Could the Bible be wrong?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 3:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2Timothy 3:16

When Canadian theologian Clark Pinnock died a few weeks ago, publications of all kinds eulogized him. He had a long and influential career in which he changed theological mounts several times, going from Calvinism to, in his later years, Open Theism. I was surprised by a comment under one of the articles about his life, in which the commenter scolded the writer for emphasizing Pinnock's earlier writings because those writings supported biblical inerrancy. What?! I thought. He wants a Bible that is errant?

A Bible full of mistakes is what our society wants, though. That way we can ignore its unpopular teachings on morality, eternal punishment and other things that don't fit with current standards and popular opinions.

But that's not the view of God's word that Paul hands down to Timothy here. Jack Hayford talks about the divine inspiration of the Bible in a sidebar article on this passage:

"...this Book does not merely contain the word of God, but is the word of God in its sum and in its parts...

1] It is the word of the Holy Spirit. Theopneustos (Greek), translated "inspiration of God," literally means "God-breathed." This describes the source of the whole Bible's derivation (that is "all Scripture") as transcendent of human inspiration...

2] 2 Peter 1:20-21 elaborates this truth and adds that none of what was given was merely the private opinion of the writer (vs. 20) and that each writer involved in the production of the Holy Scriptures was "moved by" (literally, "being borne along") the Holy Spirit...

3] 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 expands on this process by which the revelation of the Holy Scriptures was given. Verse 13 says that even the words used in the giving of the Bible (not just the ideas, but the precise terminology) were planned by the Holy Spirit, who deployed the respective authors of the Bible books to write, "comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (literally "matching spiritual words to spiritual ideas").

The biblical view of the Bible's derivation is called plenary verbal inspiration of the Scriptures meaning every word is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God." Jack W. Hayford, "The Divine Inspiration of the Bible," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1714-15 (emphasis his).

If this is indeed so (and I believe it is), no wonder God's word is profitable for such a lot: "doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness." In plain words, it tells us the truth about God, ourselves, and how to live life in the way that works best. Let's take it seriously and apply it to all of life.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Bible. Help me to understand it, and obey, apply, and order my life by it. Amen.

MORE: Why inerrancy matters

Rebecca Writes is a blog written by a blogger with theological interests and expertise. She has been publishing, bit by bit, the 1978 "Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy." Here, from her blog, is a summary of  why such a statement was drafted (my italics):

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy was formulated in 1978 by approximately 300 evangelical scholars at a conference sponsored by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, held in Chicago. The statement was designed to defend the position of Biblical inerrancy against trends toward liberal conceptions of Scripture and higher biblical criticism. The undersigners came from a variety of evangelical denominations, and include James Montgomery Boice, Carl F. H. Henry, Roger Nicole, J. I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, and R. C. Sproul. (Source: Theopedia)


Read this historic document as she has published it on her blog.

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God's writing on our minds and hearts

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 31:23-37

TO CHEW ON: "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people." Jeremiah 31:33

If you've ever raised kids you'll know how much easier it is to get their cooperation and compliance if they are motivated from within. Getting them to be good by promising a reward for good behaviour is way more effective than threatening punishment for being bad.

Here God tells the people of a day when the nation will be in such an inner-motivated state spiritually. The drive to obey will come from within. Pleasing God will be so uppermost that it will be as if His laws are written on their minds and hearts.

Interestingly, the writer of Hebrews quotes this very passage in Hebrews 8:8-12 and again in 10:16,17. He tells us this compliant state comes about as a result of the "new covenant."

This new covenant came about through Jesus. His death in our stead, paying the penalty for our sins, is the transaction with God that brings this it into effect.

How are our minds and hears so radically changed under it? Through the Holy Spirit living inside us. An endnote to my Bible's Hebrew's 8 passage says:

"Jesus' ministry is performed under the covenant of God's grace, wrought within the minds and hearts of believers by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus God established a new personal covenant relationship with His people, based not on a compelling force from without, but on an impelling power from within." New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1738.

This is all well and good on paper. But how does it work in practical everyday living? We still have the choice to resist the Holy Spirit or yield to Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Even under this new covenant God never takes over life's controls against my will or yours. But He does promise to come to each of us and live in us if we let Him. His presence is that inner drive toward obedience and compliance, stronger than the threat of punishment, proving us His children (Galatians 5:18; Romans 8:14).

PRAYER: Dear God, I love the picture of Your principles and ways written on my mind and heart — so much a part of me that it's easier to obey than not. May it be so. Amen.

MORE: Holy Spirit: more than a guest

The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a Guest in a house, He invades everything. When once I decide that my "old man" (i.e., the heredity of sin) should be identified with the death of Jesus, then the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything, my part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals.- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, April 11 reading.

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Gentleness

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 2:14-26

TO CHEW ON: "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient." 2 Timothy 2:24

One of the things the internet has done is encourage quarrelsomeness — an attitude that Paul contrasts with gentleness in this letter to novice pastor Timothy. Read the comments on any controversial news story, blog post or YouTube video and you're almost guaranteed to find one or more chippy response, seemingly crafted to start an argument. As soon as someone takes the bait, the fight is on.

