When I was a kid I loved thinking about a future world with jet packs and flying cars. I heard predictions and assumed these would be readily available by the year 2000. Although long disappointed, I recently saw a prototype for a flying taxi, so I’m again hoping to soar to Walmart and pick up some milk.

With our history of predictions that fail to come true, it’s amazing to read prophetic words from the Bible. Micah wrote these lines roughly 500 years before the birth of Christ:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be a ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Of course, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and his origin was from ancient or eternal times. The wise men from the East, having read this prophecy, visited Herod looking for a new king born in Bethlehem. And today, the greatness of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, reaches the ends of the earth.

Fulfilled prophecies point to the validity of the Bible. They back up its truth claims. We can trust the words of the Scriptures, just as we can trust Jesus is the Messiah. Amazing to consider, and much more astounding than a flying car.

Micah 5 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Mehdi MeSSrro

So much noise bombards our attention, and reams of entertainment threaten to bury us in frivolity. Where to turn for a hopeful, sober, wise view of the world and how should live in it?

Jesus told his disciples, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

All the philosophies of mankind will pass away. All the collected works in every library, along with the full knowledge of ChatGPT, will go. The teachings of the Buddha and Dali Lama and every other religious teacher will fade. The chatter and videos of all the influencers will thankfully end. All the wealth and magnificence and weapons of warfare will sink below the waves. All gone.

Only the words of Jesus stand forever.

With my limited mind I can only invest mental energy in the few things. Seems to me that eternal teachings should stand at the top of the list. Jesus’ words and their application form the corpus of an astute person’s mindset and direction.

The wise ones invest here.

Matthew 24 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Aaron Burden

My mother and father and grandparents and teachers and pastors and every other authority figure in my life admonished me to practice what you preach. It’s good advice, even if difficult to carry out.

Jesus excoriated the national religious leaders in front of a large crowd for just such a failure: The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Jesus laid out example after example of how these men failed to practice what they preached. They talked a good game, but inside were blind guides full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Practice what you preach—the bottom line when it comes to living an authentic life and credible faith. The failure to do so among our leaders frustrates us, just as our failures frustrate others. It’s no surprise when those of us who preach (myself included) neglect mercy and faithfulness, we leave people cold to the ways of faith.

Some lessons never grow stale. Practice what you preach. Easy to say, hard to do.

Matthew 23 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Alena Jarrett

Recently an adventure athlete in Colorado claimed to set a new record for climbing a certain number of mountains in the shortest amount of time, trumpeting the feat across social media. Turns out, however, that she skipped one peak and failed to mention that detail. The climbing community quickly called out the lie.

Unfortunately, despite a truly remarkable effort, no one trusts the word of this athlete. Shading the truth for personal gain—leaning into hypocrisy—damages a reputation, often beyond repair.

Like the honest folks frustrated with this young climber, the Lord turns his nose up at the prayers of posers:

Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him...When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.

The way ruin your prayers? Turn your heart inward. Put yourself above others. Build your reputation by shading the truth. Pass by the oppressed. The fatherless and the widow can take care of themselves.

To the appeals of the hypocrite, even those appearing the most religious, the Lord responds with eyes closed and fingers in his ears.

However, if at any time we return to God willing and obedient, the Lord opens his eyes and unstops his ears—which makes for a way better prayer life.

Isaiah 1 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Carl Cheng