My Journey Through The Bible

Psalms 78 – 80

Verse 78:4 describes what we all should be doing in teaching our children:

We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.

I think one of the most dangerous mindsets in recent ages in letting them discover God on their own and passing this responsibility off to the churches. I know have been guilty of this! So often we hand this responsibility off to people that only work with your children an hour a week, where has we often remain silent at home.

One thing I also think is missing is our personal stories about God. We live in a time where science has dismissed many of the miracles in life and where it’s not dismissed the mathematicians claim probability. We need relay our stories of answered prayers and make sure that God is not just someone who parted the seas in ancient times but got you a watch the other day.

My watch story if you hadn’t heard it is just a coincidental timing thing or was it God? At Tech I lived by my watch since there were not many clocks where I traveled. One day walking to the mail, my watched stopped. Panic started since I was going to have to spend limited money on a watch. In my mail box, my mother, who did not know why she did this, had sent me a watch. Was this coincidental timing or God answering my need? I answer God’s timing.

Verse 78:11 is the key I believe to why telling stories is so important:

They forgot his works
and the wonders that he had shown them.

Here the Psalmist is talking about the people who saw the Red Sea part and experienced water coming from a rock. Honestly how does one expect the Gospel to survive with stories thousands of years old, when the generation that experienced them forgot? That is why we need to talk about answered prayers. Now don’t take this to extremes, like you were late and needed to make the 10:14 bus and at 10:15 there was no bus. Say a quick prayer and the bus turns the corner. That may have been God, but most likely just normal timing.

We have to remember the times probability fails to explain the happenings. That is when you must remember God and talk about Him with your children!

Often prayers seems never answered, as verse 79:5 shows this is common:

How long, O LORD? Will you be angry for ever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?

Often times we tend to believe our “unanswered” prayers are die to some sin we have done or that God is angry at our direction. Often times it’s because we are not ready for the “blessing”. I could tell you stories of lost riches and “bailouts” that almost happened. In the past 8 years there have been multiple “big deals” that fell through from land sales, to business sales, to court cases, to job opportunities all which were answers to prayers at the time. I often wonder what happened, why did these all fall through?

Everything from brain tumors to city councils flipping entered the equation. Was God delaying a blessing or punishing me for sins or was he angry at the path I had taken? I have no idea; just have literally seen millions slip through my hands! Am I bitter? Nope, just confused on the direction we are going.

I have been able to find positive on each lost deal so far. The land deal means a builder was not screwing over a bank at my benefit, since they went bankrupt shortly after. The business deal helped the buyers since they would have not had desperately needed cash in time of crisis. Each “lost deal” shows me God is active in the total equation and is not just looking out for my well-being!

2 Kings 1 – 5

King Ahaziah of Israel is about to consult “Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron” on his illness. Elijah meets his men and turns them back with a message from God. Verse 1:10 has Ahaziah sending men and the result:

But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

Interestingly the king sends two more “captain of fifty” to get Elijah. It wasn’t until the third that they learned their lesion and repented before Elijah. Unfortunately for the king hearing the news directly didn’t change his fate. For some reason I guess the king expected God to change his mind when he talked to Elijah face to face. I wonder if he had taken the approach that the third “captain of fifty” took if he would have lived.

Verse 2:8 has something interesting happen:

Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

Elisha is following Elijah during this time before Elijah’s death with he parted the Jordan and crossed on dry ground. We often think God parted the waters through Moses and then sometimes remember Joshua parting the Jordan, but rarely do we remember Elijah. In verse 14 Elisha does it again! Even people who have read through the bible, me included, often forget these two instances of God using others to part the waters.

One of my favorite stories comes from chapter 4 where Elisha helps a poor widow out. She has creditors knocking at the door and two children to feed. All she had left was a jar of oil. Elisha tells them to collect jars and then pour the oil into them. Verse 4:4 is the start of this process:

Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.”

The end result is a bunch of full jars that they use to pay off the creditors. I think I like this story because it is something in this day we can all hope for. Think about it, God directly took care of this woman’s debts through a miracle. How often do we hope our bank account keeps filling like this woman’s jar of oil only to find it just as empty as before? I know I have over the years and just find a steady trickle keeping us afloat and getting out of debt.

In verse 4:35 Elisha also raised the dead:

Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

Notice the 7 times he sneezed. Now look at the story of the healing of the leper and verse 5:14:

So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Again we see a miracle where the number 7 comes up in healing the person. I often wonder if this is critical to life. How many times do we see this happen where 7 is significant to an event in the Bible? I have no idea the answer, but I wonder why this number is significant. Interestingly the number 7 the easiest number to appear in dice. So the term “Lucky 7” arose because of it. Although in craps, 7 after the “come out roll” is a loser!! I wonder if there is a connection or coincidence?

Leviticus 10 – 12

Verse 10:2 is the consequences to one of “those” stories:

And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

In this story two sons of Aaron burn “unauthorized” incense before the Lord and as a result die for their actions. If God is “unchanging” why did two sons of Aaron get killed for something that seems innocent? My study Bible makes some assumptions that more must have happened, like them being drunk when performing this act. Drunk or not, the text as written makes God seem to have a short fuse with no grace.

My point on God being consistent is with how quickly they were killed. I am glad he does not do this today or I would have been burned up in flames with some of the things I have written in these emails. The argument that they were in some holy place in the presence of God puts God in a box! We are always in the presence of God, be it a “sanctified” temple or a strip club. For God to be omnipresent He cannot be limited to a “temple”, although the temple may have been where he revealed himself to man in a way we could understand. Now if there is a “back story” on these two that they did some abomination in the temple, then I could understand … but why not mention it?

Chapter 11 gets into the food laws and we often say that does not apply today. I find it interesting that we can say tithing applies, but eating doesn’t. Jesus always ramped up the tithe and only Peter’s vision is used in Acts to allow Christians to eat anything. Verse 11:3 sums up the meat we can eat:

Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.

From this point it details what is allowed and what isn’t. It goes into farm animals, game, fish, poultry and even insects. Interestingly on insects in verse 11:42 it mentions which ones you cannot eat:

Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.

But in verse 22 they allow locusts, which I thought swarm. My solution is simple, I will pass on the locusts and grasshoppers just to be safe.

Now the food laws are often ignored and dismissed by Christians because of Peter’s vision on all foods being clean. My belief is the intent of this was not to say pork is ok, but to allow anyone outside the Jewish faith to be included in Christianity. As for the “laws” themselves, like with many of the Hebraic Laws there were more about wellbeing than adherence to the Law.

The Jewish people have gotten wrapped up in the legalism of the food “Laws” and think it’s a sin to eat pork. Most Christian’s do not think it’s a sin and eat pork often. So what does God think? Honestly I am not sure, but it has been proven scientifically that the foods outlined in the “Law” are the best foods for ensuring our bodies are in the optimum health. I am not going to go into details but recommend reading any of Jordan Ruben’s books. In a nut shell he is a Messianic Jew who almost died with crohn’s disease. He controls it now by a strict organic and Hebraic diet! His writing go into details not only what the Law entails, but the whys.

Now is it a sin to eat pork? I believe no, it’s just like other parts of the law and more a guide to live a fuller life. Eating well usually results in a long and health life for most who follow the Law. Although, if it’s a sin to one man to eat pork, it’s not our place to say it’s wrong. Don’t think I am releasing everyone to eat pork, the Bible is very clear in Romans 14 not to question others about their eating but to honor their beliefs.

Didn’t get to chapter 12, but honestly it’s about purification after childbirth and menstruation. I’ll leave those subjects to the experts!

Philippians 1 – 2

This is a few chapters you should read again and again, some great stuff throughout. Verse 1:18 summarizes an interesting thought on how one preaches the Gospel:

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Paul likes to take in circles to make his point. In this he seems to lambast those who are preaching in “rival and envy.” He then concludes with this statement that both are acceptable as long as the Gospel is preached. Having been in Sunday school classes before where they parse out other denominations as “cults” and dangerous, I wonder if we should not be concerning ourselves as long as the Gospel is being preached.

Verse 1:21 is a difficult verse to live:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If you think about the life Jesus had he was under pressure all throughout his ministry from all sides. The Pharisees were trying to discredit him and put him to death. The people wanted to mob him in many cases. He had to deal with the many squabbles of his disciples. And he did all this to die a painful death on the cross. So life to Jesus was not easy and fun filled, it always had the stress of the final death.

In Paul’s time one had to worry about persecution for ones beliefs, today in this nation we have it easy. We read a verse like this and cannot imagine what he meant. No our idea of suffering is not eating meat or drinking Coke for a couple weeks. Now I am not saying we should sell everything and preach to the tribes in the Amazon, but we should not focus so much on our problems. The key with living like Christ is to be there for others. Unlike the rich man who ignored Lazarus, we should use our resources to help others and spread the Gospel.

Verses 2:3 & 4 continue in how we should live:

3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I think much of the “consumerism” we are experiencing in this nation is from rivalry. It even turns to the church where the rich members are “blessed” and must be more spiritually in tune with God. Somehow we think if we pray the right way we will be “blessed” in the same manner. So it becomes a struggle not to really know God, but to find the key to earthly riches. Paul is clear here, he is not say look “only” to your own welfare, but that of “others” also. See it’s not sell it all and give to the poor, but rather use what you have to help others.

Verses 2:8 – 11 are a must read:

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Again the living like Jesus is to humble oneself in this life. Unfortunately the end may not happen unless something grand goes down. If Jesus were to come back in jeans and a tee, the world may not take him too serious. But from the skies on a flaming chariot during the World Cup may get the world to bow. I tend to think it’s more a choice, you either bow to the one in the jeans and tee today and live with him in glory after death or bow and beg when it’s too late.

Verses 2:14 & 15 tell us how we must live:

14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

This is applied on many levels, one is do not complain about the work you are doing for Christ. Do these things with joy, knowing you are advancing the kingdom of Jesus. Second is to not blow a witness! We often get caught up in our day to day lives and “grumble” about this and that without thought to our audience. The last thing a homeless person wants to hear is how expensive the insurance is on your Ferrari! Take the mess this world throws at you, no matter what you status is in life, with humility and peace.

Luke 15 – 16

Chapter 15 contains the parables of the lost. If you have been a Christian and “churched” for a while you have heard these stories. Verse 15:5 is after the shepherd found his lost sheep:

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

The next one uses the analogy of lost money found. Verse 15:9 has the women’s response to finding the coin:

And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’

Again there is much rejoicing over a lost item. These two stories people can relate to, I know I have lost keys often. This last time was over a month they were gone, nowhere to be found! I searched and searched then on day Katy was cleaning the garage they “appeared” in a corner! I was happy and rejoiced that they were found.

One time our white cat disappeared one day and we looked for her a week, never to be found. After all hope was lost a few months later I was walking in the pasture behind the house and saw ears poking up through the grass. It was white kitty, alive and well. She has not wandered since. So I can relate to both those stories. The all tie into the rejoicing God has when he has lost one of his “children.”

The final parable gets more into the heart of forgiveness with two brothers. The prodigal son is often preached without noticing the other son’s reaction. Verse 15:32 ends with the father explaining why he is happy:

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”

How often have we been jealous when someone is forgiven and recognized while our continued hard work goes unnoticed? We work diligently, not asking for attention or praise, yet someone who did nothing to help and squandered their wealth gets a party and the ring! Has this ever happened to you? Could you relate to the younger son?

I think of the most notable times I have noticed is the blessings and wisdom people receive from God after a transformation from a life far away from Him. I have envy that God appears to be talking to them and guiding them right from the start while I still struggle to hear that one small voice. So I can understand the sons envy towards his brother.

Now I will not focus too much on the next parable other than to say I don’t get it. Here a “dishonest” manager who relieves debtors of their monies owed without permission and he gets praised. We had this happen from time to time with the shop where employees would do this and sometimes it worked with the customer being loyal, but most of the time the money was just lost. We rarely praised this employee for these actions, so why did this “master” approve? Was it’s because he was happy with 50 cents on the dollar verses a piece of paper? Again I struggle with the teachings on this since they are often all over the board.

Pride is touched on again in verse 16:15:

And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Think about what is exalted among “men” today. Things like cars, wives or girlfriends, jobs, degrees, certificates and money all get hoisted up as signs of success. Based on this verse God sees them as “abominations” not just bad things. We cannot live our lives focused on the stuff, but rather remain focused on God. This is a hard one, yet look at other things that are “abominations” to God. Often this word is tied to sexual sins or worshiping idols, while many time the “abominations” are not defined. Either way this is something we all need to work on!

The last parable is of the rich man and Lazarus the poor crippled beggar. When alive the rich man ignored this person but after death the rich man envied his position seated next to Abraham. Considering he was in “Hades” being tormented by flames. Now is this saying all rich will go to hell? Nope, but it is saying don’t rely on just your money here. Use it for good and not just self-indulgence.

Ezekiel 13 – 18

My only complaint of this read through the Bible is it’s not balanced. Some days the reading is one page while others it’s very long, like this one. As you may know I went into engineering because my reading and writing skills are poor. I tend to read things into sentences that are not there changing their meaning and write assuming the reader understands what I am thinking.

Ezekiel’s writings all require some analysis and I tend to miss a bunch in these large sections. Verse 13:6 shows the problem he is dealing with:

They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD’, when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.

Think how the average person must feel! You have two people “prophesying” opposite things. One says all is ok and maintain the current course, while Ezekiel is talking doom and gloom if this is continued. Sounds like the most recent election cycle, well actually I guess it sounds like all election cycles. The electorate is offered two polarized options that both are saying their way will lead to sunshine and blue skies. Like reading Ezekiel, you need to study to get the right answer.

Verse 14:3 addresses problems of idolatry:

Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?

The problem with idols is these were obvious, today our idols are very subtle, although both have the same end result. This results in an ever widening gap with God! I warn not to place anything above God and believe me I have done this a ton throughout my life. When I was racing, the motorcycle replaced God for a season. I have placed cars, girlfriends and jobs over God many times. Honestly one could justify that was “glorifying” God when in reality it was glorifying me. Learn your idols and kick them down a notch. God will bless you in return.

