Are You Legible?
The time to sit and write has come. Father, direct my thoughts and my heart to pour through my fingers to communicate what will impact those who read, whenever that might possibly be. Amen.
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In the middle of the most recent political races in an area south of us, toppers began showing up on a couple of different candidates’ promotional signs that people put in their yards. The toppers said, “Vote Against 2nd” and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was supposed to mean.
Nothing on a federal level made any sense – both candidates are running for state offices. I could find no reference to any state issues on this up-and-coming ballot – so there were no #2s to vote against. I even looked at both candidates’ Facebook pages…and nothing.
Then this past week, as Karen was traveling in that area, she saw the toppers had been corrected. Now instead of reading “Vote Against 2nd”, they now read “Vote August 2nd”! Now that makes sense! Our voting in Ohio takes place then!
I’m sure the candidates were embarrassed in that their signs are everywhere! But if you think about it AGAINST and AUGUST could look pretty similar if someone had jotted down a quick message for additional toppers. They both have the letters A and G at the beginning and both end with the letters S and T. Mistakes happen and no one is exempt.
In our lives as followers of Jesus, we have to be very careful what we are putting out there. We aren’t perfect and mistakes are made. But sometimes in those areas of our lives, corrections can be hard to communicate. Sometimes the corrections may not even get to the people who were witness to the mistake being made.
As part of this last week’s sermon, I referenced a statement of a British evangelist of the 19th century by the name of Gypsy Smith who was well known in the US and Great Britain. He said, “There are five Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, but most people never read the first four.”
Going hand in hand with his statement is a saying familiar to many of us, “You may be the only Bible some people read.” And I will say God has a fabulous way of bringing things together to proclaim His message. As I was looking for something to make a memorable PowerPoint slide to conclude the sermon, I came across this all-inclusive phrase, “You may be the only Bible some people read. Are you legible?”
Right now, ask yourself that question. Am I legible? The Gospels – the books proclaiming the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection – are available for just about anybody who cares to read them, but many don’t. We are living examples of the Gospel lived out in flesh and blood…at least we should be.
Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:16 NLT
July 25th, 2022, Mon, 10:02 pm
Into a Greater Deep Silence
There are so many things going on in my head, Father. They really have nothing to do with the time before me at this moment, so I would ask for a focus of mind that would bring about the results that would be pleasing to You. Amen.
Acts 21:37-22:2 (<<click here to read the passage)
My sermon today dealt with the Old Testament prophet Elijah – a man held in such high esteem, that he, with Moses, were the ones chosen to speak with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration that Matthew, Mark, and Luke speak of in their Gospels.
I’m not sure where the Lord will lead me in this train of thought but, He does answer our prayers…
After the miraculous victory over the 450 prophets of Baal, and their notorious queen, Jezebel, Elijah is on the run with a bounty that Jezebel has placed upon his head. His “escape” took him several days journey, where he ended up hiding in a cave on Mt. Horeb.
After spending the night there the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9c
He answered that he had been very zealous for the Lord and that Israel had forsaken God and had killed all the other prophets leaving him as the last one and now they were after him. v10
At this point, God said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” v11a
First, there was a great wind, splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces…but the Lord was not in the wind.
Nor was He in the earthquake that followed, nor the fire after that. But after the fire a sound of sheer silence. vs11-12 (emphasis mine)
Elijah heard that, wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then he was once more asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” v13 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
What got me started down this whole line of thought was the last part of Acts 21:40 which speaks of the deep silence which enveloped the crowd as Paul addressed them in their own language, Aramaic.
When Paul began to offer his defense before the crowd, again in their own language, amazingly the silence was even greater.
Once more in the midst of sheer silence, God spoke – this time through Paul.
God proclaims, “Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10 NLT
Our world is so full of chaos and the clamor of it all, how do we hear anything…much less God speaking to us?
Lord Jesus, may we find those times of sheer silence. Speak into a greater deep silence that we may find You there, that we may find direction, that we may feel Your love in unfathomable ways. Lord, help us. Amen.
July 24th, 2022, Sunday, 9:29 pm
Get Things in the Right Order
I say it a lot, but I don’t say it enough! Thank You, Father, for the abundance of blessings that You pour over me! Small details and big things, Your hand is in them all!
Haggai 1-2 (<<click here to read the passage)
A friend of mine contacted me this evening about a Bible verse that popped up on a daily app on her phone. It was the book of Haggai and, as she said, “Can you (in layman’s terms) tell me about that book?” I was tied up when I saw her question but couldn’t wait to get home and get back to her!
Off the top of my head, in the middle of all that was going on, all I could think of was that he was an Old Testament minor prophet. First of all, the label “minor” prophet has nothing to do with the importance or lack of importance of what he had to say as God’s mouthpiece. It has everything to do with the length of what they said.
The major prophets contained quite a few chapters. For example, Isaiah has 66. The minor prophets contained fewer. Haggai has only two. Isaiah communicates a lot of important things through his writings. And Haggai, though brief, contains communicates equally important things, that challenge us yet today…25 centuries later!
I’ve read Haggai a few times over the years, and for good measure, I read it through this evening, as well. I found the introduction to Haggai in my Life Application Study Bible to be spot on!
