Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The colors of grace

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from 1 Peter 4.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

I love Peter’s description of God’s grace like the color chip display at a paint store. The variety of hues never fails to amaze me. Grace might look like love, but it can also show up as hospitality, stories of God’s power, or helping others. It’s like everyone has their own individual grace language or seasoning.

I believe it’s much easier to state what grace is rather than describe what it looks like. Grace is God’s gift of salvation for us through the redemptive suffering and death of his son Jesus on the cross. That is an unchanging, historical image of God’s grace. But putting on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27) will look a little different on each one of us.

Sometimes it sounds like a bold, confident prayer. Other times, it will be a simple song sung by a child. Sometimes it tastes like lunch with a dear friend. It could be the reassuring words of a doctor. Or even just laughter that makes you chuckle, too.

Since I really don’t deserve anything good from God, every blessing is an expression of grace. God uses people to deliver that grace, just as he used his own son to bring us life.

The other day I was walking the big dog when an Amazon truck pulled over for a delivery. A young man hopped out with a package while an older woman (his mom?) stayed behind the wheel. He exclaimed, “Is that a Great Dane? Is she friendly?”

“Yes. Too friendly. She wants to be friends with everyone.”

As he scratched behind her ears, he mentioned, “My grandmother had a Great Dane, a harlequin.” With a truck full of deliveries, he couldn’t stay long.

But around the block, the same truck stopped in front of another house, and he got a bunch of kisses from the dog. In her own way, the dog brought back sweet memories of an important person in his life.

Sometimes grace looks like a guy walking his dog down the street.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

On the contrary, bless

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on pexels

Some “through the bible” thoughts from 1 Peter 2 and 3.

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

That’s an amazing admonition for Christians scattered around Asia trying to be faithful in a hostile world. Our world is the same. We war with words on social media. We angrily exchange insults with strangers in stores. It’s so easy to contrive in my head what I would say to someone if I had the chance. Who doesn’t want to give someone a piece of our mind? Our behavior is nothing like that of the one we claim to follow.

When [Christ] was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23).

So when we’re ready to retaliate, how do we, “on the contrary, bless”? How will my words encourage, build up, or bless someone?

  • James gives some good initial advice: “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). Pause. Don’t respond immediately. Whatever you’re feeling in the moment will change in a few minutes. Wait until anger subsides before you consider a response.
  • Ask questions. Why is someone so upset? Why have they reviled you in the first place? Some speak from fear. Or they are expressing their own hurt. Or they don’t realize how their words have offended you. Perhaps you misunderstood what they said or meant to say. Open a door and ask, “Why did you say that?”
  • Maybe you had it coming. Maybe you need to apologize. Asking forgiveness defuses conflict and brings grace to the table.
  • Ask, “What can I do?” or “How can I help?” You don’t have to add to the problem. You can bring something positive to the moment.
  • When Jesus was reviled on the cross, he prayed. Bringing God into the mix is a game changer. You don’t have to conjure up a blessing. He’s the source of every good thing.

How will you bless someone today?

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

Nothing but white

Posted on by William Douthwaite

This is the latest episode in the saga of a neighbor with unusual house projects. So far, he’s torn out his lawn, installed yard lights, modified his yard lights, and made it very clear he doesn’t want to be disturbed.

He has decided to paint his house. He’s painting his house white. All of it. Walls, trim, and shutters. Everything.

I have nothing against the color white. White walls with contrasting trim could be attractive. White trim against darker walls is eye-catching. One hundred percent white? Sorry, that just doesn’t work for me.

Do you think he’s priming it in preparation for a few color? That would make sense. But I doubt it.

I haven’t actually seen my neighbor working on this project. And it looks like he’s using a brush rather than a roller, so this is going to take some time.

I’ll keep you up to date.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Hearts of stone

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Toni Reed on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Hebrews 3 and 4.

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:8,15; 4:7). The writer quotes Psalm 95 three times. He really wanted to get this point across.

Hardened hearts rebelled and disobeyed. Even after all he had done for them, God’s people refused to trust him.

When are we most likely to harden our hearts? Is it when God tells us something we don’t want to hear? Or commands something we don’t want to do? Or promises something that sounds too good to be true?

Or is it too late? Is that simply the way we are? In Ezekiel 36, God promises to replace idolatrous hearts of stone with Spirit-filled hearts of flesh. The bible says we’re stone-cold dead in sin until God makes us alive in Christ.

A better question is how does God soften my heart? How does he get me to listen and trust him? How does God get me to obey?

Well, for one thing, he gives us each other. “Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).

He gives us his son, Jesus Christ, a gift from before the creation of the world (4:3). He dies with our sin and hardened hearts, so we can have his eternally living, beating heart.

I might be hard-headed, stiff-necked, and stubborn. But he knows how to touch my heart with mercy and grace. That’s not only heart-changing. It’s life-changing.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

You can count on him

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Frank OConnor on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Hebrews 10.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19-23).

The writer here refers to “confidence,” “full assurance,” and “without wavering.”

That would be a great place to be, wouldn’t it? Any one of those would be a good place to be, wouldn’t it?

Confidence is elusive. I probably could have done better. Full assurance would mean an absence of doubt. But who doesn’t have lots of questions? On any given day our faith can feel either strong or weak. Who doesn’t waver when the highs and lows of life hit hard?