Verse 17:9 ends a paragraph starting in verse 5 you should read in total:

walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.

This ends a laundry list of things everyone should strive for in order to be considered “righteous” in the eyes of God. It goes through many of the attributes people should incorporate in the lives. I can only pray that more people read this paragraph and take it to heart, including me. Notice it covers business dealing, personal relationships, self-control and benevolence to mention a few.

I like sections like this in Ezekiel because they require less though, unlike chapter 17 and the parable of the two eagles and a vine. I needed to go into the “notes” to even get a glimpse into what Ezekiel was trying to convey in this story. It make sense once you read all the notes at the bottom of the page and reference Google, but 17:5 – 9 was a simple read, although it will be very difficult to follow. May have to make “bullet points” and hang this on the wall!!

Proverbs 7

Another chapter devoted to adultery and its traps. Verse 7:2 opens with basic advice:

keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;

If we look at the act of adultery we can quickly see how one’s privates take over the operation of one’s body. God often uses adultery as an example of a sharp turn away from Him if you think about it. Adultery is something that we get sucked into because of emotion, either needs of sex or attention. No matter the “justification” for breaking your vow of marriage, it can often be used as an example of our breaking from the Lord.

Before saying I have gone nuts, think about how often we drift from God. A new trinket suddenly gets our attention and our “carnal” desires take precedence over our relationship with God. Adultery is one of those “desires” that with men at least is the most difficult to control. Women know this and use it to gain the intimacy they are missing in their relationship. Everyone is focused on fulfilling their immediate needs and not trying to develop the relationship that exists now.

Verse 7:7 talks about the “simple” and their draw:

and I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,

The “simple” live for the moment without regard of the consequences. Sometimes we get in that mindset and get distracted. The car you love and are proud of may be the “false god” you inadvertently are worshiping. Think about adultery this way, God represents the “spouse” that is being cheated on and we are the adulterers. Often times when things are not going our way, God often gets blamed and we go after another “god”. In this day and age it’s not some “golden calf” but rather a house, clothes, jobs, jewelry, cars or other “distractions”.

Verse 7:27 ends with a warning:

Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.

Sometimes the ESV makes thing clear while other times I need to use Google. In this case “Sheol” is my question. I can’t imagine her house being the way to joy and happiness, so I needed to find the definition. Sure enough the Hebrew definition is the “underworld” where the dead go, both righteous and unrighteous, cut off from God. The old standby the KJV simply says “Her house is the way to hell.”

Adultery is a “highway to hell” because it is the ultimate dismissal of God. Now am I saying it’s the end? No we have Jesus and his redeeming blood to forgiveness! What I am saying is it’s the most illustrative example of how we can drift from God since no matter what gender or orientation one is, we all have that yearning desire for ultimate intimacy. I know it’s difficult to find in a unseen God, but believe me it’s much more fulfilling!

Psalms 75 – 77

Sometimes we need prayers for fairness or to honor God. Psalms has examples for almost every situation. Psalm 75 is a prayer that God would judge equally. Verse 75:4 is one I take to heart:

I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast’,
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;

Through my reading, James has become one of my favorite books of the Bible. It is short, very too the point and highlights pride. I notice pride is a repeating theme throughout the Bible and should be considered with your heart.

Why does God detest pride? Well it advances you above God, so we need to be aware of this in our lives. I have seen this happen with many who have been blessed and then forget the source of their blessing. Suddenly it’s all about them and less about God. You see this from time to time with churches, where the pastor gets the “I built this” attitude. We must submit to God not only when times are rough but through the good times also.

Psalm 76 is a prayer asking who can stand before God. Verse 76:8 really sums it up:

From the heavens you uttered judgment;
the earth feared and was still,

I am not a big believer in “heaven” as the great pearly gates, but rather a different level of being. I often think the “heavens” are described this way so we can have an image. Think about God sitting on His throne yet being everywhere at the same time. Our limited minds need an image to grasp onto before getting the big picture, since it would be almost impossible to understand God right “out of the blocks.”

I feel much of this “imagery” again is more for us to grasp a huge concept. Imagine if this was really descriptive and the quantum plane we exist in is paralleled by that existence called heaven. Does earth exist in heaven? We will never know in this life, we can only imagine. And that’s where texts like this go, allowing us to imagine the unimaginable.

Psalm 77 is a prayer seeking the Lord. Verse 77:12 has us reflecting on everything God has done:

I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.

How many times do we actually sit back and “ponder” everything God has done? You could spend all day reflecting on your life and never get to the big picture things like the Rocky Mountains or the Grand Canyon. Sitting and thinking about the glorious things God has done over the ages is mind blowing. Sometime we just need to imagine that.

1 Kings 19 – 22

Verse 19:14 has the prophet Elijah being jealous for God:

He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

The wording interests me because it initially seems like God is speaking, then you have God speak. I needed to go to the NIV and the NKJ versions to see what they had. They used the word “zealous” which has a slightly different meaning and read to this verse. I could understand ones zeal for God, but jealously doesn’t make sense. Interestingly, the Latin root for both words is the same and the translator may have applied a different understanding of these verses.

Verse 20:36 has an interesting story:

Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall strike you down.” And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down.

This was a prophet’s response to a man that he had asked to strike him. The man didn’t and the prophet said this. “As soon as he departed” the man met his fate with the lion. We did this all in one verse!

Sometimes these chapters get right to the point, while other times they will go on and on saying the same thing over and over again. This is similar to the verse I looked at before which was repeated almost word for word a few verses prior.

Verse 21:26 has some interesting wording:

He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.)

Ahab was the king of Israel at this time and immediately repented after hearing these words. He did not just ask God for forgiveness, but outwardly showed his remorse by wearing and sleeping on sackcloth and fasting. He was dejected because he realized he blew it with the Lord.

How many times do we do this? Do we feel shame or embarrassment when our sins our pointed out to us? Do we feel this way towards the people who caught us, the fact we were caught or towards our Lord? I believe we need to feel the remorse on all levels for complete forgiveness. Often times we casually approach sinning and confession because we have the attitude that we have already been forgiven.

Leviticus 7 – 9

Verse 7:30 is one of those offerings I find odd:

His own hands shall bring the LORD’s food offerings. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD.

First, we need to get an image of what is happening. The priests cut the breast from the offering, and then wave it before the Lord. I can imagine how bloody this exercise must be, but to take a chunk of the offering and then wave it must spread blood all over the place. The second thing you notice is these offerings that are waved are then used for food by the priests.

Third thing I personally wonder is why they needed to do this. You already have a bloody mess, why make it worse by waving it around? This was the symbolic portion of the offering that was presented to God and then released by God to feed the families of the priests.

The symbolism behind the wave offering makes me wonder about the symbolism behind the other offerings. Did all the offering provide a symbolic representation of God’s forgiveness and not actually provide absolution? I am not saying they were not forgiven, but was this more to teach us repentance? One would feel remorse ad loss for giving up their “best” and that would teach them remorse for their sins? Once they asked for true forgiveness, then they have learned the secret of sin.

No one would argue the price of sin is death and that is why God required a sacrifice. At the same time if I currently lived under the sacrificial system our menagerie around here (goats, chickens, ducks, horses and the donkey) would all have to be offered! I assume it was done for more than one sin, but even still I question if my “flock” could keep up. Thank God Jesus provided that final sacrifice for our sins!

Verse 8:10 talks about anointing:

Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.

This is something a few in the church still practice, but most do not. I often wonder how many actually ensure their “anointing oil” is actually the “formula” from Exodus 30? How many just take cooking oil and anoint with it? Is there really a difference when the purpose is to protect one from evil?

The origin of anointing came from shepherds (surprise) who use to pour oil over the heads to the sheep to protect them from insects that could burrow into their ears and eyes and kill them. From this, anointing became symbolic for blessing, protection and empowerment. Now I know “holistic vets” sell “cedar oil” these days, I wonder how close the “formula” is as was described in Exodus.

When you study the “whys” of many of these Old Testament rituals, you quickly learn the meaning and the reason behind them. Once that makes sense, hopefully that can provide more meaning to when you “anoint” or “sacrifice” next time.

Ephesians 4 – 6

The next few chapters are probably contains the most quoted verses out of context than any other chapter in the Bible. Specifically I am talking about the verses on marriage and raising children, but will touch on those later. Verse 4:26 & 27 are verses I wish I had taken to heart much earlier in life:

26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

So often we let our anger get the best of us. Paul is not saying that will not happen, but to control it and not let it fester. If there is an issue deal with it immediately so it does not become an uncontrollable rage. I have let things sit for some time and they end up causing more problems when they are finally dealt with. In my case I don’t wish to deal with conflict so once the conflict arises it is blow out of proportion.

Verse 4:28 & 29 follow with advice on working:

28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Society today has everyone looking for the “short cut” to wealth and prosperity. I know I was on that bandwagon for most of my life. Early on I was trading options waiting for that big “hit”. I was buying “out of the money” options looking for a quick big swing. My favorite story was “Black Monday”, October 19, 1987. By this time I was out of trading having lost almost 100% of my trades. My charts looked interesting a few days earlier, so I “paper traded” some OEX puts for $2000, Black Monday rolled and I would have “earned” $500,000 on that trade!

My next move was the lottery and finding that right job. I jumped often looking for the right opportunity, instead of developing the right one where I was at. Interestingly after doing this for 20 years suddenly no one wants to hire you and risk you moving on again. Next a layoff and an angry outburst resulted in my longest “stint” and the bicycle shop.

There I forced “growing” past our revenue and for a while it worked, revenue followed. We were on our way to being a $1M shop! But then came September 2007 when sales took an unexpected turn 30% down from previous years and NEVER recovered. Again my goal for a “big hit” turned to a huge debt burden.

Now I am “under employed” and happy as all get out. After 30 years I realized the Biblical 10/10/80 money management formula is the way to go and has worked. Sure I am making around $30-50k less than I “should” or “would” be if I stayed put, but all is coming together, thank God!!

Now for the quotes! Verses 5:22, 5:25 and 6:1 are often quoted without mentioning the verses after:

5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

We often quote these verses in anger and conveniently ignore the next few verses like “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Don’t “cherry pick” verses to suit your mood, because they quickly become cliché and ignored by most. Also, use scripture for self-analysis and not fixing others. That kind of “help” will surely become a quick “turn-off!”

I will leave you with verse 6:18 about praying:

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

It is interesting that they separate prayers and “supplications” in this verse. “Supplication” is also known as a “petition” or asking God to provide something. Ironically most of our prayers today fall into the “supplication” side and nothing more. We ask for healing, money, forgiveness or helping others but rarely just pray. Think of a way to pray outside of a petition and do it for a while.

Luke 13 – 14

I read the parable of the fig tree and verse 13:9 gave me a giggle:

Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Actually it’s in “context” that made me smile. The meat of the story is Jesus is asking God to give the people one more chance. The fig tree may represent the individual, the religious leader or Israel, that is not clear. But as with most parables I read they mean different things along our walk with God. I took this more as each of us are fig trees and God is giving us one more chance.

Now the humor comes a few words before where we are dug around and he will “put on manure” on us!! I know this is representing the gospel and Jesus is asking it to take hold in our lives, but it still made me giggle. I guess because today’s “technology” rarely uses manure, but rather chemical fertilizers. I wonder if the wording would be different today.

Verse 13:15 has Jesus confronting the religious leaders concerning the Sabbath:

Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?

That is one of those “details” about the Sabbath that makes it difficult to honor. Think about it, the animals must still eat and drink on the Sabbath. If your “job” is tending to these animals do you put extra out the day before or feed them as usual that day? Also, the day of “rest” is different in our time since honestly the “office worker” really doesn’t strain themselves too much. The body may not need rest, but the mind does. I find it interesting that today’s “Sabbath” often involve physical activities to relax the mind.

Verse 13:24 is one of those passages that actually concern me:

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Churches today give us the line that once we are saved we don’t need to do anything. Also, we are told “once saved always saved!” This makes me wonder if the standard of being “saved” is much more stringent? How many of us today really strive to learn about God or follow Him outside Sunday service? This becomes convicting because I often wonder if doing this every day is more for show and less for learning who God really is.

This passage should get you worried that just seeking Jesus is not enough. The transformation must be internal and not just a bunch of words said in silent to a potential God. This has to be real to you or it’s just a game. Also, if it’s real … why are we not helping others? Again this passage is VERY convicting!!

Verse 14:11 is one of my favorite themes:

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In my personal life this is very difficult to handle since it seems like every time I get “puffed” up I “crash”. Since motorcycle racing was one activity that this seemed to happen frequently. I would start talking how fast I was getting and inevitably I would either end up in the hospital or broke. It frustrated me even more that the more braggadocios riders seemed to excel. Was this the price of being a Christian or just my “self-humbling”? Not saying God humbled me each time, just seemed that way. Granted riding on the edge involved crashing and I didn’t really learn to crash well.

Verse 14:26 is often commented as an extreme example of what should be done:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Many feel this was intended to be softer than “hate” and more like “love less than God” while other feel this is not to be taken literally but used as an extreme example. Either way I do not believe that Jesus is telling us to violate the “honor your father and mother” commandment or Jesus’ comments on “love”. On the other hand for one to be a true disciple of Jesus they must put God before everything else.

We often don’t live that way and will exalt money, things or family before God. We can easily justify it by saying “God would not want me to …” which involve doing something to remove the bond. Not saying we should not love our parents or family, but if it’s a choice between God and family; God wins. Also understand God should not ask something of you that would destroy your family! Key here is priorities and Jesus is using an extreme example to illustrate this “leveling”.

Ezekiel 7 – 12

Verse 7:6 is the basic tone of these chapters:

An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes.

You see so many “crazy” people holding up “the end is near” signs makes one tend to ignore them. When I read Ezekiel’s prophecies I often try to apply them to today’s world. These prophecies were foretelling the destruction of Israel by Nebuchadnezzar. As you read these writings knowing that the events have passed it is still difficult not to see if history will repeat itself.