Pressures, demands, expectations, and tasks push in from all sides and assault our schedules. Do this! Be there! Finish that! Call them! Everyone seems to want something from us – family, friends, employer, school, church, clubs. Soon we have little left to give as we run out of energy and time. We find ourselves rushing through life, attending to the necessary, the immediate, and the urgent. The important is all too often left in the dust. Our problem is not the volume of demands or lack of scheduling skills, but values – what is truly important to us.
Our values and priorities are reflected in how we use our resources – time, money, strength, and talent. Often our actions belie our words. We say God is number one, but then we relegate him to a lesser number on our “to do” lists.
Take a moment and read through the book of Haggai – it is the third from the last book in the Old Testament. See where the remnant of Israel for themselves after returning from exile in Babylon. God called them on the carpet for their lack of priorities, then see what happened when they got things in the right order.
Don’t forget, God’s words, spoken through Haggai, challenge us today, as well. Let us get things in the right order and see what only God can do!
July 21st, 2022, Thurs, 9:41 pm
Assumptions
In the booming of the thunder, You are there, Father. No need to fear. You are Sovereign, praise Your Holy Name!
Acts 21:26-36 (<<click here to read the passage)
I read a story of a police officer some years ago who was on his way home after a very long day. It had been full of difficult people and difficult situations and having to deal with the paperwork of it all, left him frazzled.
He was almost there when out of nowhere a car came careening around the corner narrowly missing his police cruiser. As it passed within inches of his own vehicle, the driver bellowed, “Pig!” (a derogatory term for police in the late 60s-early 70s)
The officer was furious! He slammed on his brakes, readying himself to take off in hot pursuit. But as he quickly turned the corner, his cruiser ran smackdab into a large pig that had been standing in the middle of the road!
Assumptions can get us into trouble! They can be honest mistakes, quick responses in unknown circumstances but it can also be an ingrained mindset just waiting for something to set it off and then “BOOM!” we have a situation on our hands.
As we saw yesterday, Paul was humbly trying to calm down a potentially volatile situation. Well, his good intentions most definitely didn’t bring about the desired conclusion. Instead, his acts were totally eclipsed by some Jews from the province of Asia [who] saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. v27b
Verses 28-29 tell us they got ahold of Paul and yelled,
“Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.” (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.) NLT
Twisting the facts, these Jews riled up the crowd in very short order and their assumptions just fueled the fire that they had ignited! So much so that they literally dragged Paul outside the city, fully intending to kill him!
God intervened. A Roman officer heard all the commotion and quickly put a halt to the ensuing execution. Everything was crazy, people were shouting, and few knew what was going on. The Roman soldiers got Paul out of there, but they ended up having to carry him to do so!
This is by no means the end of this part of Paul’s story but the lesson to be learned is that assuming – and there were lots of assumptions here – can cause all kinds of serious problems! We need to make every effort to not be blinded by what we think is the “truth”. We can’t jump to conclusions. Before things become explosive, we need to take time to dig out the real truth. And the best advice of all? Make it your goal, every day, to draw closer and closer to God
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT
July 20th, 2022, Wed, 9:40 pm
Not About Rights but Love
A doctor visit for two, finding treasures for readers, two scrumptious salads, hearing aids serviced, tasty tacos for all, a med pickup, and a frozen treat to wrap up the day – a day of variety for a loving family…and great praise for my loving heavenly Father!
Acts 21:15-25 (<<click here to read the passage)
I’ve spoken (way too) often about my struggles with the antics of other drivers. I’m not perfect, but I do strive to bring as little strife into the lives of other drivers as I can. (Don’t we have enough problems without someone adding to them?)
One example: while driving on interstate, if I’m in the middle lane and come upon another vehicle in the far right lane and can tell that the vehicle they are coming up on in front of them is going slower than they are, I will, if possible, move over to the far lane left, allowing them to move to the middle lane to pass the slower vehicle.
There’s nothing wrong with being thoughtful and courteous. Why should I allow them to be frustrated if I can help them out a little? With a small amount of effort on my part, I can help keep the peace. I do what I can to avoid offending others if I can.
This particular passage from Acts 21, shows Paul’s Christ-like mindset. Leadership in the Jerusalem church asked him to do some things that, from a Jesus follower’s standpoint, he didn’t have to do. They knew he had accomplished great things for God’s Kingdom, but there were quite a few rumblings amongst the Jewish converts to Christianity (letting go of old mindsets is hard).
So, they asked him to take part in a Jewish purification ceremony v24 to still the waters of controversy. Did he make a big deal about it? Did he go off on the leaders, ranting about his “rights” as a believer in Christ? Did he put his foot down and refuse to cooperate? And the answer is…no. No, he didn’t do any of those things. Instead, he quietly and humbly submitted to their requests.
My Life Application Study Bible in referencing these verses used these phrases: avoid offending others (two times), keep peace, and flexible on nonessentials regarding Paul’s motivation as to why he did what he did.
In churches across our nation, I see (and hear) far too many doing what Paul didn’t do or say, than what he did do and say.
Paul’s life reflected his Savior’s. Though he would have been totally justified in doing so, Jesus never once claimed His rights. It was all about love.
Let’s drive it home…
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
….he did not think of equality with God
….as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
….he took the humble position of a slave[c]
….and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
….he humbled himself in obedience to God
….and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
….and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
….in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
….to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 NLT
July 19th, 2022, 9:06 pm