the good old days

As I read through Psalms 35-45 I am struck by the similarities between the authors of the Psalms and myself.
Take Psalm 44 as an example:

Psalm 44:1
"O God, we have heard with our ears, 
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:" 
We both grew up hearing stories of God's faithfulness in "the days of old."
We both grew up hearing about how God saved Noah's family from the flood.  Stories of God parting the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk through on dry land.  Stories of how God made the walls of Jericho go tumbling down.   

Psalm 44:9
"But you have rejected and disgraced us . . ."
We both are disappointed at times with how God is working in the present.
It's like we both grew up listening to God's Greatest Hits, and we want him to show up for us in the same way.  We feel rejected because God hasn't come through for us like we want.

Psalm 44:26
"Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!"
We both cling to our hope in God's redemption.
At the end of the day both the Psalmist and myself know of nothing else to do other than turn to God with hope in his redemption.  We both believe in his steadfast love, and trust that he will remain steadfast to us.

Paul gets punched in the face

Throughout Acts 21-24 the apostle Paul is either in jail or on trial.  My favorite moment happens as Paul stands before the Jewish religious leaders and the High Priest orders him to be punched in the face.  So how does Paul respond?  Does he check his WWJD bracelet and stand there calmly?  Does he look his striker in the face and humbly say, "I forgive you"? . . . No.  He lifts his head up (in the style of Clint Eastwood) and says, "God is going to strike you, you hypocrite! By hitting me you break the very law that you claim to be enforcing!" (my paraphrase)

So often Christians are expected to be meek and mild pacifists who constantly turn the other cheek and get pushed around and taken advantage of.  But thank God for Paul.  He models for us a different version of Christianity.  A Christianity that stands for something and won't be taken advantage of.  A Christianity that stands up for truth and calls out hypocrisy.  A Christianity that is fearless, brave, and most importantly tough.  

God bless the pacifists, and obviously there are situations in which the Christian thing to do is to turn the other cheek.  However, as Paul demonstrates for us here there are times in which the Christian thing to do is look your attacker in the eye and fearlessly call them out for the corrupt coward that they are.  Sign me up for Paul's version of Christianity.

I didn't wash my hands today

I like to apply my Bible reading to my life, so before I sat down to my grilled cheese and cheesy broccoli soup this afternoon, I intentionally did not wash my hands (nor did I wash them before preparing my delicious little feast).  You see, I read Matthew 15-17 this morning and in chapter 15 the religious leaders said to Jesus, "why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands when they eat?" And Jesus basically tells the religious leaders that they are hypocrites because they are more concerned with their religious traditions than with honoring God with their hearts.  Jesus says that what goes in your mouth is not what defiles people, but rather it is what comes out of your mouth that defiles people.  He said that out of the overflow of your heart your mouth speaks, and that the religious leaders ought to be a little more concerned about the self-righteous, judgmental garbage that was spewing out of their mouths, and a little less concerned about the dirty hands going into the disciples' mouths.

So I figure if non-handwashing is good enough for Peter, James, and John; then it is good enough for me. I hate washing my hands anyways--it is such a drag.

Perhaps that's not the primary application of this teaching of Jesus.  Perhaps the primary application is that Jesus' primary concern is not with our physical actions and not even our words--his primary concern is the condition of our heart.

I once heard the story of a foul mouthed coach who went to his pastor for help. He told his pastor that he had a cussing problem.  The pastor replied, you don't have a cussing problem.  You've got a heart problem.

A few observations from Exodus and Leviticus

I got a little behind in my Bible reading plan, and so I just finished reading from Exodus 16-Leviticus 7.  wow.  I'll lay it out here in a broad brush stroke:
Twice the Israelites complain-->Twice God provides-->God wins a battle--> God descends in a cloud-->10 commandments-->LOTS of details on laws, sacrifices, and how to build the Tabernacle (God's dwelling)--> Israelites start worshipping a gold cow-->God destroys many Israelites--> laws and sacrifices renewed-->Israelites build the Tabernacle-->more regulations for sacrifices.

A few observations:
God is holy.
The majority of the verses in this section are focused on the special way they are expected to live in light of the fact that God is in their midst.  I'm not going to lie--these verses initially strike me as dry, antiquated, and confusing; but they clearly communicate that God is not to be dealt with flippantly.

God is faithful and forgiving.
Twice in this section the Israelites complain and twice God meets their need.  Right after that God descends on a mountain in a breathtaking scene witnessed by everyone, but within a short time everyone (except Moses and Joshua) has decided to forget God.  They go to Aaron and together they build an idol and begin worshipping it through all kinds of pagan rituals.  God judges them, forgives them and continues to be faithful to them (bread from heaven every day for 40 years and His presence in a cloud guiding them throughout their journey).  Aaron and his sons go on to become the high priests of Israel.