Verse 7:14 caught my eye:

“They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude.

I see people today doing the same thing in life; they make plans and announce them only to do nothing about them. For some reason I thought this was a new thing but realize it’s not. The people of Israel talk a great line but for some reason I think they believe once they get ready God will handle it for them. They will be spared the hard and blood battles.

Today we do the same thing; we talk big plans, get everything ready and expect that to be enough. Nope you want to be rich and investor isn’t going to give you money for that great idea if you have never proved yourself before. We prop us Bill Gates and Steve Jobs because they built huge companies from nothing. A bunch of hard work! Mark Zuckerberg had a great idea and ran with it. He spent many a late night developing something that many think is silly, yet it paid off for him. Interestingly, he and Gates are both Harvard drop outs!

Verse 8:6 makes me wonder what these “abominations” were:

And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

I assume it’s not necessary to make the point. Guess “abominations” is descriptive enough that we don’t really need to know the details.

Verse 9:6 takes me to the present:

Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house.

Revelations talks about the “mark” of the beast and I wonder if this is a similar mark? Interestingly in this instance the people with the “mark” are spared while those in Revelations are the ones killed. This is one of those prophecies where if one tried to apply today it could “mess you up” accepting the mark or not.

Remember when I said I wonder if history repeats itself? Verse 11:17 seems to be recent history also:

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’

Before World War II the people of Israel were scattered and because of their persecution they were given back “the Promised Land”. So one must ask is Ezekiel’s prophecies just for Israel in and Nebuchadnezzar or could it be applied today? What if taking the “mark” shows your devotion to the Old Covenant and therefore that is what you will be judged by?

Proverbs 5 – 6

Instead of going through this chapter verse by verse, I am going to tackle it by subject since the first subject is revisited near the end of chapter 6. Adultery is something Solomon knows a little about. First, his mother and father had an affair which had devastating effects over generations of the family. Second, I have to question Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines as a representation of a faithful marriage. Maybe Solomon learned something from his fathers and his large “family”?

Verse 5:16 gives a simple analogy which should model our marriages:

Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.

As much temptation that is out there we need to honor our marriages. The “old” I married the wrong person is a cop out for quitting. I look at just a few decades back and how people made marriages work. Today we justify ending them by pointing back and mentioning how many “hollow” marriages there were. Guess what people, there are few “perfect” matches and if you have found one outside your marriage, shame on you for even looking.

I know there are a few marriages I have seen that crumbled that I have supported, but note that was because the other party had quit on trying to make it work and fell into another’s arms. This is such a touchy subject since there are so many broken homes in the church today, making a model to the outside world that it’s ok. The key with this verse could be summed up with a ton of clichés, but basically is grow with the one you are “planted” and quit searching for someone “better”.

Verse 6:32 sums up adultery:

He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.

This happens every day; it not only destroys the person involved but the other partners. Think about it, trust is lost in the one who was cheated on, but was it gained by the one cheated with? I have been on “the other end” of an adulterous affair and believe me trust is difficult to maintain as the relationship moves forward. Suddenly, you wonder if they are cheating again. Their morals get applied to your situation, and it’s always assumed you are cheating.

Verses 6:20 & 21 starts the second section about adultery:

20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them round your neck.

This is great advice on almost any subject since your parents have more “life experiences” than you do. I like to say “I would rather learn from someone else’s mistakes than make them myself!” That’s where the Bible is awesome, since there are a ton of mistakes made and solutions found.

Verse 6:8 talks about one’s work ethic:

Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.

Why compare our work ethic to an ant? Have you ever watched them, they will continue working no matter what you are trying to do to their hill. Even when you kick it, they instantly spring into action to move the eggs and repair the damage. You don’t see them panic have a few hundred meetings before actually doing anything, they just know their job and do it. Doesn’t matter how many times you try to destroy their home, they just rebuild and continue their job.

Finally, look at verses 6:16-19, first thing I think of a skit from Monty Python about the Spanish Inquisition. The Cardinals come in and gives a number of charges which keeps incrementing. First there are “six things that the Lord hates” and the next line describes the “seven that are an abomination”. The next thing I notice is the list does not include homosexuality. I wonder why something that Leviticus 20:13 had as an abomination does not make it to this list. Notice this are all acts which we do to others and not condemning people.

We are told clearly not to judge and we are also told clearly to forgive others as we expect to be forgiven. Try to apply that throughout life! Live in a way Jesus wants you to, don’t be afraid to express your opinion but do so with wisdom!

Psalms 72 – 74

Verse 72:17 continues on a theme of granting favor:

May his name endure for ever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!

When I initially read this I believed the subject was God, but in rereading it I noticed it was Solomon. This was a Psalm written by David asking God for favor for his son as he assumes the throne. I often wonder how many times I miss who the “person” was in the writings. Again I gathered this because initially I thought it was Solomon writing asking for God’s glory to overshadow his reign.

Interestingly Solomon’s name did continue at “forever” as we continue to study his writings some 3000 years after his death. Think of how many other writings are studied intently that are that old. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the only names that come to mind when I think of ancient authors still studied. Interestingly, they come a few hundred years after David and Solomon. You can find some influence from Solomon in their writings.

Verse 73:24 I think has a key in working with God:

You guide me with your counsel,
and afterwards you will receive me to glory.

One needs to be guided for one’s counsel to set in. Often times we receive wise advice, yet do nothing with it. We let it sit and do nothing with this “counsel”. If we sit on this information and do nothing with it, we will not go to where God intends us to go. How can there be an “afterwards” if nothing is done in the present?

Verses 74:21 & 22 see to apply today as it did then:

21 Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Arise, O God, defend your cause;
remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!

Often when you start getting into the mega-churches that appear to be growing more for the money than the relationship we see the “downtrodden” ignored. Sure much of it is human nature where man often gets uncomfortable with people outside their socioeconomic status, but God did not instruct us to only mingle with our people.

Jesus clearly did not do this and was constantly ridiculed by the Pharisees. He did not hang out with the “religious” bunch, but rather the ones who needed God the most. We need to focus on welcoming all to praise God’s name! At the same time we must work together so when the “foolish scoff” at us we do not fall into their ways, but rather help show them ours.

1 Kings 14 – 18

Verse 14:9 is a reoccurring story:

but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,

It seems the kings just keep compounding what the other ones did. You find Jeroboam, Omri and Ahab all have something like this written about them. The other “evil” kings just kept up the family tradition. These three not only continued the problems through their generation, but got worse. Although there are not real specifics about what each did to compound the others actions, the do expand on Jeroboam’s and Rehoboam’s reign to give a limited base line to the “standard” the other kings lived down to.

Nested in the “evil” rulers was Asa who reigned in Judah. Verse 15:12 has him straightening up the mess Rehoboam and Abijam had made:

He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

One has to wonder what mess Asa cleaned up. Through this he reigned for 41 years an obviously did what was right in the Lord’s eyes. You don’t get much detail on his reign, but it’s used as a reference to the kings of Israel and they kept turning over.

Chapter 17 opens with Elijah predicting a drought. Through this he travels and eventually is helped by a widow. In verse 17:14 a miracle happens:

For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’”

Interesting this happens again in a story from 2 Kings 4 with another widow who has a never ending jar of olive oil. This chapter ends with Elijah raising her son who had “no breath left in him.” Along with Jesus we see that Elijah, Elisha, Peter and Paul raised the dead during their lives. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:8 that we should go do this, so I ask when will more be added to these names? Or because of “science” these miracles are no longer wonders, but rather common occurrences? I often wonder if God instructed them with basic CPR or if they were raised through God’s power?

Chapter 18 tells one of the “cooler” stories in the Bible. Ahab and his prophets of Baal are confronted by Elijah and challenged. There were 450 prophets verses Elijah in a dual with their god’s. Both set up an altar with a bull. The prophets of Baal went first and nothing happened. Elijah then set up his offering and doused it with water. Verse 18:38 shows God’s response:

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

God showed up in a big way! When the false god’s of Baal had nothing, God showed not only He was real, but he could outdo anything we would consider impossible.

How do you expect God to come? Do you need 450 preachers to pray over you for a possible healing or do you just expect God to show himself big time? Often I wonder if we live expecting big things or just live like these stories are one time deals for the Bible? How about you, do you expect prayers to burn up your entire drenched offering or are you just praying to pray? Expect Elijah’s results!!

Leviticus 4 – 6

Today is all about the sin and guilt offerings, which Jesus technically became the last one. The first thing that caught my eye is verse 4:2, where God is “qualifying” the sin:

“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them,

The remainder of the reading keeps talking about unintentional sins and I did not find an instance of intentional sin. One could argue as Christians we never sin on purpose, to that I say poppy-cock! Ok, as a man I deal with a sex drive that is different from a woman’s. I catch myself from time to time glancing at women and thinking sinful things, that I assume is unintentional. I arrest those thoughts, look away and confess my sins. I assume that was “unintentional” since it was a “passing” thought.

Now on the same vein, I searched “bicycle” one time and got a very racy video that was on the top of the search. Now I watched the video, justifying it was “art” but also knowing it was borderline “soft-core” porn. Now was that intentional? I did not run away, but clicked knowing I should not since the content was obviously questionable. So where does that fall in the “sin offering” definition, since the click was on purpose and not unintentional? Sure I can argue the search result was unintentional, but the click afterwards was intentional.

This is the problem with the internet where we are easily sucked into garbage and the best response to temptation is to “run away!” In this case I should have moved on and not watched the video. We need to do this in ALL cases! I have heard stories of men being propositioned and just literally running out of the room. We must not make an “unintentional” happening become “intentional” because although God may forgive you, the consequences maybe great.

Verse 6:4 is in a section that “implies” there are “procedures” for the intentional since, but does not use the verbiage “intentional”:

if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found

Interestingly the next verse says the repayment needs to add a fifth. There are always “consequences” to sin, but not punishment for them by God (assuming you have confessed). Fortunately we don’t have to go the blood offering anymore! Notice one thing they do is “means test” the offering. If you can afford a perfect bull, that should be your offering. But if you can’t afford that, they “means test” your offering to a bunch of grain and flour.

Would hate to find out what God did if one could afford a bull and only gave some flour. I assume that was much of the problems with the Israelites and their relationship with God.

Now just want to clarify one thing, once a sin is forgiven it’s forgotten by God. But the thing we assume is the “consequences” of those sins. If you murder someone and confess how is that handled? Well with God you should be fine, assuming the “confession” was heartfelt, but with man there are “consequences” that do involve punishment. Also, the difference between unintentional and intentional (also known as “premeditated”) is different in the laws.

Does God deal with intentional sin differently? Does my looking at the video, knowing I shouldn’t constitute a great sin? Or was my “modus operandi” in college, which involved partying over the weekend and confessing it the next day, “greater” than an unintentional sin? As much as we like to think all sins are equal, with the wording here I have to wonder. If we are sinning knowing we will be forgiven is that the same at a passing thought or an accidental sin?

Ephesians 1 – 3

Verse 1:5 immediately has me asking some questions:

he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

I immediately look at this and wonder what Paul means. Is it such that before we are born, our lives are predetermined? Does God predetermine who goes to heaven like the doctrine of John Calvin? Or do we operate with freewill and the world is way more random than we think?

This is a subject I have thought about for years and currently believe the world is more random than most people can imagine. As Christians we want to believe that God is orchestrating everything, no matter if it’s predetermined or happening in the moment. It gives us comfort, but at the same time what about earthquakes. I think the world was set in motion and is doing what it was designed to do. We have free will to choose God or not. God may or may not know your future decisions, but it’s not predetermined in anyway. I can’t believe a loving God would not give us all a chance!

Verses 2:8 & 9 sum up salvation:

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

These are verses that one could devote a whole book to on what they mean to our relationship with God. But to put it simply we are given a free gift from God of eternal salvation, we just have to accept it, no conditions. We often think that once we are saved we need to become missionaries, where other times we believe it’s once saved always saved. Both are true to a point, we need to do “works” but not for a better position or so we can boast, but to give everyone a chance at salvation. At the same time salvation will not be lost, unless (and this gets me in trouble) you reject God.

We do not need to work for our own glory, but for the glory of God. This most often does not need to be done in some far off third world country, but rather your own back yard. You were “planted” where you are for a reason, take root there and grow. Become a “shelter” for others to find the grace of God where you are at that time. If you feel “called” to go on a “mission,” then you should do it. Otherwise don’t feel forced!

Verse 3:17 talks about our grounding in Christ:

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

This is one of those concepts that is often missed, we allow Christ into our hearts through faith in the stories we read in the Bible. Either these are true and he walked the earth 2000 some years ago or it’s a story book. It’s just like the YouTube viral videos, are they real, staged or special effects. Until they are proven one way or another, you believe what you do in faith. No I believe there is enough evidence to prove Jesus’ existence and He is who He says he is. But for me to prove it to a non-believer would be like an electrical engineer trying to explain current to an artist. Sure something is there, but neither can see it.

We know electricity is there; we just can’t see it or explain it without experience. Jesus is the same way to those who do not believe, unless they experience Jesus they will never know Him. That is why once we are saved the works that are not required or necessary should be done. We need to share the love of Jesus whenever we can to give all the chance to be “grounded in love.”

Luke 11 – 12

This chapter opens with the model prayer. I will not print out Luke 11:2 – 4 but suggest you read those verses in detail. It really isn’t a prayer we repeat day in and day out, but rather a model on how we pray. First you recognize God in his glory and power, give him the respect He deserves. Second you need to include prayer for provisions and your desires.

Next you need to ask for forgiveness of you sins, or confess them to God. This really should be number one, because if you are in a state of sin your “channels to God” may be blocked. So in my opinion you need to shuffle confession to the top.

Next is forgive others, and do so as you want to be forgiven. This is one of the hardest parts of the Lord’s prayer since we tend to hold grudges. Jesus is saying don’t do that but rather forgive others like you wish God to forgive you! Finally, Jesus is asking for protection from sin. In Matthew it does end with “deliver us from evil”, which is good but I would rather not need deliverance from evil and just avoid it!

