Ignorance Is NOT Bliss
Praise the Lord!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
….as I meet with his godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
….All who delight in him should ponder them. Psalm 111:1-2 NLT
Acts 22:24-30 (<<click here to read the passage)
It is very rare for me to watch the news on TV. One way that I see the news is when I open the browser on my computer. I have one local station and one national news station that automatically come up, though usually I read just the main headlines and skip the rest. On occasion, I will look at headlines that come up on Facebook news or Google news. So much of it is depressing, I’ve just figured I’m better off not knowing about it. I guess the old saying, “Ignorance is bliss” would fit pretty well. But having Massey around has stimulated conversation on a wide variety of topics, so I’ve started paying a little more attention, though I am still selective as to what I delve into.
TheFreeDictionary.com defines “ignorance is bliss” as follows:
It is better to remain unaware or ignorant of things that may otherwise cause one stress; if you don’t know about something, you don’t need to worry about it.
That’s all well and good – I don’t think any of us need any more stress or anything more to worry about! – but to be ignorant on important issues of the day, is not wise. It is important to be well-versed and well-informed.
The notes on verse 24 in the Amplified Bible regarding his order to have Paul whipped, state,
This was standard practice with slaves or others of no social standing under Roman rule. The thinking was that such people did not have the integrity to tell the truth, and had to be tortured to drag the truth out of them.
Nice standard, huh?
Having the mindset of “ignorance is bliss” almost got the Roman commander in big trouble, as far as, Paul was concerned. He assumed that Paul was an individual with “no social standing”, but that was by no means the case. For Paul was a Roman citizen by birth! His citizenship was considered far superior to the Roman commander’s purchased citizenship. And there was no questioning that Paul was telling the truth because to lie on such matters was punishable by death!
In our lives today, especially in our relationship with Jesus, “ignorance is bliss” is not an excuse to be ill-informed. Prayer and Bible study are both of utmost importance in our daily walk. It is also in our best interest to be learned in the things that make a difference in our world.
Jesus warns us,
“Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves [have no self-serving agenda]. Matthew 10:16 AMP
To make the greatest impact on the world around us we cannot be ignorant, but we must be wise (cunning) and innocent (unselfish). Know Jesus, then reflect Him in all you say and do.
July 27th, 2022, Wed, 9:48 pm
No Lines Drawn
Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
….May your glory shine over all the earth. Psalm 108:5 NLT
Acts 22:3-23 (<<click here to read the passage)
You may have heard this one before but hopefully, it will still bring a smile to your face.
An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for several years. He went to his doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear better than he had in years!
A month later, he went back to the doctor and the doctor said, “Your hearing is great! Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.” The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven`t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations… I’ve changed my will three times!”
This was definitely a case of selective hearing!
In this little story, it is humorous but in our relationship with God, it is detrimental.
As we continue with Paul’s story in Acts 22, Paul speaks into the greater deep silence. For 19 verses (verses 3-21) everyone listens attentively. This thing is, there is nothing for those around him to object to…until the very last word in verse 21.
Verse 22 begins with, “The crowd listened until Paul said that word.” They were good with it all…until the word “Gentile” flew past his lips to their listening ears.
At that point, the corruption in their hearts filled the air! Their rage led to shouting and throwing off their coats [getting ready to stone Paul] and tossing dust into the air [expressing their anger]…v23
Jesus spoke truly as is recorded in Matthew 15:18,
But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. NLT
They thought they knew God. They thought they were in good standing with Him. But, sadly, no… Their selective hearing allowed them to accept what they would accept but Paul crossed the line into God’s heart, and that was a line they refused to even think about crossing.
It should not have repulsed them so, for Isaiah, referencing the Suffering Servant (the coming Jesus Christ Himself), proclaimed,
“You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
….I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
….and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6 NLT
Lord Jesus, may we open our hearts and minds to You! May no lines be drawn in our relationship with You, but may we be open to whatever directives You may give us. May the light You shine in the world illumine us to Your will as well! Amen.
July 26th, 2022, Tues, 9:31 pm
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