Author: Dave Dishman (Page 182 of 474)

Americans give generously in response to emergencies. After the Colorado wildfires near our home at the end of 2021, people donated piles of goods and materials. In situations like this we want to help and giving allows us to lend a hand.

Outside of emergency situations, giving often wanes. We need reminders to stay faithful. The people of Jerusalem and Judah slowed their giving to a trickle as their temple fell into disrepair and their priests ignored the Lord.

However, a new king, Hezekiah, threw open the doors of the ancient temple and began repairs. He reinstituted worship and consecrated priests. Hezekiah purified the temple and celebrated Passover in a massive way not seen in years. Then he called for contributions.

The people responded. As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. The people of Israel and Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps.

The citizens gave so much the priests mounded everything in the courtyard of the temple. Later the king ordered warehouses be prepared for all the offerings. With a fresh vision to return to the Lord the people opened their hearts and their pocketbooks.

Generous giving marks a life tuned to the ways of the Lord. We give in response to the Lord’s graciousness to us and when we all give together, we create heaps and heaps of goods to share with others.

2 Chronicles 31 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP

Ultimately, going at life apart from the Lord leads to futility. Isaiah wrote to his people:

We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life.

No one comes to true life under our own cleverness or power. But along with this warning, Isaiah laid out a path toward flourishing:

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal…Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

We leave a frivolous existence giving birth to wind and turn towards substance when we read and learn and apply the laws of the Lord. The direction of our devotion then leads us away from self and towards the Lord, the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 26 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros

A box of fresh Colorado peaches sits on my kitchen counter. A ripe peach sliced on ice cream makes for the perfect treat. In fact, I believe the fruit in the middle of the garden that tempted Eve wasn’t actually an apple, but was really a peach. Who could resist?

The flavor of a perfect peach reminds me of the generosity of the Lord. God could have fed us, but fruit didn’t have to taste this good or come in such abundance. David reflected on the Lord’s provision for us in this way:

You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

Gardens and farmer’s markets overflowing with fresh produce reflect the benevolence of the Lord. We experience his bounty all year long, but the joys of the harvest remind us anew.

Enjoy a peach and taste, quite literally, the goodness of God.

Psalm 65 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by LuAnn Hunt

Many of us experienced storms this summer where falling limbs knocked out power. When the power’s out nothing works. The TV stays blank, the internet is inaccessible, air conditioners don’t cool and if the grid stays down long enough, food in the freezer starts to rot.

Power lines overhead remind me of our prayer life. The psalmist wrote:

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

The best way to pull the plug on my prayer life is to cherish sin in my heart. To cherish means to dwell upon my particular sin, to hold it close and hide it from others. I don’t do anything to stop it, and I manipulate circumstances to keep it alive.

What do you and I cherish that displeases the Lord? Pride, lack of forgiveness, jealousy and anger come to mind. Perhaps coveting what others possess, or treasuring immorality from hidden sessions on social media or the internet. Do I despise my neighbor and enjoy the thought of their frustrations in life?

Regardless of the sin, cherishing it cuts off access to the Lord. Power failure—the lines are down. Frustrated in prayer? Look inward and remove the debris, then the Lord will listen once again.

Psalm 66 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by fabian jones