love God – Be Still…

John 14:1-31 – Great Wisdom

What a reading full of great wisdom! Jesus knew his time with his disciples was winding down, but the truths he had to share seemed only to be ramping up. Does that ever happen to you? You’re trying to say goodbye to loved ones, and yet you can hardly part with them, thinking of one more thing to say or one more hug to share.

What spoke to you most in this reading? It probably depends on what is happening in your life right now. Hearing Jesus bring comfort can touch us all at our point of need. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” Jesus doesn’t want us to let the troubles of the world get us down. Continue reading “John 14:1-31 – Great Wisdom”

Mark 12:18-34 – Love God & Others

Read Mark 12:18-34

The hard questions keep on coming for Jesus. I know when I have an audience with Jesus, I’m going to have all sorts of questions. I will seek clarification about creation and affirmation of my beliefs. I can’t imagine trying to trick Jesus.

It was helpful to hear how Jesus responded to the topic of resurrection. Except when we are in church or talking about our forever home with Jesus, the word “resurrection” doesn’t come up much in everyday conversation. It was interesting to me that it was a Sadducee who asked the question about resurrection, something they don’t even believe exists. Continue reading “Mark 12:18-34 – Love God & Others”

Ezekiel 45:1-8 – Fairness of God

Read Ezekiel 45:1-8

There’s land to distribute again. When the Israelites first took the Promised Land, the land was intentionally distributed among the twelve tribes. I couldn’t help but remember that story. However, this is different because it speaks of the holy land that will house the temple of God’s presence, a place for the priests, the princes, and the people. God’s place is discussed first.

Nobody has been left out. All have a place and a purpose. That’s God’s fairness. After all that the people have gone through, God wants to restore them in the land. There is a great promise here. If only they would listen to him this time and not try to figure things out on their own. Continue reading “Ezekiel 45:1-8 – Fairness of God”

Ecclesiates 6:10-12 – What’s Your Future?

Read Ecclesiastes 6:10-12

This passage oozes with the notion of predestination. That’s a “churchy” word meaning different things to different people. Known as a Christian doctrine for some denominations, it has been debated by theologians for centuries. Basically, it means that God has figured everything out ahead of time, knows what’s going to happen in our lives, and there is nothing we can do to change it. Does that give you assurance or scare you just a little bit?

In terms of our salvation, however, this can be a bit unnerving. What if God didn’t “choose” me to be saved? I have a hard time believing that some people of faith would not be saved because they weren’t “predestined.” After all, Jesus commanded us to evangelize and make new disciples. Why would he do that if it was already predestined who would be saved?

Lamentations 4:1-22 – Punishment for Sin

Read Lamentations 4:1-22

Some of the verses of this lament were very hard to read. I won’t quote those horrific scenes, but they will haunt me when I think of the punishment God’s people endured for their sinfulness. When we read passages like this, we often want to run immediately to the New Testament and fill up on some grace. Instead, take a moment to reflect on what God is saying to you today.

This lament is written from the viewpoint of the misery affecting the citizens of Zion. We see the fate of several different classes of people mentioned. Escaping this reality was not an option, even for the rich and powerful. These terrible things were punishment and a direct result of the people’s sinfulness.