One aspect of living as a Jesus follower remains clear—you and I can’t go it alone.

The author of Hebrews clarified: See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, a long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

How to avoid an unbelieving heart? Spend time with other followers of Jesus. Not just online, but in physical proximity. Those of us who claim allegiance to Christ need each other. Otherwise we fall for deceit, our souls grow a thick crust, and our share in Christ slips through our fingers.

We’re not designed to go at this life alone. This is why we go to a church, why we join a small group centered around the study of the Bible, why we get up early for a men’s or women’s breakfast. We rub shoulders, breathe in encouragement, and keep going.

Isolation hardens even the softest of hearts. You and I need those believers in that church, as weird as they seem (never forgetting that you and I bring our own brand of weirdness). Invest in your walk with the Lord.

Go hang out and enjoy faith-building optimism and reassurance.

Hebrews 3 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Small Group Network

Everyone I know keeps salt on their table or kitchen counter. Fine salt, course salt, flaky salt—all varieties. In our cabinets I see Pink Himalayan in a grinder, course Mediterranean sea salt, pickling salt, and regular table salt. All used for various aspects of cooking, seasoning, flavoring and preserving.

God called for the inclusion of salt in offerings made by the priests of Israel. Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Salt served as a symbol of God’s covenant with Israel. Through the requirement of adding salt to sacrifices, the Lord created a daily reminder for his chosen people of his commitment to their relationship. I appreciate what this commentator wrote about this idea of covenant and our relationships today:

Covenant is a form of committed relationship. The facets of the covenants can be instructive to us as we think about the relationships in our own lives (including our relationships with God). How will we make them endure? Will they have impact beyond our own lifetimes? What intimate activities seal and reseal our commitments—especially during a time when physical proximity is limited? How can we keep them in balance and thereby harness their power instead of being consumed by it?

During these days when physical proximity is limited, I appreciate reminders to maintain close relationships with friends and family, to invest in covenant commitments with the Lord and others.

The continual use of salt from antiquity to today sparks my modern imagination. Reaching for the salt transforms into a sacred moment to consider my relationships, and how I should take active measures to strengthen them.

Leviticus 2 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Faran Raufi

As Moses gathered materials to construct the tabernacle, he called for donations. People gave willingly, so much so the artisans and builders soon possessed piles of goods—more than enough.

One group of women gave up a highly valuable object—their mirrors. Glass mirrors like we smile before today did not exist, so bronze mirrors, highly polished, served the purpose. No small gift, mirrors were hard to come by. But a group of women who served at the entrance to the meeting tent willingly laid them before Moses.

Skilled metalworkers built a washbasin and stand from those mirrors. To purify themselves before going before the Lord, the priests washed their hands and feet using the basin.

As Moses finished the tabernacle he set the washbasin in place. Shortly thereafter the Lord showed up. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

I wonder how those ladies felt, standing next to Moses, watching a cloud of smoke and fire and the Lord’s presence engulf the tabernacle and their washbasin? I imagine they felt their contribution well made. Who needs to gaze into a mirror when the glory of God swirls before you?

A good thought as we make our way in today’s intensely narcissistic society. Devices reflecting us back to ourselves—mirrors and selfies and social media and advertising—distract us from the God who swirls. Like those women back in the day, maybe it’s time to give them up?

Exodus 38 & 40 in reading the Bible in 2023

One reason I like reading through the Bible every year is that I’m reintroduced to promises I forget. I need the reminders I find in scripture. This wonderful passage framed my morning:

The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I love the encouragement to lay everything before the Lord. To bring petitions—formal requests—to God. To appeal for what’s on my heart, by putting it all down and telling God about it. Then ask for peace of heart and mind. The best part? The Lord is near. When I’m stressed and anxious, I need that reminder.

There’s no promise here that God will answer my prayers immediately and to my satisfaction. Rather, the promise points to the presence of God in my life—simply remarkable.

I bow to the mysterious at work. This type of prayer may not cure all anxieties I face, but engaging in it (practicing prayer as a discipline) allows me to glimpse the character of the Lord who remains ever close.

Paul’s words encourage me to pray with detail and depth, with audacity, knowing God is near. Then I wait for the guardian of peace to reveal his presence to my heart and mind and soul.

Philippians 4 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Christian Widell