God hates idolatry.
The first 2 commandments are "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make for thyself any idol" (I paraphrased from memory and weaved in some good old King James language).  When the Israelites made the golden calf idol, God's judgment on them is severe, Ex 32:27.

A few applications:
God is holy.  May I not deal with him flippantly.
God is faithful and forgiving.  May I extend the same faithfulness and forgiveness to others that God in Jesus has shown me.
God hates idolatry. May I carefully and intentionally prioritize my life so that God is at the center and nothing else.

(as a side note--the Tabernacle was a seriously bloody place and the priests were more like modern day butchers than modern day pastors)

the shining (this is not a movie review)

As I read through Psalm 29-34 this morning, two verses jumped off the page and locked arms together.

Psalm 31:16

Make your face shine on your servant

Psalm 34:5

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed

In the Gospels Jesus tells his followers to be lights in a dark world, and these two verses from the Psalms speak beautifully to how it is that we shine as lights . . . We reflect the light that shines from the face of God.  If we choose not to look to God, our faces blend in with all the other faces in this world--faces characterized by shame.  BUT if we look to God, we will never be ashamed. Instead our faces will reflect the radiant light from His face, and we will shine brightly in a dark world.  

May I look to God today and reflect His radiant light.

bored to death

Acts 18-20 continues the account of Paul's missionary activity.  In 20:7-12 we have the story of Paul preaching into the late hours of the night in a third story room when a young man sitting by a window falls asleep, falls out the window, and dies . . . Paul rushes downstairs and restores his life.

I love this story.  Not even the great apostle Paul can keep everyone awake during a sermon.  Stories like this one bring some humanity, humor, and bizarreness to otherwise seemingly hyper-spiritual characters.

While it is unhealthy to compare myself to other people, especially the apostle Paul, at times as I read about his incredible witness for Christ I can't help but think, I wish I could be more like Paul.  And then I read this little nugget and it grounds me.  At times Paul bored his audience to death.  Maybe I should focus on being me and let Paul be Paul.  I certainly don't want to bore people to death (especially since I seriously doubt I could bring them back to life).

May I not take myself too seriously, and embrace the bizarre moments that arise in a life of following Christ.

this people's heart has grown dull

As I read through The Gospel of Matthew I continue to see a progression presented by Matthew:
prep1-4-->teaching5-7-->miracles8-9-->resistance10-12-->parables13-14

In chapter 12 the religious leaders attributed Jesus' miracles to Satan, and in chapter 13 Jesus changes up his style and switches to teaching in parables.  The disciples seem concerned by this change and ask Jesus why he would speak in such a confusing way, and Jesus answers, "because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."  Then he quotes the prophet Isaiah, "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull . . . "  It seems like Jesus is saying that because their hearts have grown dull, I will speak in a such a way that the true message evades them.

I am not sure what to do with this concept . . . along with the disciples I question Jesus' strategy.  But God never has and never will need my approval for his dealings with humanity.  I suppose my take away from this section is: may my heart never grow dull.

The power of relationships

Exodus 1-15 is the story of the Israelites' slide into slavery and subsequent exodus through the leadership of Moses.  These chapters paint a beautiful picture of God's salvation.  However, if I had to pick one verse from these chapters that stood out to me it would be Exodus 1:8, "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph."   This verse bridges the gap between the book of Genesis and the book of Exodus.  It explains how the Israelites transitioned from a people favored by one Pharaoh, yet abused by another.  It demonstrates the power of a relationship.

In our life time we may never realize the powerful way God is using our relationships, but God used Joseph's relationship with the kings of Egypt to preserve His chosen people.  Perhaps God is using the relationships in your life and mine in powerful ways that we could never imagine.

May I begin to understand and appreciate the powerful ways that God can use the relationships in my life.

I am still confident of this . . .

Headlines from cnn.com this morning:
"Men, women children trapped in Syria.
In Homs, snipers line the streets, cornering civilians who fear death and starvation."
"Woman trampled at Occupy DC face-off"
"Accuser pleads guilty to child sex"
"Why new huge famine looms in Africa"

Psalm 27:13-14
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.


"Driver whisks 6 students off N.C. bus before it bursts into flames."

I am still confident . . .

What must I do to be saved

As I work my way through the book of Acts, I pause today on chapter 16:30-31, ". . . 'What must I do to be saved?' and they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved . . .'"