The word gentle: (adjective) means kindly, amiable, mild, versus severe, rough or violent; easily handled or managed; polite. "Gentle is a reference especially to disposition and behaviour, and often suggests a deliberate or voluntary kindness or forbearance in dealing with others" (Dictionary.com).

I like that: "a deliberate or voluntary kindness or forbearance." It suggests that gentle is a way we decide to be, even though it may not come naturally.

A quick study of the use of the words gentle and gentleness in the Bible brings out a variety of observations:

1. God is gentle with us. Isaiah 40:11 pictures Him leading us like a shepherd leads his flock — stating explicitly that He "gently leads those with young."

2. "Gentle" is the way we treat the young and vulnerable.
- Jesus treated children gently (Mark 10:16).
- Paul says, "we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children" (1 Thessalonians 2:7).

3. Paul in his instructions to novice leaders underlines the importance of gentleness (Titus 3:21; 1 Timothy 3:3 and our focus verse today).

4. James includes gentleness in his list of qualities that those with heavenly wisdom possess (James 3:17).

5. God's gentleness helps us realize our potential (2 Samuel 22:36, Psalm 18:35).

It's easy to be swept into our society's admiration for wittiness. Who hasn't been tempted to respond to things with which one disagrees with a clever put-down, sarcasm, a strident tone. But such ungentle, quarrel-provoking attitudes and are not God's way.

However, Paul, in advising Timothy, doesn't tell him to be a doormat and accept false teaching in the interests of showing gentleness. The challenge for him and us continues to be to contend for truth, but with patience, humility and gentleness.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to choose gentleness, especially when I'm provoked, irritated, don't agree, challenged, and feel I need to prove that I'm right. Amen.

MORE: John Maxwell, on Gentleness

"I want to have that gentleness of spirit where somehow when people are around me, it gets them off themselves and what they want, and begins to refocus them upon God and who he is. I would like it to be said about me like it was about my pop. Some day I would like someone to say, "You know, I was around John for a while, and I just felt like I was in the presence of God."

— John Maxwell, at the end of the sermon "Fruit That is Never Out of Season: Gentleness."

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Do you put up stumbling blocks?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 17:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "Then He said to the disciples, 'It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.'" Luke 17:1-2

If you've raised children, you will know what it's like to see yourself — your habits and mannerisms — reflected in them. If you regularly speak to a child in anger, don't be surprised if you hear your tone of voice echoed in the way she speaks to her siblings and friends — even to you.

Treating your child in a way that if she apes you warrants a scolding is hypocrisy and one way you can cause offense (literally put a stumbling block in her path). Jesus warns of that. A footnote in my Bible explaining these verses says:

"Here it (offense) designates something that will cause another to sin. No person sins in a vacuum; others are affected. Jesus issues a strong warning against being the cause of the apostasy of others, particularly those less mature in years and experience." New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1422.

What are some other ways we can stumble our little ones (both literal and spiritual)?

1. By discouraging their faith.
Ten of the twelve spies Joshua sent to check out Canaan discouraged the people from entering the land by focusing on the obstacles rather than on the promises and power of God (Numbers 13:30-33).

2. By corrupting what God has said.
Malachi accused Israel's priests of putting up stumbling blocks in front of the people when they no longer adhered to what God had said but made up their own way to God (Malachi 2:7-8).

3. By setting up impossible man-made ways to come to God and live to please Him. 
Jesus accused the lawyers (experts in the Jewish law) of doing this (Matthew 23:13; Luke 11:46,52).

4. By acting without regard to another person's more sensitive conscience.
Paul warned the Corinthian church about doing that (1 Corinthians 8:9-13).

5. By refusing to look at our own actions.
We can spend a lot of time analyzing the actions of others and their potential to give offense. Instead we should look at ourselves. What are we doing that may be causing someone else to stumble (Romans 14:13).

There is, however, a way to guarantee that we won't be stumbling another. It's deceptively simple: LOVE.

Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 1 John 2:10 NIV

PRAYER: Dear God, please make me aware of possible stumbling blocks in my attitudes and actions. Fill my heart with love that always considers the spiritual well-being of others before myself. Amen.

MORE: Stumbling block insights

Lots of activities in our culture are potential stumbling blocks. Here are a few articles from gotquestions.org that shed light on our participation in some possible stumbling-block-type activities:

"Should a Christian Go To Movies?"

"What Does the Bible Say About Fun and Entertainment?

"Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

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Love your Bible

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 1:1-18

TO CHEW ON: ^"Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 1:13 (emphasis mine)

"The Bible — God's inspired word — is the only conclusive source of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding concerning ultimate realities.... The only way to healthy, balanced living is through the 'rightly dividing' (Greek orthotomounta) literally 'cutting straight' of God's word,"

says Jack Hayford in a Bible sidebar article about 2 Timothy 2:15, another verse that talks about the merits of God's word.

