Trust – Page 4 – Three Minute Bible

July 25, 2020July 27, 2020

1 Peter 2:13 (a) — The Meaning of Submit

Picture of man's silhouette kneeling before the cross.

Submit…

The word “triggered” has taken on new meaning in the English lexicon. It has always been around, of course, and used in the practical sense of activating something with a trigger. During the war, if a booby trap was set off you would say it had been “triggered.” These days the word is often used to describe a strong adverse emotional reaction to something. For example, “The student in the front row was triggered when the instructor mentioned that they had voted for the president.”

Words that set off an emotional reaction are “trigger words.” One of the oldest trigger words in the English language is the word, “submit.”

June 28, 2020October 11, 2020

1 Peter 1:14 — Heresy?

A picture of a football game at the line of scrimmage.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

What am I about to write might be considered heresy by some. If any of you reading this are in that camp, please consider that as a child of God, I may still be living in ignorance. My life is a journey and for these last many years my journey has been all about getting to know God better. If what I write does not fit with what you believe, please feel free to gently correct me in the comments.

Peter presumes that as believers we are “obedient children.” How I wish that this were true! I see many who walk in faith moving from ignorance to knowledge of God’s ways. To some extent, that is all we can hope for in this life. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:12;

June 12, 2020June 12, 2020

1 Peter 1:4(b)-5 — Funeral Time

A wood bench sits empty against a stone brick wall.

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Jason sat on the bench next to the brick wall. He looked dejected. His shoulders slumped over resting on elbows supported by knees. His hands dangled.

Arthur Throckmorton III stood for a moment looking at the young man. He was only twenty years old but today he looked all of thirty. His grandfather had died two weeks ago and had been all the family Jason had known. Arthur had helped Jason with the funeral arrangements. Arthur was more than Jason’s attorney. He was also his friend. He had known Jason’s grandfather for more than fifty years and had known Jason all his life. He sat down next to Jason on the bench.

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020

Jude 1: 25e — A Reasonable Faith

…before all ages, now and forevermore!

The nature of time is an interesting and much-debated topic. It exists to help us navigate life by dividing our experiences up in three ways: past, present, and future. God’s view of time is different than ours (See Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). In fact, time may not have any meaning in heaven except as it relates to our world and our need for temporal structure.

Jude writes that God is God, “… before all ages, now and forevermore!” He is covering all the bases. There never has been a time when God wasn’t God. There never will be a time when God is not God.

Why is this important?

May 21, 2020May 22, 2020

Jude 1: 22 — Doubt

A man welds steel on a construction site.

Be merciful to those who doubt…

Jude continues to give us his advice. Perhaps what he says sounds surprising. After all, he has spent the larger part of his letter warning us against the ungodly. Now he says, “Be merciful to those who doubt…” Could it be that he is worried some might confuse doubting with being ungodly?

It is a fair question. If you have spent any time at all reading this blog you know that I have a lot of questions! And if ever there is a quiet moment, I can come up with more questions at the drop of a hat.

April 15, 2020April 16, 2020

James 5: 17-18 — Harmony

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Yes, Elijah was a human being. There is no indication in scripture that Elijah was anything more than a man. And yet he was called to be a prophet of God. He listened to God’s words and did what God wanted him to do.

Perhaps more important than whether he was human or not, was his righteousness. He obeyed God even at the risk of his own life.

The interesting thing I see about Elijah is that there is no difference between what Elijah wanted and what God wanted. Elijah prayed in harmony with God’s will. It is as if they were singing a duet together in close harmony. Elijah’s prayer was God’s will.

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020

James 2: 23-24 – God’s Friend

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

The scripture James refers to is found in Genesis 15: 6. God has just told Abraham that he will have a son who is his own flesh and blood. God tells Abraham to count the stars in the night sky if that is possible and he will have an idea how many offspring he will have. The text says that “Abraham believed God.” Does this mean he simply said, “Oh yeah, God. Sure. I believe you,” or did he accept it as a foundational truth that what God said would happen?

We don’t see the evidence of Abraham’s belief in what God told him until God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son. At that point, we know what it means when scripture says he “believed.”

Two things resulted from this belief.

February 3, 2020February 3, 2020

Affirmation Monday – Keeping Up

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

— Philippians 4:6

One affirmation everyone likes to hear is that everything is going to be okay. I know I do. Especially when I’m in a tough spot.

It is easy to be happy when everything is going well. It is when things go bad that we become anxious. Like when you suddenly realize that the car to your right that was supposed to stop at the stop sign is still moving. That gets people’s adrenaline up! Another fun event is being called into the boss’s office without warning. They usually don’t do that to pat someone on the back.

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020

Affirmation Monday – In God We Trust

Enlarged photo of a penny showing the words, "In God We Trust."

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit

— Romans 15:13

If you look at any United States coin, written on the front are the words, “In God We Trust.” Over the years I have come to marvel at the implications of what it means to trust in God.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he ties together trust, hope, joy, and peace. All this is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Without God, we do not have access to that power.

So what? So what if we don’t have trust?