Author: Dave Dishman (Page 281 of 475)

One of the reasons I dislike camping is that it’s so uncomfortable. Sleeping on the ground, lots of bug spray with no shower—I suffer all day for a few minutes of bliss around the campfire. I ease toward the cheap comforts of a motel and miss a night under a million stars.

While my whiny camping experiences in no way compares in either severity or consequence, I’m impressed with the way the believers in Thessalonica responded to the good news Paul delivered. They welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

The gospel, the good news of the coming of the kingdom of God, Jesus the Messiah now in our midst, lifts the eyes of those in need. From the start of his ministry Jesus healed chronic, debilitating illness. This kind of power and conviction, with the reversal fear and alienation, arrived with Paul in Thessalonica. To the new believers the arrival of the kingdom of God make the suffering worthwhile.

I’ve heard it said, Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Sounds reasonable to me. When I rest in on my couch, sated from a big Mexican dinner with remote in hand, my need for a savior fades. Much of our lifestyles focus on comfort and don’t get me wrong—I love comfort. But comfort draws my eyes away from the kingdom of God.

Here’s a weird thing to say, but fortunately life brings challenges and suffering. Difficulties lift my thoughts beyond myself, all the way to the Lord above. It’s through adversity that I begin to experience the joy given by the Holy Spirit. Not under my blanket binging Seinfeld.

I Thessalonians 1 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters

I bought tickets for the Colorado Rockies and plan to take my nephews to a baseball game tonight. Hot dogs and peanuts and baseball—count on Uncle Dave for a good time. I enjoy the intricacies of baseball, a game I’ve followed my entire life. One pre-internet summer in Eastern Europe I continually searched for discarded copies of the International Herald Tribune to check the major league standings.

Every good team of any type pays attention to its chemistry. Strong teammates get along, help each other improve, and spur better performance. Lots of disagreements and challenges arise, but the work of the group pulls the team through. Success follows team cohesion.

But not always. Some baseball players gain a reputation for being a problem in the clubhouse. They might be argumentative, or cutting, or lazy. This guy plays the game well, otherwise he’d be shown the door, but he focuses only on himself.

A wise manager applies this proverb to the situation: Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended. The only solution to the problem in the clubhouse is to make the problem go away.

The mocker leaves, the air’s cleaner, and the game suddenly gets easier. It’s enjoyable to go to take the field again. Have you ever worked with someone like this? I have a handful of times, and each time they left I sighed in relief.

The opposite is also true. Multiple players extend their careers (including lucrative financial incentives) because they’re known as a positive influence in the clubhouse, especially around younger players. Their presence, even if they rarely play, builds an outstanding team.

Fortunately in my work I receive annual performance reviews. I pay attention with this idea in mind—am I a problem or a help in the clubhouse?

Proverbs 22:10 in reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Lesly Juarez

The Bible contains lots of names. I own a book called All the People in the Bible that’s 578 pages thick. Another called Who’s Who in the Bible weighs in at 626 pages. I find lists of names in the Scriptures especially fascinating. Rather than skim down the page, I’ve learned to pay attention to odd names and the descriptors that follow.

Paul greeted a number of the believers in Rome by name. Here’s an example: Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.

Who was Apelles and what test did he stand?

We don’t know. Apelles was a common name at the time, so it yields few clues. The testing he endured remains buried.

But a line of greeting from Paul reveals some things. Paul suffered through shipwrecks, beatings, mocking, scourges, and stoning. He ran with a resolute crowd. Paul understood fidelity and used that word sparingly. To point out Apelles for his faithfulness and loyalty underscored the man’s character lived out over years of service.

I hope in heaven to visit with all the people found in the Bible. Time will be no more, so no hurry. I imagine a crowd around Apelles, finally hearing his story of faith. I plan to camp there awhile and tease out the details.

Then after him, I’ll continue down a line of saints whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test, those whom we’ve never heard of and whose names grace no list save the one the Lord keeps. For people like Apelles blessed the church down the centuries and exist among us even today. When you notice them (they tend to stay quiet as they work), thank them.

Because you and I and the world around us need such solid people.

Romans 16 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Dorothy Lin

I sometimes find it hard to discover sources of regular encouragement. As I read my newsfeed, or scan through the latest controversy or cancelation on social media, rarely does an impetus to endure raise its head. But Paul reminds me of just such a resource at my fingertips.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

These past scriptures Paul refers to, our Old Testament, provide a gushing spring of endurance and encouragement. Endurance in the lives of those we read about and encouragement in God’s care for his people.

It’s popular today to discount the teachings of the Old Testament as too ancient or out of touch for our modern era. But Paul pushes an opposite agenda. We need those scriptures.

Everything that was written in the past—enduring wisdom from the hand of God—exists for our benefit. To help encourage us in the faith and to build endurance to live the faith, and even to flourish in the midst of our challenging world.

These Scriptures endured thousands of years. We need them if we hope to enjoy and live out our faith a few dozen more.

Romans 15 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Karim MANJRA