Author: Dave Dishman (Page 245 of 458)

My television burned smokin’ hot this weekend with the start of the college football season. From Thursday evening (Go Mizzou!) through Monday, football beamed its special brand of glory into my living room. Like a pig to slop, I wallowed in touchdowns and fumbles. Next weekend the NFL season begins—gotta let the TV cool down before that binge.

I draw some justification in my enjoyment of football thanks to Paul’s references to athletes and competitions. To the Corinthians he wrote, do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to win.

Paul highlighted the self-discipline all successful athletes exhibit—everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.

During one of the pre-game warmups this weekend, a coach walked among his players, patting them on their helmets and repeating this mantra: trust your training. The team drilled and sweated and studied for weeks—trained—to not only prepare, but to win.

The life of faith involves training and preparation and self-discipline. Time in the scriptures, praying and seeking the Lord, listening to the Holy Spirit and learning from others all build our faith for challenges ahead.

Finally, Paul worried about being disqualified. To avoid that fate he encourages us to train and prepare. So that in the midst of the games—the fierce engagements of life—we’ll find ourselves competing for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Gene Gallin

He sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

The words describe Hezekiah, one of the latter kings of Judah. His father, the king before him, flipped God the bird and tanked both himself and his people. Hezekiah in turn rejected his father’s apostasy and came in from the cold.

FYI—pray for the next generation to seek God wholeheartedly, despite the foibles inherited from parents. It’s the best thing we can do for them.

Hezekiah prayed for his fellow citizens as they turned back to the Lord with enthusiasm, but without proper training in protocol. The Lord, demonstrating understanding and grace, heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

Hezekiah determined to return his nation to the rightful worship of the Lord. He went at the task with an enthusiastic, unreserved commitment. The people of Judah responded, destroying the idols and alters polluting the land, once again in tune with the ways of God.

The prompt is simple. To seek the Lord and serve without hesitation brings a prosperity of soul, if not a prosperity of life. Sounds a lot like love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

The world’s a crazy place, but seeking the Lord and working his ways with a warm and willing commitment appears to be the best—and only—way to cultivate true prosperity for you and me and those we love.

2 Chronicles 30 & 31 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Sigmund

Deep in the depths of a mountain, on a cold rock in the middle of an icy lake, a small gnarled creature sat with his precious. If you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, you immediately picture Gollum and his golden ring. Gollum cherished the ring above all else in life, and that obsession led him to destroy those he loved and eventually himself.

JRR Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings and a devout follower of Jesus, affirmed the nature of the human heart when he created Gollum. We sometimes cherish the wrong things, to our detriment and even to the harm of those we love.

The psalmist admits if I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

The best way to stifle my prayers is to cherish sin in my heart. This doesn’t necessarily refer to actions or attitudes I display that displeases the Lord, but to cherish is to nurture or cultivate this particular sin. I may hide my sins from the Lord like an embarrassed Adam in the garden, but cherish refers to a calculated attitude of pleasure.

When I cherish my pet sin I give it attention, I feed it and groom it in the dark. I return because spending time together makes me feel better. Like Gollum with his ring, I nurse my loss or hurt or desire or jealousy or pride.

It’s silly. The Lord knows what I cherish in my heart, and stands ready to forgive when I open my hand and give him the nasty attitudes I clutch. But what the refusal to open myself to the Lord does over time is not silly. Just like Gollum twisted into a deformed, unrecognizable creature, our souls twist and tighten. I know people like this—I don’t want to become them.

It’s worth asking the Lord a question: What am I cherishing in my heart? Am I cherishing sin and if so, what is it? Take time and listen carefully. The Lord answers such brave prayers.

An inward journey takes us to new places. When we open our dark treasures to the Lord, we can join the psalmist in celebrating: 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!

Psalm 66 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Giorgia Sormani