There are at least three levels on which we can engage with the Bible. We can:

1. Read it
Have you ever read through the Bible — all of it from cover to cover? Do it sometime. Though there are difficult patches, repetitive bits, and some things you won't understand, when you do you will get a rounder, more realistic picture of God and His plan.

There are various ways to accomplish this. Set yourself a schedule to read a certain number of chapters or pages a day. Follow a reading plan. Or purchase a One Year Bible which has the entire Bible divided into days of the year (there are many kinds of One-year Bibles).

2. Study it
The Bible can stand our digging and scrutiny. On close inspection, it is like a piece of fine art that appears ever more consistent and unified (though penned — or should we say quilled — by numerous authors). That's because it really has only one author -- the Holy Spirit.

When you approach the Bible as a student, it helps to have a few aids. Start with a good study Bible in a translation you like. Such a Bible may give you historical background on books and writers. It may have end-notes explaining the text. Cross-references in the margins will send you to other places in the Bible that add background and levels of meaning to the verse(s) you're studying. It may have other features like word studies, articles on Bible themes, a small concordance, character studies, and maps.

3. Memorize it
When you commit parts of the Bible to memory they become yours in a new way. Memorizing is a great way to meditate on Scripture. Having God's word in your mind and at-the-ready will help you live a life of obedience and  keep you from sin. It will make you an effective witness and spiritual warrior.  A thorough knowledge of God's word qualifies you to be a teacher and encourager. During times of personal turmoil and stress the words of Scripture are there to comfort and calm you.

If you are interested in true truth, real reality and investing your life in things that will outlast time, don't neglect your Bible.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Bible! Help me to not only read, study and memorize it, but to apply it to my life and obey it. Amen.

MORE: Favourite Bibles

"...With its frayed stitching and floppy cover, my favourite Bible resembles my leather loafers. Coffee stains dot its pages, but the burgundy coloured Amplified version fits me as comfortably as my old shoes....


A Bible should become as personal as well-worn sneakers. A new Christian once picked up my Bible from our coffee table. 'You write in your Bible?' she asked. At that time I used a leather-bound KJV Schofield study Bible with my name embossed in gold on the cover: I'd owned it for several years and it showed.


'Yes, if a verse touches my heart or teaches me something, I underline it. And sometimes I make notes beside it.'

She spent several hours that afternoon underlining my special passages in her fresh Bible. 'You're going to end up with a Bible that's more mine than yours,' I told her. She wanted it to look used, she said. And I get that. A seldom-read Bible is a sad sight. More than just another religious book, the words of Scripture penetrate the deepest recesses of the human soul. No other writing, no matter how stirring and brilliant, achieves this."

— Rose Brandon in "Let It Show: Love your Bible enough to wear it out," Pentecostal Testimony, July/August 2009, p. 15.

What is your favourite study Bible? What other Bible study aids do you use?

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Angelic helpers

The Archangel Michael
by Hans Memling, c. 1479

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 12:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer." Revelation 12:6-7

Here we are given a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the initial expulsion of Satan ("the dragon") and his cohort evil angels from heaven. Michael leads the heavenly army. He is called an "archangel" which means chief or first: a chief angel or angel of the highest rank.

We see Michael in action in several other places in the Bible as well. He comes to the aid of the angel who carries a message of strengthening for Daniel (Daniel 10:13,21). He is part of events to come that Daniel prophesies in Daniel 12. And he is also mentioned in Jude as the angel who disputed with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9).

The activity of other angels (who are usually unnamed) is frequent throughout Scriptures. An angel or angels:

- Led Lot and his family from doomed Sodom (Genesis 19:1,16).
- Led the Israelites through the desert to Canaan (Exodus 14:19).
- Prepared food for an exhausted Elijah (1 Kings 19:5).
- Shut the mouths of lions so Daniel's life was spared (Daniel 6:22).
- Ministered to Jesus after his 40-day fast and temptation by the devil (Mark 1:13).
- Opened prison doors for Peter and John (Acts 5:19).

I have never seen an angel, though some can make that claim. Yet the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) talks of angelic activity in relation to God's people. Their job is to do God's bidding and perform His will. No doubt that sometimes involves giving a hand to us needy mortals.  The writer of Hebrews says of them, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14).

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for angels, part of Your creation I don't know a lot about (by experience) but gladly accept by faith. I welcome their help when You send them to my aid. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The liturgy begins with this collect:

"Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

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Separation

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 16:19-31

TO CHEW ON: "'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'" Luke 16:26

It is not fashionable, these days, to emphasize or even mention God's judgment. Obviously it's much more comfortable to dwell on His love and the benefits of living life under His direction. However, the Bible includes both.

Today's reading — a story Jesus told about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus — doesn't tiptoe around the fact that the decisions we make in life will be judged and will impact our eternal destination.

