May 24 - 59b - James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins

to each other and

pray for each other so that

you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous person

is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

Bible Rank: 59

 

I want to focus on this verse for a second time. Why? Because so many of us want to be "healed."

 

So what do you hear when I say "healed."

 

Most of us hear, "no more cancer." We hear an end to back pain, a relief from arthritis, and a freedom from blindness, lameness, and irritable bowel syndrome. Isn't that what you heard? 

 

And isn't that what Jesus did? The blind saw. The lame walked. And even the dead were raided. "Healing"! Right?!

 

God does have an answer for that. Sometimes it happens for believers on earth. Sometimes it doesn't. We have to trust God that he knows what he's doing ... even when we think we'd do it differently. We have to trust that God ultimately has a better plan. And we have to trust that this kind of healing will ultimately and permanently happen for believers when we reach heaven! 

 

But -- and please hear this -- there is one kind of healing that God is ALWAYS willing to work here on earth. What is it? Spiritual healing! The physical will pass away. This sinful, physical world will come to an end. But the spiritual transformation can begin now!

 

That's the permanent healing that this verse talks about ... and can start right now. Therefore the Apostle tells us to "confess your sins to each other ... so that you may be healed."

 

Do you see the promised spiritual healing?

 

We are in bondage to sin ... and therefore to death. When we confess our sins, when we truly repent, we are set free spiritually. 

 

But the Apostle adds on more consideration: "Tell others about your sin! Confess to one another!" 

 

Ouch!!! 

 

But why? Because sin is like a vampire. It lives in the dark. But when we bring it into the light -- and when we let others help us carry the burden -- then we break sin's stronghold on our lives. 

 

Satan likes to whisper: "You're the only one who's done this. No one else will ever understand. Lock this away. Hide. Lie." And so we live isolated lives. 

 

That's not of God. That's not the Savior's heart ... or hope for you. Rather, heaven years to heal you, saying, "confess your sins to each other ... so that you may be healed."

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy with lots of garlic

(No Vampires allowed here)

 

May 23 - 59a - James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins

to each other and

pray for each other so that

you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous person

is powerful and effective

James 5:16

Bible Rank: 59

Do you want your prayers to be more effective?

Do you want them to be ... powerful?!!

Absolutely!

So what's the secret -- stated in this verse to more power and greater efficacy? Righteousness. 

My first reaction when hearing the word "righteous" is that if we want better results in our prayers, we ought to behave better. Hmmm. Is that what being righteous really means? 

Righteousness does lead to better behavior, but ultimately, righteous is a matter of the heart! A right heart leads to right action. Why? Because a right heart loves God and delights in his ways. 

And when we delight in God's ways, we tend to be in the right place at the right time. We're caring about the right things. We're loving neighbor. We're serving the kingdom. We're less selfish and less distracted. We're aligned with God's purposes. And because of that alignment, we're praying for what God is already desiring to do. Indeed, the more we align with God's priorities, the more we see him work. 

It works like this: God gave dominion (rulership) to human beings. As a gentleman, God often waits for permission to intervene. So when we pray in accord with his purposes, that's often when he will choose to act and intervene. 

And when we don't pray, he often sits and waits and grieves with you over the lack of power.

Give God permission to act in and around you.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be

more righteous and effective

May 21-22 - 58 - Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God

is alive and active.

Sharper than any

double-edged sword,

it penetrates even to

dividing soul and spirit,

joints and marrow;

it judges the thoughts and

attitudes of the heart

Hebrews 4:12

Bible Rank: 58

 

How do you view the word of God?

 

·         We can revere it, like the constitution.

·         We can say it's truth -- the foundation of what we believe in.

·         We can allow it to define limits and borders to what is right and wrong.

·         And all that is good.

 

But that's not really alive ... nor active. 

 

Indeed, the Bible is not just a book of wisdom and principles, of histories and generic prophecies. The Word of God is alive!

 

But ... what do we mean by that?

 

I joke that the reason that I keep reading scripture is that it keeps changing! 

 

Now obviously, the words on the page haven't changed in a couple thousand years. But I change daily!!! Therefore, I can read the same passage for the umpteenth time and come away with suddenly something fresh and new. 

