Do we walk in darkness, or light?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 John 1-2; Psalm 36

TO CHEW ON: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:6,7


Our reading talks about two ways to live: “Walk in darkness” and “walk in light.” These are metaphors. What do they mean?

The Zondervan Study Bible notes define both (emphases added):

To “walk in darkness” denotes a life characterized by wickedness and ignorance and an unwillingness to be open toward God and his revelation in Christ—lest one’s sinful behaviour be exposed.”

John actually quotes Jesus Himself on what walking in darkness is about:

“‘For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed’” - John 3:19.

Here’s the old secrecy over disobedience cropping up again that began way back in the Genesis garden (Genesis 3:8-10).

To “walk in light” denotes a life characterized by truth and holiness and a willingness to be open to God and his revelation, resulting in fellowship with one another and with God.”

How do we, in our everyday lives, walk in light?

A start, I believe is to be open with God—to let Him search us through the Bible and in prayer and keep no secrets from Him. We can express our doubts, fears, issues, and questions to Him. When He shows us attitudes to change and exposes the times we’ve sinned, we acknowledge, confess, repent, make restitution (or whatever is required). We let Him shine light into the farthest, darkest recesses of our hearts to show us to ourselves so we can renounce all darkness and live in light. (I’m thinking this may take years as, in my experience, God deals with us in layers to get to core of our onion hearts.)

A wonderful side benefit of living in light is how it smooths our relationships with fellow-Christians: “… we have fellowship with one another…”


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to walk in light by being completely open and honest with You. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 36

The Bible Project VIDEO: 1-3 John (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Is there leaven in our lives?

Courtesy RGBStock.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 7-8; Psalm 98

TO CHEW ON: "Then He charged them, saying, 'Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.' " Mark 8:15

In a conversation that makes us smile because of its misunderstandings, Jesus warned the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. The disciples thought He was talking about real bread—seen by their discussion amongst themselves (Mark 8:16).

But that wasn't it at all. What Jesus was really referring to is leaven as a metaphor. "Often the term has an evil connotation, that is, what is small may corrupt the whole," says J. Lyle Story in his notes on Mark (New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1364).

The leaven, or evil Jesus tells them to avoid here is that of the Pharisees and Herod. My Bible's notes suggest the leaven of the Pharisees is lack of faith so that ever more signs are needed, and the leaven of Herod is the worldly outlook of godlessness.

The meaning of leaven as a small thing that disseminates through the whole batch is borne out in other references to leaven. In 1 Corinthians Paul said, "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" Then he told the Corinthians to purge out the leaven of "malice and wickedness" - 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.

In Galatians Paul repeated the leaven proverb (Galatians 2:9) and warned readers about the leaven of returning to the bondage of the law (practicing and insisting on circumcision) as a way to earn salvation - Galatians 2:2-12.

These references to leaven as a small, seemingly insignificant thing that can corrupt the whole has me asking, might there be leaven in my life?

It could be some secret and unconfessed sin that saps my spiritual energy by its whispers: "You sinner! You have no right to spiritual power and success." Or it could be an attitude like the fear of man, or a lack of faith that the Bible is really truth, or pride that says, "I would never do that" and then sits in judgment on others. It could be any number of things—bits of leaven that eventually affect every part of life and ministry.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to discern the leaven in my life and, with the help of Your spirit, rid myself of it. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 98

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

"Eat this scroll"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 1-4; Psalm 31

TO CHEW ON: "Moreover He said to me, 'Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go speak to the house of Israel.' ... Moreover He said to me: 'Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.'" Ezekiel 3:1,10

I love this food/eating metaphor of how we are to relate to God's word. I think of many ways it applies:

• We eat by taking a bite of something.

Similarly we assimilate God's word in small portions.

• We chew our food, mixing it with a part of us (saliva) to make it digestible.

In the same way we think about and meditate on Bible words, mixing them with aspects of our lives to make them our own.

• We swallow food, taking it into our inner beings. In the stomach the assimilation continues, unseen, unfelt but but very real as our bodies change the food  we have eaten into energy, body parts, and fat.

Hopefully God's word gets into us energizing, restoring, and changing us in the same DNA-changing way. As God told Ezekiel, "...receive into your heart all my words..." Ezekiel 3:10.

• Physically we fill our stomachs, eating until our hunger is assuaged. God tells Ezekiel here "...fill your stomach with this scroll..."Ezekiel 3:3.

[Fill - male - means fill, fill up, be full. Male is the source of Hebrew words relating to fullness and fulfillment: filling something to the brim, causing something to be thoroughly saturated... Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 992]

Would this filling imply that there is room for nothing else in Ezekiel's stomach / heart? Maybe part of why we're spiritually malnourished is because we view God's word as a snack or appetizer instead of the main course.

