 4:1-6
1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there. When the kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned came along, Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”

“I will redeem it,” he said.

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”

6 At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”

This whole scene happens because Naomi needs someone to help her and her daughter-in-law Ruth get back on their feet. They have lost so much financially and emotionally through the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons, and the best way for them to begin building up again is for someone to buy the land that once belonged to Ruth’s husband, Elimelech. Since Boaz is kin to the family, he would be a natural choice, but the kinsman-redeemer is closer of kin.

However, this move would bring with it its own perils, at least financially. Anybody who buys the land would also be obliged to marry Ruth, and could end up losing his own lands to Ruth’s offspring in due course of time. As we see in these verses, the kinsman-redeemer is not willing to take that risk…but Boaz is, because he realizes he is meant to care for Ruth and her mother-in-law, since they have so little left. He takes on the burden for them, and in so doing gives them renewed hope and life.

Here, we see the drama of Christ’s redemption acted out in miniature; this is only a foreshadowing of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Even though His life was sinless, He took on our sin and paid for it Himself; even though His journey to the cross brought Him extreme pain and death, He was willing to do it to redeem us. No one else would have done nearly what He did for us! Just as Boaz took on a seemingly untenable financial burden for Ruth and Naomi, Jesus took on our spiritual burden…and gave us renewed hope for eternal life.

Wednesday in the Word

Hospitality to Strangers: Part of the Christian Life

Leave a comment

Hebrews 13:1-2
13:1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Here, we see a clear directive for Christians as the last chapter of Hebrews begins: show love even to strangers by showing them hospitality. In doing this, you will treat them as “brothers and sisters,” even if they are no blood relation to you, and even if they are unbelievers.

Some might ask why this is a key part of the Christian life. The simplest answer I can give is to relate it to Matthew 25:40, in which Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you did for me.” Any time we do something for our fellow man, we are serving Jesus, both figuratively and literally. When we are willing to give of our time and effort as well as our money to help someone else, we are showing them mercy and grace just as God first showed it to us–and we are pointing the way back to God.

A Memory of Showing Hospitality

I remember when I was about five or six, my family was in a drive-thru line at the KFC in Gaffney, SC, getting lunch. A painfully-thin man in ragged clothes stood near the drive-thru line as the cars circled around, begging at each car’s open window. His face looked so desperate as he approached our car, and Dad rolled down the window to speak to him–it turned out he didn’t want money, but just food.

Mom and Dad had a quick conversation after the man had begged for food, and then Dad went on through the drive-thru; I remember being surprised how much food Dad was ordering. There were two big boxes of food handed out the window to us, and then Dad looped back through the parking lot, driving up beside the man to hand him one of the boxes, stuffed almost to bursting with food, and a large drink.

The desperation on the man’s face turned to relief and joy, and he wept, saying “Thank you, thank you! God bless you!” I saw the tears in Daddy’s eyes in the rearview mirror, and even as little as I was, I understood that they were happy tears. Mom was just as moved, sniffling as we slowly pulled away.

This memory is the first thing I thought about when I read these Bible verses. God puts people in our paths for a reason, whether it’s for us to serve them or for them to provide for one of our needs. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” We didn’t know the man, but my parents knew he had a genuine need, and knew that they could fulfill it. And in times since, we have been the grateful recipients of timely mercy gifted by someone else who saw our need.

Serving other fellow human beings spreads the message of God far better than anything else we could ever do–and this goes both for the people who benefit from your service and for the people who witness it. For myself as a young child, seeing this modeled in front of me was a powerful message about selfless service that I have never forgotten to this day.

Wednesday in the Word

Look at What God Has Done–And Can Do Again!

Leave a comment

Nehemiah 7:4a; 66-67
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt. 5 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families…

66 The whole company numbered 42,360, 67 besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 245 male and female singers.

In this selection of verses, Nehemiah depicts the massive company of Israelites which had come back from being exiled in Babylon. Thanks to King Cyrus of Persia, who had conquered Babylon, the Israelites were free to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple and their capital city. For the king, it was a gesture of goodwill; for the Israelites, it was a fulfillment of God’s promise to His people. After 70 years, they were FINALLY home, just as He had said through His prophets!