The rich man was in Hades (hell), not because of his wealth, but because of the way he used it. My Bible's footnote to verse 25 says: "Wealth does not automatically condemn one to hell, nor does poverty in this life guarantee eternal joy. One's destiny depends upon one's relationship to God, which is often reflected in the attitude toward material possessions" (New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1422).

One of the aspects of God's judgment that comes across in Jesus' story is separation.

Separation as a consequence of rejecting God is a theme that runs through the Bible:

• Proud sinners are banned from God's sight (Psalm 5:5).

• Ezekiel speaks of "rebels and those who transgress against Me" as being kept out of the land of Israel (Ezekiel 20:38).

• Jesus speaks of the wheat and the tares ("weeds") coexisting until harvest time when the reapers will separate out the tares to be burned (Matthew 13:30, 49).

• Jesus also predicts a time of global judgment: "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another" (Matthew 25:32,46).

• In our focus verse, the speaker, Abraham, describes a gulf of separation between Hades and heaven.

What is the great separator? Sin. For even Jesus, the sinless son of God was separated from His Father when He took on Himself the sins of the world. Sin not covered by Jesus' blood, separates those who have committed it from God and a future in heaven (Revelation 22:15).

This separation stands in sharp contrast to the relationship that is the essence of eternal life. Mark Buchanan explains it so well in the "More" section of yesterday's devotion.

The dreadful pain we feel at the death of a loved one is only a foretaste of how horrible would be a permanent separation from God and all things good. Let's live wide awake to the reality of God's coming judgment of separation and choose relationship  while we can.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for bridging the gap of separation between sinful me and God. Amen.

MORE: Jesus: wall-breaker

"For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation." Ephesians 2:14

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Checkpoint

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments

For this is man's all." Ecclesiastes 12:13

Sometimes the attractive rascal doesn't get his just desserts until the very end of the story. The author makes us wait till we get to the back of the book to show us her take on how life works. That's the case with Ecclesiastes.

The author has painted a fairly cynical picture of human life and effort. But in his closing lines he tells us that there is something that does have meaning.

A commentary on this passage in my Bible says, "Hear the conclusion of the matter: after Solomon had tried every possible experience that the world said would bring happiness, he found it all to be futile and pointless. Devote yourself to God who alone gives true meaning to life." "Truth-In-Action through Ecclesiastes, New Spirit Filled Bible, p. 868.

Solomon seems to allude to this conclusion early in chapter 12 when he says, in effect, make that discovery as early in life as possible. 

How much better to have devoted all of life to things that really matter than to conclude at the end of a life consumed with running after material stuff and novel experiences, we were chasing the wrong things.

Wherever you are on life's journey, the beginning, middle or end, let this be a checkpoint as you ask yourself: "What am I really living for?"

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see where I'm heading if I stay on the path I'm on. Help me to live in such a way that at the end of life, I will have no regrets. Amen.

MORE: Live -- not just any life, but eternal life

Jesus too speaks about "the conclusion of the whole matter" when He says: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" John 17:3.

Mark Buchanan says about this passage:

"There is something about heaven and eternity that we have to grasp, because if we don't, we'll miss everything else. We'll read the music but never sing, study the choreography but never dance.


It's this: Heaven starts now.


Eternity is not primarily a measure of time — chronological time stretched to infinity. It is not first and foremost a place. Eternity is primarily a quality of relationship. It is first and foremost a presence: to know God and Jesus Christ.


Eternity begins now.


Christianity's most shocking claim is that Jesus is the only way to God. No one gets to heaven apart from Jesus. No one enters eternal joy apart from Christ. That's our claim. I have seen people react to it with anger, contempt, disgust, incredulity. 'How dare you say that. That is so arrogant and narrow and imperialistic.' That reaction might be warranted if heaven were only a place and eternity only a duration of time. But heaven is a unique knowing. It is personal, intimate knowledge, not of some thing, but of Some One — the only true God and Jesus the one He sent.


This is eternal life."

— Mark Buchanan, Things Unseen, pp. 102-103.

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Night prayers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 5:33-6:16

TO CHEW ON: "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day He called His disciples to Himself and from them He chose twelve whom He also called Apostles." Luke 6:12-13

As I grow older, one of the changes I've noticed in myself is that I don't sleep as well. What I try to remember to do during the minutes and hours of wakefulness, is pray.

I find I am in good company. As I study Bible characters who did the same thing, I discover that they spent time at night praying instead of sleeping for a variety of reasons.

1. Jacob spent all night wrestling with an angel of God the night before he had arranged to meet his brother Esau, from whom he had been estranged for years because he had tricked him out of his birthright.

2. Samuel, grieved and angry, "cried out to the Lord all night" after God told him that He regretted choosing Saul as king.

3. David woke at midnight with his heart so full of joy at God's "righteous judgements" that he got up to give thanks.

4. Jesus prayed all night before He chose His twelve apostles (our focus verse today).

5. Paul and Silas were still praying and singing hymns  at midnight after they had been arrested, beaten and locked up in a Philippian prison.