• Of course our appetite and eating is not an end in itself but a means to an end. We eat so we have energy to live, work, and raise families.

Spiritually our eating has a similar purpose. God told Ezekiel, "eat this scroll and go speak to the house of Israel."  How do we use the spiritual energy we get from Bible study?  Is it just to satisfy ourselves? Or does it fuel testimony, witness, and kingdom work?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to ingest Your words into my life so that my very self is changed. Then help me to use that stored word as the energy for testimony, witness, and work. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 31

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ezekiel - Part 1 (Read Scripture Series)

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Soul food

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 5-8; Psalm 9

TO CHEW ON: "All the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet the soul is not satisfied." Ecclesiastes 6:7


Has it ever struck you how ever-near is your next bout of hunger? For the healthy person the desire to eat recurs at regular intervals separated by mere hours and is never satisfied in a final way. This is, however, a good thing, as it keeps us fueling ourselves so we stay alive.

In the Ecclesiastes passage the Preacher refers to this inability to once-and-for-all slake hunger. But he looks at it as a disadvantage. We could take his reference to our physical hunger as a stand-in for all the physical things in life that promise satisfaction. We partake, indulge, even over-indulge, hoping to quell that nagging ache. But still there is hunger — soul hunger. Our souls are not satisfied with material things.

Jesus' words stand in bold contrast. He tells us He is the water that finally quenches soul and spirit thirst. He is the bread that finally satisfies and gives spiritual life.

I ask myself, where do I find myself going to quench soul and spirit hunger? To material things? To the arts—literature, paintings and sculptures, music? To social interaction? To personal performance and productivity?

These things have their place. Some are better at providing temporary satisfaction than others. But Jesus and what He offers is the source and supply of spirit and soul food that fully and finally satisfies in a way that lasts into eternity.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me look for and find my satisfaction in You.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 9

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ecclesiastes (Wisdom theme)





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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Clay backtalk

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 45-48; Psalm 119:33-64

TO CHEW ON: "Woe to him who strives with his Maker!

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

Shall the clay say to him who forms it

'What are you making?'

Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?" Isaiah 45:9

Included in today's amazing prophecy about Cyrus (the Persian king whom Isaiah predicted would free Israel from captivity 100 years before it happened) is a warning. It begins "Woe to him..." signalling that all who find themselves described in the words should pay attention. It answers the person who would take exception to God's method of using a heathen king to accomplish His work.

The warning pictures a lump of clay complaining to the potter about the way it is being shaped. I like how the NLT translates it:

"What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its Maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it,
saying 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!'
Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be'?"

Do we ever do this--find ourselves discontented with the way we were created physically, mentally, emotionally? Do we wish we were taller or more athletic? Smarter and more creative?  More expressive, or less?

Accepting how God has made us is an aspect of belief or unbelief. Practicing contentment with our lot in life, including our physical appearance and the strengths and weaknesses with which we were born is part of the fabric of our confidence in God.

I love how the idea that God knew what He was doing when he intentionally created each one of us is echoed in Ephesians 2:10. Here it is in the Amplified:

"For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]."

How amazing to be His handiwork. [The NLT translates it "masterpiece." The Greek word for "handiwork" is poiema - get it—poem.] What an adventure to discover and then do those "good works which God prepared beforehand" and find those works a perfect fit for us because we were made just for them.


PRAYER: Dear God, I so readily question and talk back to you about the way I am and my apparent weaknesses and lacks. Help me to have the uttermost confidence in Your wisdom when forming me. Help me to find and do those "works" that are my destiny. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 119:33-65

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked Amplified are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Our "very great" Creator

Satellite view of Earth (Image: Pixabay.com)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 12-14; Psalm 104

TO CHEW ON: "Bless the Lord, O my Soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty." Psalm 104:1

The verse above begins Psalm 104. It is a poem of praise to God the creator. In poetic language rich with metaphor the writer describes the immensity and cleverness of creation.

The Creator (God / LORD), covered with light, "lays the beams of His upper chambers." Clouds are "His chariots." Wind has "wings." "His servants (the angels) are a "flame of fire." Earth is personified as clothed with the garment of water that flees at Creator's voice and "hasten away at the rebuke of His thunder" - Psalm 104:1-6.

We know this is poetic language. But isn't even the idea behind it—a world created by an Intelligent Creator—fanciful? Didn't the world just "happen" to form itself over millions of years of chance elements coming together and separating and forming new elements? That is what our society's scientists would have us believe.

