Few words shatter history. But when a couple of devoted followers of Jesus arrived at dawn to sit at the tomb where he lay, these women received a message crackling with life and power.

Instead of death, an open tomb and an angel greeted the women. The angel told them, I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here: he has risen, just as he said.

He has risen. Three words whose magnificent underlying reality shook the world. Over the centuries billions of people accompanied these women to follow the risen Jesus.

The words of the angel reverberate today, offering light in the darkness, and bringing hope to a desperate world.

He is risen.

He is risen indeed.

Matthew 28 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Bruno van der Kraan

The phrase No Limits! may be a catchy slogan, but of course it’s not true. Even our universe has an outer edge. However, dive into the wisdom and purpose and meaning found in the words of the Lord and you’ll never touch bottom.

As the psalmist says, To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless.

The writer touched on a beautiful reality—our investment in the Scriptures now will pay off until the end of our days. Few things are truly limitless, but the benefits from time and attention spent on the Bible certainly is one of them.

Psalm 119:96 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by NASA

As a human race we get way off track. We twist values of decency and respect into creative ways to harm others for our perceived benefit. This took the form of Nazi aggressions, their attempted eradication of the Jewish race, and the current invasion of Ukraine by a neighbor. Although not as tragic, we daily experience twisting on a personal scale as well.

In ancient times, in a search for power and success people turned to gods other than the Lord. These gods demanded heinous sacrifices and promised lavish benefits. King Ahaz jumped in. We’re told that he followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

In his lust for power, Ahaz burned his son alive. What drives a father to such a decision? What gods twist the mind so completely as to sacrifice a child?

While shocking, human sacrifice repeated itself throughout the world. The Aztecs killed thousands annually to appease the gods. But more than appeasement, those who performed these ceremonies hoped to gain new and deeper powers from their worship.

Such a lust flourishes today. How many lives are sacrificed for convenience? How many innocent children die in wars in Africa we hear little about, or suffer in the sex trade, or twist under the onslaught of gender confusion?

Isaiah wrote: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

From the first interactions in the garden, men and women have twisted evil to look good. It takes years, even generations, to undo the damage. Stay vigilant. Look to the Scriptures for understanding. A society who sacrifices their children is never far away from disaster.

May the Lord move us a different direction.

Isaiah 5 & 2 Kings 16 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Kier in Sight Archives

For over a year I’ve been involved in the development of a new website for Faculty Commons, the ministry where I work. Almost ready for launch, we sent the soon to be released site out to several people for review. Along with excitement about the site, folks noticed typos, some wording issues and a few other problems.

Fresh eyes on the website proved super helpful. I and my team had looked at it so long we glossed over important details we needed to fix.

I can treat reading my Bible the same way. In doing so I’m not alone, as Jesus scolded the Pharisees for the same problem. He told them, You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

These Pharisees studied the Hebrew scriptures intently. They read daily and memorized vast portions. As students of the scriptures they were unsurpassed, but they got lost in minutia and missed the main point. The power of God faded beneath their parsing of the text.

Rigid adherence to rules often masks a heart more interested in control than understanding ways of the Lord. The scriptures exist to draw us close to the Lord and experience his power. Lock him down and you miss the point.

Pray for fresh eyes as you open the Good Book.

Matthew 22 in reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Philippe Bout