The key to all that is in the last phrase: “He who promised is faithful” (10:23). God doesn’t change, waver, drift, waffle, yo-yo, flip-flop, or vacillate. He keeps his promises. He does what he says. His word is truth. He is trustworthy. He is the only source of confidence, assurance, and unwavering hope.

Old Faithful (pictured above) used to erupt every 60-70 minutes. Earthquakes have changed that interval to anywhere from 35 to 100 minutes. The geyser isn’t as faithful as it used to be.

My car faithfully starts up every morning. Until it doesn’t and I have to install a new battery. My AC faithfully keeps the house at a comfortable temperature. Until it doesn’t, and I have to call for service. My Amazon orders faithfully arrive within two days. Unless they don’t because of supply chain or shipping delays.

So it can be hard to grasp God’s perfect record of faithfulness. But after some investigation, he always does what he says. He fuels unique confidence, assurance, and unwavering hope.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He’s better

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Hebrews 7-12.

So much of the book of Hebrews is about how Jesus is better. Angels are great. But Jesus is better (Hebrews 1-2). Moses was great. But Jesus is better (Hebrews 3). The list goes on and on. Because of Jesus we have

  • A better hope (7:19)
  • A better covenant (7:22)
  • Better promises (8:6)
  • Better sacrifices (9:23)
  • A better possession (10:34)
  • A better country (11:16)
  • A better life (11:35)
  • A better word (12:24)

Now why would the writer spend so much time on how much better Jesus is? Probably because they, like us, aren’t willing to give up the old.

Just a few weeks into their exodus out of slavery, Israel reminisces about how good things were in Egypt. Not even half way done rebuilding the temple, those who returned from Babylon lamented how nice the old temple was. When Jesus shows up, devout Jews insist that God’s covenant with Abraham is all they need. Paul wrote that Gentiles who believed didn’t need the old covenant customs and regulations. They only needed Christ.

It’s far to easy to retreat into good intentions. “I can do this. I can do better. I will do better.” As if Jesus weren’t enough.

But he is. His perfect life is much better than my attempts to be good. His perfect sacrifice for sin is better than any good intentions I have. His power, glory, faithfulness, justice, righteousness, and love are better than I’ll find in this world’ll find anywhere else in this world.

I need to return to the book of Hebrews often, for a refresher course in all the “betters” I have in Christ.

Posted in Life

Over nine hundred manatees at Blue Springs today!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

As we pulled up to the ranger station at Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, Florida, a sign announced the presence of 900+ manatees! After two straight nights of atypical twenty-degree overnight weather, more of the big aquatic mammals had swam into the 72-degree waters than I had ever seen before.

We visit these springs once a year, hoping to see a few manatees up close. A few of them drift out of the sun-warmed waters up to the observation boardwalk so we can get a few good pictures. The place is crawling with children who are excited to see these protected creatures, but soon get bored because manatees really don’t do much. They slowly drift by, occasionally snacking on some plants. They don’t jump out of the water like dolphins or snarf down skinned rats like the big crocodiles. They just hang out. Young people quickly realize that when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.

There’s so much to see besides the manatees. The waters are teeming with fish. Aquatic birds perch on logs, soaking up the sun. Spanish moss adorns every oak tree. Kayakers paddle up close to the floating mammals.

The gift shop does a brisk business. The shelves were packed with stuffed manatees of every size. I wonder how many stuffed manatees the park sells each day? A thousand? Everyone leaving the shop had at least one in hand.

Even though it was unseasonably cold, many children pestered their parents for slushies and Dipping Dots from the snack bar. Brrr. I’m glad we brought a thermos of hot chocolate with us!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What does faith look like?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kyle Loftus on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Hebrews 10 and 11.

So what does faith look like?

I guess there as many answers as there are answer-ers. For some, faith looks like going to church. For others, it’s traveling far from home on a mission trip. Memorizing bible verses? Praying before meals? Wearing a cross necklace? Being nice. Honest. dependable. Perhaps all of the above.

But perhaps more. In Hebrews 11, faith means looking forward to everything God promised, trusting him, and doing what he says. It means not looking back, but always towards what will be.

Why do that? Because he who promised is faithful (10:23). That’s why faith looks like confidence (10:19), full assurance (10:22), and no wavering (10:23). It’s absolute certainty in God’s mercy and grace that is ours in Christ.

Posted in Life

A little piano music

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I was delighted to hear piano music as I settled into a rocking chair in the arrivals area of the Jacksonville, Florida airport. The volunteer was talented, equipped with a big stack of piano music.

As I slipped a few dollars in her tip jar I asked, “Do you take requests?”

She smiled and said, “If I know it.”

I don’t know why it came to mind, but I said, “Satin Doll.”

She smiled, nodded, and said, “I’ll play that next.”

She must have pulled out her Nat King Cole book, because she followed up with “Autumn Leaves,” “Tenderly,” “At Last,” “The Girl from Ipanema,” “Stardust,” and “Saint Louis Blues.”

It had been a long time since I enjoyed some piano bar music. It was relaxing to play a little “Name That Tune” as she began each melody. She made the wait time speed by. What a great service to offer travelers and their families.