 

And how does this happen? Through the Holy Spirit! When I open the scripture with expectation, the Spirit rushes to meet me there. Why? Because the Bible is God's gift to us. It's where and how He divined to speak to us. And when I come expecting to meet God, he will meet with me. Thus, the Word is alive and active because God is alive and active!!!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is like yeast

-- alive and active

 

(and I'm alive and active

because I know the source

of life and movement)

 

May 20 - 57 - Genesis 1:2

Now the earth was

formless and empty,

darkness was over the

surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was

hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:2

Bible Rank: 57

I have found in my life -- and in the faith of others -- that embracing the creation story is one of the powerful keys that unlocks deeper faith. 

We obviously live in a world that is actively trying to disprove God's existence and the Bible's authority. Why? Among other reasons, it's because Christian morality seems like a check on fun, selfish, wanton behaviors. Ultimately, we want to be our own "gods," our own authorities. We want to do what we want to do!

Wasn't that, indeed, the first sin of humanity -- see Genesis 3. We were promised that if we ate of the forbidden fruit, our eyes would be open and we “would be like God.” (Think about this: if the Bible isn't inspired by God, how did almost 4000-year-old human writings describe so perfectly the modern human heart ... when "learned" psychology and sociology books from twenty or forty years ago seem so comically out of date?)

Science has sadly become one modern attempt to disprove the existence of God … and to deny our need for God. 

Now let me clearly say that Christians ought to be for the very best science! Why? Because if we truly believe that God created, then studying his creation ought to ultimately draw us nearer to him. (In fact, this Christian understanding of God's handiwork, historically fueled scientific research in the West! Most of the great early scientists in the west were strong Christians!)

As I, then, have watched people in life – believing, hoping, wandering, doubting – I have learned that people’s attitudes toward Genesis 1 and Creation is often a strong predictor of their depth of faith. 

Now, the journey toward this deeper faith doesn't have to begin with a literal seven-day understanding. For me, for example, it took realizing that if God was giving us a text book of creation, it would be at least 80,000,000 pages thick! (And I doubt even modern scientists could fully understand it today ... much less the nomads and shepherds in the ancient Middle East who didn't understand gravity, much less atoms and cells!) Therefore, it’s clear that God wasn't giving us a billion-page scientific text book to describe creation in Genesis 1. Rather, he was giving us a one-page spiritual introduction to the Creator!

I like to say that Genesis is a "Wow!" Book rather than a "how book."

And yet, that "wow!" is important!

Until we begin to say in our hearts that God is much bigger than us, that he is powerful, wise, awesome, and holy, we feel free to think that we are in charge of our own destiny. We keep playing "god" over our own decisions until we humble ourselves before a creator who only needs to speak and galaxies tumble into place. 

We need to restore the wonder and awe of creation to our hearts because until we do, the lusts of our hearts drive us. 

Therefore, Creation is arguably the most important of stories. Why? Because when we say "Wow!" we finally bow our hearts and start worshiping!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who finally bowed 

at about age 26 and has

discovered "wow!" ever since

It's funny, when I was a kid in the 1970s, Darwin (and evolution without the necessity of a creator) was "settled" science. Today's it's not. As science keeps uncovering greater levels of complexity , random chance is seeming less and less likely to many in the scientific community. 

By verse two of the Bible, we are already getting our first glimpse of the Trinitarian nature of God

May 19 - 56 - John 14:16

Jesus said,

And I will ask the Father,

and he will give you

another advocate to help you

and be with you forever

John 14:16

Bible Rank: 56

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus broke bread ... and he did several other things. 

 

Yes, he was arrested, beaten, and "tried." (I put that in quotes, of course, because it surely wasn't a fair trial.)

 

But knowing that it was his final free hours on earth, Jesus also spent significant time -- as evidenced by John 14, 15, and 16 -- praying (absolutely) and giving final instructions to his disciples. 

 

Today's verse reflects a powerful assurance that Jesus was giving to his followers -- "[when I go,] the Father will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever." The "Advocate" that Jesus was talking about is the Holy Spirit. In fact in John 16:7, Jesus goes on to say, "it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

 

Imagine being a disciple. Jesus is talking less and less cryptically about "going away." He's been hinting that the chief priests will put him to death. The disciples have witnessed the hatred, the plots, and the "tests" and "traps" designed to snare their friend. Now he's hinting that this is the moment. And Jesus is naive enough to say, "it is to your advantage that I go away"? They want to scream at him, "No!"