The Bible is full of ancient stories that can be hard to relate, poetry that is hard understand, and teachings that can be confusing and complicated.  But, every now and then the Bible gives us a moment of beautiful simplicity and clarity.  Acts 16:30-31 is one such moment.  My natural inclination is to take this straightforward answer "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" and place it in the larger context of what it means to be a Christian and how you experience salvation.  There are a tremendous amount of healthy debates swirling around the blogosphere regarding salvation.  We will forever try to wrap our human minds around the ways of our holy God, and I'm not implying that we should stop.  I think we must continue to send our roots down deeper and deeper into our faith through careful Bible study and debate.  However, let us always return to this beautiful moment in Acts 16, when a desperate man approaches a Christian and says, "What must I do to be saved?" and the Christian's answer rings with clarity and simple truth.

May I never lose sight of the extraordinary accessibility that God has offered to humanity through faith in Jesus.

The Resistance

Matthew 1-4 Jesus' prep for ministry

Matthew 5-7 Jesus' teaching

Matthew 8-9 Jesus' miracles

Matthew 10-12 THE RESISTANCE

Matthew continues to unfold a more and more complex picture of Jesus and his time on Earth.  Chapters 10-12 of Matthew seem to all be focused on the resistance that Jesus and his followers experienced.  This is a new dimension to his ministry, and Jesus doesn't mince any words with his opposition.  His language in this section is bold and uncomfortable.  He tells his followers of the rejection they will encounter, he curses cities for their unbelief, and he calls the pharisees a brood of vipers.  The author seems to be illustrating that not everyone liked Jesus, and that he and his followers faced strong resistance. 

In Matthew 12:15 Jesus has so upset the religious leaders that they are now plotting to kill him. So the text says, "Jesus withdrew from that place.  A large crowd followed him and he healed all who were ill."  I think it is worth noting that in light of all the resistance, Jesus never lost his compassion for the sick and hurting.  I love how it says that he healed ALL who were ill.  It is almost as if the resistance from the religious elite only served to fuel his compassion even more for the marginalized masses.

As I follow Jesus I too will experience resistance.  May it fuel my compassion for those in need.

Chariots and Horses

Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

I imagine David wrote this line in the context of battle.  I imagine that he is outnumbered, and his opponents are charging down on him in their chariots.  He is rallying his band of mighty men and he shouts out, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God!"

Now the trick to this rallying cry working is genuine and total trust, because if you are on his team and you hear that you may be inclined to want to join the chariots and horses team.  It seems much more logical to trust in chariots and horses than in someone's name . . .

I think this verse of the Bible reads well to Christians and non-Christians alike.   The non-Christians are proud to trust in the proven methods of safety and security.  The Christians (hopefully) are proud to trust in the proven One.  All we can do is wait and see how the battle of this life turns out. . . .

Acts 11-14--Stories of Courage

I don't feel like the reputation of Christians today is one of courage and bravery.  But it ought to be.  The first Christians embraced a life of risk and faith, and the book of Acts is full of their inspiring stories.  These first Christians (Stephen, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and countless others) were so moved by the message and mission of Jesus that they stopped at nothing to spread that message and share in that mission.
One of the clearest illustrations of this courage is in Acts 14.  Paul is sharing the gospel with the people of Lystra when the crowd turns on him, and he is dragged out of the city and stoned--seemingly to death.  But Paul recovers only to return to Lystra to strengthen the faith of the believers there.  To re-enter Lystra is a suicide mission, but Paul lives his life of the edge.  He stares danger in the face and lives to tell the story.
May I live as Paul did--so focused on the message and mission of Jesus that one day my life will tell a great story of courage as well.

The Compassion of Jesus

As I am reading through The Gospel of Matthew I see a pattern in the beginning chapters.  In 1-4 the preparation for ministry -- In 5-7 the teaching ministry -- In 8-9 the miraculous ministry.  In chapters 8-9 Jesus heals the sick, raises the dead, controls nature, casts out demons, and forgives sins. He heals some by touching them, others by being touched, and others simply by his words.  Some are healed because of their faith, others because of the faith of friends, and others there is no mention of faith at all. These chapters play like a highlight reel of Jesus' miracles on earth, and I think 9:36 provides a good summary, "When He saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep with out a shepherd."

When I look out at crowds of people I typically see "wealthy / poor / religious / secular / attractive / unattractive / cool / loser / sick / healthy / etc."  Do I see more variety than Jesus did, or am I merely seeing the masks that people wear?  I think when Jesus looked out on the crowds he saw people's hearts--he saw through their mask to their core.  He saw past the designer suite to the helpless soul inside; past the dirty, worn clothes to the harassed inner spirit.

All I can see are the masks, but I trust that the souls of humanity haven't changed much since Jesus' time.  I believe that just as many people are harassed and helpless today, but do I share in Jesus' compassion?  The next verse is 9:37, "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." If I share in His compassion, then I will labor alongside Him and bring hope to the harassed and helpless.

May compassion motivate me to labor with Him in the harvest.