Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
“Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”
Summary: Peter warns us against the power of fear and the danger of turning our imagination against ourselves. We need to keep our focus on Godly possibilities.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:14 (b) — Godly Possibilities”
… because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Summary: Peter gives us an important lesson in why God has called us. He wants us to stop responding to hurts and insults with more hurts and insults. Instead, he wants us to respond with a blessing, just as he has blessed us.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:9 (b) — The Godly Response to Evil”
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands …
One of the things that is difficult to get our heads around in this life is that we are not alone. There is a saying that goes, “What you see is what you get,” but that is not true for the world we live in. There is so much more to life than what we can see.
In our recent post, “The Back Side of the Page,” we took a look at what is behind the facade of what we call reality. Behind the stage props we call “life,” there is a larger and more real existence. It is where we find God, the angels, Satan, and his demons. It is also where we find our spiritual existence. What is hard to see are the connections between the physical and the spiritual, but they are very real.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:1 — The Same Old Deception”
…they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
Jude wraps up his description of the ungodly with this final clue. What is it about boasting and flattery that has drawn Jude’s attention?
In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (Romans 12:3)
Continue reading “Jude 1: 16c — Strange Reflection”
Woe to them! …they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error;
The story of Balaam has always been a bit of an enigma for me. The parts of the story recorded in the Bible are both amazing and sketchy. Some people might say this is a shortcoming on the part of the Scriptures, but I don’t think so for two reasons. The first, as I have explained before, is that I believe the Bible is exactly the way God wants it to be. The second is that the apparent gaps in the story are consistent with God’s storytelling in other parts of the Bible. All of the Bible, whether Old or New Testaments, is written in a way that requires us to think.
So what do we know about Balaam? What was this “error” that Jude refers to?
Continue reading “Jude 1:11b — Balaam’s Error”
… into a license for immorality …
What is the most immoral thing you can think of?
Now that you have that in mind, ask yourself: What is the most immoral thing God can think of?
The book of Jeremiah answers this question. In the first chapter, verse eleven, Jeremiah records the essence of God’s judgment of immorality against Jerusalem:
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4c — The Slippery Slope”
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Do you believe in the devil? As a kid, I remember being told “ghost stories.” Some of them were pretty scary! Some were scary and funny at the same time. All of them challenged my thinking about ghosts.
It was very common for little kids to challenge each other by saying, “You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?” It was always said in a taunting way that mocked the idea of ghosts. Many a time I agreed that I didn’t really believe in ghosts. The problem was when I was in church they were always talking about this being called the “Holy Ghost.” Everyone at church seemed to believe that the Holy Ghost was real, but … well … what was a ghost, anyway?
Continue reading “James 4: 7b — Running Scared”
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?
In “Hearts and Deeds” we listened to Paul’s statement that we are saved not by works but through faith.* We compared this to James’s emphasis on what we do. Today James restates his case. This time with a directness that borders on being blunt.
In essence, James wants us to think about the connection between what is in our hearts and what we do. Can a person believe and yet act like they don’t believe?
Continue reading “Splash! – James 2: 14”
Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Picture Perfect
Imagine if you will a placid beautiful lake. The lake is surrounded by rolling hills, fruit orchards, and lush fields. Animals play in the fields and birds fill the air. You and others are in boats of some kind; canoes, sailboats, paddle-boards, all enjoying the water and the sunshine.
At the far end of the lake stands a large figure. In our imaginary world, this is God, the Lord. He rules the land and the people on the lake. At his feet there is a cleft in the rock and the lake flows into a narrow ravine. The Lord guards the way and has commanded all the people to stay away from this place, to enjoy the lake and the surrounding hills, but to avoid the river.
Continue reading “Psalm Sunday – Psalm 2: 11-12”
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…
Today James gives us a recipe for harmony: Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. How many situations have gone bad because someone did not listen? Have you ever opened your mouth and stuffed in a foot or two? When your feelings are hurt do you become angry before stopping to figure out what happened?
If I were to chart out all the problems I have suffered in my life, I wonder how many would be the direct result of doing the opposite of what James suggests. Just guessing, I am inclined to think that the answer is upwards of ninety percent.
Think about that for a moment. If you could eliminate ninety percent of all your unhappiness by following these three simple rules, would it be worth it?
Continue reading “Stop the Spinning! – James 1: 19 Part I”