Smarty-pants
Father, I would pray for Your guiding hand as we come together this evening. Direct my thoughts in a way that would bring glory to Your name. Amen.
Acts 17:16-23 (<<click here to read the passage)
Growing up many of us knew someone that we would have labeled as a smarty-pants. The term was used to describe a know-it-all, a smart-alack, a show-off. Someone who is described as a smarty-pants…is annoying to engage with and difficult to be around. A smarty-pants has to always be right, and always tries to force others to acknowledge that he is right.*
Soon after the Apostle Paul and his companions began to have a good, positive impact among those in Berea, problematic Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea to stir up trouble, and the believers there sent Paul the Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy to wrap things up.
Paul was certainly no dummy but landing in Athens, he found himself amongst men who would have been considered some of the most learned of his day. Luke the author of Acts inserted a note that states, (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.) v21 NLT
And because of this, some were put off by what he was saying but others were intrigued and invited him to speak before the big guns of the city’s philosophers at a place called the Areopagus. v22 NIV
After he arrived in Athens, Paul found himself deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. v16 NLT and as he found himself with this great opportunity before him, he addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. vs22-23 NLT
The Life Application Study Bible’s note on verse 23 states,
Paul explained the one true God to these educated men of Athens; although these men were, in general, very religious, they did not know God. Today we have a “Christian” society, but to most people, God is still unknown. We need to proclaim who he is and make clear what he did for everyone through his Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot assume that even religious people around us truly know Jesus or understand the importance of faith in him.
There may be “Christians” all around us, but how many are so in name only. In reality, church attendance and supporting those churches with money and energy – even saying they believe in Jesus – don’t add up to a hill of beans if those actions and beliefs are not accompanied by a relationship with Him.
The smarty-pants in Athens (and maybe even some we know personally) may have thought they were always right, and always tried to force others to acknowledge that they were right, but they cannot escape having to accept or deny the reality of who Jesus was…and is still today.
May our heart’s goal be to patiently, lovingly point out the importance of personally knowing Jesus. And may we diligently strive to be a living example of what it means to do so. Lord Jesus, help us. Amen.
*Grammarist: Smarty-pants and smarty-boots
June 9th, 2022, Thurs, 9:04 pm
Seek Out the Truth
Thank You, Father, for a productive day. Now we can move forward with our summer break! May we be wise stewards of the time and resources given to us by Your gracious hand. Amen.
Acts 17:10-15 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the most dangerous places to be is under the leadership of a pastor that takes offense at anyone questioning him. I have read too many horror stories of individuals who have submitted to such “authority” because of falsely aligned submission and obligation.
Most certainly a pastor is in the right to hold firmly to his beliefs and convictions but a true and authentic messenger of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ must serve in humility as He did. And he must willingly withstand the scrutiny of his teachings when held up against the truth of God’s word.
If said pastor questions the mindset, then they would do well to read through this passage which finds Paul and Silas finding a receptive cross-section of the Jews and Greeks in Berea. They were open-minded and listened eagerly to Paul’s message.
But here’s the clincher, we see at the end of verse 11, that these new believers …searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. NLT
Did Paul and Silas get defensive? Nope. Did they try to expel anyone for questioning them? Nope. They diligently continued to teach and because they let the wise Bereans affirm to themselves through God’s own words that they spoke the truth many of them became believers… v12a AMP
If you hear something you’ve never heard or a spin on something that goes against the grain of what you have been taught, check it out, scrutinize it, and don’t just blindly accept whatever is being espoused as truth. It may be the truth but be diligent in holding it up to God’s word and with prayer see what God has to say. Seek out the truth!
Lord Jesus, may we through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives be able to clearly decern what is truth and what is divergent from said truth. No man or woman is perfect, we all can err. May we willingly submit to You and only You. For only You are the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through You! Amen. (John 14:6 AMP)
June 8th, 2022, Wed, 8:18 pm
Green-eyed Monsters
Two days of cleaning my bus have definitely impacted my body, but Father, my mind and heart are with You. Use me to communicate Your heart and mind. Amen.
Acts 16:35-40(<<click here to read the passage)
Jealousy. We’ve all experienced it – maybe you’ve been on the receiving end or maybe you’ve been the green-eyed monster.
We’re all probably familiar with that phrase which traces itself back to the writings of Shakespeare. He used it in two of his plays, “Merchant of Venice” and “Othello” whose main characters used it in their dialogues. But actually, there is historical precedent for associating green with jealousy which can be traced back to ancient Greeks. They believed that feelings of envy and jealousy were triggered by the body’s overproduction of bile, which turns the skin into a shade of green.*
Many of us would associate jealousy with children since they are a little quicker to let their emotions show, but adults, though a bit more subtle, are no less ready to let their green-eyed monster out. Too often we just don’t like it when those close to us are getting the attention we crave. And unfortunately, we can get pretty creative when it comes to drawing attention back to ourselves.
