Category: Bible (Page 52 of 418)

In one of the saddest lines in the Bible, Paul sends news of a friend. Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

Demas is mentioned as a companion of Paul in other letters in the New Testament (Colossians 4:14 & Philemon 1:24). He traveled widely, spread the good news of Jesus, and enjoyed the pleasures and pains of missionary life. But for some unknown reason, Demas ditched the faith and left Paul alone in a dank cell.

Why did Demas leave? Perhaps he also faced prison and hoped to escape? Maybe he saw the possibility of losing his life, as Paul later did, and backed away? Did he sense that Paul’s teachings had led to a dead end and it was time to cut bait? Maybe a woman pulled him away?

The phrase in love with this present world provides a clue. Makes me think that Demas left for greener pastures, a larger payday, for money and all that money buys. Paul had several wealthy benefactors who supported the church planters. Perhaps Demas wanted what they had, but lacked their generosity and commitment to the cause of spreading the gospel. News of Demas went cold. The Bible offers no further details, so whether he returned to the faith or remained devoted to worldly pursuits remains unknown.

Regardless, Demas slipped away, and in so doing betrayed his mentor, his friends and his faith.

Stay strong. Keep focused. Pray, read the Bible and associate with fellow believers. Avoid the fate of Demas. Let us keep the faith when the going gets tough.

2 Timothy 4:10

Photo by Linh Nguyen

One the one hand, I hear that God surrounds us, is ever-present, never leaves us or forsakes us. But on the other, I wonder (like the psalmist) why God seems to abandon me? Where to I actually find God when I need him?

In Psalm 46 I read that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. A few lines later the writer adds, Be still, and know that I am God.

Where is God found? In stillness, in quiet, in whispers. I don’t experience the presence of God when I’m looking at my phone. Social media fails to draw me closer to the divine. Rushing around in busy mode leaves me wanting. But sitting in quiet, outside preferably, creates the right atmosphere to listen for God.

Another writer, Paul, encouraged a young protégée to seek the the Lord through the Scriptures—the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Where is God found? In stillness, and in the sacred writings bound and lying on my desk.

Combine the two, and in the midst of my cacophonous world the Lord might still be found. It’s not easy to carve out a space for silence, solitude and uninterrupted thought on the Scriptures. But such times form a proven path to the amazing God I hope to discover.

Psalm 46 & 2 Timothy 3

Photo by David Tip

I’m not generally a quarrelsome person, until I peruse social media feeds. As I read arguments, name calling, and mocking comments, I find myself drawn in. Quick-witted, I think of snappy responses. Usually I turn away, but not without the temptation to add a few inappropriate comments.

So I find this biblical injunction helpful. Writing to Timothy, a young pastor leading a congregation in difficult circumstances, the Apostle Paul warned: Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.

Is there a more perfect place for foolish, ignorant controversies than social media? Paul wisely advises keeping those platforms at a distance. I post my blog so others might read, but I rarely respond to comments and never debate. The platforms at hand are too fraught with misunderstandings, anger and malice.

While still challenging, face to face interactions create an easier venue for kindness, patience and endurance. I might quarrel, but I find it easier to extend grace when looking at someone versus staring at a screen. Behind the wall of my keyboard it’s easy to get snarky, which I believe goes hand and hand with quarrelsome.

2 Timothy 2:23 & 24

Photo by Lucas Myers

Ever wonder what’s out there? Does it feel like there should be more to this life? In a quiet moment, does your heart long for something unknown?

King Solomon wrote that God has put eternity into man’s heart. Our restless feelings stem from a heart seeking its true home.

Saint Augustine struggled as his heart found its way to God through a circuitous route. He wrote of his journey and prayed, You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

We all hold a sense of something more, a feeling of beyond lingering in the back of our minds. Every culture throughout history believed in some set of gods, acknowledging this sense of eternity. Even today, with a rise in atheistic ideology, religious faith is growing worldwide, not shrinking. Most who don’t believe in God still wonder if something unknown exists over the horizon…

Eternity in our hearts. We long for more. Like Augustine, our hearts skitter and jump. We plug the eternity gap with the one who exists from eternity past to eternity future. We answer the ache by opening up to Jesus, following him and joining his people. Dive into the eternity you sense in your heart, and find the Creator in its midst.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Photo by Dániel Barczikay