Category: Bible (Page 268 of 361)

Nebuchadnezzar never lacked for confidence. Even in his dreams he managed to rule the world. Daniel interpreted a dream for the king after the Lord revealed both the dream and the explanation to him, thus pacifying Nebuchadnezzar, and saving the lives of all the king’s magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers (if I ever become an all-powerful king, I’ll keep a whole passel of these folks around).

I’ve read this story over and over, but this time I picked up a new detail. The kingdoms in the dream eventually crashed and scattered, then become like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace.

Great palaces and kings and armies and temples, the envy of their epochs, ground to dust and blown away. Reminds me of these lines from the poem Ozymandias by Shelley:

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, king of kings;
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

If great kingdoms pass on to dust, how much more my feeble efforts? Three things last forever—God, the Word of God, and the souls of people. I’m best served to invest my time and talents in those directions.

Follow God, invest in the scriptures, serve and enjoy the people around me. These acts form the basis for a life of influence that lasts. All the rest blows away in the wind.

Daniel 2 in week forty-six of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Hana El Zohiry

Does it seem weird to you that Jesus told his disciples that they would be better off after he left? I mean, how do things get better when Jesus leaves? It seemed weird to the disciples, and they immediately started asking questions.

Jesus answered them, very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

The announcement of the Advocate, or the Holy Spirt, changed the game. Jesus may not be with us in person, but the Holy Spirit stands with followers of Jesus every day. The Spirit of Truth speaks the word of Jesus to our hearts and souls.

I imagine that if Jesus were standing right next to me, his light of clarity would illumine my difficult decisions. I would just ask Jesus the right way to go. But I overlook the magnificent gift Jesus refers to in this teaching. The Holy Spirit, speaking the words of Jesus, actually stands with me this very moment.

So—how do I hear what He has to say?

First, I need to ask. Ask the Holy Spirit to control my thoughts and decision-making. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide me every day, to point out areas that displease him—sin—and to direct me in better ways. I need to understand that the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures work seamlessly together. Time in the scriptures opens doors for the Spirit to work.

Then, of course, I need to listen and obey—the crux of the issue.

If I hope to experience a relationship with God, a term we use a lot in Christian discipleship, then it appears the key connection lies with the Holy Spirit. A relationship begins with someone close, and who’s closer than our Advocate?

Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, for guidance, for patience, for conviction, for love and for all the things heavy on your heart. But expect him to start messing around in your life. You might be like me and not want someone aiming truth at the places where you nurture lies. But Jesus sent the Spirit of Truth to do just that.

Give the Holy Spirit a chance to work. You’ll be happily surprised with the results.

John 16 in week forty-six of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Mantas Hesthaven

I climbed a winding set of stairs in order to enter the balcony. Standing in one of the most beautiful churches in the country, it was hard to imagine the disjointed spiritual history of the place. I visited First Baptist Church of Charleston, South Carolina, as part of a conference to learn about the racial history in Charleston, and to hear from experts about how to make better history in the future.

The pastor of First Baptist helped us grasp the significance of the balcony. Before the Civil War, slaves stood up here, while their owners sat in pews on the floor. Slaves entered the church through side doors before heading up the stairs— the mixing of slave and free forbidden.

The pastor acknowledged the painful history of slavery in the 200 year-old building, and talked of steps taken to build better relationships with other churches in town. Since the shooting of nine people at a Bible study several years ago (at Mother Emanuel AME church) churches in Charleston have worked with renewed vigor to overcome deep-seated racial divides.

Then, this humble leader pointed out what proved to be the most stunning lesson of my time in Charleston. Enslaved blacks, packed shoulder to shoulder, listened weekly to white slave-owning preachers. Even when hearing the gospel from people they despised, many, many, many of those slaves in that balcony gave their lives to Christ. 

Only the gospel of Jesus Christ carries such power.

Can you think of a worse way to convert someone? Enslave them, beat them and work them hard all their lives, then ask them to follow your religion? While the assurances from slave-masters sounded like clanging cymbals, the words of Jesus brought faith, hope and love. I stood in awe, breathing it in. God’s grace truly cut through a multitude of sins.

The church recently installed a plaque (seen above) commemorating their enslaved members, and they no long use the side doors in honor of those forced to use them in the past. The plaque reads:

IN MEMORY of the thousands of enslaved members of the First Baptist Church of Charleston whose names we do not know, but are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. 

Revelation 7:9 

May we humbly acknowledge our past, and realize that we possess the same powerful, life-altering gospel of Jesus Christ to give to our world.

As a gardener I initially resisted the act of pruning. Why would I take a healthy, strong part of a plant and cut it off? But I quickly learned that pruning focuses growth. Pruning allows the plant to focus its energy on producing fruit that’s sweeter, juicier and fatter.

Which is exactly what the Lord wants us to become—sweeter, juicier and fatter.

To get there the Lord prunes aspects of our lives, or asks us to take up the shears ourselves. Some things seem obvious for me, like turning off the TV and picking up a book, or forgoing that late evening bowl of ice cream (although it tends to help with “fatter”).

But the Lord cuts deeper. I experienced three organizational restructures in four years where I work. Each restructure moved people I enjoyed away. Each changed the cadence of my work and travel. Each shifted my responsibilities and influence. The last cut away a personal vision for contributing to the mission. I felt pruned to the nub.

Here’s what I often miss—the Lord prunes in order to create energy for better fruit. Out of my pruning surfaced time to reflect and look around. A creativity class popped up in my inbox, I signed up and met a great group of encouraging people, and the idea for a daily blog on Bible reading emerged.

Today I’m serving in a new role—in a different department of the same organization—with refreshed vision and space to roam. I anticipate greater contributions to come, and look to the future with excitement.

After pruning, anticipate greater fruitfulness. Not initially as the cuts heal, but as growth takes off in new, unexpected areas (I think one reason gardeners talk to plants is that we want to remind them that the cutting will lead to wonderful fruit).

I am the true vine, and my Father in the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

In the midst of the pruning, try to remember the promise of the master gardener. He cuts and discards so that you and I might grow sweeter, juicier and fatter.

John 15 in week forty-five of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Markus Spiske