In today’s passage, it’s crazy that these “God-fearing” Jews weren’t motivated by doctrinal purity. They weren’t striving to refute anything of a theological nature at all – their sole motivation for throwing together a group of troublemakers from the marketplace and forming a mob to start a riot was jealousy – petty green-eyed jealousy. v5
Jealousy from either side – the giver or the receiver – can be destructive. Lord Jesus, help us watch where our hearts lean. May we find contentment in who we are and what we have as we see ourselves through Your eyes. Help us not to let petty mentalities hurt others and ourselves. Amen.
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
….jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Proverbs 14:30 NLT
Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
….but jealousy is even more dangerous. Proverbs 27:4 NLT
*3 Colors That Represent Jealousy
June 7th, 2022, Tues, 7:39 pm
Empty or Full – It’s Your Choice!
Father, it has been an odd sort of day. The weather started out bright and it is now overcast and raining. My heart started out overcast and now it is shining much more brightly. All praise to You for Your active presence in my life!
********
Music is a wonderful communicator of the soul!
I have a friend who has been blessed with great musical gifts. She and her husband have ministered on so many levels to so many people. I met her several years ago and would say she is one of those with a sweet and gentle spirit, who lives a life where she doesn’t just occasionally seek to live out her faith in Jesus Christ but breathes it in and out with each breathe.
A year or so ago, she began sharing recordings of her playing wonderful arrangements of predominantly hymns, quite often accompanied by her singing. I listened to one of her posts, just a little while ago, and it was not the first time! Her video is posted here and I would encourage you to go to her YouTube page and subscribe…you won’t regret it!
This particular arrangement is a combination of the traditional spiritual, Give Me Jesus, and the Fanny Crosby hymn of the same title.
The first stanza of Fanny Crosby’s hymn reads,
Take the world, but give me Jesus,
All its joys are but a name.
But His love abideth ever,
Thro’ eternal years the same.
How many times on any given day does the clamor of the world call out to us? It offers so much if we can just get this thing, do this thing, think this way, or place ourselves in some given circumstances in which everyone else finds themselves. And the world claims that we would be so much more content and fulfilled and happy if we would do so.
But, if you haven’t already figured it out, it’s a total scam! There may be a time of contentment or fulfillment or happiness, but it is short-lived. It is there for the fleetest of moments but is gone far too soon, leaving us with a gaping hole to fill. And sadly, that is how we spend our lives – searching for something to fill that hole.
What is worse is that that hole, over time, seems to get bigger and bigger and it gets harder and harder to fill. As the second line of that first stanza states, All [the world’s] joys are but a name. The world promises great things, but in the end, they are but a name. And that is why the first line says, Take the world, but give me Jesus.
The world may satisfy us for a time, but Jesus’ love abideth ever, Thro’ eternal years the same!
And where the world leaves us empty, the benefits of life with Jesus fill us to overflowing! It’s like a cup under a faucet opened wide! Before too long, His blessings are splashing out – overflowing, drenching those around us, as well!
O the height and depth of mercy!
O the length and breadth of love!
O the fullness of redemption—
Pledge of endless life above!
The world will only drag us into the depths of despair. But Jesus said in John 10:10b,
I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. AMP
Amen and amen!
June 6th, 2022, Mon, 8:52 pm
How to Press and When to Press
But the love of the Lord remains forever
….with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
….of those who are faithful to his covenant,
….of those who obey his commandments! Psalm 103:17-18 NLT
(Today has been one of those days that circumstances almost led to nothing being posted at all. But I thought better of it and decided to share the next installment of the posts I had shared last week.)
Matthew 16:20 (<<click here to read the passage)
There are quite a few areas in life where a small amount of knowledge applied can cause problems. I worked in the jewelry department of a Kohl’s department store for over 10 years and one of the things we did regularly back in the day was to change watch batteries. Sometimes it was a challenge to get the back off a watch, but it could also be a challenge to get the back back on. Most often, if that happened, we used a press with little dies to apply even pressure to pop them back on.
Early on in my time there, I heard of an associate who used the press but didn’t realize the need to use the dies. Without the dies, there are just two metal posts, and a metal post pressed firmly to a watch crystal has disastrous consequences! Of course, it shattered!
The disciples knew quite a bit about who Jesus was and due to the Father’s revelation, it was confirmed that Jesus was truly the promised Messiah. But that term, at this time, was not understood in the way God had intended. Applying the small amount of knowledge, they had could easily have had disastrous consequences! So, Jesus “sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”
A while back as we studied through the Gospel of John, we repeatedly encountered the phrase, “My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4) in regard to Jesus’s lifeline. Everything, absolutely everything, comes in God’s good time. Jesus didn’t come to earth until it was time. His ministry didn’t begin until it was time. His death didn’t take place until it was time. And the proclamation that He was the Messiah didn’t occur until it was time.
Lord Jesus, may I patiently wait for Your timing – it is best. May I wait for Your direction and knowledge on how to press and when to press ahead. But also, may I not hesitate to step out on faith, if that is what You call me to do. Amen.
(June 4th, 2018, Mon, 6:34 am)
June 5th, 2022, Sun, 10:17 pm