The city of Jerusalem, however, had to be rebuilt for people to be able to live in it again; the Babylonians had done quite a number on it when they had rampaged through. Now that the Israelites were home, it was time to get to work. But now, they all recognized that without God, they would never have gotten home in the first place–Nehemiah 8 retells how the people worshipped with new fervor as Ezra read the Law to them, dramatically rededicating themselves to God.

These days, God is still doing great works for His people; He can take untenable situations and dissolve the troubles as if they never existed, and He can open doors that you thought were welded shut. BUT! It takes trusting God first. He waits for you to trust Him and give Him the problem you’ve been worrying and crying over, and THEN the miracles begin to happen. Even if the miracle you need takes a long time to unfold, trust that God has the situation in perfect control, as always. Know that He is with you just as He was with the Israelites, even while they languished in exile!

Wednesday in the Word

Gearing Up Our Godly Character

Leave a comment

Ephesians 6:16-18

11 Put on the the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

In this passage, Paul describes the Christian life in warrior’s terms, being in “full armor” against all the evil influences that this world can bring to bear. This is not about going forth and conquering in the name of God, but about defending one’s own soul.

First, Paul cautions that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood;” our fellow humans are not the real enemy when it comes to battles of faith. (Would that modern political parties understood this!) Instead, our attention should be against the “rulers,” “authorities,” and “powers of this dark world”–in essence, Satan and more “spiritual forces of evil.” Spending more time defending against spiritual attack and less time attacking other humans will make us all readier for the faith battle ahead.

Next, Paul breaks down what “the full armor of God” means:

  • the “belt” of truth, holding up other parts of the armor;
  • the “breastplate” of righteousness (God’s righteousness, not ours), defending our soul;
  • feet fitted with “readiness” from the gospel, enabling us to act decisively and prayerfully;
  • the “shield” of faith, a usable defense against the world’s influences;
  • the “helmet” of salvation, guarding our minds from corruption;
  • the “sword” of the Spirit, giving us the spiritual tools we need to combat negative influences against us.

Notice that all these attributes–truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and the Spirit–are all parts of the Christian character. Not only that, but Paul’s descriptions of “Christian armor” closely mirror Isaiah’s descriptions of the Messiah’s symbolic armor. Our best defense against the world’s evils, then, is to be of Godly character, acting, speaking, and being as much like Christ as possible. (This does not mean that the Devil will stop attacking us: far from it! But when he does attack, we’ll be ready.)

Lastly, verse 18 reminds us of the most important part of wearing the “armor of God”–prayer. If we don’t stay in contact with the One who has blessed us with such armor, we will find ourselves fighting a losing battle. And, as Paul says again in the last half of the verse, we should be praying for each other, too!

In total, these verses show us how to live more God-centered lives, and depict how each value is crucial to building Godly character. For certain, acting and speaking in Christian ways every day is not easy, but with the right “battle gear,” we’re more able!

Wednesday in the Word

This is Why God Says “Don’t Test Me”

Leave a comment

Daniel 4:30-35
30 He [Nebuchadnezzar] said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32 You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

33 Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. 34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

Earlier in the Book of Daniel, we see King Nebuchadnezzar asking Daniel for an interpretation of a strange dream, in which a beautiful, fruitful tree is cut down, bound up with metal, and exposed to the wild elements for several years. Daniel interprets the dream as having specific meaning for Nebuchadnezzar himself, warning the king that if he continues on his wicked, sinful path, he will receive the same treatment as the tree, being “cut down” from his throne and humbled.

The king, however, largely disregards Daniel’s warning until about a year later, when he’s walking around on the roof of Babylon’s royal palace–verse 30 is Nebuchadnezzar’s self-congratulatory murmur. This apparently is the final straw for God, Who has put up with the Babylonian monarch’s pompousness for long enough (verse 31-32 is God’s direct response).

And, just as Daniel’s warning had said, Nebuchadnezzar is stripped of his crown and put out to pasture, living among the wild animals until “seven times” pass (either seven years or seven lengths of indeterminate time). This most humbling condition finally gets through to the king, who states in verses 34-35 that he now realizes the true omnipotence of God. No longer is Nebuchadnezzar pridefully crowing about “his” accomplishments; he realizes that God has the actual power and control.

Why Does God Give This Harsh Punishment? Pride!

God’s actions toward Nebuchadnezzar can seem overly harsh and punitive, but we have to keep in mind that the Babylonian king thought himself akin to a god in some ways. After all, he had been the one to cast Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace for not worshipping the image of gold he had personally set up. All his actions up until this point had been self-serving and self-important, and directly contradicted God. And, in a last insult to God, he had not heeded the warning sent in a dream and interpreted by Daniel. Thus, God had to do something a little more drastic to get through to him.

