Category: Through the Bible Devotions

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A roll of the dice?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Acts 1.

“And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26).

So basically, the eleven chose the twelfth apostle by rolling the dice. The only qualifications? Being there from the baptism of John and a witness of the resurrection? Education? Don’t care. Education? Whatever. Speaking ability? Who cares? Good looking? Not an issue. Experience? We’ll train you.

Is that any way to choose an apostle? I don’t know. Jesus chose fishermen, a tax collector, and seven other guys without checking resumes or references.

How does your church choose a pastor? You pick through their resume, watch countless online sermons, interview them (on Zoom), and even pray. We make it a beauty pageant, don’t we? No one wants to admit it, but it’s true.

Is it all random? Or is it all God ordained? It depends. I believe God is behind it all. Not all would agree.

So much of life seems random. No rhyme or reason. Not true. He’s behind it all. Even if I think I’m in control. Or when I’ve done my homework and believe I have it all figured out.

God knows me (and you). He knows how we think and how we choose. He’s not surprised. He works through us anyway.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I see you

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Acts 3.

“Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” (Acts 3:1-4)

I’ve had conversations with people who would not make eye contact with me. It was one-to-one conversation with people I knew well. Yet, they looked at the ground, to the side, and over my head. Anywhere but my eyes.

One of them knew I noticed. She said, “I never make eye contact. I don’t let anyone see inside of me.”

I avoid eye contact. I’ll bet you do, too. When I’m looking at someone, I look away as soon as they make eye contact with me. They do the same.

It’s a learned behavior. I say that because I’ve watched my youngest grandchildren. The twos and threes will stand there and look at someone with nothing but curiosity. In a few years, they will learn to avert their gaze.

Why?

It’s a powerful moment when Peter and John make contact with a beggar who cannot walk. It’s the last day someone will carry him to the temple gate. It’s the last day he’ll beg. It’s the first day in his life he’ll be able to walk.

What a day!

So I wondered, “What if I intentionally made eye contact with people?” What would happen if I kept looking rather than looking away? What if I smiled at them?

If I keep looking at them, they usually look away. If I look and smile, they usually smile back. Most often, they aren’t looking at me. They are talking to someone else, looking beyond me, or looking beyond me to where they are headed.

When Peter and John make eye contact with a lame man, they change his life. They give what they have: healing from Jesus!

Can I bring life to someone by making eye contact? I don’t know. But I’m going to make eye contact. They might look away. They might smile back. They might look past me to something else.

Or maybe I’ll make their day. They will know that someone sees them.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Is that true?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 18.

I laugh out loud at pictures and videos of people, places, and things that fill my social media feeds. After filling his wheelbarrow at the buffet, a morbidly obese man crashes through the floor and capsizes the cruise ship. A buck with a chain saw fells a tree in which a hunter in waiting in a deer stand. Stephen Hawking and Queen Elizabeth II go MMA in the octagon.

Of course, none of this is real. It’s all AI generated. But it looks real enough to capture your attention long enough to ensure the algorithm will send more.

An email tells me I’ve purchased expensive anti-virus software. A text alerts me about an undeliverable package waiting for me at the post office. A message warns that I am about to go to prison for an unpaid highway toll.

Of course, none of that is legit. But they look real enough that someone somewhere will click on the link.

A door-to-door alarm system salesman tells me about all the break-ins in my neighborhood. Lightning flashes and thunder’s not far behind as the meteorologist predicts a nice, sunny afternoon. An advertisement announces today’s the last day of the sale.

We’ve learned to take it all with a grain of salt.

Not much has changed since Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). The priests claimed Jesus was a criminal. Others said he was a king. Jesus insisted that his testimony was the truth.

Pilate had learned to take it all with a grain of salt, too.

But what if truth is a person? In the upper room, before his arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “I am the truth.”

Like it or not, you and I have to deal with deception. Every day. Some days, we’ll be duped. Other days, we’ll see right through it.

But we’ll never have to doubt the veracity of Jesus.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I am so thirsty

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37,38)

What a contrast with the nasty stuff Jesus said comes out of the heart:

[Jesus said,] “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (Matthew 15:18, 19)

You don’t know how spiritually thirsty you are until some of that sludge comes out of your mouth. That’s when you realize you could use a nice, long drink of Jesus. When we pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” (Psalm 51:10), it’s like saying, “I am so thirsty.”

Good news. Trusting Jesus is like draining a 64 ounce jug of water in one gulp. More than you can handle. Getting it all over yourself. Plus splashing some on others.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What are you looking for?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Amir Geshani on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 9.

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (John 9:39).

After giving sight to a man born blind, Jesus runs into those who cannot see how he could be the Messiah. After all, he healed this man on the Sabbath. But how could he do that if he weren’t from God?

This man has his eyes opened, but others shut them, refusing to see.

When does my sight fail me?

  • A horn honks and I hit the brakes. I checked twice but never saw the car coming.
  • The homeless guy at a busy intersection every day becomes part of the landscape. I hardly notice him at all.
  • Important information gets lost in the torrent of email newsletters that fill my inbox every day. I didn’t see the meeting announcement.
  • I thought I had cleaned up all the dog poop in the back yard. Of course I stepped in the only pile I didn’t see.

In what ways does Jesus help my vision?

  • I see people around me in a different way. I see people with stories not just issues.
  • I recognize how much I have rather than just the things I lack.
  • I think back and see how God has brought me to this time and place.
  • I see reminders of God’s provision in every flower and bird.