After Jesus’ model prayer, he details more of what you can expect from God. Verse 11:9 is the prosperity preacher’s main verse:

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

We all as Christians have prayed for something and not received it many times in our lives. Think about how many people each week invoke this prayer verse and pray for the lottery win? Think of the thousands, if not millions, who are disappointed with the results. No, as Garth Brooks once sung, “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers!” We have to teach ourselves what to ask for and not our carnal desires.

This verse needs to be tied into verse 12:34 when discussing praying:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Think about it, we are praying for “treasure” from God in an earthly way and not for treasures in heaven. What would happened if you personally won the lottery? Do you honestly think 10% would go to the church or would $1m be “enough” for them? Would your focus remain on God or on the new house and cars? Would you remain in the Word daily or would the nights creep into mornings and your energy would be spent? We should be praying for the salvation of others and not our own glory.

Verse 12:51 spooks me when you think about it:

Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

The phrase “peace on earth, goodwill to man” comes to mind when reading this, because that is not what Jesus said here. We are not looking for peace on earth but rather in heaven. We are in a constant battle with evil here on earth, if you don’t think so honestly you need to open your eyes. We can sing and hold hands, but realize there is a battle raging outside the door. Do not get lulled into a sense of security, but rather be a warrior ready for the battle and a moment’s notice.

Warriors don’t sleep in comfort and live in “peace”, no when not at war they are simulating it daily. We need to do that! I am not saying leave your house and sleep in the muddy trenches, but rather prepare for the spiritual battle daily. Train in the word and talk with God to sharpen your sword for the “battle”!!

Ezekiel 1 – 6

Verse 1:1 opens with Ezekiel’s initial vision:

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

When you think about this, this verse implies Ezekiel was 13 years and a few months old when having his first vision from God. Could you imagine having visions from God at 13 and trying to get someone to take you serious? I am sure a seasoned rabbi’s response would be “nice kid, now move on you are bothering me.” Today he may get a similar response from the “scientific” community, since if you continue to read his “wheel” seems more like a space ship that anything that can be imagined even today.

Were we being “visited” by aliens some 2600 years ago and since Ezekiel could not explain what he was seeing, he just assumed they were visions from God? If you study the “UFO” phenomenon you get three arguments that support them. This first is that there must be more advanced and intelligent life “out there” and therefore it would be foolish to think they were not capable of traveling to explore us. The other more logical side claims they are just government craft. The spiritual side claims these lights are not craft, but demon’s manifesting in the sky to move our attention from God.

All three could explain what Ezekiel saw, an actual craft, a “spirit” manifestation or a vision into our future. Either way try to construct one in your mind … it’s very difficult to imagine.

Verse 3:17 has God charging Ezekiel with a task:

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.

He has been charged with making sure the people of Israel know what God is trying to warn the about. Imagine getting that responsibility at such a young age. What would you do if God told you today you were the “watchman” of the USA? How about just Suwanee? It becomes mind boggling the responsibility!

Now when I think Ezekiel, I think bread! Ezekiel 4:9 goes into a bread mix that one can survive on for some time. It has been studied and shows it’s the true “wonder bread” since it was before dietitians could break down and analyze its nutritional content. But I have to jump down to verse 4:12 which is not appealing:

And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.”

That just takes the “yum” out of the bread! I will be honest it’s not the best tasting bread, but it is the most nutritious! When you think about it being baked on poo, that just makes it gross. The next verse talk about how the people will eat this “unclean” bread, but he will use “cow dung” for his personal uses! How does that make things any cleaner?

Sorry for getting attracted by poo, but I am still a kid at heart and we can’t resist that subject. As I read this I see how Israel had drifted to the point they were in “worse” than nations around them. Again I have to think of the USA today, are we going that same direction? Have we perverted our direction in life to “stuff”? Once could argue the “Manifest Destiny” and our western expansion was a perversion of the Bible and we were applying the topic of David to the USA. No matter how you feel about this nation, read Ezekiel’s visions of Israel and see how history “repeats” itself.

Proverbs 4

Verse 4:1 opens with a call for us to hear the instruction from David to Solomon:

Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain insight,

How many times in our lives have we though “I wish I would have listened to dad”? I know I have said this to myself from time to time, even recently. Most of the time the experience of past mistakes and living others folly give us wisdom. I use to say “I would rather learn from someone else’s mistakes than my own!” Think about it fathers offer a life time more than our own of experience, so why not tap into that resource and learn?

We often try to claim that we live in a different time. This will always be true, but the only real difference is technology. All that appears to have done is make it easier to fall into our carnal desires. You don’t have to break into a bank with guns and masks, no today if you have the knowledge you can “hack” into their accounts and take the money without getting dressed. Think about the “porn” industry, it used to be “shunned” into stores without windows, but now it actually takes a bit of work not to be flooded with porn invites and images on the computer. Once kids can click a mouse they can access porn if they try. The only thing that has changed is the speed and ease at which we can get ourselves in trouble.

So verse 4:5 is some great advice and is more important today:

Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

We should pray for and strive to get wisdom every day. If we listen and learn we can avoid so much heartache and pain throughout our lives. I get up every morning and live in anxiety over financial pressures I have created myself. I want more yet can’t seem to afford to fix the roof over my head, which requires multiple buckets each rain. If I would have listened to my father’s advice I would NOT have borrowed so much and saved so little. He followed Biblical advice at least on savings, where you should put away 10% so when the economy crashes (as it always has) you will have a cushion.

Verse 4:14 gives probably the best advice:

Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.

This is so easy to think you are doing, but so easy to get sucked into this path. I think the best advice is to choose your friends wisely. The drifts I have made in my life have been primarily getting sucked into foolish endeavors with friends. Often times they were almost “evil”, although I do not want to admit “evil” since that definition has recently been changed in my head.

The key is in verse 4:27 to stay on the right track:

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.

Once you find it, stay on it no matter how difficult it may seem. A “drink” here, a “toke” there, all will lead to self-destruction. I know this to be true having lived it and seen others “flame out” doing just that. Once you step off track it may be only slightly, but a degree off in a few years will take some time and get anguish to get back on the right track. One of the biggest keys to staying true is not to back down, or “fold” to peer-pressure.

Be true to yourself and God so you can remain in His grace. Believe me and learn from my mistakes, this wisdom will make life so easy in the long run! Don’t wait 30 years, like your father, to try to correct any “drift”!

Psalms 69 – 71

Verse 69:1 had me thinking:

Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.

I pray this prayer constantly, but just keep jumping into the deep end. Granted often feel like I get cast into the deep end when roofs start leaking, cash flow stops and cars start to “code”. Either way I often pray a derivation of this prayer. Unfortunately, I often think these prayers are ignored after 30 years of praying them. Why you may ask? I keep blowing the “deals” God gives me, plain and simple. So now I feel it is lesion time, so not to get in this same boat again.

Verse 69:14 continues the theme:

Deliver me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.

Although the only “enemies” I appear to have are demons and the banking system. David ruled a nation and therefore his enemies were many. Similar to the President’s and our nation whose enemies right now are Al Qaeda and a few rogue nations, David had bordering nations all wanting to wipe Israel off the map. Interestingly things have not changed over the years. I am sure the leaders of Israel today say this prayer often.

Verse 70:5 seems odd when you really think about it:

But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay!

When I first read this I assumed this was what others were saying to God, since the line before says “May those … say.” Then I read it over and realized it was King David praying and not others. Like David, I pray this prayer without real “need”. Unless this was written when he was running from Saul and living in caves, I find it hard to see David as “poor” or “needy”.

It’s all about perspective, in our eyes David had it all, but he felt “poor and needy.” I sometimes feel that, but quickly snap back to reality in my climate controlled home with a horse farm and motocross track. I get the “poor and needy” feel because I don’t have the money I “want”. That is the fine line for all of us, knowing the difference between need and want.

Verse 71:14 is something I halfway follow:

But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.

I will hope in change, but often am waiting for that change to come. And when it does it often is not what I “wanted” but rather what I “needed!” Now that half I follow, my hope is continual, but often not IN the Lord but rather the future I WANT. Where I fail continually is praising God. Ironically when we get what we “want” and there is no question it is from God, our lips are sealed.

I guess the key from David is to pray for salvation for not only yourself but others. It is ok to ask God to speed things up. Granted he may not but the hope is there. And finally we need to pray for strength especially when it’s not there.

1 Kings 10 – 13

Verse 10:1 starts with a queen searching out Solomon for the truth:

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.

I find this an interesting exchange because it really doesn’t say what wisdom Solomon shared with her. But it must have impressed her gifts were many. At the same time Solomon returned the favor by giving her “all that she desired.” The positive was she acknowledges God as being the provider of his wisdom (v.10:9).

Now verse 11:2 explains the problem of Solomon’s desire for foreign women:

from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

I often wonder if Solomon really understood what “love” was anyway. With 700 wives and 300 concubines he could not have “loved” each one. Sorry but that smells of “lust” in the first degree. If he really “loved” the 700 wives then why did he need 300 concubines? To me this is absurd and easily becomes a man’s excuse to have multiple partners. I could not imagine two wives living in harmony, even if it was “love” much less 700. Although verses 10:14 – 29 did explain Solomon’s great wealth, which smooth’s over many differences.

Since most marriages breakdown because of money issues, having unlimited resources would help. By verse 11:6 God is upset and things are changing in the Kingdom:

So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done.

I assume this is the period where The Goetia, The Lesser Key of Solomon the King was written. This is one of those spooky books that is used to “invoke” angels and “evoke” demons. I am not sure I understand the difference between invoke and evoke but let’s try. It appears invoke is for calling angels to action and evoke is just for calling demons. Either way these books are some of the writings of Solomon we never hear about as Christians. I think part of the reason is it would freak most of us out knowing some of the greatest wisdoms in the Bible were written by a man who calls demons.

I think you can understand now what was “evil in the sight of the Lord” now when understanding these writings. Because of Solomon’s actions the kingdom of Israel divides. God’s love for David made it such that the kingdom did not split in Solomon’s lifetime and the split was to ensure the lineage of Jesus. Little things like this make you see the interconnection between the Old and New Testaments, and therefore see how the Bible is just one big story about Jesus. The entire Bible, from the start to the finish, points to Jesus as the Messiah. The OT sets the stage for the coming of the real king.

Leviticus 1 – 3

Verse 1:2 opens this chapter:

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

As I read Leviticus I often wonder why God went into this kind of detail. The first three chapters deal with burnt offerings, grain offerings and peace offerings. As Christians we often gloss over much of the Law since Jesus removed our need to be bound by the Law. I have said this idea a bunch, but Jesus actually takes the Law and multiplies it. He uses money the most, showing that all is God’s and should be treated that way.

We don’t honor God with wasteful spending and poor money management, but rather tithing, saving, investing and spending wisely. Three main stories that tie into how we handle money are the widow’s mite, the parable of the rich man and the parable of the talents. The widow shows our need to release it all to God, the rich man illustrates the hold money has on our soul and the talents shows that God want us to use the resources wisely to make more.

Now as “Gentiles” and Christians are we required to acknowledge the Law? I believe so, but to an extent. I don’t feel the “sacrificial” Law is in effect anymore, but we still need to “sacrifice” our time for Jesus. One thing that is appealing to the Law is the fact that throughout history the Jewish people have survived plagues, famine and other catastrophic events through adherence to the Law. They are healthier, have reserves and live by the way God intended us to live.

Is it a sin to break the Law? Is it a sin for us, as “Gentiles” to eat pork? How about Messianic Jews, can they eat pork without sinning? How about a Jew, bound by the Law? I believe the answer is no to all of them, yes they are going outside the foods designed for our bodies, but that is for our own good and not the good of all. Technically, Peter’s vision of all the “unclean food” if “blessed” being ok to eat, eliminated the “requirement” to adhere to the Law.

Verse 1:17 caught my eye:

He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Sections like this tend to freak me out and make me wonder just how “clean” the temple really was. To me this sounds like a bloody mess getting all over the place and staining everything. I often wonder why the Jewish religion today does not have sacrifices like this going on. I am sure here in the states PETA would freak out over this treatment. Or do they not practice this because there is no “temple” yet and once built, this will resume.

I often wonder if Jesus was a “sin sacrifice” or was he a complete sacrifice covering all the different types. If he was only a sacrifice for our sins, they technically we should be following all the other sacrifices. Or again as “Gentiles” are we not “bound” by the law or as “Christians” do we need to honor the Law? I find it interesting that churches of today see to focus on the money and the tithe as part of the Law we need to adhere to, but not other aspects. These same churches will barbecue a pig that afternoon to celebrate God. I think we tend to pick and choose what we like in the Law and not analyze what Jesus’ sacrifice eliminated from or tie to the Law.

Galatians 4 – 6

Verses 4:1 & 2 open the basis of our lives with Christ:

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

That is a great analogy when you think about our growth in Christ. Initially we are children of God and do not understand the full power of God, therefore we don’t have access to it. But as we grow the “guardian”, Jesus, opens our eyes to God and all His glory for us. Often we get jealous of the magnificent revelations people we know have. They go from a life of crime to a follower of Christ in moments. We often follow them thinking they have some wondrous insight into God.

Their story is miraculous, but their foundation is not grounded in Christ. The hope for them is they remain “on fire” before drifting into a life that seems “of god” but is not. As much as we like to think there is a way to skip ahead, really the only “way” is to die. We need to do our “homework” which is read the Bible and learn to connect to God through prayer. Just repeat these steps until you die and somewhere along the line your inheritance will be received. Verse 4:9 asks a great question about how we could ever return to the slavery of sin, but honestly we do all the time.

Verses 5:13 & 14 sum up how we should live in God:

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Freedom is something our country likes to “flaunt” and something we often don’t understand. With more freedom comes more responsibility, it’s not an “E-Ticket” to life. With that responsibility we have a duty to call on God for advice and guidance. We don’t have to “freedom” to do what we want, but rather the freedom to do what we should. Hence why the “flesh” often traps us, we desire money, sex or power more than a relationship with God the Father.

