The more time you spend in the Bible, the more you notice God’s concern for every person all over the world. Jesus emphasized this aspect of God’s heart as he commissioned his disciples after his death:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The theme emerges over and over in the book of Isaiah. The prophet shares God’s message to the nation of Israel, but underscores again and again this call to the nations.

I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:5-6).

I will make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6).

My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7).

The phrase from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting reflects the Lord’s heart that all the world will know him. And how do the good people on God’s heart hear this news? Through messangers like Isaiah, the disciples of Jesus, and you and me.

The news still spreads, and it’s appropriate of those of us who follow Jesus to open our mouths and spread it a little farther.

Isaiah 45, 49 & 56 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Nick Fewings

In many situations converts to the Christian faith face intense persecution. Leaving an old religion to follow Jesus brings questioning and scrutiny from those around the converted. Families break and relationships suffer. But Jesus calls all to follow him, and some start their journey on more difficult circumstances than others.

Paul commended the early converts in Corinth: You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people.

Stephanas and his household heard the good news of Jesus and followed him in the midst of Corinth, a wealthy port and major worship center of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. Temples to Aphrodite and other gods littered the city, yet in their midst the gospel took root.

Not only rooted, but the gospel flourished under the leadership of Stephanas. He and his fellow believers went all in, despite the opposition of friends and neighbors. To be a convert came with a cost. But the believers in Corinth bet all they had on Jesus.

Many choose to follow Jesus in the midst of a supportive church and an encouraging family. I praise God for such situations and pray for many more. But let’s pray for those in our world who follow the path of Stephanas and convert in the midst of oppositional cultures. May the Lord bless them and keep them and make them strong, and may we take heart in their courage.

1 Corinthians 16 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Amanda Jones

Second homes tend to be nice, and I’ve enjoyed my stays at many generous friends’ places. You might be surprised, however, with the Lord’s second home. It’s described in this promise straight from God himself:

This is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the heart of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

The almighty God lives in two places at once. One castle stands lofty and kingly and powerful—all you would expect from his fiery presence. The other home is next to those who come to the Lord remorseful and penitent, seeking the grace they know they don’t deserve.

The Lord doesn’t bunk with the greedy or prideful or wicked (no rest for them, in fact). He shares no super yacht with business moguls and no mansions with world leaders.

Unless—they also turn to the Lord with a contrite heart. Here’s a prayer from David, the most powerful leader of his era:

But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay.

In David’s prayer of humility we see why he was referred to as a man after God’s own heart. Reassuring to know that as the Lord lived with David, he lives with anyone today who approaches him contrite and lowly in spirit.

Isaiah 57 & Psalm 70 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe

Growing up I heard the warning to be careful who I run around with, because bad company corrupts good character. Which certainly proves true. Paul referenced this line from the Greek poet Menander in regards to a theological dispute rather than a moral one. Because it’s also the case that bad theology corrupts good character.

A debate in the Corinthian church centered on whether the bodily resurrection of Jesus really occurred. Perhaps it was metaphorical, or magical, or only a soul-raising. Paul struck hard at the dissenters: If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile…Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

If the dead are not raised, Paul continued, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. In other words, if there’s no resurrection then our faith is flaccid, all we have is the here and now, and we might as well party.

If Jesus is not risen from the dead, then his teachings miscarry. He claimed to be God, and if he was only a liar or maybe a lunatic, then no need to follow his ways. The biblical basis for good character collapses.

But a resurrected, living Jesus changes all that. Bad theologians (amateur and professional) among us continue to dispute the physical resurrection of Jesus. But Paul describes them as ignorant of God, and warns us to be careful which theologians we run around with.

Our theology matters. The truth is found in the Scriptures. He is risen, which sets our lives on a trajectory far beyond the here and now.

1 Corinthians 15 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Filip Mishevski