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
It May Not Be Easy
So often, Father, I wonder to myself, why You would love me like You do. I truly cannot comprehend it, but I am eternally indebted to Your grace, love, and forgiveness.
Acts 21:1-14 (<<click here to read the passage)
From experience, I can tell you that following Jesus is not always an easy journey. What can make things more difficult is that there can be times when those who journey alongside us try to encourage us to do certain things or even dissuade us from doing other things. And all along, the Holy Spirit may be directing us in different directions altogether.
Some twenty years ago I was enjoying a full-time support staff position in a great church. I was wrapping up studies to become ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene – which I did in the summer of 2000. Then things changed rapidly.
My godly pastor genuinely felt led by the Spirit to push me out of the nest, if you will, to pursue a senior pastorate at a good-sized church in northern Ohio. His “boss”, the district superintendent, introduced me to the elected church leadership and oversaw my interview and tour of the church and home provided by the church. He strongly felt that it was an ideal beginning for a pastor right out of the gate and that it was just too good of a situation to pass up.
Well…I did pass on it – much to the chagrin of all other parties involved. Many thought I was crazy, but honestly, I felt the Lord was directing me away from what many thought a new “pastor” should be running into.
It was difficult, to say the least. I truly believe the Lord’s will was done. As I look back over the last twenty-plus years God has used me to touch so many lives in so many different ways. I wouldn’t change a thing.
At the beginning of chapter 21, Paul continues his journey to Jerusalem, and it seems that left and right, people – solid God-following people – were telling him not to go. The latter part verse 4 even says,
These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem.
A few days later in another community, a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea… v10 and basically told Paul the same thing. Those who loved Paul literally begged him not to go. Their feelings were so intense that they wept. He responded by saying,
“Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” v13 NLT
From a purely human perspective, things in Jerusalem were going to get very bad for Paul. But he knew what God wanted of him and nothing would deter him from accomplishing what God had laid on his heart. All kinds of craziness were ahead of him, death threats, shipwrecks, and jail, to name just a few. But untold lives would be impacted for God’s Kingdom because of Paul’s obedience.
Lord Jesus, may we abide in You. May we listen and obey Your directive, even though it may not be easy…even though it might lead to pain and suffering. May we be determined to follow you regardless. Amen.
July 18th, 2022, Mon, 9:01 pm
Saturate Us through to Every Nook and Cranny
Thank You, Father, for a beautiful day. It has rained all day, but everything looks so green and lush! Thank You for Your bounteous provision!
********
Today has been a day full of gentle rain. It began raining before our first service was over this morning (before 10:00) and has rained off and on all day long. Now that could have added up to a substantial accumulation of rain but the last I looked we have just about one inch of rain…total!
I believe farmers prefer this kind of rain. It doesn’t beat the plants down. It doesn’t wash plants and soil away, it just gives plenty of opportunity for the needed moisture to saturate the earth, gently permeating every nook and cranny. As the day progresses the corn and soybeans in the fields, as well as the produce in fields and gardens, the flowers lying in their beds, the blackberries growing in the wild, all of them refreshed and invigorated. Our grass is even a vibrant green!
But I recall a day a couple of years ago when we got almost three inches of rain, but it all came in a very short period of time. There is a fairly deep ditch that runs along the road across from our home, and it rained so hard and fast that the water quickly overflowed the ditch’s banks, flooding the highway and filling our driveway and yard with a river of water! The water flowing through our front yard (which to my knowledge, it has never done that before!) ran into the drainage ditch that runs through our property. The ditch itself was at least nine or ten feet across with racing water! It was crazy!
Sure, that kind of rain provides moisture, but it arrives too much and too fast! The ground has no time to absorb it and it all just flows away, taking topsoil, debris, and anything else that gets in its way with it!
When we make our weekly run to church, what are our expectations? Do we want all that God has for us just dumped on us, filling us to overflowing, wanting it to last until we return the next weekend? Often that mentality is accompanied by such busy lives that we have no time to refresh ourselves throughout the week.
If you drank a gallon of water on Sunday, would your body make it to the next Sunday without another drink of water? We know it wouldn’t! It would be extremely detrimental to our physical health. Most sources, though it has never been scientifically verified, state that you would only survive for about 3 days without water. Some say a little longer, but you would be in a very bad way.
So, why do think we can get away with spiritual dehydration? It is a poor and spiritually unhealthy way to live our lives.
Crops can survive a deluge of rain, but they do so much better with light and gentle showers over a period of time. It is the same for us.
Lord Jesus, there are times when we receive a great influx of water, and we benefit from those times, but may we expose ourselves to regular showers of blessing. May we feel called to spend time with You every day. May we get a good soaking of Your love and may Your Word gently saturate us through to every nook and cranny! Amen!
I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:26 NLT
July 17th, 2022, Sun, 8:05 pm
Give Yourself Away
A day of blessings, Father! Nothing out of the ordinary but we were together and were pretty productive. Family and love – some of the greatest blessings to have!
Acts 20:31-38 (<<click here to read the passage)
I have often referred to my time at Kohl’s as pastoring my third church. I never preached a sermon there…though I diligently – not perfectly mind you – strove to live out one every day. I never collected an offering though I accepted thousands upon thousands of dollars throughout my 18 years of working there. Beyond my own prayers between God and myself, I recall only being asked to pray for a group gathered there one time. I hadn’t worked there a year when the tragic events of 9/11 took place. We gathered for a moment of silence, and I concluded with a short prayer.
Yes, we find those things in our churches – sermons, offerings, prayer, and many other important, fulfilling things. But if we are followers of Jesus, it makes no difference where we find ourselves – we are ambassadors representing Him in all we say and do.
I happen to have “earned”, if you will, the privilege to have Reverend or Pastor placed before my name. But, at least for me, it is just a formality. People at Kohl’s knew that I was a pastor, but no one called me Pastor Thom. So, I, just like you, was just one more faithful believer working their way through life. (And I continue to do so!)
The portion of Scripture on which I am focusing today is where Paul is surrounded by weeping people. The notes of the Amplified Bible state that it is literally saying there was considerable weeping of all. v37 Paul was weeping as well, as hetold them that he will never see them again, and they are crushed. They love him and he them.
Reading through the study notes from the portion of this passage in my Life Application Study Bible, it reads,
Like Paul, you (that is, you and I) can build strong relationships with other Christians (and I will emphatically add, with everyone…not just Christians!) by sharing, caring, sorrowing, rejoicing, and praying with them. You (again, you and I) will gather others around you only by giving yourself away to them.
By no means was I liked by everyone, but I cherish a multitude of relationships that I have had over the years with these wonderful people. To date, I have officiated at three weddings of Kohl’s associates or their family members. (I was asked just a couple of days ago to officiate a fourth one in 2023!) I’ve also had the humbling privilege of officiating over four funerals.
Yeah, I’m a licensed minister who can officially do those things, but honestly, I feel that I had the honor of doing those things because I am their friend…who just happens to be a minister.
As I’ve said in past writings, you are the only Bible some people will ever read. Live honestly. Live lovingly. Be genuine. God will use you wherever you are. May he bless us all, as we each live out the love Jesus loves us with as well. Amen.
July 14th, 2022, Thurs, 9:11 pm