Samuel J. Alibrando doesn't buy that. Always fascinated with nature, this layman would take a leaf and say to his children, "This was an idea before it was created" - Samuel J. Alibrando, Nature Never Stops Talking, p. 11.

For years this inquisitive journalist wrote a column for his local California paper. In it he explored and laid out the wonders and intelligence of nature. In the introduction to his book collection of these columns he says:

"Personally, I see hard evidence of intelligence in every tree, every flower, every star and every single natural thing in the universe. […] While multitudes idealize the supreme wisdom of nature they, at the same time, declare it required zero intelligence to design nature, which I find bizarre.

"Just as contradictory is the fact that in the industrialized world, man considers himself the ultimate intelligence. … But note the irony in claiming that it took absolutely no intelligence to create something as incredible as man" - Ibid., p. 13.

The shame is that our children and grandchildren are being fed these anti-creationist views  every day. The science books in the library are full of them, as are the science documentaries on video and TV.

But I believe the psalmist got it right. Creation was no accident or chance process. Rather, it was the idea and act of the LORD who is indeed very great. Let's not be silenced about this by the pooh-poohing voices of a science community whose theories are built on a need for a much greater leap of faith than required to believe that an intelligent Creator was behind the existence of matter and people.

PRAYER: Creator God, You are indeed very great! All we learn about the world through our investigations into its elements and creatures only increases our amazement at Your intelligence and the wisdom needed to put it all together. Amen. 


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 104
 
MORE: Oxford professor and scientist Dr. John Lennox spoke on the topic "Is God Really There?" on the radio program Haven Today, April 11-15, 2016. In those segments he made a persuasive case for the existence of God. You can listen to these segments by selecting the appropriate dates on this page.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Zion dwellers

Jerusalem at night

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 25-27; Psalm 48


TO CHEW ON: "Walk about Zion,
And go all around her.
Count her towers; ....
For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide
Even to death. Psalm 48:12, 14

Zion is the city of Jerusalem. This Bible dictionary description helps us see it in its natural setting:

"The city is set high in the hills of Judah, over 30 miles from the Mediterranean, and over 20 west of the north end of the Dead Sea. It rests on a none-too-level plateau, which slopes noticeably toward the southeast. To the east lies the ridge of Olivet. Access to the city on all sides except the north is hampered by three deep ravines" - New Bible Dictionary, p. 614.

The Sons of Korah here praise Zion for its beauty, its qualities as a refuge, the way its appearance instills fear in Israel's enemies, and its stability.

But it is more than a mere city. For in the Jewish mind of that day its grandeur and solidity seem to be equated in some way with God Himself. Jerusalem was the center of their worship and so its qualities become a reflection of Elohim, the God they worship:

"For this is God (Elohim)

Our God forever and ever

He will be our guide

Even to death" (vs. 14).

Metaphors for God abound in the Bible. He is compared to

• a bird covering us with its feathers (Psalm 91:4).

• a mother caring for her child (Isaiah 66:12,13)

• a father (Psalm 68:5; Matthew 6:9).

• a shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6).

• a fire (Hebrews 12:29).

... and many more.

I love this picture of God as the city of Jerusalem. The city's elements of beauty, safety, and solidity remind us of the security we have in Him.

The last line talks about God as a guide. It fits so well with the Numbers passage we read today where Moses asked God who would lead the people after he died, and God told him to anoint Joshua. Joshua, with Aaron's son Eleazar the priest, would guide the Israelites into the promised land (Numbers 27:11). For us too, God has people (parents, friends, pastors, teachers, authors) to act as His representative to guide us.

PRAYER: Dear God, this picture of You as Zion reminds me of the safety and hope I have in You. May my life as a Zion-dweller be a credit to You. Amen. 

 PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 48

MORE: A city on a hill

I wonder if Jesus was thinking of Jerusalem when He mentioned a city on a hill during the Sermon on the Mount. Reading the physical description of Jerusalem, above, made me think of this verse—something we can take into the day.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ... Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14, 16. 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Browse in your Father's clothes closet

Image: Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Leviticus 1-4;  Psalm 30

TO CHEW ON: "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness." Psalm 30:11


What are you wearing right now? Chances are it's something comfortable, suitable to the temperature in the room, car, outdoors or wherever you are, and was chosen with various things in mind.

Clothing does so much. It protects and warms us (or is scant enough that we don't get too warm). It preserves our modesty and may hide what we consider physical flaws and shortcomings. We choose our clothes with many things in mind—comfort, style, the activities we're planning to do wearing them, season of the year, color. They give subtle messages about our status and wealth, whether we're neat or sloppy, how we feel about the occasion and the company we're in.

We find many references to clothes in the Bible, both literal and symbolic.

Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, they felt the need for physical clothes. The patriarchs tore their clothes to demonstrate grief. The clothes of the priests were rich with meaning and symbolism.

The many things that clothes do for and say about us give the clothing metaphors and symbols that run through the Bible added significance.

• God dresses like a warrior - Isaiah 59:17.

• His provision in the Old Testament is symbolized by the priests who were "clothed in salvation" - 2 Chronicles 6:41.  (As we read today in Leviticus 1-4 about about the offerings the priests had to make so that sinful people could approach a holy God, we can only imagine how bloody and soiled their priestly clothes must have become--a reminder that salvation is costly.)

• God exchanges our filthy spiritual clothes for clean ones - Zechariah 3:4.
• He cleans up prostitute Israel and dresses her in embroidered cloth, sandals of badger skin, fine linen and silk - Ezekiel 16:10.
• He takes off the pigsty rags of the prodigal and puts on the best robes, rings and sandals of a son - Luke 15:22.
• He gives those who trust in Him clothes of praise, salvation, righteousness (Isaiah 61:3,10) and in our focus verse, "gladness" - Psalm 30:11.

• His children are dressed like king's kids.
• The royal daughter wears clothing "woven with gold" - Psalm 45:13. 
• The training of our parents is jewelry—"a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck" - Proverbs 1:9.  
• Wisdom is our head-ornament and crown - Proverbs 4:9.

• God gives us a whole wardrobe for life on His side.
• There is armor for fighting - Ephesians 6:13-17.
• There is the unencumbered spandex of the Christian race - Hebrews 12:1.
• And especially for women, there are the clothes of good works, godliness (1 Timothy 2:10), and a quiet and gentle spirit (1 Peter 3:4).

• To meet Him someday, he provides a wedding garment (Matthew 22:11) of "fine linen, clean and bright" (Revelation 19:8).

I ask myself, and you, what spiritual clothes are we wearing? Have we chosen to claim all God's promises and let Him take off our sackcloth of worry, fear, care, and life-distraction? Have we browsed through His rich clothes closet for all that's available to us?


PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for all that these spiritual clothes signify of salvation, protection, purity, plenty, preparedness, identity as Your children, and more. Help me, by faith, to put on clothes from Your closet today. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 30

The Bible Project VIDEO: Leviticus (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

How pregnant is Earth?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:12

TO CHEW ON: “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3

Since I’ve had kids this verse always amuses me a little. For on which pregnant woman do the pains of labor come by total surprise? In fact, when I was pregnant, from about 7+ months along, I became hyper-vigilant about every twinge I felt in my body (Is this labor?).

Of course the likelihood of labor starting on any particular day rises with the pregnancy’s progression. I became ever more conscious, as that baby grew within me, as I got heavier and more ungainly, as that baby moved and kicked and turned around, that a day of labor was coming, sooner rather than later.

Extending the pregnancy metaphor, we can identify some signs of earth’s progressing pregnancy, moving toward the day of Jesus’ return. Here are several:

• Nation rising against nation - Matthew 24:7.

• Many false prophets - Matthew 24:24.

• Moral rottenness - 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

• Famines - Matthew 24:7.

• Epidemics - Matthew 24:7.

• Earthquakes - Matthew 24:7.

• Fearful natural phenomena - Luke 21:25,26.

Is Earth feeling twinges of labor pains? I believe it is.

That last sentence of our focus verse: “And they shall not escape” also fits well with the picture of pregnancy. For once you get pregnant, you know that the day of labor and delivery is inevitable.

 In the same way, a pregnant woman’s body works toward delivery, I believe Earth’s history is working toward Christ’s return. It is inevitable. Let’s not be found napping or caught by surprise!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to live vigilant and aware of how natural phenomena and societal changes point toward Your inevitable and, I believe, soon return. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wineskins of revival

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 9:14-26

TO CHEW ON: " 'Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved.' " Matthew 9:16,17

Do you ever hear people pining for the revivals of the old days as they recall a meeting where God met them? Perhaps it was in a Billy Graham Crusade, or in my case a Janz Crusade and Sutera Twins meetings. It seems that God often moves in waves of revival. If we were caught by such a wave and have had a taste, it's left us with a lingering appetite for more.

David Wilkerson was one of the men God used to propel revival in the 1960s and '70s. His book The Cross and the Switchblade, that tells of how God used him to work in the lives of New York's gang members and addicts, became a bestseller. Soon he was holding crusades in cities all around the U.S.

In his biography David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade and the Man Who Believed his son Gary tells of the ups and downs of Wilkerson's ministry. For years, thousands found Jesus at the meetings he held. But then invitations to speak began to slow, went to a trickle, stopped altogether as crusades lost their appeal.

