Two weeks ago, our congregation started a Bible reading program. Each day, people are given a scripture to read and then they are asked to answer the question, “What jumped out at you from this reading?” Too many times, we approach the Bible as something to be dissected, outlined and figured out. The goal of this activity, however, is simply to get us to listen to the word of God.
With that background, here are some of the things that I have “heard” in my readings over the past two weeks. Maybe you too will find some big ideas and phrases think about as you read them.
“You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you… teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name” (Psalm 86:5 and 11).
After his resurrection, “Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (John 1:20). Does “overjoyed” describe me?
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4).
“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that your have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22).
“From the fullness of his (God’s) grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16).
A group named “Mercy Me” sings a song called “Word of God Speak” (“Google” it if you like). It is a simple song about the need for us to stop talking about God and to start listening to what he says and wants. The truth is that it is easy to start living our lives by the wrong priorities. We need to hear from God so that we see our world, our eternity and ourselves properly.
Opening the word everyday is a good first step.
“So then faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
PS. If you are interested in receiving the scripture reading for the day, please contact me. I would gladly email them to you.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Our Father
"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” (Matthew 6:9-13)
This passage, which we call “The Lord’s Prayer”, is maybe one of the most well known passages of scripture in the whole Bible. Throughout this year, at various times, we are going to spend some time looking at each part of this prayer. Today I want to concentrate on just the first two words; “Our Father”. If we only had those first two words, we would have a lot.
The word that is translated “Father” comes from a Greek word whose meaning is closer to “Daddy” than it is to “Sir”. In other words, when Jesus teaches us to pray, he teaches us to address God with a closeness and a recognition of love and relationship. God is not “far off” and completely unaware of your circumstances. Rather, he is like a loving father who cares, is nearby and who loves you. In fact, he knows you so well and loves you so much that we are told, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). The first teaching of this prayer is that God is near and that he knows you well.
Now, think for a moment about the fact that he is addressed as “Our” father. In fact, note that every pronoun in the prayer is plural. It is “Our father”, not “my father”. He says, “Give us… our daily bread”, not “Give me”. “Forgive our debts” and “Lead us not into temptation”. Our culture teaches us to keep people at arm’s length. The church, though, is a place where faith is lived in community. It is a place where we help one another and look after one another. The “Lone Ranger” was a good story, but it is not a good way to live. We need to be, and should be, connected to one another.
“Our father”… sometimes two little words can say a lot.
This passage, which we call “The Lord’s Prayer”, is maybe one of the most well known passages of scripture in the whole Bible. Throughout this year, at various times, we are going to spend some time looking at each part of this prayer. Today I want to concentrate on just the first two words; “Our Father”. If we only had those first two words, we would have a lot.
The word that is translated “Father” comes from a Greek word whose meaning is closer to “Daddy” than it is to “Sir”. In other words, when Jesus teaches us to pray, he teaches us to address God with a closeness and a recognition of love and relationship. God is not “far off” and completely unaware of your circumstances. Rather, he is like a loving father who cares, is nearby and who loves you. In fact, he knows you so well and loves you so much that we are told, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). The first teaching of this prayer is that God is near and that he knows you well.
Now, think for a moment about the fact that he is addressed as “Our” father. In fact, note that every pronoun in the prayer is plural. It is “Our father”, not “my father”. He says, “Give us… our daily bread”, not “Give me”. “Forgive our debts” and “Lead us not into temptation”. Our culture teaches us to keep people at arm’s length. The church, though, is a place where faith is lived in community. It is a place where we help one another and look after one another. The “Lone Ranger” was a good story, but it is not a good way to live. We need to be, and should be, connected to one another.
“Our father”… sometimes two little words can say a lot.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Undivided
“It will take him three seconds.”
That was the most common guess on Sunday morning when I asked, “How long do you think it will take James to run from here to the back of the auditorium?”
I had asked one of the kids from the congregation to join me at the front during my sermon. James is an athletic little boy and the hall down which he was to run is not that long.
“Maybe it will take him five seconds, at the most”, someone else said.
How long did it actually take?
Would you believe that more than 30 seconds later he still had not reached the end of the aisle?
How can that be? Why would it take more than 10 times as long as anyone guessed it would?
The answer is simple: I kept calling him back!
When I said, “Go!” James took off like a shot. When he got about half way down the aisle, I yelled, “Whoa! Stop! Come back!” A little confused, James started running back towards me. Then I told him to stop, turn around and run back the other way again. Then I told him to stop and come back. Finally, after about seven or eight changes in direction, James just quit. He just stood there staring at me, bewildered, and would not run anymore.
You cannot get anywhere when you keep changing directions. Even very short journeys are impossible to complete when you keep going back and forth.
Jesus, himself, often spoke about the need for a focus on one thing.
