Category: Bible (Page 263 of 361)

All the boys in my junior high school took shop. I loved it. I enjoyed the daily break from books, working with my hands, and learning new skills. Not to mention a great shop teacher who balanced teaching and teasing to perfection.

One month we poured melted aluminum into sand molds to create plaques to hang on the wall. The artwork wasn’t so interesting (although my mom still has one, I think my brother’s, as his turned out better), but the process of melting aluminum proved fascinating.

Our teacher built a forge, and we all gathered aluminum from various sources. Intense heat melted the metal into a soupy mixture. The impurities rose to the top, then skimmed off and discarded. Pure, molten aluminum remained to pour into our molds. The teacher handled that process (junior high boys and all), while we stood by fascinated. The fire purified the metal for a new use.

The prophet Malachi describes the Lord chastening Israel, as refiner’s fire, a refiner and purifier of silver. The coming of the Lord promised to burn away areas of sin and unfaithfulness. Malachi pointed out the way the priests treated the Lord’s covenants with contempt—those attitudes now faced the forge. As a religious worker myself, I pay attention to such warnings. They cut close to the bone.

We used to sing a chorus at student gatherings, with one line going something like this, refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire…is to be holy…

But when I read the warnings of Malachi, and think of that scorching pot of melted aluminum in shop class, and remember the pile of slag bubbled off and thrown away, I’m not so sure. Might there be an easier way, Lord? How about a refining hug?

We’re told the Lord disciplines those he loves. As long as the Lord stays involved, I can hope in the finished product that is my life, even if I don’t like the heat it takes to get me there.

Malachi 3 in week fifty of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Joni Gutierrez

Heaven is quite a noisy place.

Fantastical creatures, with multiple wings and eyes and a face of an eagle or an ox or a lion or a man, never stop saying: Holy, holy holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

Elders fall before the throne of God and sing. Ten thousand times ten thousand angels encircle the throne and give praise to God. A uncountable multitude, from every nation, tribe, people and language, stand before the throne and cry out in loud voices: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.

A glorious cacophony, a choir like no other. But then the Lamb of God opens the seventh seal, and all fall quiet.

Silence.

I find quiet peaceful, especially after a busy day with lots of people. Silence in the woods restores my soul, and God speaks in silence. But silence can also warn of danger. In certain situations, silence raises the hairs on my neck. Silence sometimes gives way to darkness.

John writes of silence in heaven for about half an hour. Interesting he noted the time. He did so because silence in heaven is unusual. John watched all of heaven waiting for the trumpet of the Lord to sound.

I imagine I’ll experience a few minutes of silence today, a gift from the Lord. If these moments are broken by heavenly trumpets, I will duck and cover (read the rest of the chapter). Silence is powerful, and even the Lord calls for a few moments of quiet in the midst of his work.

Revelation 8 in week fifty of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Nick Fewings

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.

What things?

The writer of Psalm 98 points to two in particular—all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God, and the Lord will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Salvation and judgement.

For these twin blessings you and I can praise God today. Salvation, true hope and peace and comfort and life, lies nowhere else. It seems harder to consider judgement as a blessing, but who else might possible judge our lives in perfect righteousness and full equity? Who else has provided the answer to judgement in the person of his Son?

Let the rivers clap their hands, and the mountains sing together for joy.

Like the mountains, lift your voice in song, and like the rushing rivers, give the Lord a round of applause. For he has done marvelous things.

In fact, it seems a standing ovation best suits the occasion.

Psalm 98 in week forty-nine of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Keith Luke

The liveliest church service I ever attended occurred in the West African nation of Ivory Coast. Clapping, singing, and dancing all erupted at various times, including from the old white dude visiting that Sunday. Thanks to the graciousness of wonderful hosts, I never felt odd or out of place. I felt welcomed as a fellow follower of Jesus.

That morning with those joyful disciples leapt to mind when I read about the gigantic worship service described in Revelation 7:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.

Every nation, tribe, people and language refers to every ethnos, or people group, in the world. Which means that worshippers of Jesus will be found not just among nations, but among every distinct body of language and culture around the globe. We’re not there yet, as far as missiologists tell us, but every day the gospel spreads. Soon, this vision will be realized.

The heavenly gathering won’t be somber or sad. Rather, I picture it as joyous, raucous, and unlike any gathering you or I have ever attended.

I don’t want to miss it.

Revelation 7 in week forty-nine of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Eva Blue