We can be just as stubborn as Nebuchadnezzar sometimes. We can get all caught up in OUR big plans, OUR talents and abilities, OUR self-sufficiency, etc., and forget all about God and the fact that He is the one who really has control. So God has to discipline us, not just to show off His power, but to keep us from pride’s lofty heights, which only lead to terrifying falls (as I have experienced personally). As tough as this act of God might be to endure, the king finally learns his humble lesson, and goes on to glorify God instead of himself. We have to learn how to put aside our own pride and glorify God (rather than our own accomplishments) in the same way.

Wednesday in the Word

Worldly Wealth vs. Spiritual Wealth

Leave a comment

Matthew 19:24-27
24 “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

In this passage, Jesus has just finished speaking with a rich young man, who has “gone away sad” because he cannot bring himself to give away all his wealth to the poor, as Jesus had stated. No wonder, then, that Jesus remarks to the disciples that it is “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle” than for a rich person to get into Heaven on his own. The rich young man, just like most of us modern folks today, have a REALLY hard time giving up money and material possessions to replace them with “treasure in heaven,” which we can’t touch or see.

It is also no wonder, then, that the disciples begin to worry about “who can be saved,” if it’s so difficult to get into Heaven. Jesus’ answer to that worry is beautifully simple: a human being cannot go to heaven on his own merits, but he or she can be saved with God’s grace. (The disciples hadn’t figured out yet that Jesus was going to form the spiritual bridge between God and man, and would provide that grace to make salvation possible.)

But notice that Peter voices a little different concern in the last verse. He says that all the disciples have given up everything to follow Jesus, including material wealth…but he wants to know what kind of reward there will be for doing so. Peter, like most of us, is still thinking of “treasure” in terms of tangible wealth–obvious rewards and acclaim, etc.

We often make the same mistake when it comes to Christianity; we want to see and touch the rewards for being a faithful Christian, and we want everyone to see that we’re getting rewards. But spiritual wealth is not something we can put a price on, nor is it something which is always obvious by our lifestyle. It resides in us: it is the gift of salvation itself, which leads to eventual eternity in heaven. That grace is not a reward for good works, but for surrendering pride and personal gain to trust God fully with one’s whole being. If you’re looking for “treasure in heaven,” as Peter was, salvation and an eternity with God are the answers.

Wednesday in the Word

How We Act When Caught in Sin

Leave a comment

1 Kings 1:47-50
47 Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed 48 and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.'”

49 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. 50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns on the altar.

At the start of 1 Kings, David’s son Adonijah tries to seize the throne for himself, not waiting for David to designate his own successor. But once Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet tell David of this, David quickly hurries to officially designate Solomon as king. This news arrives as Adonijah and all his guests are feasting, celebrating Adonijah’s apparent victory. Suddenly there’s a lot of cheering and noise outside, but the crowd is cheering for King Solomon, not King Adonijah!

No wonder every guest scatters–they don’t want to be associated with Adonijah, whose ill-fated royal coup may well lead to his execution. Instead of running, however, Adonijah clings to the altar, reduced to trembling humility, literally hiding under God’s protection even though he greedily schemed to seize power for himself.

We Don’t Have to Hide from God!

This scene reminds me of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Like a kid, Adonijah tries to protect himself from the inevitability of punishment for his misdeeds. We Christians often do the same thing when we are caught in sin–we try to cover it up, excuse it, or use outwardly holy actions as a shield, as Adonijah does here.

But when we act in this way, we forget that God already knows what we’ve done, and is prepared to treat us with mercy even as He disciplines us. In the verses immediately after this passage, Solomon treats Adonijah with remarkable goodwill and forgiveness, promising to keep him from harm as long as he does not scheme for the throne again. (One gets the feeling that the rest of Adonijah’s life is likely not as free from scrutiny as he might have hoped, but he is alive and not immediately put to death for his sin.)

God treats us similarly, giving justice and mercy in the same moment, because He knows that we each have weaknesses and foibles. One can see discipline in how Adonijah’s plot is foiled, and yet there is forgiveness available for him, too. Like Solomon’s treatment of his brother, God’s discipline comes tempered with grace–and what a blessing that is!