Category: Bible (Page 40 of 423)

In a psalm traditionally attributed to King David, the writer encouraged his readers to Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! I don’t know what a joyful noise sounds like to you, but here David speaks of exuberant singing, a mass choir praising the God of Heaven.

Years later a teenager named Issac Watts complained about the dull, listless music at church, so his father challenged him to do better. As a response he began writing hymns, including Joy to the World, the most popular Christmas carol today.

What does a joyful noise sound like? We can literally experience David’s words by joining in with our congregations and belting out the words to Joy to the World. It’s not meant to be whispered, but shouted from the rooftops. When it comes on the radio, roll your windows down and share it with the world.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
𝄆 And heaven and nature sing, 𝄇
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Here’s a version you will enjoy, one of which Issac Watts would surely approve (not dull at all), and yields a foreshadowing of the choirs of heaven during this Christmas season.

Psalm 98:9

Photo by Chris Gresham-Britt

I once heard a speaker talk about how no one really enjoys lukewarm drinks. His point was that people prefer either a steaming cup coffee, a tall glass of iced tea, chilled soft drinks or hot chocolate. Solid, but he obviously never drank coffee all day long. I finish off a half cup of room temperature brew in the afternoon and enjoy the dregs. But perhaps I’m an outlier.

Lukewarm fares poorly when applied to our faith. Jesus spoke through John, castigating a church in Laodicea as they practiced an ambivalent form of Christianity:

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

The problem appears to be in their wealth. Expanding economic success drove a wedge between them and God. The phrase I need nothing tells us all we need to know. Faith in God felt necessary when struggling, but while flying high God became an afterthought. They hadn’t grown cold and left the faith, but merely allowed their faith to fade. They became Christmas & Easter Christians, going to church on special days, but living secular lives the rest of the year.

I’m guilty of the same. When life is easy, I attribute success to my talents and hard work. When things get tough, I turn to the Lord for help. I suppose it’s our human condition. But when I drift away during times of comfort, I’m like a man suffering from extreme hypothermia, peeling off my clothes and wandering deeper and deeper into a frigid wilderness.

While lukewarm might be comfortable, it certainly ain’t safe. Rather, it’s a precursor to disaster. I don’t want the Lord spewing me out like a rancid swallow of curdled milk. Christmas season makes for a good time to remember God’s work and ask him to turn up the heat. True wealth and prosperity lie only in Him, making lukewarm a condition to avoid.

Revelation 3:15-17

Photo by Izz R

I recently found myself on a call with a pastor living in an undisclosed Central Asian country. As we got to know each other, he casually mentioned how he’d been imprisoned twice for operating an underground church. Hebrews 11 speaks of those of whom this world is not worthy. I felt that sense deep inside me as we prayed together. Today he hopes to launch a seminary to train pastors. I have the privilege of serving on a mentor’s team working with him and others like him from around the world.

I am grateful to work with such motivated doctoral students and professors, and I’m often reminded that the six feet behind a college lectern is the most valuable real estate in the world.

In March this coming year I will travel to Italy for a set of outreaches featuring American academics. Then in June and again in October my wife and I will lead groups on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Alongside these mission experiences (and my writing), I coach professors and graduate students to live faithfully in their workplaces and communicate their faith to both the students they teach and their peers in the academic ranks. I work with many wonderful people who are trusting the Lord to make a difference though their platform as a professor and instructor.

My wife and I serve around the world because of the faithfulness of many donors. We give thanks for the generosity of those who keep us on the field. On staff with Cru we raise all the funds needed to cover salary, health care, retirement benefits and ministry expenses— everything we receive. Amazingly, we’ve now seen the Lord provide this way for 40 years.

As we look to the coming year with its many opportunities, We need to raise an additional $30,000. Along with international mission trips and other ministry expenses, increases in medical insurance add to the total.

Would you prayerfully consider giving toward this need?

This is best met through on-going giving on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. But a gift of any amount helps us serve for the coming year. If you would like to help, you can do so by making a one-time gift, or joining our team on a regular basis. There are two ways you can give. Either go to give.cru.org/0370900 or use the QR code below.

Thank you for considering this request. As followers of my blog, I appreciate your readership and your interest. At this year ends, I’m looking forward to 2026 and watching how the Lord works!

Dave

Photo by Dawid Zawiła

I’ll admit I’m getting older. Joints creak, aches develop in ever new places, and print gets smaller and smaller in the books I read. But aging comes with advantages, like a slew of discounts and an occasional flash of hard-earned wisdom.

I speak with and hear about people who get lost on their old age. What purpose do we serve when work comes to an end and the kids grow up and move away? As if wrestling with this very question, an ancient writer offered this thought:

The righteous still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

The purpose of old age is to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. Let younger generations know of your faith in the One who stands upright, pure, holy, and righteous. Point them to the hope of the world. Unashamedly spout off about Jesus.

Allow the wisdom of old age, earned in the fires of life, to trickle down. Young people today find themselves in a morass of unreal, inauthentic philosophies and beliefs. Many are searching for a solid place to stand. Help them find the Rock. Speak your faith, write your faith, pray your faith, stutter your faith—whatever works for you.

Declare the goodness of God until the last breath leaves your body.

Psalm 92:14&15

Photo by Kshitij Shukla