Watching these people pray during a time when folks normally sleep shows us:
- they were confident that God never sleeps.
- they believed praying would make a difference.
- they were eager to include God in every part of their day.

So, whether you're awake at night because tomorrow is a big day, your emotions are riled-up, or you're in too much physical pain and discomfort to sleep, take it as an invitation to join the crowd of night praye-ers. In fact, your night prayers are probably way more important to the situation than the sleep you're missing is to your next day.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that You never sleep. Remind me to use the times at night when I can't sleep to commune with You. Amen.

MORE: Thoughts on prayer

"As a camel kneels before his master to have him remove his burden at the end of the day, so kneel each night and let the Master take your burden." — Corrie Ten Boom

"It's so easy to promise to pray for people, or just plan to pray for people, and forget. So many afflictions, so many tragedies or desperate hopes that cry out for intercession. Only an instant of my time, only a few words, a thought — and who knows? It may be the only word of prayer that person will get." — Marjorie Holmes

"Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening." — Matthew Henry

"Prayer is not something we do at a specific time, but something we do all the time." Richard Owen Roberts

My friend Jan Cox has begun writing a blog about prayer. Under the Cover of Prayer is full of encouragement to pray as well as prayer stories from Jan and others. Go visit. You'll be blessed!

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The secret of effectiveness

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 5:12-32

TO CHEW ON: "However the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." Luke 5:15-16

If anyone had an excuse for not having the time and energy to pray, it was Jesus. Wherever He went, the crowds gathered. Even times he set aside for relaxation, or wanted stillness to grieve were hijacked by the multitudes. They followed this captivating teacher and compassionate healer wherever He went, around lakes, up mountainsides and into isolated places.

Jesus' deity did not trump His fatigue either. For we see Him after one long day fast asleep in a storm-tossed boat.

However, He never used the excuse that He was too busy or too tired to pray. Instead He made opportunities to commune with His father in a variety of times and ways. For He knew that His power for ministry was linked at the very artery/vein level, to prayer. Note the word "So" in our focus verse. The people were coming to Him to be taught and healed. So (thus) He needed to pray.

• Sometimes He climbed mountains to pray.

• At other times He went into the wilderness (our focus verse).

• If the day ahead promised to be busy, He rose early.

• If the burden was strong, He prayed all night.

• It was out of His prayer time that He gave vital instruction.

• But He didn't push the obligation to pray onto His disciples at this point. Though He acknowledged the need for prayer in accomplishing feats of supernatural power, and spoke of its importance in various places, He waited for the disciples to come to Him and ask for prayer teaching. It was after they watched Him during one time of prayer that they finally requested: "Teach us to pray."

In the light of Jesus' example, I ask myself:
- Do I make the time and opportunity to pray? Or do I make excuses about why I don't pray?
- Do I start my day and my projects with prayer?
- Do I deal with life's heavy times first in prayer?
- Do I let the insights I gain during times of prayer inform my living?
- Am I a continuing student of prayer?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I love the example You set in prayer. Please teach me to pray. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Matthew

Today is the church celebration of Matthew, a disciple Jesus called after one of His prayer sessions.

A set of videos/DVDs of Jesus' life is based on the Gospel of Matthew. When I think of Matthew, I see the gentle and wise elderly man who plays the part of Matthew in the movie, telling his memories to what look like his grandchildren, while a scribe writes his words.

Watch the movie trailer.

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Are there dead flies in your life?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment,

And cause it to give off a foul odour;

So does a little folly to one respected

for wisdom and honour.

...The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious

But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up." Ecclesiastes 10:1,12

In this day of the internet, when anyone can post on blogs, forums, chat-rooms, and twitter, can comment on news features, editorials, blogs, and columns, Solomon's advice to avoid words of folly is more apropos than ever.

It is advice especially applicable to people of faith. The world, rightly or wrongly, holds people who call themselves Christians to a high standard.

I believe we are justified in holding each other to a level of consistency. How disappointing would it be if you discovered your pastor, whose teaching nourishes you on Sundays, was in the habit of disparaging his parishioners on a pastor's forum, and sometimes forwarded off-colour jokes?

For those of us who have an online presence the danger of messing up is always present. Perhaps the best protection against being betrayed by your own tongue and actions is to have a guileless heart, where you have already dealt with unworthy thoughts, words, and temptations to act impetuously (we all have them) before God. ("A wise man's heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction" - Proverbs 16:23 NIV.)

How much better to be known as a person whose speech (in every venue: blog posts, e-news comments, forums, chats, Facebook) and life, is characterized by grace.

Some of my favourite verses in this regard:

"She opens her mouth with wisdom
And on her tongue is the law of kindness" - Proverbs 31:26  (said of the virtuous wife by King Lemuel).

"A gentle response defuses anger,
but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire. " Proverbs 15:1 Message

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" - Proverbs 16:24

PRAYER: Dear God, please show me the dead flies in my life — the places where my stated beliefs and words / actions don't line up. Amen.