Verse 6:8 gives a great analogy to why we should not exercise ultimate “freedom”:

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

The saying “you reap what you sow” comes to mind when reading this. If we exercise our freedom to do whatever we want, there are most often consequences to our actions. The one we look at most often is the culture of “free love” which was ignited in the 60’s. They would take an instance of impropriety in the past and apply it to the entire age to say everyone is doing it. Heck, they point to David who could not control his desires and not Bathsheba’s husband who slept at her door so not to dishonor his fellow warriors.

Think about what “free love” has brought us today. Porn is something anybody can get at a click of a mouse all in the name of “free speech.” We no longer have “social diseases that are curable, but we have ones that have “sprung up” that stay with you forever or will end your life prematurely. The insatiable desire for the orgasm has created a sex trade business where their workers become slaves so men can masturbate in them. The “desires” for something different get girls as young as 9 or 10 being forces into this trade.

While one is exercising their “freedom” to “do it” whenever and with whomever they desire has enslaved many. This “freedom” is destroying the world and the lives of millions. And that is just the sex “business” and doesn’t take into account the lives of those who are “forced” into aborting their child or raising it without the fathers help. I often take a “libertarian” view of legalizing drugs and prostitution, but have to pull away from that now seeing the ultimate damage that has on society. We will take our “freedom” and die “protecting it” so we can die exercising it.

Luke 9 – 10

I love reading the Gospels! You can get more to talk about in a few verses than say a chapter in Leviticus. Don’t get me wrong there Leviticus is important, it’s just a long dry read. The only problem I have is condensing the reading into a short “thought”.

Verse 9:16 is the climax to the “feed the 5000” story:

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

And after feeding everyone to satisfaction there were 12 baskets of “left-overs”! This is not just some parlor trick that someone could explain away. This shows an amazing miracle because there is no way more matter can be produced from 5 loaves and a few fish after consuming enough to satisfy everyone!! We tried to mimic this at church, but only ended up getting the Christmas traffic at the Mall ticked at us, not to mention the many who could not get in. Not saying that we did not feed thousands of needy people, it just was a logistics nightmare.

I can’t imagine what Jesus had to deal with feeding 5000 with limited resources. We had hundreds of workers and truckloads of food, while Jesus had two baskets of food and 12 guys.

Verse 9:25 looks at how we need to “take up our cross” to follow Jesus:

For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Often this story gets “twisted” into a belief that we need to suffer like Jesus suffered on the cross to live a proper life for him. Guess what? We DON’T HAVE TO, Jesus suffered for everyone to live. He clarifies that we need to focus more on Him and less on the stuff around us. I think the next verse, verse 9:26, bites deeper into the subject:

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Think of how many times you did not stand your ground for Jesus. I know when I am in with my friends who are atheists; I am often ashamed to proclaim my beliefs. I justify my silence through verse 5:11:

‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’

Notice Jesus gave almost the exact instructions earlier in verse 9:5. So I would use this as justification and say they have already rejected God since “atheism” is making that decision, thus releasing me of any requirement to voice my faith. I pray that I change that so God is not ashamed of me when we meet!

Verse 10:37 ends the parable of the Good Samaritan:

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

This story was told to a man who wanted “inherit eternal life.” The answer is amazingly simple yet hard to act upon. I just recently saw a documentary about sex trafficking which showed me the perception of how we respond to these women. Often times we look at these girls on the street, flaunting their stuff to turn a trick, and see a “poor choice” and walk on the other side of the road. When what we should be doing is lifting as many of these abused women out of the gutter as we can.

If anything give to shelter that are specifically geared for getting these women off the street. I heard a story about girls who were “rescued” from their traffickers. The only place they had was a homeless shelter, where the traffickers went and picked the girls up. They have not been seen since! This is huge and will only end one saved life at a time.

Last night I saw a disturbing film, Nefarious, about the sex trafficking industry world wide. First, you need to see this. Granted to only scratches the surface, but it does go “deeper” than any other film I have seen on this subject.

They made some suggestions on what we can do now … one included saying a prayer for victims in the sex industry and for the end to it as we know it. We all drive in cars so instead of being annoyed being stopped at a “red light” … use this as a reminder to pray for the girls in the “red light” districts around the world and in your back yard. Then make an action plan to get involved and help … if anything buy the dvd and share it with anyone who will watch!!

To learn more visit:
http://nefariousdocumentary.com/

For a “light hearted film” that IS on this subject … check out The Candy Shop:
http://vimeo.com/20833462 

Lamentations 1 – 5

We find this book is lamenting the fall of Judah and Jerusalem. Verse 1:3 opens with Judah’s condition:

Judah has gone into exile because of affliction
and hard servitude;
she dwells now among the nations,
but finds no resting-place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.

It is assumed that Jeremiah wrote this although not implicitly stated; he not only feels the pain of the people but of God as well. This was written during or after the fall of Jerusalem around 583 B.C. and is a heartfelt cry for Judah. In verse 1:16 the writer begins to show his sorrow by crying:

“For these things I weep;
my eyes flow with tears;
for a comforter is far from me,
one to revive my spirit;
my children are desolate,
for the enemy has prevailed.”

Jeremiah mentions crying at least 9 times in this book, I believe his is an outward expression of God’s emotions. You have to remember during this siege the city was destroyed including the temple. I am not 100% clear but it appears that the other that a few brief periods of control, the city was lost until after WWII. The Jewish people lives there, but as verse 3 said, “they had no resting-place.”

Through this it seems God is royally ticked and is allowing this siege out of anger, but in verses 3:22 – 25 one sees God has not given up on them. Verse 3:22 starts with:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

Even in times of punishment, the Lord always loves us. Like we mentioned yesterday from Proverbs, the Lord loves us like a father and sometimes needs to correct our actions. God is not our to fry us at every wrong move, but if we keep doing the same thing over and over again, like Judah, He will make some “adjustments”. One thing we can take from this is to not treat your children without punishment. Today we tend to avoid the punishment part in fear of “abusing” our children and going to jail. In the mean time we become their living genies and give them what they want. This practice needs to stop or our society will crumble because of lack of self-sufficiency.

As we look at the Lamentations we see a lot that could apply to today. Verse 5:4 jumped out:

We must pay for the water we drink;
the wood we get must be bought.

I think of Dasani and how much they make bottling water and selling it at over a dollar a pop. Sure it’s “filtered” but for a few dollars we can get that same filter for our city water. Granted we still have to pay for that, but it’s a fraction of the cost. I personally buy water at $7 for a 5 gallons jug that is distilled.

Our property is heavily wooded and I was looking at a large oak that had died for wood this winter. It should last a winter or three once cut and split. My facing cut was in rotten wood and then my “plunge” cut into the center yielded more rot. Here I had a huge oak that had to come down and be cut up that would yield NO wood. Now I sit starting this winter with a small stack of “seasoned” wood and no good prospects in trees on the 10 acres. Now I may have to buy something I have free, because I did not discover this over the spring.

Moral is maybe our society is in the same decline as Jerusalem and Judah was then? We have pretty much rejected God and have pushed Him to the side. Science is adamant in proving there is NO God. “Freedom of religion” for Christianity is more like “freedom from religion!” This does not hold true if you have a satanic cult, then it’s ok to worship as desired. I fear many will be weeping over this great nation soon with its dependent children, costly water, expensive heating wood and rejecting God. What more do we need to do?

Proverbs 2 – 3

Verses 2:3 – 5 give us insight into why we should find wisdom:

3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

If we sought wisdom like we did riches in this world we may find a larger treasure. Wisdom makes us realize that the treasures in life are not always silver and gold, but rather relationships. We often get caught in the search of one and lose complete sight of the other.

When my quest becomes too focused for money I often think back to Humphrey Bogart who played Fred Dobbs in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Dobbs was down on his luck and met up with two gents who became prospectors. They hit it big, and then they all changed. Dobbs ends up killing “partner” and cuts out the old man only to be killed by bandits and the treasure dumped as dust.

If Dobbs would have had wisdom, all would have prospered. Verse 3:5 is where Dobb’s trust should have been and not on his riches:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.

We all tend to blow it when we rest on our “understanding” and forget the Lord. We don’t need to expect the Lord to speak to us each step along the way when we have the Bible to read. This book is filled with almost every piece of insight for almost any situation. Prayer is the other way we get focus, when we ask the Lord we are usually guided to where he wants us to be.

Verse 3:12 talks about correction we get along the way:

for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.

Notice two things here, God corrects us like we would our own family. We rarely think of this as love when we are getting the “switch” but in the long run we see the value. This of course is assuming we don’t hold a grudge for something and did not see the need for “correction”. Part of being a wise is knowing when you are in the “wrong” and accepting the punishment that goes with it.

Verse 3:13 is very self-explanatory:

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,

Now verse 3:27 hits home in a few ways:

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.

I have blown this on many levels from not giving praise when it’s due, to withholding payments to keep my cash on hand good. This hits home to me big time since there are many levels to this, since the definition of “good” is so broad. We need to make sure not only do we praise God and not withhold our tithe from Him, but treat others the same way. Don’t get work done if you can’t pay for it then and when you do don’t withhold paying the person. NOTE – I have been guilty and am currently guilty of this!

Psalms 66 – 68

Verses 66:1 & 2 open with shout of joy for all God has done:

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!

How often does something amazing happen in our lives and we are silent? Or what if an opportunity drops in our lap, do we give God praise? Do we shout in our Christian circles or to all our friends? I know I am timid around my friends who do not believe, and will often throttle what I say about God’s influence. I specifically think of a few friends who are atheists and continue to say I am “drinking the Kool-Aid.” I limit my “social media” posts because the discussion gets long and ends up with no one changing position.

I recently had this discussion on the Bible, which started with someone stating the US Constitution was “out of date.” As the discussion ensued my point was we have not “evolved” past the constitution over the decades, sure we needed to tweak it to clarify freedoms, but people at the root have not changed. Then I pointed how the Bible was no different, everyone says it’s a bunch of old writing that do not apply today. I claimed we were all still controlled by root factors of lust, greed, envy and the like, therefore the Bible still applies. My feeling is the only change is the mode and speed at which we satisfy these inner sinful desires.

Anyway the “discussion” ended with each agreeing to disagree and we went on. Now I prayed that someday their hearts would be open and went on my way. Verse 66:20 implies that that will happen:

Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!

Now we all can point out many instances in our lives where our prayers were apparently “rejected” by God. I immediately think of Garth Brook’s song “Unanswered Prayer” where the main line is “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. I often think the idea of praying for self is the wrong direction, but to pray and help others achieve their prayers helps you achieve your “desires.” I have absolutely no scriptural basis for this belief, but just have found it that way in my life.

Verse 68:5 points to God and his protection of the needy:

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.

Maybe that is how we get our prayers answered, by helping the fatherless and protecting the widows. Also, maybe in helping others our “desires” will turn from the selfish. Just a thought when praying and interacting with others today.

1 Kings 5 – 9

Solomon is building the temple and then his home in these chapters. Verse 5:10 shows the benefits of an alliance:

So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired,

Hiram was the king of Tyre immediately formed an alliance with Solomon. Hiram had resources in the way of lumber that Solomon needed and Solomon had food that he needed, so they worked things out. This showed that Solomon was wise and fair, not necessarily fighting for what he needs but negotiating.

As you read these chapters you quickly see how magnificent these structures were. They spared no expense from the foundation to the gold inlays, it must have been beautiful. Now as I read this I often wonder why God needs such an ornate structure. What was the intention? Did God want a cool “crib” while he was hanging with the people? Honestly I tend to look at the temple and many of these ornate churches as mankind trying to place God in a box.

The Tabernacle actually had a purpose where it was the interface point between God and man, but we don’t have pillars of smoke covering our churches today where God meets with their leaders. Now are the buildings built to glorify God for the people? That would be acceptable, but I would often argue why spend so much? Often, especially today, a church in a trailer will not attract many to check things out. This would provide justification of fancy buildings in order to advance the Gospel to more.

Verse 7:8 caught my eye as it pertains to Solomon’s wife:

His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he had taken in marriage.

Interesting that of all Solomon’s wives, the Pharaoh’s daughter was the only one mentioned. Also, she was the one that seemed to compound his downfall from the throne. It’s interesting how we drift from God’s guides and somehow get in trouble. God was clear not to marry outside the Israelites. Yet in Solomon’s “wisdom” he felt this was ok to strengthen a political alliance with Egypt. In the end this comes back to bite him.

How many of us can point to times in our lives that we decided to take a path that was clearly outside of God’s direction? I see this all the time in my life and others. Sure God has a way of making lemonade out of lemons, but the pressure we endure as He squeezes the juice from the lemons is often difficult.

Solomon has two beautiful prayers for the temple in chapter 8 which you should read over a few times. They are wonderful! Maybe that is why in verse 9:2 God appears to Solomon:

the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

I often wish that would happen to me, so I could filter out the noise. At the same time I have to believe God appears to those who can have the most impact, otherwise His time would be consumed talking with everyone. Not that he can’t do that, but think about effective time management. If you wanted to get your message out, would you do it through someone who has little training or someone like Moses who was raised in Pharaoh’s court and had respect there? Or would you choose Paul who was a well-trained Rabbi? As much as we like to see God do miraculous things through the “little people” we also see they were “setup” to do great things before their “calling”.

Exodus 37 – 40

Verse 37:1 opens with the making of the Ark:

Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

Interestingly Bezalel is the main personal detailed as building all this stuff. It continues for the next few chapters in detail about making the table, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, the court, the basin, and the garments. In verses 38:22 – 23 they explain the history of Bezalel and introduce his helper:

22 Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD commanded Moses; 23 and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

It almost seems like Bezalel was doing an enormous task with only the help of one other person, Oholiab. I assume that he had more help and was just managing the project and ensuring the quality, but it really doesn’t say that. It appears to be just two of them working.

As I was reading the part about the graments, verse 39:41 stood out to me:

the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests.