“A kingdom divided against itself will be ruined; and a house divided against itself will fall” (Luke 11:17).
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).
Maybe my favorite picture concerning this principle comes from the pen of James when he writes, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (verses 10-12).
God does not want our faith to be just one thing among many that compete for our attention. Rather, faith should be in the center of everything. It should affect our choices, our priorities, our values and how we live each day.
Conflicted and competing influences get us nowhere. We cannot run toward God and away from him at the same time.
That was the most common guess on Sunday morning when I asked, “How long do you think it will take James to run from here to the back of the auditorium?”
I had asked one of the kids from the congregation to join me at the front during my sermon. James is an athletic little boy and the hall down which he was to run is not that long.
“Maybe it will take him five seconds, at the most”, someone else said.
How long did it actually take?
Would you believe that more than 30 seconds later he still had not reached the end of the aisle?
How can that be? Why would it take more than 10 times as long as anyone guessed it would?
The answer is simple: I kept calling him back!
When I said, “Go!” James took off like a shot. When he got about half way down the aisle, I yelled, “Whoa! Stop! Come back!” A little confused, James started running back towards me. Then I told him to stop, turn around and run back the other way again. Then I told him to stop and come back. Finally, after about seven or eight changes in direction, James just quit. He just stood there staring at me, bewildered, and would not run anymore.
You cannot get anywhere when you keep changing directions. Even very short journeys are impossible to complete when you keep going back and forth.
Jesus, himself, often spoke about the need for a focus on one thing.
“A kingdom divided against itself will be ruined; and a house divided against itself will fall” (Luke 11:17).
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).
Maybe my favorite picture concerning this principle comes from the pen of James when he writes, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (verses 10-12).
God does not want our faith to be just one thing among many that compete for our attention. Rather, faith should be in the center of everything. It should affect our choices, our priorities, our values and how we live each day.
Conflicted and competing influences get us nowhere. We cannot run toward God and away from him at the same time.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Be There
“Eighty percent of success in life is just showing up” – Woody Allen.
This past weekend was Homecoming at my Bible college and it was also my twenty year class reunion (Yes, I am that old!). At first I thought, “I don’t want to go. I do not keep in touch with any of those people. Why would I give up a whole weekend to travel up there to see people that I have nothing to do with anymore. Oh sure, I may have received a few nasty emails from people who were expecting me to be there, but so what? I am an adult and I can decide what I want to do, or, in this case, not do, right?”
Then I began to wonder, “What if it is important for me to go? What if I would really enjoy catching up with all those people again? Maybe it would be fun after all! Maybe I would find that it was worth the effort to show up.”
Guess what happened: I went and I had a good time!
In 2004, country singer Keith Urban released an album called “Be Here”. The chorus of the first song on the CD, “Days go by”, sums up the theme of the entire album when it says, “you better start livin’ right now”. In other words, you only get one chance to live your life and experience things, so make the best of it.
I wonder how many good things we have let slip by simply because it seemed like too much effort to “show up” and “Be there”. As we have pointed out many times in this space, “The important things rarely seem urgent and the urgent things are rarely important”. Which one are you focused on?
Easter weekend is a time when many think about “important things” rather than just “urgent ones”. One of the important things to think about is the reunion that is going to take place at the end of time. First Thessalonians four says, “The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (verses 16-18).
It is my hope and prayer that you will “Be there” and “show up” for that reunion.
May nothing in the world keep you from it.
This past weekend was Homecoming at my Bible college and it was also my twenty year class reunion (Yes, I am that old!). At first I thought, “I don’t want to go. I do not keep in touch with any of those people. Why would I give up a whole weekend to travel up there to see people that I have nothing to do with anymore. Oh sure, I may have received a few nasty emails from people who were expecting me to be there, but so what? I am an adult and I can decide what I want to do, or, in this case, not do, right?”
Then I began to wonder, “What if it is important for me to go? What if I would really enjoy catching up with all those people again? Maybe it would be fun after all! Maybe I would find that it was worth the effort to show up.”
Guess what happened: I went and I had a good time!
In 2004, country singer Keith Urban released an album called “Be Here”. The chorus of the first song on the CD, “Days go by”, sums up the theme of the entire album when it says, “you better start livin’ right now”. In other words, you only get one chance to live your life and experience things, so make the best of it.
I wonder how many good things we have let slip by simply because it seemed like too much effort to “show up” and “Be there”. As we have pointed out many times in this space, “The important things rarely seem urgent and the urgent things are rarely important”. Which one are you focused on?
Easter weekend is a time when many think about “important things” rather than just “urgent ones”. One of the important things to think about is the reunion that is going to take place at the end of time. First Thessalonians four says, “The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (verses 16-18).
It is my hope and prayer that you will “Be there” and “show up” for that reunion.
May nothing in the world keep you from it.
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