Category: Bible (Page 269 of 361)

I take breathing for granted, until I’m hiking here in Colorado, or coming up for a breath in the pool. Then I notice my need to breathe.

The week I read in Ezekiel about piles and piles of dry bones forming an army. The Lord put them all together—bones, tendons, flesh and skin—then as the final step breathed life into each.

Today I read the psalmist describe idols from the surrounding nations: They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.

Of course, I don’t expect statues made from precious metals to come alive, but more distressing are the following words for those who look with reverence on such idols and the gods they represent. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Those who follow false gods lose their breath.

Breathing is precious and life-sustaining. How much more the breath of God? The man who follows false gods never gains the breath of God. He never comes alive.

Or, perhaps more pointed toward my life, my choices to turn from the Lord and follow the false gods of this world mean a slow smothering of the breath of God in my life. It’s like I’m sinking farther and farther underwater, ignoring my need to kick to the surface.

No breath in their mouths—a fate I avoid by staying connected with the source of abundant life and breath.

Psalm 135 in week forty-five of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Raj Rana

I’ve always liked Thomas, the doubter among those who walked around with Jesus, probably because I’m a doubter myself. Lots of questions swirl around in my head when I hear someone speak, and although I rarely voice them, I give attention to my doubts.

As Jesus prepared his disciples for his impending crucification and resurrection, he spoke of leaving and returning and how the disciples should understand this—You know the way to the place where I am going.

Thomas responded, “Huh?” Actually, that’s my paraphrase. Thomas really said, Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Seems like a good question to me.

Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.

Jesus was going to the Father, and there’s only one way there. That’s what Jesus helped Thomas understand. Thomas knew the way because Thomas knew Jesus.

Despite common platitudes, only one road leads to the top of the mountain—the way of Jesus. Not Buddha, not Confucius, not Krishna, not Kali, not Mohammad, not witchcraft, not paganism, not secret societies, not wisdom, not education, not donating massive amounts of money to charity, not a life of good works outweighing the bad, and especially not some vague belief in an absorption into the universe.

Only Jesus.

No doubt.

John 14 in week forty-five of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Quaritsch Photography

In an unforgettable flash of creative energy, God breathed life into a valley of dry bones. The passage reads like something from The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien, a committed Christian, undoubtedly held Ezekiel 37 in the back of his mind while writing that section).

Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

God called for tendons and flesh and skin. There was noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together…tendons and flesh appeared and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Next, God breathed life into their bodies. Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe life into these slain, that they may live. Breath entered, and born again they stood on their feet—a vast army.

Reminiscent of the creation account in Genesis when the Lord breathed life into Adam, after molding his body from the dust.

Also reminiscent of the cross, where God took one life, and by doing so breathed fresh, eternal life into the world. What were we in our sin but dry bones? Piles of discarded pieces with no spiritual life? The Lord animated you and me, put tendons and flesh together and breathed new life in us. And so we stand before him today.

I will put my Spirit in you and you will live. With the Lord is life. Without the Lord I’m just a bag of bones.

Ezekiel 37 in week forty-five of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Trollinho

Several passages I read this morning reminded me of the heart of God for the nations. Fascinating how reading from various books of the Bible in the same sitting reveals themes I might miss if I read them on separate days.

Here’s my progression of writers today, from Ezekiel to David to John:

I will show the holiness of my great name…Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes (Ezekiel 36:23).

Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name (Psalm 86:8-9).

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Phillip with a request, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus” (John 12:20-21).

God proclaimed through Ezekiel that the nations would see his holiness. David predicted the arrival of people from all nations to worship the Lord. Then—in nearly the exact same spot—travelers of a distant land arrived with the goal of meeting Jesus.

Jesus came first to the lost sheep of Israel, and because God’s plan included everyone in the world, the good news flowed far beyond their borders.

The expansion continues to this day. Check out this graph illustrating one aspect of the growth of the Christian faith over the centuries. It shows the world-wide ratio of non-Christians to practicing Christians from the first century to today:

For every active Jesus follower in 100 AD, roughly 360 people remained uninformed or uninterested. Today that ratio is 1 to 7—astounding growth, with more still to come.

Why? Because God wants the nations to know that He is the Lord, and even today there are millions of people who would like to see Jesus.

Ezekiel 36, Psalm 86, & John 12 in week forty-five of reading the Bible cover to cover.

Photo by Jireh Mark