I think about the pageantry of the garments and then think of what they do in them. Now if anyone has cut themselves and got the blood on a dress shirt they know how difficult it is to get that stain out. They were doing blood sacrifices in these garments! I wonder if the materials chosen cleaned up well. I know they did not have Tide yet and cleaning was “basic” without the help of modern stain removing chemicals. So were there garments stained or did they get new ones after each blood sacrifice?

The reading ends with Moses anointing the Tabernacle and in verse 40:34 God enters:

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

I often wish our churches today would be covered in a cloud and we had to wait for God. It is things like this that amaze me when Israel drifts so far from God and so often. People often point to the people not having the Holy Spirit, but they also did not have scientist proving how God’s miracles are done. Sure we may know how these things happen now, but we cannot reproduce most of them. I just wonder why these people drifted so quickly and needed more smacks up-side the head to get them back on track. I mean they got to see actually undisputed evidence of God and they still walked away.

Galatians 1 – 3

Verse 1:16 Paul tells the people the path he took after seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus:

was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

I find it interesting that he did not “immediately consult anyone.” Wonder why that was? Was it because of his role as a persecutor of Christians or did he need to “digest” what he experienced? He eventually went to the Apostles after what appears to have been a 14 year hiatus (verse 2:1) and started to work with them.

Verse 2:13 ends an account of a very dark time where there was a riff between Peter and Paul:

And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

I am still not real clear the “riff” between them, but it appears that Peter believed the Gentiles were to convert to the ways of Judaism to complete their foundation in Christianity. In a sense Peter believed they needed to follow the customs and the Law to be truly saved. Paul was clear that if they were not born of the Law, they were not bound to the Law. Me I take a different view, where the Law is there for our “instruction” and not for bringing us closer to God.

We are not bound by the Law, and we do not need to even consider practicing all the sacrificial ceremonies. What we do need to follow, not for salvation but to honor God, are sections that deal with living life. For example the money Laws, if we as a nation had followed those, this banking debacle would never had happened. If we followed the food Laws, obesity would not be as big an issue today.

Verse 3:5 makes a clear distinction between the Law and salvation:

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

I am not saying we are bound by the Law in any stretch. I am not saying that NOT eating pork or not tithing will mess up your salvation or your relationship with God. What I am trying to convey is your life on earth will be much healthier if you eat the food God designed for our bodies. You will not have the collapse of your finances if you plan your finances the way God instructed. I feel much of the Law is not to improve our relationship with God, but to improve our life here on earth.

Verse 3:11 confirms this:

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

We are not in any way bound by the Law, and can dismiss it altogether. God clearly says we don’t have to eat pork, but at the same time Jesus gave us the parable of the widow’s mite. That kind of blows the tithing laws away since she gave it all, where the rich man just gave 10%. I believe Jesus gave this parable not to compel us to sell everything and become missionaries, because if everyone did that there would be no homes for the missionaries to dwell in, but to realize we could not “work” our way to salvation.

A great example in today’s terms is the 1%, you know the evil rich. If the government seized 100% of their assets, the government could not operate longer than a few months. It’s the same way with the church, if all the parishioners gave 100% of their assets, the church would be limited in the time it could survive. No Jesus did this to emphasize that it did not matter what you did or did not do, your salvation was secure.

Luke 7 – 8

A Roman “centurion” becomes the focus of verse 7:6 when he humbly asks Jesus not to worry about his problems:

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

None of us are worthy, but Jesus still comes under our roof despite our sins and drifting nature. Think about it, most of the Jewish people were crowding him trying to get a piece of the action. This man realizes who Jesus is and turns from him. That is why in verse 7:9 Jesus responds the way he did:

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

I wish I could humbly approach Jesus and not just assume he’s my “mate” and just wants to have a beer with me. Heck he may be, but we should never assume that and humble ourselves before him.

Verse 7:47 gets into why the centurion may have been more humble that the Jewish people:

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

In this story a woman we assume to be a “strumpet” washes Jesus’ feet with tears and ointment. The people get upset that Jesus would associate with someone of her caliber. I find many Christians like myself who were saved at a young age become jealous of the passion many have when they are saved after a hard life. A friend Matthew comes to mind, his stories of his past and the redeeming blood of Jesus. Granted he was a great story teller, but one could become jealous about the passion he had.

No we just wake up, pray and go to work. He lived on both sides of the tracks and passionately loves Jesus now. Vernie actually wanted to “live” or turn to a hard life so she too could feel his passion. This is what the woman must have experienced when she was forgiven by Jesus, pure passion and love! Don’t get me wrong, this is not the life you want to aspire to before being saved. I drifted a bunch in and after college, but my return did not fill me with passion from his forgiveness. No I just felt more shame for drifting like I did, I know I am forgiven but should never have taken the path I knew was wrong.

Matthew did not know, where I did and that is the difference. If you are already saved, don’t leave to “sow your wild oats” but live passionately for God each and every day.

Verse 8:37 is the last one I want to take a quick look at:

Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.

This is where the naked possessed man by the tomb was saved. He had many demons called “Legion” and Jesus cast them out into the herd of pigs. These pigs then committed mass suicide! I imagine the people were not only afraid of Jesus’ power, but also afraid of what “livelihood” He would destroy next. I mean sure the Jews did not eat pork, but that heard was someone’s business and Jesus destroyed it to save some crazy man. What would your response be if Osama Bin Laden was saved, but to do so it destroyed your livelihood? (and yes I know Osama is dead, but it’s my extreme example)

Jeremiah 47 – 52

I hate to admit as I was reading todays chapters the one thing that I kept wondering is when it would end. Chapter 47 starts with the judgment on the Philistines and goes to 51 talking about the destruction of Babylon. When I read long, dry sections that are not filled with stories that seem to apply to today it becomes monotonous.When I read, I try to take in the story, but at the same time pull out nuggets that apply to today.

With the amount that I read, it was difficult to find something that jumped out at me that I could decipher some kind of truth or wisdom. Verse 49:9 talks about how we need to help others:

If grape-gatherers came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
would they not destroy only enough for themselves?

The Bible is clear about leaving “gleaning” or don’t gather the harvest that falls to the ground or the edges of the field. We are to leave them for the poor. In today’s non-agrarian society we have a difficult time understanding this. When we do look at farms today the mechanical harvesters optimize the use of the land and leave little after. At the same time we are not traveling by foot and needing food along the way. No if we need a “snack” it’s off to the 7-11 and not the farmer’s field. At the same time we cannot grab “gleanings” from the local convenience store without paying for them, unless we dumpster dive.

Now this is surrounded by doom and gloom but it’s the little things we catch. Verses 50:18 – 20 is another one of those:

18 Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead. 20 In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

Through this death and destruction we see God will step in and fight our battles. I can personally say He will not fight all of them, I believe the battles we start without guidance are often on our own. Think about the prophets then, they were constantly being tested to see if they were from God. Nothing wrong with that, but one would think they would listen to Jeremiah with his “batting average”.

Something that is hard today also, we constantly have people hearing the word from God and going on TV to tell us. Harold Camping comes to mind, who not once but twice made a big deal about the end of the world. Mr. Camping was a well-known evangelist who studied the Bible day and night. He believed he found a “code” in the Bible that accurately predicted events in the past. He saw events foretold in the future and wanted to warn the people. Did he fail, did he not hear from God, or were his calculations wrong? Was he a nut case, a false prophet or did he accurately predict a possible future that through prayer and individual change we avoided? Think of Jonah and the people of Nineveh before answering that.

Proverbs 1

As we start Proverbs a question from a few days was answered. Proverbs has the most important 513 of the over 3000 proverbs written by Solomon. I am still not sure if we have access to the other 2487, but at least it was addressed. As we get into Proverbs you will discover it’s reads like a fortune cookie and one quickly notices that “ancient Chinese proverbs” are universal (or copied from Solomon).

Verse 1:19 looks at people who are “in it for the money”:

Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.

This proverb applies today like it has many times throughout history. If you look at the fall of most societies it usually comes at the hands of the greedy. I think of the people who have gotten filthy writing questionable mortgages, then insuring them, then packaging them and selling them as AAA rated to investment funds. They made money all along the way and when they bubble popped, the companies who perpetrated this fraud got bailed out by the tax payer, while the people who lost their homes because of the unraveling economy are out the money and home.

Sorry for the rant about today’s economy, but if we would follow the Bible more things like this would not be as big a problem. Sometimes I wish we would listen to verse 1:20 and follow the “cry”:

Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;

We often ask for wisdom but rarely search for it. For some reason we take Solomon’s story and just expect to have wisdom if we pray for it. More often than not, God has already given us wisdom; we just have to read His Word! Almost every life experience is covered in this book. Sure it doesn’t have the internet, but it does deal with the root problems that the internet exacerbates.

Verses 1:32-33 gives some great advice to everyone:

32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Now if we apply this to today what would have happened? Those “questionable” loans would never have been applied for in the first place, because people would have known Biblical money management. The loans that had been written would have been ok, since the people would have reserves for tough times. So if our nation had lived under “Godly principles” the crooks would not have had fools to purchase their “fake promise”. Instead “complacency” destroyed us and will require a lot to build back up.

Psalms 63 – 65

Verse 63:1 is a verse that plays through my head constantly:

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

This has been one of those verses I have tried to memorize, but for whatever reason have not. But think about what it is saying, how it’s your entire being desires God. I know that is something I try to sometimes “force” in my mind, but it is difficult to “get.” I do earnestly seek God, but only sometimes does my soul or body yearn for God. Then it’s rare that I am yearning for him like water in the desert.

Think about this analogy, we live in a world for the most part that rejects God or will twist Him into our image. We take chapter 1 of Genesis and feel the “image” of God is the meat suit we live in, with that there are natural limitations which we often apply to God subconsciously. How can God be “omnipresent” when He is made in “our image”? So when we read about these desires it becomes difficult to imagine desiring an unseen God this way.

Verse 63:8 keeps expanding on this and in a sense explains God:

My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

The soul is the key here when we go back to Genesis 1. When God made us in His image, if we apply this to the soul and not the body, the idea God can be omnipresent is easy. He is no longer bound to a “meat suit” and can be the “energy” of the universe. The soul, or some say the spirit, is the connection we have with God. It’s that “energy” that drives our bodies and therefore causes it to yearn for God.

Verse 64:10 again has our “souls” connecting with God in taking “refuge”:

Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

Again we can “think” about taking refuge in God all we want, it’s really not until we “feel” that refuge that we bind with God. I personally “bind” to God in many ways in life, but the key comes from the first verse we looked at where I “earnestly” seek Him. If we just expect life to happen and the connection made without searching we often don’t find God. We have to make the connection on all levels of thought, feelings and emotion to get a yearning.

I have found the need to study and pray on a daily basis to maintain that connection. I have a “logical” brain which has grown up with an intense interest in science. These two tend to dismiss God quickly because so much of what is taught is God does not exist. This is where I tend to find God, in that “mystery” area of the sciences. Quantum mechanics does more to prove God’s existence than disprove it. Ironically, it came to explain away the “mysteries” by dismissing God by trying to explain energy and the atomic “space” where the unexplained exists. If I don’t constantly search and study, I find that I could quickly drift into mainstream science’s disbelief.

1 Kings 1 – 4

1 Kings starts with David on his death bed and verse 1:5 has one of his sons assuming the throne:

Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

How many times have we personally done this? Not necessarily become king, but say a mini king. We assume “power” based on what we want and not what other want or God wants. Let that sink in for a while. When we assume “control” over our lives and go outside what is “Biblical” in essence we are doing the exact same thing. When we start going outside the bounds of marriage, or the bounds of managing money or the bounds of eating, things tend to end up poorly.

God set up our mini kingdoms with some simple guidelines and rules, which when followed then to make things smoother. But when we just take without asking, things end up wrong. Now I am not saying we will end up like Adonijah did in 2:25 where Solomon killed him, but we have to consider the consequences when we drift outside the guides God has made for us.

Chapter 3 talks about Solomon’s wish. Think about this God comes to you in a dream as asks what you desire. What would your answer be? Would it be a new house, a car, a million dollars or something bigger? Verse 3:9 is Solomon’s answer:

Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

Solomon’s wish was simple, he was young when he took the throne and desired wisdom so he could rule fairly. Now without knowing this story, would that have been your wish? Some feel he already had everything he desired and therefore not wanting wealth, so wisdom was a logical desire since I am sure he had heard how foolish rulers fail.

I find it interesting the story they use to “highlight” his wisdom by the story of the mothers fighting over a living child. Verse 3:25 Solomon gives his “verdict”:

And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.”

What seemed foolish initially ends up being “genius” in the long run. The real mother gives the child up to save his life, where the false mother agrees with the verdict. With their response, Solomon knows the real mothers and therefore gives the child to her. Solomon’s ruling was genius since it quickly showed the real mother. I wish judges today would apply wisdom in their rulings, it seems that most just follow the path of least resistance.

The only thing that I did not “like” in this reading was how quickly Solomon killed others to retain the throne. Like with Adonijah, who actually begged for mercy, was killed to ensure there would not be dissension to his throne. The other thing I noticed was in verse 4:32 it talks about 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs. Are many of these “lost” or were the not included in the Christian Bible?

Exodus 33 – 36

God opens talking to Moses and in verse 33:3 he tells Moses to go so this alone:

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

I find it interesting God is upset at the people now, but not enough to not give them the Promised Land. Here He tells Moses of the problem they will encounter, and then says you’re on your own. How often do you feel like this is the way things are in life? Often times it feels as if God is distant and not around in our day to day lives.

I know I feel this way often, but could not imagine having so much direct help and then be left on my own. Think about it God has been with the people throughout the journey and they still drift. They make a golden calf and worship it, even though they have a mountain with God and Moses before them. I don’t get why the people acted this way after all they have been through. I know I believe and have strong faith, and I have not had the Red Sea part before me!