MORE: "May the Words of My Mouth" - Tim Hughes

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Work

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 9:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going." Ecclesiastes 9:10

Though we may equate work with the fall, it pre-existed sin's entrance into Eden. God gave Adam the work of tending the garden before he and Eve sinned. And despite what the writer of Ecclesiastes says about the cessation of work after death, Jesus' remarks to His disciples about them ruling and reigning with Him when He establishes the Kingdom of Heaven, suggest that work may continue past the grave.

Work [1. Continued exertion or activity, whether physical or mental directed to some purpose or end; labour. 2. The acts, obligation etc. that one does in return for something of value, as money. 3. Any prolonged or industrious effort.] is part of life, whether we enjoy it or not. It shapes our days, gives us a reason to get up in the morning and sends us to bed tired at night.

In our focus verse, Solomon touches on a couple of aspects of work that can make it more enjoyable and us more productive.

"Whatever your hand finds to do..." suggests that all work may not be equally attractive. Sometimes we are required to just do the next thing, whether we feel like it or not — to tackle the odious task at hand.

"...do it with all your might..." addresses the way we accomplish our work. Doing a job with all our might implies working with focus, energy, physical strength, skill and imagination.

"...for there is no work... in the grave where you are going" tells us that work is not all there is. Of course the principle of the Sabbath, refraining from work one day in seven and spending it in rest and worship, runs through the Bible. If you are near or at retirement age, you will be facing the fact that the number of years that society considers you productive, is limited. So, Solomon says, work hard now, while you still have the ability.

I ask myself, do I:
- Tackle all the things I need to do, even the ones that are hard, boring, unpleasant and scary — the tasks I'd rather avoid?
- Work with focus, giving each job my best?
- Work with the knowledge that my earthly workdays are numbered?

PRAYER: Dear God, please give me the right attitude about work. Help me to do everything as if You were my boss and supervisor — because You are. Amen.

MORE: Work-related

In this day of electronic bombardment, it's easy to get distracted from the job at hand. Michael Hyatt (CEO of Nelson Publishing) often addresses issues of productivity on his blog. He begins a recent post about lists:

"My to-do list is at the center of my personal workflow. Like you, I am bombarded with scores—sometimes hundreds—of requests every day. They show up in my inbox, on the phone, and at my door. All of them want action now. That’s why years ago, I learned the importance of creating a daily to-do list. It might sound simple, but I don’t know of a more important productivity tool."

Read all of "Your to-do list as a personal command center"

You might also enjoy "What to do when you hate your job."

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Who put you here?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Timothy 1:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." 1 Timothy 1:12

It is a good thing, from time to time, to review where you are and why you are here — to think back over your history and thus regain the sense of God's hand guiding you into the job and ministry you find yourself in.

Paul had a strong sense of divine appointment. It comes out in the way he opens his letters. The first verse of our reading today is an example: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope."

One way Paul retains such conviction is by reviewing how he came to God in the first place. He alludes to that time when he talks about his life before Christ: "I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy..."vs. 13.

Paul encourages Timothy, further, to recall prophetic words others have spoken over him: "I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you that by them you may wage the good warfare" vs. 18.

One more thing I have found helpful is reviewing Bible passages that have spoken powerfully to me, rereading the verses and stories that have set me on the path I have taken.

It is easy, in our time of many options and choices, to get distracted from core life and ministry purposes and goals. Reviewing our history with God, recalling the prophetic words of others, and rereading the Scriptures that have shaped our lives can be a good way to again get focused on where we are and why.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to have the conviction of being where I am by Your hand. Thank You for putting me in the this ministry. Amen.

MORE: Burning words

I love the way the disciples described the effect of Jesus' spoken words on them as they walked together to Emmaus: "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)

What Bible words or stories have burned within you, helping establish you in the direction your life and ministry have taken?

Some such for me would be Luke 19:11-27.

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Do you have a fallow heart?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 4:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:

'Break up your fallow ground

And do not sow among thorns.'" Jeremiah 4:3

In this plea through Jeremiah God calls wayward Judah and Israel back to Him. He calls their hearts "fallow ground."

I think summer fallow — the fields my father would leave unplanted each year. He cycled these so that every growing season a bit of the land got a rest. One doesn't expect a crop from fallow land. Israel and Judah have been spiritually unproductive.

But it's time to get back to planting and crops. Get the soil of your heart ready, says Jeremiah. How is that done? Another prophet prophet — Hosea — tells us. It's by seeking the Lord (Hosea 10:12).

When you plant, watch that you don't put that valuable seed among thorns, cautions Jeremiah. We think of Jesus' parable where the seed is the God's word and the thorns signify the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches which "choke the word and it becomes unfruitful."

If you and I are in a fallow, unfruitful state, we too can again become spiritually productive. We can break up our heart's barren crust by seeking the Lord — reading the Bible, asking God to show us the ways it applies to us personally, sharing our lives with Him in prayer and being open to His correction and instruction.