 

Jesus was God in human form. (Indeed, the Son of God condescended to temporarily take our physical, broken, limited form.) And part of this limitation was that Jesus/God-on-earth could only be in one place at one time. And Jesus was trying to tell them that it would be infinitely better for the Holy Spirit to come. They couldn't comprehend this yet, but the Spirit would be with all believers. Would Indwell all believers. Would fill believers with heaven's power. 

He would -- to use the original meaning of that word translated "Advocate" -- come along side of us, like a tug boat comes alongside a big, awkward ship to guide her safely into port. That's what the Greek word  "Paraclete" means. And as translated with various terms into English, rather than a human Jesus being one place at one time, the Holy Spirit would be all places at all times ...

 

·         to be an "Advocate" on our behalf

·         to be our "Helper" in times of trial

·         to be our "Comforter" when life gets hard

·         to be our "Intercessors," praying for us with sighs too deep for words

·         to be our "Companion" -- the one with whom we do life together

·         to be our "Counselor" to guide us through life

·         and to simply be our "Friend" (as a children's Bible renders it). 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who like to do things himself

and doesn't like to admit that

he's a big awkward ship who needs

a tug to occasionally bring him in

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

May 18 - 55 - Ephesians 2:1

Once you were dead,

doomed forever because

of your many sins.

Ephesians 2:1

Bible Rank: 55

Dead, doomed, and sinful. That's what this verse tells us, and that, indeed, is the natural human state. 

Dead, doomed, and sinful. What we've learned, journeying for a few months through TopVerses, is that when a verse is the first verse in a chapter, it's really saying, "Read what comes next too."

 

Today's question, then, is this: If dead, doomed, and sinful is our natural condition, what then is the solution and where is our hope? To answer that, we must keep reading what is perhaps my favorite collection of verses in scripture. 

 

After saying that we are "dead" and "doomed" "because of our many sins," the Apostle Paul delves deeper into our original condition, saying, "2 You used to live just like the rest of the world." Ouch! You and I are common thieves. Wait. We're common. Just plain common, broken, sinful, doomed. 

 

He calls this situation "2 full of sin." He describes it as "2 obeying Satan" and he describes the devil as "2 the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God." Read that last sentence again. Satan is the influence driving the world's rebellion against God. 

 

And what percentage of us do you think is vulnerable to these distraction? The Apostle says, "3 All of us used to live that way." What way? "3 following the passions and desires of our evil nature." And lest we blame everything on demonic influence, we must admit that we -- ourselves, not Satan -- are the real problem. Paul says, "3 We were born with an evil nature and" -- what was the result? -- "we were under God's anger just like everyone else."

Stop. Comprehend that. Sin equals God's anger and judgment. Period. Unless God intervenes, your sin (and mine) always and inevitably equals dead and doomed. Thus, since you and I have a sin nature, we are dead, judged, and doomed. And that is our natural situation. 

 

"4 But ..." Ah! Here comes the hope -- God's rescue plan!!

God's utter holiness puts us "under God's anger." But what about God's other key trait? Love?! "4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead." Jesus took our penalty upon himself. Our "1 dead" became him "dead." Our "doomed" led to his dark appointment with the cross. Our "sinful[ness]" was laid upon him, and because he rose, we can rise in faith, hope, and confidence. 

And it's not our doing -- our nature is sinful (lest we ever get prideful and boast). Rather it's all God's doing. "5 By grace you have been saved!" is this passages' rightful conclusion. And our only response should be thankfulness and praise. 

God transferred you from doomed to forgiven and alive. Praise him! Praise him!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's a masterpiece

 

(Wait! That's not what I say about myself!

That's God's assessment five verses later!

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece.

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so we can do the good things

he planned for us long ago.")

May 14-15 - 54 - Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13

Bible Rank: 54

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

 

I want you to memorize a verse. (This one’s easy! It’s a rhyme.)

 

You

can do

all thru

Christ who

Strengthens you!

 

Now, I must confess … My natural inclination is to tamp down your expectations when we encounter verses like this! I don’t want to promise you the moon, and have you get no more than Swiss cheese.

 

I mean, can you really say to a mountain, “Move!,” and have it tumble into the sea? Of course not, right? Let’s be realistic!

 

Yes, let’s flat-out ignore Jesus who said precisely this about moving mountains in Matthew 17:20 (and then added, “ nothing will be impossible for you … if you have faith the size of a mustard seed”). Yes, by all means, let’s flat-out ignore the promises of Scripture and the power of God so that we can be calm, cool, and rational, right?!