Whatever is up with the people, in verse 33:13 Moses intercedes for them:

Now therefore, if I have found favour in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”

Moses is reminding God that his nation requires help and not to abandon them because of a few wrongs. God agrees, but as we see this is eventually why they end up losing a generation in the “wilderness”. I often wonder why God was so hard on the people. I know we get away with so much more today, granted we worship science and stuff, but it still is the same.

Verse 34:7 talks about “generational sin”:

keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

We see this happen with David, how his children are all messed up afterwards and even Solomon who has great wisdom suffers from scars of his father’s transgressions. The repercussions of David’s affair flow many generations. Not necessarily that God is punishing David’s offspring for what he did, but the consequences in what he did effected how his children were raised and so on through generations. That is what God is talking about here, we basically punish our generations, not God.

Verse 34:26 talks about first fruits and how to honor God:

The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

This is not because God is greedy, but so we don’t become that way. Greed is one of the main sins that separate us from our heavenly father. We become consumed with our stuff and not with God, to the point where we will actually blame God for not having what we want. We have to humble ourselves before God and realize he wants our attention. One of the ways cut the tie of “stuff” in our lives is giving up the “first fruits.” So before you decide not to tithe, realize it’s not about you but your relationship with God.

2 Corinthians 11 – 13

Verse 11:6 starts with Paul pointing out his short comings:

Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

He points out his inability to speak well, but notes his knowledge is good. When you think about today’s knowledge we study and memorize Paul’s writings, but what about then? Paul was well versed in the Old Testament and the Hebraic teachings, and he had a face to face with Jesus. Many “knowledgeable” teachers today often deemphasize the Old Testament and just read the Gospel’s and Paul’s writing.

Paul admits his flaws and works around them. I assume Timothy and other around him were better speakers, like Moses used Aaron. Unfortunately his writings are difficult to read, it’s almost like a lawyer wrote them and are often circular. Paul is one who you tend to need to read over a few times before getting the point. If you look at James, his writings to me a crystal clear.

Verse 11:14 has Paul warning the people of false teachers:

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

This is one of the most difficult things to discern since often scripture can be warped and twisted to make it seem meaningful when presents incorrectly. This happens very often when preachers try to push an agenda, they find a snippet that says what they want and run with it. In “context” it has a different meaning, but out of context it can work in a new context without modification. Now I am not saying everyone who does this is of Satan, but it shows how easy it is to twist the truth. The Nazi formed a “twisted cross” from twisting the Gospel.

I will not print this section but verses 11:23 – 29, but this is often used for us as Christians to suffer and not enjoy life on earth. How can we be close to God without enduring the beatings and torture Paul endured? Never once did Paul say this was a prerequisite for being a teacher of Christ, it just showed people what he endured. How he had peace through any occurrence.

Life is tough enough and there will be suffering; so don’t think that additional hardship is necessary to win with God. We will not be hauled off by the state because we follow Jesus and beaten or jailed. No ironically there are a few Christian sects who actually beat themselves to connect like Jesus. No we don’t need to do that, we need to live a life that is appealing to God and others. A flogging is not something that will attract others into the “fold”.

Verse 12:7 has Paul talking about his “thorn”:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

The beatings were not enough for Paul, he had to be reminded by a constant “thorn” that attempted to draw him away from God. There has been much speculation of what this is, but it was never addressed by Paul. Some believe it’s a physical deformity since the “thorn” is “in the flesh”. While other believes the “thorn” something is fights on a spiritual level, some temptation. I have heard everything from lust to homosexuality, but in reality it doesn’t matter. No it’s just something that he endures that tries to keep him from God. Mine are lust and greed, I fight those often. What is yours?

One final note in 12:2 talks about a 14 year old being “caught in the third heaven”. What exactly does that mean? The first heaven is earth, the third is talked about as being where God dwells, but notice there is nothing about the second heaven. Revelations 21:1 talks about the “first heaven” and this is the only place in the ESV version where the “third heaven” is talked about. But there is no talk about the second. Was that something left out on purpose? What are your thoughts there? I have a few, but that requires going into texts that were not included in the “canonization” of the Bible as we know it.

Luke 5 – 6

Verse 5:11 ends the story of Jesus calling Peter, James and John:

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Imagine dropping everything and following someone today. The main justification I have heard for this behavior is Jesus was a rabbi and to be called to be a disciple was a great honor. It is one that anyone of that time would jump at. Now I often wonder how true this statement was, since I don’t recall ever reading something that would imply this in the Bible.

Not saying that this was not the reason, but imagine just leaving your work and family to follow this guy! It’s happened in modern times, names like Jim Jones, David Koresh or Heaven Gates Marshal Applewhite. All these men got followers to drop everything and follow time to the grave in two mass suicides and one horrific deadly standoff with government forces. So using our day and time as a reference, the action of Jesus’ 12 disciples was a huge step in faith.

Read chapter 6:17 – 49 over a few times. This has been called the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5 and is a fantastic compilation of what we should aspire to. Verse 6:37 discusses our judging:

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

One of the most difficult distinctions in our Christian walks in making sure not to judge, but be discerning. It’s a fine line between the two and one you should learn quickly. Discernment knows the difference between right and wrong, while judging is deciding who is right and wrong. One you are protecting yourself, while the other you are criticizing others. Jesus uses the spec in your brother’s eye vs. the “plank” in yours to highlight the problem with judging.

I often get caught finding my plank well after making a fool of myself. I will act all pious point out someone’s errors while they calmly point out I am doing the same thing. It’s embarrassing and can damage a witness to others. This is one of those aspects I like to keep myself in “check” where I will try never to judge others, because I always get slammed with my “plank.” And when others pull it out, they often add a twist or use it to slap me upside my head!

Verse 6:49 reminds me of a few days ago in Psalm 62:2 and our spiritual foundation:

But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Was this the basis of the story of the Three Little Pigs? When we build our foundation outside of God’s word, it can easily be destroyed. Sure our “testimony” can help, but having 2000 years and older text can help reinforce your story. So build the foundation on rock, no on shifting sand.

Jeremiah 42 – 46

Why is it we get so amped up about hearing a word from God and then when we actually do, we ignore it? Jeremiah has a “direct line” to God, he actually hears from Him. Verse 42:17 is the answer the people don’t want:

All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. They shall have no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring upon them.

How about you? If you asked God what to do and his answer was something you did not want to do, would you obey? I can think of a few time where I believe I have gotten instruction from God and I would either ignore it or follow it my way. Our sales tax is one of those procrastination issues that became a disaster. Months became years and it was a stress. I prayed and randomly opened to a passage in Mark 12 that said “give to Caesar …”. I did not like the answer so I ignore it. A week later I did the same thing, hoping for a different answer, I got it in Matthew 22! Unfortunately it was the same story.

So I spent a month working with the accountant, got the figures and submitted them. The amount $45,000 before penalties, we did not have that kind of cash. Within a month we miraculously sold a house and the profit was $46,000. This is where I wonder if I did it my way and caused problems. I negotiated with the agent to send in $46,000 to “settle” the account and sent in the check. Years later it still haunts us, because about every 2 years someone contacts us from the state. We ask for a review based on the documentation, never get verified and assume it clear. Then 2 years pass and we get another notice.

People are often not willing to do what God wants even if they hear from Him directly. This is especially true if it’s not what they want or is difficult to do. The people of Israel thought living under siege was bad and Egypt meant safety. Verse 43:2 is there response:

Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The LORD our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there’,

They even confirmed they heard it right and still believed it was a lie. To make matters worse for Jeremiah, the people captured him and took him to Egypt with them. As you might expect, God follows through and punishes Israel. Many times God is simple, do this and this will happen, else I will punish you.

Verse 46:28 ends with simple rules to live by:

Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
declares the LORD,
for I am with you.
I will make a full end of all the nations
to which I have driven you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
I will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Live many times is simple, but we make things complicated by thinking we know better. One of the most dangerous “drifts” we can take are “mental attitude” sins. Often we dismiss them since they hurt no one, until we act on our fantasies. One of the “rules” you learn racing is your bike goes where your eyes are focused. YouTube is full of helmet cam shots where someone watches an accident in front of them and goes right into it, even though there is plenty of room on the inside to be clear. The mind is the same way, you let evil in and the body will soon follow. So YES you do need you own mind police!!

Now as you know I have attention deficit. One of the things I notice when reading the Bible is how many cities and people are named in the Bible. One that surprised me was Carmel, California whose official name is from verse 47:18 as “Carmel by the Sea”, not just Carmel. Considering much of California was named by Catholic monks, this makes sense.

Job 41 – 42

In verse 41:1 God is finishing his talk with Job and starts talking about a “Leviathan”:

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish-hook
or press down his tongue with a cord?

The “Leviathan” is a sea creature of some sort that is very powerful. Now is one of my crazy tangents, but here me out evolutionists or not. What if the “Leviathan” is not some mythical sea creature, but an actually beast? What if it’s a dinosaur that survived well into present time? Often we think dinosaurs were extinct before man existed, but what if they walked the earth with man? What if this mythical “Leviathan” is an actual prehistoric dinosaur?

If you look at ancient civilizations throughout the world one common thread is dragons or monsters. From Chinese to American Indian we see example after example of drawings that include some creature that looks like a dinosaur. Western science has only recently begun assembling dinosaur skeletons in the past 200 years. I think my favorite finding is a temple with a carving of a “stegosaur-like creature” found deep in the jungles of Cambodia. This carving in sandstone is in one of the places from the Khmer civilization in Ta Prohm.

If you continue in chapter 41 this description seems to describe a dinosaur. If you believe this is a mythical creature or a real one, this is what God finishes with in talking to Job. Verse 42:3 Job immediately repents:

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Job quickly sees the problem in his ways and repents. How often when we get reprimanded do we take ownership and make corrections? In today’s society we transfer blame to whomever we can. It’s never “our” fault; no today we tend to transfer blame. If we can’t transfer it to others the standard line of “the devil made me do it” works in blame-transference.

This is where “freewill” comes into being and we have to realize many of our poor decisions are ours. We need to repent to God for our transgressions and take ownership. Many times we have to accept the consequences of our actions. Job realized where he had God wrong and did not blame his three friends, but took ownership.

Now verses 42:12-13 are in the end where Job is blessed by God:

12 And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

A couple of quick notes, when we have calamity hit don’t expect God to do what he did for Job. Sure God may heal us and restore our life, but the book of Job is not a promise that this will happen. This book is only an example of what could happen, not what will happen. Why doesn’t God restore everyone’s misfortune? I have no clue, but don’t really worry about it and keep plugging along.

The other note I have already touched on, but notice he doubles his herds, but only equals his children. Is that because God knows they will meet again after death? I again could not get much solace in replacement children with the hope of seeing the originals in heaven. I would most likely grieve to my grave for them. Notice in a previous verse how his friends “showered him with sympathy” and not joy. They know he has been restored, but still is living in great loss. That is the only aspect of the story I don’t like and would NEVER want to endure.

Psalms 60 – 62

Verse 60:11 shows the theme of David’s prayer here:

Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!

We often look at the Psalms for spiritual truth, but often must realize they are more examples of prayer. As was often the case in David’s life he was either at war, being pursued or in some conflict all which this prayer could be used. Today we are at relative peace; the only national “foes” appear to be radical Islam. On a “local” level we just have the normal line up of thugs.

For the most part we don’t have them constantly pursuing us and therefore often get lulled into a false state of security. No matter how much you think things are “cool” or largest “foe”, Satan, is constantly in our background. We MUST be praying for help against this “foe” constantly. Satan is relentless and will not just give up. I can say from personal experience that Jesus will repel evil, but we must ask and call on him! So pray like Babylon is storming the gates!

Verse 61:3 is a spiritual truth that David is using:

for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.

We need to look at God as our “refuge” through both the positive and the negative happenings of life. Again no matter how great things may seem, we must NEVER let our guard down. Satan will attempt to swoop in and distract us from our relationship with God. Often when I think things are the coolest, I leave God’s refuge and get trapped. What may appear to us as “blessings” are often times evil in disguise.

How often have I heard, “God blessed me with this car!” Only to find out the “blessing” was someone gave you a credit that you could “afford”. God does not want to make you “beholden to the lender” as a “blessing.” The deal that’s “too good to be true” in this case “was …”! We need to pray for and use God as our “refuge” no matter how things are looking on the outside.

Verses 62:2 and 6 both show God’s solid foundation:

2 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

Interesting if you read these two verses they are almost identical. David is making a point here! I believe the key is God and Jesus is our “rock” that our salvation rests on. It’s not the car or the bank account that we often search for salvation in, but our Lord. When we start basing our “salvation” on our net worth and not on just that fact that God IS, then we are drifting quickly off the solid “fortress” God provides. So seek “refuge” in God so you will not be shaken!

When I read this I think of the story of the three little pigs. As you know the one who built a solid home was the one who everyone found shelter from the Big Bad Wolf. It’s the same way with God, He is out “brick house” that cannot be blown down.

2 Samuel 20 – 24

Samuel ends with many plots and twists starting with the rebellion of Sheba. Verse 20:11 puts Joab back in charge of the army:

And one of Joab’s young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favours Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.”

This was after Joab had killed Amasa for trying to recruit the men against David. I read these stories with interest but do not try to find much Biblical significance in them. This is one thing we must understand about the Bible, much of the writings are just historical accounts and not meant for anything more than that. I think we will drive ourselves crazy trying to read spiritual significance in stories like this.

Interestingly the next story about David avenging the Gibeonites does have an interesting life story. Verse 21:1 starts off by explaining the hardship and the cause:

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

Here David does the honorable thing and repays the Gideonites for the wrong Saul had done to them. Joshua had made a covenant with them 400 years prior and Saul thinking he was doing “right” by eradicating them from the land, actually broke this agreement. If we remember this “covenant” was not what God intended, but 400 years later that took precedence over God’s will.

Freewill is something that God gave us and in this if we go against God and make agreements outside His will which becomes binding. God will not say, “Hey, Gibeonites I did not want Saul to do this covenant, so heck with you!” No he will honor agreements made and will allow them, even if it’s not totally His original plan.

