Author: Dave Dishman (Page 169 of 458)

For over a year I’ve been involved in the development of a new website for Faculty Commons, the ministry where I work. Almost ready for launch, we sent the soon to be released site out to several people for review. Along with excitement about the site, folks noticed typos, some wording issues and a few other problems.

Fresh eyes on the website proved super helpful. I and my team had looked at it so long we glossed over important details we needed to fix.

I can treat reading my Bible the same way. In doing so I’m not alone, as Jesus scolded the Pharisees for the same problem. He told them, You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

These Pharisees studied the Hebrew scriptures intently. They read daily and memorized vast portions. As students of the scriptures they were unsurpassed, but they got lost in minutia and missed the main point. The power of God faded beneath their parsing of the text.

Rigid adherence to rules often masks a heart more interested in control than understanding ways of the Lord. The scriptures exist to draw us close to the Lord and experience his power. Lock him down and you miss the point.

Pray for fresh eyes as you open the Good Book.

Matthew 22 in reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Philippe Bout

When I was a kid I loved thinking about a future world with jet packs and flying cars. I heard predictions and assumed these would be readily available by the year 2000. Although long disappointed, I recently saw a prototype for a flying taxi, so I’m again hoping to soar to Walmart and pick up some milk.

With our history of predictions that fail to come true, it’s amazing to read prophetic words from the Bible. Micah wrote these lines roughly 500 years before the birth of Christ:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be a ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Of course, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and his origin was from ancient or eternal times. The wise men from the East, having read this prophecy, visited Herod looking for a new king born in Bethlehem. And today, the greatness of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, reaches the ends of the earth.

Fulfilled prophecies point to the validity of the Bible. They back up its truth claims. We can trust the words of the Scriptures, just as we can trust Jesus is the Messiah. Amazing to consider, and much more astounding than a flying car.

Micah 5 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Mehdi MeSSrro

So much noise bombards our attention, and reams of entertainment threaten to bury us in frivolity. Where to turn for a hopeful, sober, wise view of the world and how should live in it?

Jesus told his disciples, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

All the philosophies of mankind will pass away. All the collected works in every library, along with the full knowledge of ChatGPT, will go. The teachings of the Buddha and Dali Lama and every other religious teacher will fade. The chatter and videos of all the influencers will thankfully end. All the wealth and magnificence and weapons of warfare will sink below the waves. All gone.

Only the words of Jesus stand forever.

With my limited mind I can only invest mental energy in the few things. Seems to me that eternal teachings should stand at the top of the list. Jesus’ words and their application form the corpus of an astute person’s mindset and direction.

The wise ones invest here.

Matthew 24 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Aaron Burden

My mother and father and grandparents and teachers and pastors and every other authority figure in my life admonished me to practice what you preach. It’s good advice, even if difficult to carry out.

Jesus excoriated the national religious leaders in front of a large crowd for just such a failure: The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Jesus laid out example after example of how these men failed to practice what they preached. They talked a good game, but inside were blind guides full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Practice what you preach—the bottom line when it comes to living an authentic life and credible faith. The failure to do so among our leaders frustrates us, just as our failures frustrate others. It’s no surprise when those of us who preach (myself included) neglect mercy and faithfulness, we leave people cold to the ways of faith.

Some lessons never grow stale. Practice what you preach. Easy to say, hard to do.

Matthew 23 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Alena Jarrett