But in this time of noisy electronics and many distractions, we are also vulnerable to thorns — the ring-tones of cell phones, the instant information of the Internet, cares of work, family, the need to earn money. We need more than ever to watch over our hearts that they remain good, productive soil.

PRAYER: Dear God, I want my heart to be receptive and productive. Help me to see You with energy and be vigilant to guard what I find and learn. Amen.

MORE: "I Will Delight" by Fernando Ortega

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Are you ready to die?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 8:2-17

TO CHEW ON: "No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit,

And no one has power in the day of death.

There is no release from that war." Ecclesiastes 8:8a

Our family has, within the last week, looked in death's face several times. In one, doctors predicted my brother with terminal untreatable cancer would likely die within two weeks. But instead of succumbing, he rallied and even now soldiers on past the given date.

In another, my father-in-law died unexpectedly in his sleep. For his son who visited him earlier in the day there was no prediction that his dad was living his last hours.

The lesson for me in all this: Be ready to die at any time.

The Bible gives some good advice on how to get ready, and live ready, to die:

1. We should get our affairs of life and business in order.

2. We should get our spiritual lives in order so that we are always ready to meet God.

3. While we have life, we should live it to the full, savouring the good times even as we realize that dark days are also part of life.

4. We should spend our days doing things that are significant for God.

5. We should live with the realization that someday God will inspect and judge our work.

Though the subject of death may make us squirmy, it is never too soon to be ready to die. Give your own inevitable death some thought today. You won't regret it.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me face the uncomfortable fact of my own mortality. Help me to look at all aspects of my life realistically and do what I need to do to be ready to die.


MORE: The Boomer Burden

Julie Hall (aka "The Estate Lady") has written a wonderful book to help our generation (the Baby Boomers) cope with looking after the affairs of their aging, dying parents. The advice in The Boomer Burden also applies to our own affairs. It helps readers think through the many aspects of how to prepare for death themselves so that their final wishes are honored and life is easier for those left behind to administer their estates. (Highly recommended reading! My review of it is here)

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Rooting out anger

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 7:1-8:1

 TO CHEW ON: "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,

For anger rests in the bosom of fools." Ecclesiastes 7:9

I will never be one of those people of whom their kids can say, 'Mom never said an angry word.' Because I've been known to lose it.

The battle with anger is probably harder for some people than others. But no matter how unnatural it feels to stay even-tempered, the Bible makes it clear that anger is seldom a good thing.

- It leads to evil (Psalm 37:8).
- It leads to unwise decisions and actions (Proverbs 14:17).
- It is in our control (Proverbs 16:32).
- Patience and overlooking another person's wrongs are a better response (Proverbs 19:11).
- It sets us up for judgment (Matthew 5:22).
- It is on the list of carnal qualities to "put off" along with malice, blasphemy, and filthy language (Colossians 3:8).
- It disqualifies us for positions of leadership (Titus 1:7).
- It is not conducive to a righteous life: "God's righteousness does not grow from human anger" - Message (James 1:19-20).

Anger begins in the thought life and is often a symptom of other problems: unmet expectations, impatience, hurt pride, selfishness, self-centredness. You can probably think of more.

Discovering the root of one's anger is an important insight. Those of us with an anger problem can ask for God's help to determine what is triggering those bouts of temper. Only as we attack anger's root will we finally overcome this foolish and impulsive response to people and circumstances.

PRAYER: Dear God, please give me insights into the anger that still lurks in my heart and explodes at the most inopportune times. Amen.

MORE: Circumstances and my thoughts

"...circumstances do not make men; it is their reaction to circumstances that determines what kind of men they will be...


...The mental stuff of the Christian can be and should be modified and conditioned by the Spirit of Christ which indwells his nature. God wills that we think His thoughts after Him. The Spirit-filled, prayerful Christian actually possesses the mind of Christ, so that his reactions to the external world are the same as Christ's. He thinks about people and things just as Christ does. All life becomes to him the raw nectar which the Spirit within him turns into the honey of paradise.


Yet this is not automatic. To do His gracious work God must have the intelligent cooperation of His people. If we would think God's thoughts we must learn to think continually of God. 'God thinks continuously of each one of us as if He had no one but ourselves,' said Francois Malaval; 'it is therefore no more than just if we think continuously of Him as if we had no one but Himself.'


We must think of the surrounding world of people and things against the background of our thoughts of God..." — A. W. Tozer, "The Sanctification of Our Minds" from That Incredible Christian.

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Empty promises

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 5:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil." Ecclesiastes 5:1

I fill out my missions pledge card in the heat of the moment, my faith buoyed by the stories of miracle provision in other places. Any second thoughts as to the amount I promise to give monthly are quelled by the pastor's words: "This faith promise is between God and you. No one will ever call on you to collect." I leave, feeling happy with myself. However, the months that follow will tell whether or not those feelings are justified.