At such times it's natural to ask, what changed? The temptation is to try to copy what other popular ministries are doing or duplicate the conditions of fruitful times. Wilkerson's team questioned their boss's refusal to go on TV and lack of new books. We may think, if we sang the same songs, accompanied them with accordions instead of guitars and drums, put up a tent instead of using an auditorium, revival would return.


Though I believe Jesus was referring to the big notion of old and new wine here, i.e. the Old Testament Law era versus the new wine era of salvation by grace through faith, I think we can also apply this old and new wineskin principle to the ways God visits succeeding generations.

Let's keep our hearts and eyes open to the new ways God is growing His kingdom that don't look anything like the city-wide crusades, the week-long conferences, or the deeper life meetings of the past. Let's not allow our hankering after the old wineskins of revival delivery blind us to the new wineskin ways that may even now be poised to engulf our generation with a wave of revival.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to be alert to the moving of Your Spirit, from whatever wineskin it pours. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The symbolic reenactment

This is a photo of my baptism at the age of
14 in the North Saskatchewan River,
near Borden, Sask.

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 6:1-11


TO CHEW ON: "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4

We have recently come through a season of celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection. In our passage today Paul explains how that event is reenacted in our lives when we are baptized.

The faith tradition in which I grew up and was baptized (Mennonite Brethren) practices baptism by immersion. This simply means you go to a body of water that's about waist deep and the person who baptizes you tilts you backwards so that you are totally under: "...buried with Him..."

Thankfully we're not there three days but mere seconds. Then the baptizer raises us out of the water. This signifies Christ's resurrection: "That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

For most people, their baptism as a watershed event, powerful in many ways.

• The spiritual symbolism of the physical act brings home to the person being baptized in a tactile way what happened when they trusted Jesus for salvation.

• It's a sign to onlookers of one's allegiance to Jesus. It's a ceremony (or 'ordinance') unusual enough to grab attention and signal that the person being baptized is serious about his or her faith and following Jesus.

• To the person being baptized (and to onlookers) it marks a moment of fresh resolve "...of being dead indeed to sin but alive to God..." - Romans 6:11.

Have you been baptized on the confession of your faith as a symbolic reenactment of your own death to sin and life to God? If not, consider this ordinance for yourself. It may impact you in ways you hadn't imagined.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for baptism which pictures so beautifully what happens when I trusted you as Saviour and Lord of my life. Amen.


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Are you a functioining part?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ephesians 4:1-16

TO CHEW ON: From whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:16

Is your body operating with replacement parts? Modern medicine has made amazing progress at fixing faulty body parts and replacing those that no longer work well. I would hazard a guess, though, that no matter how slick your replacement heart valve, or what a great match your transplanted kidney is, it’s not as good as a healthy original.

Each of our body parts has its own function. Toes, fingernails, eyelashes, the ability to smell, taste, feel (yes, pain too) are important and missed when absent. Even a small discrepancy in, say, the length of one’s legs can have repercussions to posture, neck, back, and foot health. Most of the time we have no clue about how interconnected our body parts are—until one of them gets ill or stops working and our whole body feels the impact.

In today’s passage, where Paul underlines the importance of Christian unity (Ephesians 4:1-4), and identifies spiritual gifts available to believers (Ephesians 4:7-12), he ends with a sort of argument for the function and cooperation of each member in the body of believers by comparing this spiritual body to a physical body (Ephesians 4:13-16).

I love these segments:

"...Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies… working by which every part does its share...” Ephesians 4:16.

This reminds us that each individual is not only important but essential for the smooth functioning of the body of believers. Of course only God in His ultimate wisdom and omnipotence would have the smarts and power to also place us in physical churches on physical earth in our place and time where we also have a unique purpose and function.

Why?

For body growth and edification (Ephesians 4:16).

[Edify: to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; to uplift.]

So, don’t absent yourself from the Christian community just because you appear (to yourself at least) insignificant or useless. You are needed and essential as one of the "every joint” and “every part” of the body of believers.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to be a healthy part, in tune and cooperating with You, my Head. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The "salty" Christian

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 5:13-20

TO CHEW ON: “‘You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.’” Matthew 5:13


Jesus’ use of salt as a metaphor for those who believe in Him is clever. For salt (NaCl - sodium chloride) is surprisingly versatile.

We may think of it primarily for how it’s used as a seasoning in food. That seems to be the comparison Jesus is making here because He refers to how it might lose its flavor. In food, just a little salt is all that’s needed to enhance other flavors and bring about a balance pleasing to the palate.