There’s so much to see. And so much I don’t. A great question to ask is, “What are you looking for?” God did say, “If you seek me, you will find me.” If I choose to notice him, it’s amazing how much of him I will see!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He is the light

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Alexander Jawfox on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 8.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Jesus’s words made me think about sources of light.

In the bible, your source of light would be the sun or from a flame, like a candle or torch.

In addition to those, my house is filled with LED lightbulbs on tables, inside appliances, hanging from ceilings, and in nightlights. The nighttime world is lit by street lights, headlights, phone lights, and motion-sensor lights.

It’s hardly every really dark.

So what different does Jesus’s light make in a not-so-dark world?

Well, darkness isn’t always about the absence of light, is it? I can be “in the dark” when I don’t have enough information about something. Books and movies may be “dark” when they involve evil or sinister topics. Dark humor uses death or pain to get a laugh. When a lot of bad things happen, we might find ourselves in a “dark place.”

Light has a lot of metaphors, too. We might say, “Enlighten me,” when someone alludes to some information we don’t have. To “shed some light” is to explain what’s going on. “Light at the end of the tunnel” expresses optimism.

All of that adds a lot of meaning to Jesus’s simple statement, “I am the light of the world.” He brings understanding, wisdom, and hope. Darkness cannot rule because it always gives way to the dawn and a new day. He invades the darkness of the grave with restored life and light.

And when there are shadows? They are created by the light. Difficult moments are from his hand to strengthen us and cultivate a mature faith.

Jesus is the light in so many ways!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

More than a snack

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Gaining Visuals on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 6.

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

Jesus goes on to explain, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (6:51)

Of course, “The Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (6:52)

The sixth chapter of John isn’t the easiest to figure out. Volumes have been written about interpreting and applying Jesus’s words. I’m still working it out in my own mind.

The image of eating and drinking is a metaphor for taking something into your innermost being. Other forms of this metaphor sound like

  • Drink the Kool-aid
  • Hook, line, and sinker
  • All in
  • Swept up
  • Buy-in
  • On board
  • Jump on the bandwagon

In other words, fully absorbing everything Christ is and does. Manna in the desert? That was about Jesus. Psalm 23’s “A table in the presence of my enemies?” Yep, about Jesus. A land flowing with milk and honey? Ultimately it’s Jesus. Elisha’s abundance of bread for a hundred people (2 Kings 4:42-44). Another image of Jesus.

Food sustains physical life. Jesus nourishes our spiritual lives. Without him you’ll starve. We’re dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1). With him, we have eternal life (John 6:51). With him we’re full – of life.

Jesus spoke of this before he instituted the Lord’s Supper. John wrote about it much later. Is that what Jesus was talking about? Plenty of theologians have written about this, and they don’t all agree.

Having said that, I certainly think Jesus should be more than a snack you read for when you’re worried, sad, or struggling. He ought to be at the bottom of your food pyramid. His word ought to be a the most substantial part of your daily consumption of news and entertainment

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

How can I help?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo from Gospelimages

These “through the bible” thoughts are from Luke 18.

As Jesus approaches Jericho, a blind beggar cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38)

Jesus stops and asks the man, “What do you want me to do for you?” (18:41) In other words, “How can I help you ?”

I believe that’s an interesting moment. And it’s also a very good question. What does mercy look like in that context?

Beggars beg for money. Spare change. A couple of bucks. Anything helps, right?

But this is three years into Jesus’s public ministry. The talk on the street is that Jesus of Nazareth can teach, can heal, and might be the Christ. As the man cries out, “Jesus, Son of David,” he acknowledges Jesus’s claim to the throne. There’s a new king in town, someone who can make things happen.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

A blank check? Three wishes from a genie? A “What do you want for Christmas?” moment on Santa’s lap? Or a moment of complete faith and trust?

“Lord, let me recover my sight.”

That’s a big ask. Huge. Had the man prayed for that in the past? Perhaps. But it’s one thing to ask the unseen all-powerful God for a miracle. It’s another to ask it of a man named Jesus.

Do your prayers consist of huge favors or small requests? Are you bold enough to pray for the miraculous? Or do you only petition for what you think God will give?

Jesus said, “Ask…seek…knock” (Luke 11:9). We might as well go big. To do so not only acknowledges our need but also God’s ability to provide. It’s an expression of faith and trust in a Father who is able to do more than we ask or imagine. Who knows? You might get a miracle. You might get something better.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What are you doing here?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 24.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

We do it all the time:

  • Turn the key one more time, even though the starter won’t even click because the car battery is dead.
  • We search around through containers of fuzzy leftover food in the refrigerator, hoping to find something edible.
  • Birds build a nest in a flower pot near my front door. I went out to see the eggs every day, until the day when there weren’t any. I don’t think they hatched. I think a lizard ate them. But I still peeked in every day or so, just to make sure I didn’t miss new ones.
  • When I need some help shopping in a big box store, I futilely scan every aisle to find someone in a blue or orange vest. Not a single soul to be found.
  • I show up at someone’s house for a visit. I called ahead to set up a time. Upon arrival, no one answers the doorbell and then a knock. I peer in the windows around the door. No lights are on. No one is home. They forgot.
  • Why do many return to cemeteries after the burial of a loved one? To complete unfinished conversations? To have the last word? To keep memories alive?

Just like the women who showed up at to tomb at early dawn on the first day of the week, we go to places of death. The angels who appeared are surprised to see the women. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Don’t you remember what he told you? Don’t you remember how the prediction of his crucifixion was followed by the promise of resurrection? What are you doing here?

We can’t help it. Death is the end of the story for leftovers, batteries, and human life. Until Jesus rewrites the ending. Until we encounter an empty tomb. Until we remember what he said.

Where will you look for life today?