“You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28
After church one morning recently, I was talking with friends in the Welcome Center when I noticed some people sitting alone on a couch nearby. I knew they were not church members so, feeling full of Christian duty, I went over to greet them, expecting to exchange small talk about the weather and ask questions to which I did not expect real answers. “Hi! (big grin) How are you today?” Instead, one of them hit me with a pointed question asking, “Does this church accept people who aren’t perfect?”
Always looking for a way to lighten uncomfortable moments, I quickly joked, “They accept me, don’t they?” and chuckled nervously. Frowning a little, the woman looked straight in my eyes and challenged, “Yes, but you’re perfect.” I was stunned and...
[Read more]“Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat … No one is to let any of it remain until morning.” Exodus 16:16, 19
Not too long ago, some of my friends and I went spelunking. Have you ever been deep in the darkness of a cave with nothing but a tiny headlamp to light your way? It will blow your mind! The lamp shines only several feet in front of where you stand making a small orb of light to guide just your next few steps. It doesn’t have enough power to illuminate what is at the end of a passageway or around a bend. However, as you make your way along, the light moves with you, and what was cloaked in darkness only a few steps back becomes visible. The lamp gives off just enough light to get you where you need to go.
On dark days when I feel overwhelmed by the demands of my calendar, school, work, or simply by my own insecurities, I confess that my faith is very much like a tiny headlamp. While I long for a flood light to show me the end of the tunnel, my low-watt faith provides just enough light...
[Read more]“The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering.” Genesis 4:4-5
The story of Cain and Abel has always been a little disturbing to me. Guess that’s because I can relate to Cain’s desire to do things his own way. Why was Abel’s offering accepted, but Cain’s rejected? What made Abel’s gift better than Cain’s? Was God playing favorites? Many scholars have explained the reasons why Cain’s gift was not acceptable to the Lord; but, in my humble opinion, all we really need to know is that Cain knew what God wanted, and he decided to do things his own way. It’s as simple as that. God said, “If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door” (Genesis 4:7). Cain knew what God wanted, but he chose not to do it, and the results of his rebellion were deadly. Abel was murdered, and Cain was cursed and banished from God’s presence.
Sound familiar? Do you find yourself struggling between doing what God...
[Read more]“This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths: Which is the way to what is good? Then take it and find rest for yourselves.” Jeremiah 6:16
The other day I overheard an old man say that the way to keep a trail alive is to walk it. It took me a minute; but, once I got it, I was struck by this simple truth. The walking is what makes the trail. Skinny, snaking cow trails in the pasture, the great winding Appalachian Trail, even the concrete roar of Interstate 40—all exist because of the repetition of passing travelers. The same can be said of the influence we have as believers. We are all on a journey between birth and death; but, the choice is ours as to which path will be worn and sustained by our passing steps. As Jeremiah notes, there are many paths from which to choose on this pilgrimage, and each footprint leaves its impression strengthening the trail we take and encouraging others to follow where it leads. The question is, “Which is the way to what is...
[Read more]“This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you will live …’” Jeremiah 38:17
What? Surrender to Babylon? Never! There was no way that could be God’s plan; yet, there was Jeremiah, God’s prophet, saying that was exactly what God had in mind for King Zedekiah and the city of Jerusalem. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. If he obeyed God and followed Jeremiah’s advice, Zedekiah feared what the Babylonians and the Jews who had already gone over to the enemy’s side would do to him. After all, he had done some pretty awful things to them in the past. Why would they let him live? However, if he did what seemed safest in his own eyes and kept hiding, he might be able to escape altogether. Yes, that seemed the safest route to take—and it led to the destruction of Jerusalem and to a horribly painful capture for the king.
Many of us are facing similarly difficult choices right now. “How...
[Read more]“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8
This morning I awoke with a song playing over and over in my head, “Come closer, closer than ever,” and immediately I was reminded of the admonition in James to draw near to God. It was such a vivid and personal call to my heart that I wanted to jump out of bed and run to where He was, to throw my arms around Him, and to hold on for dear life. Just to laugh and delight in His presence. But, I wasn’t sure where to run … It is so hard for us as flesh and blood creatures to have a clear grasp on the Spirit that is God. We want to touch Him and to feel Him near—to pull our chair next to His, to sit at His feet, to climb into His lap and rest our heads against His shoulder—but all we have is this longing … and the promise that He will draw near to us when we draw near to Him.
That leads us to ask the question, “How can we draw near to God?” Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). It is God who...
[Read more]“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
It’s that time of year again. The calendar is fresh and uncluttered. The blank pages are as crisp as the winter temperatures, and the possibilities that lie ahead are endless. It is also the time when many of us decide to make some changes in our lives, and some even take the time to write lists of New Year’s resolutions. That’s great. After all, as Socrates is reported to have said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” But, may I suggest that as you are looking at the latest self-help manuals and seeking the perfect exercise regimen to “tighten your abs in just 8 weeks” that you also take the time to begin the New Year with God and His Word?
As the Gospel of John notes, the Word is more than just a text message from heaven. The Word was there in the beginning as “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light’” (Gen. 1:3). The Word was there when “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go out from your land,...
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