Salt can be used as a preservative of food and other things. We have probably tapped into its germ-killing qualities when we gargle with salt water to treat a sore throat.

However, salt has many more uses. The Maldon Salt Company website claims that as a society we use salt in more than 14,000 different ways. Their graph shows that its greatest use is in industrial chemicals (where it’s used to make plastic, paper, rubber, fertilzer, bleach, detergent, dyes and more), followed by water conditioning, highway de-icing, food, and agriculture. (During a recent bout of cold weather we experienced the usefulness of salt, especially that which was “trampled underfoot.”)

Some additional facts about salt:

• Salt can remove some stains.

• Salt removes traces of water from purified aviation fuel.

• Every cell in the body contains salt.

• Sodium is key in the operation of all signals within, as well as to and from the brain.

All that to say when Jesus compared believers to salt, He was implying a lot! Here are some parallels I’d suggest:

• Just as a little salt accomplishes much, so though we as Christians may be few in number, our presence can have a seasoning and purifying effect on any society we inhabit.

• Salt is used for many purposes and processes. Similarly Christians (bearers of the salt) can be found in a multitude of places in many careers doing many jobs.

• Just as salt is found in every body  cell and needed for brain function, so the saltiness of the gospel in us unites us as Christians and helps us work together as the body of Christ.

• Salt can be an agent of safety and we can be that too. As a pastor in my church prayed recently, “Help us Christians be like the salt on the icy sidewalk, keeping people from slipping and falling.”

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to be a salty Christian. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A wedding made in heaven

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 21:1-21

TO CHEW ON: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9,10

Imagery of God taking a bride is present already in the Old Testament. The book Song of Solomon—a celebration of married love all the way through—is interpreted on one level as “… the covenant love relationship enjoyed by God’s church” Donald Pickerill, “Introduction to the Song of Solomon,” New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 860.

Isaiah prophesied a time when the relationship of God and His people would resemble a marriage. About Zion (Jerusalem) he said:

“For as a young man marries a virgin,
So shall your sons marry you;
And as a bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you” - Isaiah 62:5.

Bride imagery comes to us again through Jesus. When John the Baptist’s disciples came to Him and asked Him why His disciples didn’t fast while they and the Pharisees did, Jesus’ answer (“‘Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and they they will fast’” - Matthew 9:15) implied that He was the Bridegroom and was not going to be around forever.

John the Baptist also recognized Jesus as the bridegroom. When people came to him (John) wanting a reaction to Jesus’ success at attracting crowds, John said, “‘He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled’” - John 3:29,30.

Paul picked up this imagery in his letters. In writing to the church in Rome, he spoke of their life of faith in Christ:

“Therefore my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead…’” - Romans 7:4.

And to the Corinthian church he wrote:

“For I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” - 2 Corinthians 11:2.

Finally, in Revelation, John had several visions that included brides, weddings and wedding feasts. Among them is the vision of Revelation 19:7,8  when he heard the multitudes of heaven proclaim:

“‘Let us be glad and rejoice to give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

And then we have the beautiful image in our passage of Jerusalem, descending from heaven like a bride - Revelation 21:2,9,10.

Several thoughts come to mind in response to this:

1. The Christian community’s outrage at changes in society’s definition of marriage is easily understood in the light of the sacred covenant and union marriage symbolizes in the Bible. It’s one of the reasons some of us will never give in to demands that we change our stand on this.

2. The beauty and purity of the Bride, as pictured here, is a challenge to each one of us to keep ourselves ready, dressed in that “fine linen clean and bright,” our wedding garment, gifted and made possible through the shed and cleansing blood of our Bridegroom.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to live in a spirit of repentance and purity, always aware of whose I am. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Headlights for life

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 119:105-120

TO CHEW ON: “Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

Yesterday we focused on preparing the way of the Lord and straightening those desert highways—doing heart roadwork. Today we explore another aspect of traveling life’s road.

All of us who have driven in darkness know how important good headlights are. Here God’s word is pictured as the headlights for making our way through life—both low and high beam:

“… verse 105 shows us how God’s Word lights the way, giving direction for each step (“to my feet”) and for long-range plans (“to my path”) - Jack Hayford, “God’s Word in Practical Fruitful Living,” New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 783.

Some Bible passages that focus on more ways God’s word is light for life’s path:

• It gives understanding (“enlightens the eyes”) - Psalm 19:8

“The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes” - MSG.

• The introduction of God’s word into a situation leads to clarity and  grasping meaning (seeing below the surface) even for the “simple” - Psalm 119:130.

“Break own you words, let the light shine out
let ordinary people see the meaning” - MSG.

• God’s laws, rules, and reproofs help us understand how life works and works best - Proverbs 6:23.

