Category: Bible (Page 55 of 423)

I’ve never been much of a fisherman. Growing up in the Ozarks opportunities surrounded me, but I found swimming in the lakes and creeks more enjoyable than casting a line. My wife, on the other hand, slays the fish. She’s some sort of maestro, conducting fish to her hook, oddly beguiling the creatures. Which is good for me, because I’ll always eat her catch.

The Bible says a lot about fishing. In one of my favorite stories, Jesus instructed Peter to pay a temple tax by going fishing. Authorities levied a tax on Jewish citizens to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the temple. Before sending Peter off to catch the prize, Jesus discussed this tax:

Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Jesus reminded Peter, and the rest of us, that a tax imposed to maintain God’s house does not apply to the Son of God. Jesus is Lord—Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of all creation, and especially Lord of the temple in Jerusalem. He owes no taxes and is beholden to no earthly governments or institutions. But, to not give offense, he pays the tax for himself and Peter.

You and I pay taxes every day. Sales tax, income tax, county tax and school tax to name a few. The ways our government representatives load taxes on the citizenry reveals a great deal of creativity. But I pay my taxes, because as a citizen I owe them.

Although the Lord owes no taxes, Jesus quietly paid for himself and his disciple. Following this miracle, in a short period of time Jesus humbly endured death on the cross to pay for mankind’s estrangement from God. That tax we cannot pay—we need the Lord to pay it for us.

But with the debt paid, as sons and daughters we are set free. Free from the penalty of sin, free to let worry about taxes fade, and free to enjoy a life with the best fisherman of all.

Matthew 17:24-27

Photo by Thomas Park

Lots of tasty treats turn my head. I’ll eat ice cream anytime it’s available (multiple times a day preferably). My wife’s chocolate chip cookies prove irresistible. I enjoy cakes, cinnamon rolls, candy of all sorts and sweet tea. If it’s got sugar in it, then I’ll go out of my way to get me some.

The children of Israel chased after gods they found sweeter than the Lord. To point out their failings, God commanded the prophet Hosea to take an adulteress as his wife: And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.”

Apparently delicious, I’d love to try one of those raisin cakes. But sweet delicacies masked the nature of hearts far from the Lord. The more damning reality is how the children of Israel installed other gods upon their alters and bowed before them.

God sent them a message. Despite their idolatry and materialism, God proclaimed his love. Hosea loved a wayward woman, just as God loved his wayward people. His prophet’s unorthodox relationship meant to shock the people into recognizing this truth.

I often hear how the God of the Old Testament harshly judged people. But here I read how God loved those who rejected him. Even as God disciplined Israel and Judah, he never stopped loving them. Their obstinate and rebellious hearts failed to blunt God’s love.

God is love in his very nature. Even as I go off path and chase after cakes of raisins, God’s love remains. The Lord loved these self-willed ancient people and wonderfully, he loves you and me still today.

Hosea 3:1-3

Photo by Yulia Khlebnikova

This summer marks my 40 year anniversary of joining the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ (I initially signed on for two years). Over that time I’ve worked on the campuses of Kansas State University and Southwest Missouri State University. Then as a regional leader directing the ministries in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. I later shifted to International Missions, sending and serving missionaries around the globe (to date I’ve visited over 50 countries). I worked in R&D to develop new tools and programs to reach students in the U.S. and abroad. Currently I’m helping faculty find Jesus, grow in their faith, and engage overseas.

My wife joined me on this journey a year later. Together we reflect on the many wonderful things the Lord has done, as well as His presence through difficulties and challenges. I’m looking forward to several more years of fruitful service as I put into play decades of hard-earned wisdom.

Every one our years with Cru happened due to the Lord’s kind hand and an amazing team of donors and prayer partners. Some have been with me from the beginning—simply astounding! Others joined through the years. We humbly thank each and every person who serves with us.

As I consider the people and events over the last 40 years I find special meaning in these verses that start and finish Psalm 27:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

The Lord is indeed my light, my salvation and my stronghold. My wife and I celebrate His goodness as we enjoy this milestone.

Psalm 27:1, 13-14

Photo—I can’t find a picture from my new staff commissioning, but here’s one from Dawn’s (39 years ago) which is better anyway since she’s in it. Haven’t changed much, have we?

I bought a watermelon at the grocery store the other day. I thumped along, listening for a deep, hollow echo. I’ve heard (from grandparents, maybe?) that the deeper the sound the riper the melon. So I thwacked a bunch before adding one to my basket. When cut open at home the melon proved red, ripe and delicious, a successful selection. I’m convinced that while my process helps, the fact that watermelons are in season makes picking a good one easier.

Earlier this summer I reaped a harvest from my strawberry beds. Yesterday I picked a handful of blackberries, just now turning dark and sweet. Best of all, fresh peaches are arriving and we’ll gorge on those for several weeks.

Fruits mature at different times throughout the summer. Here in Colorado our season arrives later than many places, so the anticipation grows stronger. Gotta stay calm when the peach stands start to pop up.

Jesus talked about fruit when he addressed a group of religious leaders: Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

My interior attitudes and mental states express through my outer actions. I may hide behind nice words and flowery promises for a time, but the overflow—the abundance—of my heart, kind or cutting, eventually leaks out.

Yesterday I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up a prescription which I thought was ready, but was not. The harried clerk apologized and said they were backed up and didn’t know when I should return. I said thanks and was nice enough, but walked away frustrated. When I sat in the car this idea of abundance of heart struck me. What did this minor inconvenience reveal about the status of my inner life? Am I producing sweet fruit, or only tainted pieces with a shiny veneer?

An abundance of heart appears in qualities like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23). If these are growing in my life, even in tiny, incremental measures, then I know my inner life is connected to the Lord. If not, I need to do some work in the garden.

The cornucopia of fruit season never fails to bring me joy. It’s a wonderful image of what an abundance of heart yields as I allow the Lord to cultivate my life through his Spirit and his Word. If I let the Master Gardener have his way, and then I might enjoy his lavish nature not just in certain seasons, but in all phases of life.

Matthew 12:33-34

Photo by Rens D