Category: Bible (Page 305 of 419)

Some approach the Bible as a pretty book to decorate a shelf, while others read the Bible as literature (I took such a class once). Many simply comb through for a few verses to bolster arguments about preferred behaviors.

But what if the Scriptures represent a far more mysterious and powerful force?

Do you remember the movie Jumanji? In the story, a pair of children find a long lost game and start to play. Unbeknownst to them, the game comes alive, and once you start playing you cannot stop until the game is finished. Killer spiders invade the house, elephants stampede—mayhem breaks out. All of life changes when the game begins.

That’s the way to read the Scriptures.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Don’t read the Bible only for the literature, and move beyond historical facts. Do more than pluck verses to proof text behavior.

Instead, pray the Lord brings the Scriptures to life. Ask the Holy Spirit to release the latent power of the word of God. Take a risk—open yourself to the great unknown.

Roll the dice. The game awaits.

Hebrews 4 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Jumanji, by Chris Van Allsburg, 1981

Today marks a milestone in our work with two Afghan refugee families—moving into permanent housing.

Dawn and I are only a small part of a wonderful team of people from our church caring for these families. Other team members help with teaching English, shopping for clothes, filling out paperwork, engaging with the myriad of agencies providing aid, and especially needed—driving one of the moms with a painful tooth to the dentist several times.

Yesterday a group of us moved furniture into the apartments. All went well, except for one couch that despite shoving and twisting (but no cursing—this being a church move) failed to clear the elevator. Back to the truck with that beast. Our quick-thinking coordinator then bought a new, smaller couch, which fit perfectly. She possessed the resources to buy the couch thanks to generous donations from our church family. Many, many people undergird this effort.

Today we stock pantries and refrigerators and do a final cleaning. Then we pick up the families and drive them to their new homes. We’ll share a lunch to celebrate, gesturing as best we can along the way (little English spoken by the Afghans, not yet, anyway).

I know these families appreciate our work for them, but I don’t want to put too much of a shine on the situation. Displaced refugees face years of hard work and assimilation into a new, strange culture. Months and months of language study await. They miss their families and homeland which they left under traumatic circumstances.

However, in the midst of all the mess, today remains a day to celebrate.

David spoke of hope during a difficult time in his life: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).

These young people fled a land of death six months ago and now feed their children in safety. I don’t know their future, just as I don’t know yours or mine, but I do know that today, this day, we’ll experience the goodness of the Lord as we share a meal in their new home.

And that’s enough for now.

If you're interested in reading more about how many refugees fled Afghanistan, here's a good article by George Packer in The Atlantic.

Photo by Robinson Greig

I tend toward quietness in a crowd. Or, to put it another way, I tend to let others speak while I determine the tenor of the conversation. Staying out of controversy interests me more than the attention it brings.

So I slow down as I read this stipulation: If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.

Tucked into instructions regarding offerings for unintentional sins, this teaching smacks of my potential negligence. When I know I should speak up—but it’s easier on me not to—and I turn quietly away, then I’ve committed the sin referred to.

Most of the time it’s wise to hold your tongue. More so today with the social media mob standing ready with pitchforks and torches. But in certain situations, failure to speak is the wrong strategy. Or more to the point—failure to speak offends God and harms your neighbors.

When these situations arise (and we’ll know them because of our temptation toward hiding), truth and justice requires our voice.

Speak up.

Leviticus 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by davide ragusa

The book of Leviticus carries loads of information about various offerings the children of Israel presented to the Lord.

The instructions are surprisingly detailed. Grain offerings, for instance, might be prepared in an oven, or on a griddle, or cooked in a pan. All three methods are mentioned as options.

Every grain offering was made without yeast or honey. The deletion of yeast makes symbolic sense, a reference to the Israelites fleeing Egypt so quickly their bread didn’t have time to rise. Honey? Not so clear—perhaps it started the decay process too early?

Then there’s salt. Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Salt preserves food, so its addition likely symbolized the enduring nature of God’s covenant with Israel. Since that time, salt has been used to bind covenants in other cultures, but it’s unclear how this practice carried down through time.

After burning some of the bread on the alter, the priests took the rest as part of their compensation for service. Maybe this recipe made for better meals? Perhaps the practice of drizzling honey over pizza crust started here?

Regardless of the questions, the Lord clearly cared about these instructions, and if the Lord pays attention to bread recipes, he pays attention to the details of our lives as well.

Leviticus 2 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Nadya Spetnitskaya