 

But guess what? When your faith insist on a faith with no wonder, guess what … you don’t get to see the wonder! You’ve shut your eyes. You’ve made an agreement with God, to not show you anything wonderful.

 

But … can I really point to the Rocky Mountains and say, “Tumble,” and expect to have a less mountainous drive between Denver and Salt Lake City? No!!! and Yes!!!

 

What do I mean?

 

·         What if I said, “Lord, I am mad at my neighbor. Move him … move him straight into the grave”? Would God be obligated to “obey” my command? Of course not!

 

·         Why, because asking God to kill my neighbor is not God’s will. It’s something I’d be doing without even a scant mustard seed of faith. It’d be in my anger. My malice. My hatred. My will. (And any of sixty-six other daunting self-centered sins).

 

·         So, let’s be clear on this: God is not obligated to do anything that’s not in line with what he intends to do!  

 

·         In fact, how often do we tell God what we intend to do … and then ask him to join us. Shouldn’t we be listening to what God wants to do, and then join him!

 

·         That’s what praying in God’s name is really all about!

 

·         It’s developing a relationship with God first.

 

·         Why? So that we can know his voice, hear his heart, and discern his plans, ways, and desires.

 

·         Then if we ask according to his plan and join him in what He’s doing already, then we surely can do all thru Christ who strengthens us … because he’s doing it around us … and with us … and through us!

 

·         Now, leveling the Rocky Mountains is so big that it’d obviously have to be God who did that, right? And it would be absolutely obvious that we did absolutely nothing to make it happen … except maybe saying prophetically, “Mountains be gone.” (And guess what … God needs an occasional prophet! So do what he clearly asks.)

 

·         But what it’s a smaller thing?! What if God wants you to teach Sunday School children (… and what if you really don’t want to … or don’t think you’re qualified)? In the same way that the Creator of the Universe could level mountains if he wanted to, He can make you a powerful Sunday School teacher if that’s what He wants! And the miracle might not be moving a whole mountain, but getting you to move a few things on your calendar and moving your hand up to volunteer. Because …

 

You

can do

all thru

Christ who

strengthens you!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy with really strong biceps

(I’ve raised my arms up

to volunteer enough that

I’ve strengthened my muscles)

 

May 13 - 53 - John 4:24

Jesus said, "God is spirit, and

his worshipers must worship

in the Spirit and in truth."

John 4:24

Bible Rank: 53

 

Do you know where this quote comes from? It’s from the midst of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. The Savior has wandered into Samaria … a land despised by all “good Jews.”

 

And why did Jews hate the Samaritans? Here’s the quick story:

 

·         In about 1000 BC, King David ruled Israel.

 

·         But after David’s son Solomon died – about 950 BC – their kingdom split in two.

 

·         The Southern Kingdom was basically the remnants of the tribe of Judah (from which we get the term “the Jews”). Jerusalem was the southern capital. The Temple (in Jerusalem) was the center of their worship-life. And though Judah was wildly imperfect, these Jews eventually maintained their religious identity and they (and the line of David) survived to the days of Jesus.

 

·         The Northern Kingdom (called Israel) did not. A succession of evil kings, afraid that their people would return to Jerusalem to worship, set up new “temples” in places like their new capital city of Samaria. And their faith wasn’t orthodox. And their object of worship wasn’t God, but a golden calf! (As if God’s people hadn’t had enough trouble trying to worship a golden calf during the Exodus, King Jeroboam repeated the sin.)

 

·         God allowed the rebellious Northern Kingdom to be conquered by the Assyrians in about 740 BC, and the residents of this kingdom (centered around the city of Samaria) were either killed, dispersed, or assimilated into series of empires (Assyrian, Babylonia, Persian, Greek, and Roman) and thus disappeared.   

 

·         As a result, three quarters of a millennium later (and by the time of Jesus), the geographical area north of Jerusalem (called Samaria) was left with a people who worshipped an odd mix of

 

o   Judaism (they had old Jewish roots),

o   Jewish heresy (shaped by the pick-and-choose perversions of their idol worshiping kings),

o   pagan worship (Assyrian),

o   Baal (Satan) worship (popularized under Northern kings like Ahab),

o   Greek philosophy (part of their newer culture), and

o   Roman emporer worship (another part of their culture by the days of Jesus).

 

They were a mess! And what really infuriated many Jews is that many mish-mashed Samaritans still called them good Jews.