Do I take my pledge seriously when finances are low, or a new need arises that requires every spare nickel and dime? Or have I made the "sacrifice of fools" — an empty promise that I break when my circumstances change?

Solomon in Ecclesiastes, warns against such glib vows "Better not to vow than to vow and not pay," he says (vs. 5).

I can think of several reasons we make promises to God that we don't keep.

• Sometimes we make them in the heat of the emotional moment. Later when our feelings have cooled, we go back on those vows.

• We might make a promise to God when we're in trouble, to try to induce Him to help us out.

• If the promise-making is public, we might pledge to do a certain thing or give a certain sum of money to impress others.

• Of course we might also make promises to God as genuine expressions of faith, love, devotion, and gratitude.

Solomon's warning to think before we make a promise to God is excellent. We can use that thinking time to examine our motives. For when we make promises to God and break them, it becomes that much easier to feel casual about promises we make the next time, and the next. Our relationship easily becomes one of habitually making promises we don't intend to keep.

But when we keep our promises to God, we demonstrate to ourselves and others that we genuinely respect ("fear") God who isn't in the least duped by our empty and unfulfilled promises in any case.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to search and know my own heart when it comes to making vows or promises to You. Amen

MORE: "Let My Words Be Few" (by Matt Redman, sung here by Philips, Craig and Dean)

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Disciple

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 14:15-35

TO CHEW ON: "So likewise whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:33

"Disciple" — mathetes — derives from the word math. It suggests thought along with effort. A disciple is a learner — a follower of the teaching and the teacher. Bible writers use it of the Apostles and later of Christians generally.

Nowadays we don't speak much of being disciples, at least not outside of formal instructions about discipleship from pastors and teachers. Why? Perhaps because it implies a relationship that is too radical for us modern westerners who like to keep our options open.

There is none of such holding back in Jesus' definition of discipleship. It involves:
- Self-denial and cross-bearing (Matthew 16:24).
- Renunciation (Luke 14:26 — part of our passage today).
- Leaving all (Luke 14:33 — our focus verse today).
- Perseverance (John 8:31)
- Fruitfulness (John 15:8).

I ask myself, by these descriptors, what kind of a disciple am I? What about you?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to be a disciple by Your definition. Show me where I am reserving parts of my life for myself.

MORE: His

"'If any man come to me and hate not... he cannot be My disciple,' not, he cannot be good and upright, but, he cannot be one over whom Jesus writes the word 'Mine.' Any one of the relationships Our Lord mentions may be a competitive relationship. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself; then, says Jesus, you cannot be My disciple. This does not mean I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be 'His'....Be entirely His."
— Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, today's reading.

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A matter of obedience

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Philemon 1-25

TO CHEW ON: "Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say." Philemon 21

The little Bible book of Philemon is a letter from Paul to fellow Christian Philemon. In it he appeals to Philemon to be reconciled to his runaway slave Onesimus. It seems that the runaway found his way to Paul, accepted the gospel and is now a helper to Paul while he is in prison.

An introductory note in my Bible explains, "Paul's primary goal was to see Philemon freely embrace the fugitive Onesimus as a brother in Christ. The apostle made clear his desire for Onesimus to stay with him, but insisted on reconciliation first (vs. 13-14)." - Introduction to Philemon, New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1724.

Paul's tone is respectful. He is careful to defer to Philemon's own will before taking Onesimus into his own service more permanently: "But without your consent I wanted to do nothing..." vs. 14. He even offers to pay — a blank cheque — whatever outstanding debts Onesimus owes to Philemon: "But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account" vs. 17.

So, coming to the end of the chapter the word "obedience" jumps out at us. Who or what is he telling Philemon to obey? He, Paul, has made no commands in the letter. But by slipping in that word, he is reminding Philemon that there is also an imperative involved here. I would suggest it is the command to forgive.

Jesus was always clear about how important forgiveness was:

"And when you stand praying you hold anything against anyone forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" Mark 11:25.

"If he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him" Luke 17:4.

In other writings Paul teaches forgiveness too — see Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13.

Paul's suggestion that forgiveness is a matter of obedience applies to us too. Many aspects of relationships involve choices we are free to make. But whether or not we choose to forgive those who have wronged us falls in a different department — that of obedience or disobedience.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to develop an attitude of ready and unconditional forgiveness. Amen.

MORE: Wisdom about forgiveness

I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive.  Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.  ~Henry Ward Beecher

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.  ~Lewis B. Smedes, "Forgiveness - The Power to Change the Past," Christianity Today, 7 January 1983

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."  ~Paul Boese

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."  ~William Blake, Jerusalem

"He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass."  ~George Herbert

"Forgiving is love's toughest work, and love's biggest risk.  If you twist it into something it was never meant to be, it can make you a doormat or an insufferable manipulator.  Forgiving seems almost unnatural.  Our sense of fairness tells us people should pay for the wrong they do.  But forgiving is love's power to break nature's rule."  ~Lewis B. Smedes

More forgiveness quotes found in The Quote Garden (where I picked these).

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