This opens a question; if you make a deal with the “devil” will God break that covenant? I don’t think so! This story actually confirms that God will hold us to our agreements, not matter how awful they may be. This is why your “word” is so important and should not be used lightly. Where today words don’t seem to matter, they actually do! This current election cycle should be a prime example of that, where we get to see how the current candidates have lived up to their “word”.

Verse 23:8 starts listing David’s “Mighty Men”:

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

Now it appears that as he grows older, he realizes his mortality and surrounds himself with great warriors. These 37 men give David the support in battle he needs. One thing I like in this story is David has returned to doing the things kings do, like go and fight battles. When he sinned with Bathsheba, he was on “holiday” while his men battled.

What should this “teach” us? We can’t do it all on our own and we need to surround ourselves with our own band of “mighty men” to help us in our battles. This is where getting a close knit group of likeminded Christian friends is important. We so often try to do it on our own and fail miserably. This is where having friends who can keep you on track and in the word are necessary in today’s world. I “drifted” in my faith journey when I went outside, alone, to save the world. I did not have help to keep me on track and eventually drifted away from God altogether.

Believe it or not this happened to Grandma in her walk. When Grandpa was in Vietnam in the 70’s, Granny was searching for spiritual “enlightenment”. As kids we went with her to visit a bunch of churches and even an “ashram” where we protested. Fortunately she listened to her children and we ended at West Side Bible and ALL learned the truth. I wonder what would have happened if we had not been there or if she had not listened.

Exodus 29 – 32

Much of Exodus describes the details of the Hebraic Law as it was given to Moses. Verse 29:21 is a good example of the detail God gave Moses for the people:

Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

This is one of those examples that show a different side of the priest’s job. They are not always in long flowing clean white robes with gold highlights. Yes they have these robes, but there is also a bunch of blood. I believe the modern church, be it Christian, Muslim or Jewish, has distanced itself from the blood sacrifice. Technically the Christian church has distanced itself from these rituals by the blood of Jesus, but the Jewish and Muslim religions have not had those “breaks” from the sacrificial system.

Now I say this and maybe should qualify that with these practices are not followed in America. My sister is a photographer in Egypt and has some graphic and bloody pictures of blood sacrifices and cutting as part of Shia rituals. Many of the pictures are self-inflicted wounds, but very bloody. It’s something our nation has “washed over” and kept our relationship with God less about blood and more about prayer. Sacrifice in the states is giving something up and not personally slaughtering it.

I notice no one in today’s political environment mentions verse 30:15, with our “rich must pay” vernacular:

rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD’s offering to make atonement for your lives.

Now as you read on these chapters, it should give you a great foundational view of what Jesus was preaching to when he walked the earth. We see how a few thousand years twisted man’s relationship with God, making the Law more important. Interesting chapter 32 explores the period Moses was on the mountain and how quickly Aaron and the people drifted. Chapter 32 is the infamous “Golden Calf” incident. Verse 32:4 is the actual making of the idol:

And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

We read this and can’t imagine worshiping an idol like this. It’s odd when you think about it how backwards the people actually were in thinking a chunk of gold was a god. That is the positive of science where it shows us the folly of this practice. At the same time we worship idols in a different way today. We use the car, or our “significant other”, or some other “shiny object” to “worship.” Sure we are not expecting them to answer prayers or provide things, but we focus all our energies on them and push away God altogether. So we can get caught up in “idol worship” with everything we know, although it is different than Israel at this time.

The other thing to remember is they were leaving Egypt where this practice was very common, so that may be a “byproduct” of that experience. Notice what Aaron does in verse 32:24 when Moses calls him out:

So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

He flat out lies to cover his butt!! How many times have we all done this to God? Do you really think HE fell for it?? Nope, God sees right through the lie and punishes Israel for their drift. Interestingly, this is not what keeps them out of the “Promised Lands” like many of us believe. No a lack of faith ruined Israel, not worshiping an idol.

2 Corinthians 9 – 10

In verses 9:6–8 Paul quickly cuts to the chase on the tithe and charity:

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

The New Testament giving is a hotly debated topic among churches and Christians. There are some who contest that giving a tithe, or 10%, per Old Testament laws is what we still need to honor. Of course when the question of can we eat pork comes up, one points out Peter’s vision in Acts and how it is ok to eat any “food.” Now others use the New Testament definition giving via the Widow and her mite or the rich man who was asked to give it all. These examples are often used as “models” which compel people to give everything.

These are more examples of the “stranglehold” money has on our relationship with God, that how we should give. We need to realize all blessings come from God and to honor Him, but we still need to be wise with our resources. It’s a fine line between how to give and how to work. What Paul is pointing out here is if we give begrudgingly, that we are not “honoring” God in anyway. We should be compelled to give generously not because of the rewards on the backend, but because of the help it provides on the frontend.

If you think your church is too big or they waste the money, find another way to give your 10%. Find a charity you support and get behind them. Now one “trap” not to fall into is the “time” one. Say you believe your “tithe” is given in “labor” and not in cash make sure that is given when you would “normally” be working. Service to the Lord is not a title in my opinion, but again something we should do with joy. That is another topic altogether, where my point here is we need to use the “Law” as a guide and do so with joy in our tithe and eating habits. If we do so we will live in greater harmony in this world, having extra in times of lack and being healthy to perform God’s work.

Paul reminds us in verse 10:3 the battle we are in:

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

I am reminded about the battle that is being waged each and every day with evil. We tend to ignore the fact there is a devil who wants to remove us from being with God. Science has become the latest tool he uses to remove this connection when in actuality it should strengthen it even greater. What becomes even more sinister is how Satan is showing man the connection we have with the temporal things in life.

Let me expand on this, the world is made of energy. If we look at the most solid object known to man and keep examining it to a smaller and small level we find it’s made of “atoms” that consist of a “core” or protons and neutrons with electrons orbiting. So even the most densely packed object still has space energy can “pass” through. Satan has introduced the idea that you can “materialize” what you think, and for many this works. Your “thoughts” produce “energy” which “attracts” what you want in the “universe”. The problem with this thinking is it removes God from the equation and makes man believe they can become their own “gods” by twisting Biblical principles.

Satan knows if they can twist Jesus’ promise in Matthew 21:22 and remove God from the equation then he will win the soul. Jesus knew this principle of “attraction” but did not focus on it since money, power and things can consume one’s life away from God. I think if we learn balance between our relationship with God and these principles that is when the “blessings” will flow. I think we need to keep this in “check” as Christian’s also so not to attract people to Jesus as a giver of toys, but as a source of salivation!

Luke 3 – 4

John the Baptist is preparing the way for the Lord, Jesus. This “crazy man” in the wilderness seems to be gathering a lot of attention. Many ask who he is and what his purpose is and he answers them in verse 3:16:

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

First, the story of John the Baptist always makes me think of a time at the shop. We always use to get the Buford “locals” who brought color to the area. Most were homeless and scrapping for dimes, but all had interesting stories. One man we use to call Jay Leno, because he looked like Jay, came into the shop and started rambling on how God was blessing this place. He was talking about the radio tower being a conduit for God’s power and how he saw an illuminated cross on the building.

Now we first met “Jay” in our dumpster, he was driving around gathering recyclables. Being a bicycle shop we always had a bunch of metal in the dump. He was an interesting man to talk with and we would set aside metal for him. Well after him telling us this “vision” he disappeared. Since part of his vision was 747’s being the “wings on eagles” we just assumed he left town.

Now life went on, we did our “thing” and thought nothing of the “vision” until a group did a video in front of the shop. Michael Obrien was shooting Rescue for a Bill Graham special. It was cool to watch the process, but they were well into the night and we went home. When we finally saw the finished product it was cool, seeing the shop with our 57 Chevy. But the thing that caught our eyes was the end, when the stack of tv’s in the window had a few turn on, to form an “illuminated” cross in our window. “Jay’s” vision came to a reality; God nudged us via a “street person” to say He’s thinking of us.

The second is what John was doing; he baptized the people in preparation for Jesus. He made sure that they understood what he was doing versus what Jesus would be doing. He knew the Holy Spirit was being freed for all mankind and he wanted people to understand the significance in this “baptism” analogy.

Verse 4:2 had Jesus tested almost immediately by Satan:

for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were over, he was hungry.

Imagine being tempted for 40 days! The devil worked on all aspects of man’s weakness to get Jesus to fail. He offered relief of the body in getting food. He offered him wealth by offering him an earthly kingdom. Finally he offered him immortality by using his father’s power to keep him safe. Jesus did not succumb to the “shiny objects” the devil offered, yet remained true to His purpose.

Now if Jesus was “tempted” for 40 days, why are there only three stories? One would think there would be a bunch over this period. At the same time he hit the “root” temptations that most man has. This story is much like the story of Jesus, we get the “start” and the “end”, but not much is known about the “middle”.

When reading this I wonder what “our” temptations would be. What’s your “trigger” to drift away from God? Is it lust, power, money, pleasure or something else? The one I fight the most is lust, I have to make a conscious effort to ensure I avoid porn or being alone with anyone of the opposite sex. It doesn’t matter the situation, it’s my self-imposed rules so I don’t ever get compromised.

Money is the other one I struggle with. I often wonder if a “deal with the devil” would work if I gave 90% to our church and kept 10%? That $100m jackpot would do a lot of good through the church! Ironically this is one I get sucked into often, where I focus on money and not God. Ironically the more I focus on money, the more indebted I become.

One last point on the reading is verses 4:16 – 30 where Jesus is rejected from His home. Imagine if some son of an auto mechanic down the street started preaching as if he were the Messiah. Would you listen to him, having seen him grow up? Most likely we would respond the same way and reject him. It’s ironic how the ones closet to Him could not see Him for what He truly was.

Jeremiah 37 – 41

As I start to read this morning verse 37:4 jumps out:

Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison.

It’s amazing when you think about our country and the freedoms we have. Here Jeremiah is being imprisoned for what he is saying. Granted Jesus was hung on a cross for the same thing! But today we tend to not appreciate our freedoms until things change.

Let me set the stage for you, recently riots have erupted all over the Middle East over what many say is a YouTube video mocking the prophet Muhammad. US embassies have been overrun and one ambassador was killed. I will not explore the real underlying issues with the riots, but let’s look at the film maker. I saw him the other day on TV wrapped in secrecy being escorted to jail by a ton of police for “questioning”.

One could argue that he did the equivalent of scream fire in a crowed theater, which is not protected speech. Really? It was just a movie that had been on YouTube for months before these riots erupted. Now this “director,” I use the term loosely since the film is second rate at best, is facing jail time. Is this man a scapegoat to cover the problems between the USA and the Muslim world or are there that many thin skinned people who would murder over a stupid film? I just know, like what he said or not, in this country he has the right to say what he wants and should be defended by our nation not arrested.

Jeremiah was in a different country when he was imprisoned, while this “director” was in the land of the free. Although both were imprisoned! Verse 38:2 is what got removed from jail and cast him into a cistern:

Thus says the LORD: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live.

I mean come on, cast him into a mud hole for saying this? He is just saying what the Lord told him! Now in the “peoples” defense I have heard many a man say a word from God only to not have things come true. Their answer is usually that God must have just wanted them to obey his prompt. I can say that getting a word from God is difficult to hear, much less interpret. Here Jeremiah has it “dialed in” and he gets tossed in jail and then a cistern!

Jeremiah gets rescued and then the next few chapters talks about the fall of Jerusalem and what the people had to do to remain safe. Interestingly it was what got Jeremiah thrown in jail. Now this ties back to the filmmaker, I don’t want to say he had a vision from God to create this POS, but his God given right of free speech as taken from him by an oppressive mob similar to Jeremiah. We don’t have to like what anyone says or even have to listen, but we do not need to jail them or throw them in a cistern is we are offended.

Job 39 – 40

God continues to remind Job just how insignificant we all really are in this world. How God is into everything and we just “rule” over a small slice of time and area. Verse 39:1 makes me think of our goats:

“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the does?

It’s funny, they “look” pregnant and may very well be but we have no idea if they are or when they will give birth. It will just happen and we have no clue, but God is 100% aware of what’s happening. Often we may wonder, why does God care about that kind of detail in the world? Really it’s beyond anything we can imagine since God is omnipresent and omniscient.

God is aware of everything and therefore cares about that baby goat Clover may have soon since it’s His creation. We try to limit God on our capacities and ability to handle things. Therefore we read a verse like this and cannot comprehend how God can do this. Again if you look at God in our image as an old man on a throne in the clouds, it’s not possible. But if you look at God more like “energy” that is everywhere and in everything, then it becomes possible.

Verse 40:1 the Lord asks Job a question:

“Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

Job responds humbly and promises silence in the next few verses. Now is this saying God does not want us to petition us with our concerns and prayers? No, if God cares about Clover’s baby kid, He adores us and wants to hear from us. We just have to know when the throttle the complaints and remember the thanks and praise.

I do this from time to time and would challenge you to do the same, but cease praying for yourself for a week. The only prayers that involve you are ones of thanks. Other than that pray for your family, friends and neighbors who need help. Pray for blessing on them and your wildest dreams for them. Refocus your prayers to others so to keep yourself in “check” on being too selfish. Just a “thought” or “exercise” for the week.

This actually ties into verse 40:12 where God rebukes the proud:

Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and tread down the wicked where they stand.

This is something we need to keep in check, especially this “political” season. Think about all the “rich” who need to “pay their fair share” in society. Honestly, that is your envy and pride thinking you know what to do with other people’s money better than they do. Heck Bill Gates could pay off all my debt in less than a day’s interest, so why not? Arrest those thoughts quickly and work on focusing on what you can do with the resources you have today. Think about whom you can help become debt free and not who can help you.

You will find throughout the scriptures God has a problem with pride. Why do you think this is anyway? Maybe it is because pride put YOU before God! Your own self-interests become more important than God’s plan for your life. The “I did” or “I earned” statements need to change to thanking God for the opportunity and give Him the credit. Now you see why that exercise is important not just for this week, but to be done often to keep yourself in “check”.