Author: Dave Dishman (Page 200 of 458)

This morning my wife announced she’s pregnant. Ha! I knew better than to be taken in by that April Fool’s prank. She’ll need a more clever ruse before I play the fool.

The scriptures mention a variety of fools. One stands out as particularly malevolent. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

This fool is morally deficient. He acts corruptly, chews people up and frustrates the poor. Such fools live solely for themselves and take whatever possible from others. They justify their actions by denying the existence of God, allowing them to develop a unique moral code, which just happens to benefit themselves.

Such cruelty exists in every generation. These fools strategically exploit. Sadly, good people may live their entire lives under the thumb of their evil.

Fortunately, God is present in the company of the righteous. At some point, in the present or in the future, salvation will arrive from Zion and the Lord will restore his people.

No joke.

Psalm 14 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Rachel

Jesus invited everyone to come and taste the kingdom of God. But he also drew boundaries. Notice these statements from Jesus as recorded by Luke:

Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division (Luke 12:50).

Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to (Luke 13:24).

Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples (Luke 14:33).

Following Jesus involves giving up everything. Ponder a bit on that idea. This involves possessions, career, and financial plans, but doesn’t stop there. His ask soaks to the core of my being. Surrender of self-will to his will. Letting Jesus have his way, whatever that means. Everything strikes me uniquely.

Jesus didn’t give a two-tier call, where the saintly enter the narrow door and the rest shuffle through the turnstiles of heaven. As I read, there’s only one door, and it’s narrow.

Make every effort to enter.

Luke 12, 13 & 14 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Filip Kominik

When discussing the role of money in our lives, a friend once honestly remarked, I don’t love money…but I do love stuff, and I need more money to get more stuff! I believe many of us would agree with his sentiment.

Jesus spoke of values surrounding wealth—you cannot serve God and money. A group of Pharisees in the audience, holding a philosophy similar to my friend, sneered at Jesus. How naive. Jesus turned and responded, You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Money and the stuff it buys, power and position, places of honor, attention—these the Pharisees loved. Yet God despised their values.

Which leads me to wonder—what do I think of highly that God actually detests?

Money, the use of money, the temptation to think more money will solve all my problems springs forth. Like the religious leaders surrounding Jesus, I value position, attention, pride of place. Values this world fuels with intensely narcissistic fires.

I need to pause and examine if I’m holding values that God not only finds distasteful, but actually loathes. Perhaps then I may move out of the detestable zone into a more humble region of God’s pleasure.

Luke 16 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by freestocks

The story of the Gibeonites fascinates me. These were the guys who dressed in old clothes and worn out sandals, filled cracked saddle bags with moldy bread and convinced Israel’s leaders they traveled from a distant land to sign a peace treaty.

A few days after the ceremony Joshua discovered the ruse. The Gibeonites lived one valley over and cooked up the scheme to save their skins. Who can blame them? Honoring his pledge, Joshua let them live.

When questioned about their deception they replied, your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.

The Gibeonites developed a fear and respect for the Lord and his people. They heard the stories and believed. Like Rahab the prostitute in Jericho, they turned toward the Lord rather than away. They took God at his word and acted accordingly.

It seems that faith doesn’t need to be lined up perfectly in order to be effective. A little faith in the right place makes all the difference. Which is hopeful for those of us who never seem to get it all right all the time.

Joshua 9 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Oziel Gómez