 

So into this mixed-up, Samaritan religious/culture journeys the Son of God! Rather than being appalled by their religious heresy, Jesus – in love – sees an opportunity to proclaim the Good News and set more captives!!!

 

Therefore, Jesus models God’s amazing grace as he ministers to a woman with a checkered past. And she’s shocked! She’s shocked by his kindness. She’s shocked by his prophetic insight into her past. And most of all, she’s shocked that such a kind and wise Jewish teacher would have anything to do with her, a hated Samaritan.

 

Overtaken by his love and grace, she finally says, “‘²⁷ Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you [read, “you Jews”] say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’

 

“²¹ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth …’”

 

And this is the long – but necessary – lead up to this important question: What does it mean to worship in “spirit” and “truth.”

 

·         IN TRUTH: First, he’s teaching this woman – a woman without friendship and hope – that she (and we) will never discover love, joy, and peace without first discovering truth. God is not to be found in a some mix of godly religion, cultural heresy, pagan worship, human philosophy, government dependence, or compromises with evil. There is one God. There is one way, one truth, and one life … and by the way, this way, truth, and life was sitting right in front of this woman. He was loving her, ministering to her, and caring for her.

 

·         IN SPIRIT: Furthermore, Jesus was saying that Jerusalem, the Temple, the old sacrificial rituals, and the binding religious dependence upon “place” was coming to an end. Jesus was saying, to worship God, you don’t need a place … you need a person. Jesus Christ is that person! And when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell with you (as we’ll learn in future discussions of Jesus and the Apostles), you become the new temple. It’s not a place made with brick and mortal and hands. It’s a place fashioned by faith and indwelt by God.

 

In Christ’s Love

a guy whose building a fence

with a cattle-guard

(no metallic cows near my temple)

 

May 12 - 52 - John 13:34

Jesus said,

"A new command I give you:

Love one another.

As I have loved you,

so you must love one another."

John 13:34

Bible Rank: 52

 

I’ve written of God’s love lately … and I’ve recently written of human love too. Therefore, I’m going to let you hear another voice on “loving one another” today – the great modern contemplative, Henri Nouwen.

 

In this passage he’s explaining why “so many are angry” nowadays.

 

Why?

 

Because, he says, “they cannot forgive people for offering only limited expressions of an unlimited love.”

 

Wait. Stop for a moment. “Unpack” that. He says, “God’s love is unlimited, but people’s love is not.” And what we get so angry about in our lives … in our families … in our marriages … about our world … is that people are “not … God.”

 

We want …

 

·         their character to be perfect …

·         their love to be unlimited …

·         their patience to be eternal …

·         their generosity to be abundant …

·         and their forgiveness immediate.  

 

“The interesting thing,” says Nouwen, “is that when you can forgive people for not being God …”

 

Wait! Stop again. Sit for that a minute! Are you mad at someone because they’re not God?! … that they’re not perfect?! … that they’re not satisfying your every need?!

 

They’re not supposed to! They’re not God! And if you’re looking for any human to fill most every need, then you have a false god!

 

So here’s the conclusion of the quote: “The interesting thing is that when you can forgive people for not being God, then you can celebrate that they are …” – what? – “… a reflection of God.” In other words, when you can forgive them for not being God, you can begin to see what God sees in them.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s not God

but sees God in a lot of people

 

May 11 - 51 - Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel:

The LORD our God,

the LORD is one

Deuteronomy 6:4

Bible Rank: 51

It's funny how scripture connects. Yesterday we sighted Deuteronomy 6:5 and asked how we can love God -- heart, soul, strength, and mind?

That's the "Shema." It's one of Israel's most important verses. God's people are commanded to ...

·       "7 Recite them to your children ..."

·       "7 to ... talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise."

·       "8 [To] bind them as a sign on your hand" 

·       "8 [To] fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and ...

·       "9 [To] write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

If you've ever been to a Jewish home, you'll see a little casing attached to their door frame. In it is a little piece of paper with the command to love God with our all -- all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Today's verse is the lead-in to this command. 

What is it saying? 

We'd be incorrect to think it's a Trinitarian reference. (Although our God is one.)

Rather, it is a reminder that the ancient world (and a billion people still today, largely Hindus) believe that there are many gods. When this is saying is that there is one God and one God alone. We are warned to not chase after the philosophies and priorities and pagan practices of this world. Rather, we are called to love the one true God with our all. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't have

a mizzuzah on his doorpost

(but does have Christ in his heart)