Category: Bible (Page 303 of 419)

I have the good fortune to know many, many generous people. When around a generous person, I feel lighter, like things will work out. There’s something about a generous spirit that infects those around them.

I like to think I’ve a generous person, but deep down I know I’m slower to give than I should. My wife lives her generosity way better, which laps over and helps me share better.

When the psalmist writes, blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands, I notice that twice in the following paragraphs the blessed person lives out their generosity:

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely…

They (the blessed) have freely scattered their gifts to the poor…

To experience the blessings of the Lord is unparalleled. A sign of such blessing, an outcome of my blessedness, a normal and correct response to understanding the ways the Lord blessed me, is to simply turn and bless others.

When one enjoys the blessings of the Lord (and I certainly do), then it’s my duty to spread those blessings around. To cling to them them is to ruin them.

Generosity grows the blessedness of the Lord. A good word for me, and perhaps for others of us less inclined.

Psalm 112 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Elaine Casap

If only I invested in Apple stock all those years ago…

If only I passed on that pizza at midnight…

If only I studied…

If/Only statements usually point to regret. But sometimes they point to promises at hand in danger of slipping away. Read the words of God through Asaph the psalmist:

If only you would listen to me, Israel!

If my people would only listen to me…

If Israel would only follow my ways…

Asaph goes on to underscore that if only the children of Israel obeyed the Lord, their enemies would collapse and evil would be punished. Better still, the finest of harvests awaited. My favorite promise he makes? Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

The Lord lays out the welcome mat to me and you. If only I listen to him, if only I follow, if only I turn my attention to the quiet, inexorable ways of the Lord, then I might open my mouth to be filled.

Psalm 81 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Jordan Nix

Today Kyiv, Ukraine, lies under siege from Russian forces. Over 120 Ukrainian national staff with Cru find themselves in the middle of this terrible war. I feel privileged to have met many of these delightful brothers and sisters in Poland a few years ago.

Today some are trying to flee Ukraine, some are choosing to stay and minister, and some are simply stuck.

Will you join me in praying for them?

Pray for those under siege, and pray for those walking to a border crossing. Pray for physical safety. Pray for safe routes to leave. Pray for food and shelter. Pray for those who cannot leave. Pray for their families and children.

King David wrote of fear and hope during a time under siege:

Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help (Psalm 31:21-22).

Pray that each of these staff and their family members experience the Lord’s mercy in the midst of this terrible trial, and each see the wonders of God’s love.

Finally, join me in praying for peace.

If you would like to help financially with the needs of our Cru staff in Ukraine, you can do so here: Ukraine Emergency Fund.

When explaining the sacrificial system, the Lord ordered worshippers to present the best of their flocks and herds, not slide in a cheap substitute:

Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

My translation (pardon the crudeness): bring your best to the Lord, not your crap.

After the recent horrible fires here in Colorado, people responded generously. Along with financial gifts, local charities were bombarded with mounds of clothes and household items. Most gave good stuff. But I saw a news piece about extra dumpsters needed to get rid of the dirty, broken, worn-out items people dropped off. The expense to haul it away consumed precious funds meant for fire victims.

No one wants your lousy stuff—the Lord included.

When I bring my best to the Lord, when I trust him by giving away some of my hard-earned money and time that I could use elsewhere, I rely on the Lord to replace my gift and provide again.

The Lord takes my best and makes it better. It might not be of the same type of gift I gave—better comes in more than material ways. But in any situation, the Lord rewards trust.

Bring your best.

Leviticus 22 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Nick de Partee