“For sound advice is a beacon,
good teaching is a light,
moral discipline is a life path” - MSG.

• Finally, prophetic passages in the Bible are the light of hope for the future - 2 Peter 1:19.

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”

I can apply this to our lives no better than Hayford does in the concluding words of his article: 

 “Let God’s Word guide, correct, instruct, lead, teach, and confirm (and I would add, give hope)” - Ibid.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to not only read and study Your word but drive through life by its light. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Who will you put on today?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 13:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts." Romans 13:14.

Here Paul sums up for readers two simple (and vast) instructions about living a Christian lifestyle. They are as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago.

1. "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ…"
The image is of clothing oneself. Clothes serve many purposes. They protect us from the elements. They cover our intimate parts, providing modesty and dignity. They also define us by the styles and fabrics we choose to wear. Paul tells these Roman Christians to dress in Jesus.

• Way back in the Old Testament, Job makes this statement that underlines clothing's protective and defining aspects: "I put on righteousness and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban" - Job 29:14.

• Paul speaks of the rite of baptism as something that initiates that putting on and declares it to the world - Galatians 3:27.

• A mind renewal is also involved. Paul, writing to the Ephesians, describes how they must "…put off … the old man … and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness" - Ephesians 4:17-24. Colossians 3:9 also talks about this renewal.

2. "…make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts."

[Provision - pronoia is forethought, planning, making preparation for, providing for.]

In other words, Paul tells these Christians and us, not to make plans to sin.

• Just don't do it says Peter - 1 Peter 2:11.

• "Walk in the Spirit (another way of describing Step 1 above) and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" - Galatians 5:16.

Two steps that are so simple and yet they involve a lifetime of practice, of putting off and putting on.

Who are you, who am I wearing today? If it's Jesus, let's not be sullying those clothes with plans to sneak into our day some old-clothes thought or habit.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to put on You and to be aware of my sneaky side that still wants to make provision for sinful thoughts and actions. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A harvest of words

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TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 13:15-25

TO CHEW ON: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." Hebrews 13:15


Fruit is not the first step of the growing cycle. It's closer to the last. We need seeds, germination, nurturing, growth, ripening before we get fruit.

If what comes out of our mouths is "fruit," it is the result of what's gone on before. That happens mostly in our minds.

What seeds are we planting—or allowing to be planted? Are they thought seeds that will lead to the fruit of praise? What thoughts are we allowing to germinate, watering with our attention and concentration, ripening as self-talk until they spill out as the "fruit of lips"?

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that it's "Through Jesus..." that whatever our situation, it is or can be reworked into something praiseworthy. This "praise" is not a false optimism, though it may not always be what comes naturally but rather a "sacrifice."

Let's listen to the fruit of our lips. If we discover a harvest of fear, complaining, negativity, criticism, discontent etc., let's look into the earlier part, the thought part, of the "fruit of lips" process.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to keep the soil of my mind full of Your truth. Amen. 


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Abide

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 15:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "'Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.'" John 15:4

The word "abide" occurs nine times in the span of eight verses of today's reading (John 15:4-10) all in red-letters in my Bible, i.e. the teachings of Jesus as John recalls them. When Jesus repeats a word that many times, we do well to take notice.

The English word "abide" means: 1] to remain, continue, stay; 2] to have one's abode, dwell, reside; 3] to continue in a particular condition.

The Greek word transliterated abide (meno) means to remain, abide: 1] in reference to a place, to sojourn, tarry; 2] to continue to be present; 3] to be held, kept, continually; 4] in reference to a station or condition, to remain as one, not become another or different.

Keeping these definitions in mind, let's burrow down a bit into what Jesus tells us about abiding.

1. It goes both ways. We abide in Jesus and He abides in us - John 15:4.

2. Abiding in Him is the only way we can bear fruit (He uses the metaphor of the branch connected to the vine) - John 15:4,5. The fruit we bear out of this abiding brings glory to God - John 15:8.

3. If we don't abide in Him—aren't connected to Him in a branch-vine way—we'll wither and find ourselves "'...cast out...'" - John 15:6.

4. Abiding in Him changes us at a very foundational level—a thought level ("'…My words abide in you…'")—that leads to right praying and answered prayer - John 15:7.

5. This abode is a home of love - John 15:9.

6. This love leads to our obedience - John 15:10.

John talks about abiding in his letters as well. References there add even more depth to our understanding of what it means to abide:

7. When we abide in Jesus, He is our example of how to live - 1 John 2:6.

8. Our abiding in Him helps us to face the future with confidence, including looking forward, without shame, to His return - 1 John 2:28.

9. Abiding in Him equals not sinning - 1 John 3:6. I read this as not that we will never sin, but that we aren't cavalier about sin, we don't live in sin, it isn't our lifestyle.

10.  Abiding includes believing the doctrine Jesus taught about His connection to God - 2 John 1:9.

I love the peace, contentment, loyalty, and perseverance the word abide conveys. When we abide in Christ we're stable, rooted, not looking to move to another spiritual home. Not only that, but as we live with the sap of our creator God flowing through us, our prayers are answered and we bear fruit!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to realize, day to day, this abiding connection with You in love, obedience, answered prayer, and fruitfulness. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God of Fire

Photo © 2016 by V. Nesdoly

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 97:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "A fire goes before Him,
And burns up His enemies round about." Psalm 97:3

All of us no doubt have experience with fire. We've used it in helpful, controlled ways to cook, bring heat to our homes, and drive. We wear jewelry made of metal refined and shaped in the heat of fire and have enjoyed the atmospheric lighting of a candlelit dinner.

With experience we also gain a healthy respect for fire. We know the damage and deadly destruction it can do to a forest and our homes.

Interestingly, the Bible often depicts God's presence in terms of fire. Bringing what we know of fire to this connection with God makes for an interesting study:

1. God appeared to Moses in a bush that didn't burn - Exodus 3:2.

2. The cloud He gave the Israelites to accompany and direct them through their 40 years in the wilderness appeared as a pillar of fire by night - Exodus 13:21,22. Moses reminded the Israelites how God had talked to them from that cloud - Deuteronomy 4:36.

3. Several Bible writers talk about the fiery aspect of God's presence—a fire of righteous judgment. That seems to be the message of our focus verse, especially when we read it in context (Psalm 97:2,3). One gets the sense from this passage and others (Psalm 50:3; Isaiah 10:17; 66:15) that God's holiness can't help but consume all  that is unworthy in its path.

4. God's presence can also be too much for nature. In Psalm 97:5 and Micah 1:4 His coming melts the mountains.

5. Ezekiel's heavenly vision included fire with living creatures whose "… appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth." Does this mean there's fire in heaven?

6. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was with tongues of fire - Acts 2:3.

In our time when we think of God as friendly and approachable (and He is those things, thanks to Jesus), let's not put out of our minds completely this picture of Him associated with fire. For Paul talks of a future Day when God's fire will test the work of our lives - 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.

The words of Hebrews express so well a realistic response to our fiery God: "Therefore since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire" - Hebrews 12:29 (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear Father, may I never become blasé toward Your fiery side, which is just as real as your grace, mercy, and love. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Body talk

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 12:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." 1 Corinthians 12:12

The human body is endlessly interesting. It is complex with interrelated parts that can work in harmony to produce diverse results, from figure skating performances to brain surgery maneuvers. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul compares the church to the human body making an argument for unity in the church that will resemble that of the human body.

Paul points out three likenesses:

1. Both bodies are diverse.
Consider the assortment of parts, organs and functions within our human bodies. Even each finger of our hand serves a different function. Think of the body systems — skeletal, nerve, circulatory, reproductive, endocrine, digestive. List the multitude of organs: stomach, heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys, thyroid, intestines, skin...

The church body is also diverse. Paul talks of diverse gifts: faith, healing, tongues, interpretation of tongues, discernment, prophecy. He names diverse activities which a diversity of ministries carry out: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, helpers, administrators (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).


2. Both bodies need each part.
I once saw a woman on the news who no longer had the ability to recognize faces. During surgery for epilepsy the surgeon had excised that tiny part of her brain that has face-recognizing ability. I didn't even know there was such a thing. Until we lose a function, we don't appreciate that there was a body part jogging along behind the scenes doing its job.

In the same way in the church we need each other. Paul underlines this aspect of the church body further on in 1 Corinthians 12. A body can't consist of only one or two organs, he says. It needs a variety, working in cooperation and not competition with each other to function properly (1 Corinthians 12:14-18).

3. In both bodies the malfunction of even the smallest part causes distress in the whole.
Have you ever tried to carry on as usual when you have a toothache? The tiniest part of our body in distress impacts our whole selves.

In the same way, Paul says we experience the church's unity as pain when one of our members gets hurt, is ill or missing (1 Corinthians 12:26).

I love this comparison of the church to the body. It spreads around the responsibility and the credit. It makes our variety and differences a good thing. It helps us relax because we don't have to be like someone else. All we need to do is be the faithful little toe, or knee bone, or vocal cord, humming along, doing our part to help the whole body work as one.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to understand the church, Your body, better and be a more eager and cooperative member. Amen.

**********Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.