Category: Through the Bible Devotions

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?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Looking down, looking up

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 18.

 “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable…” (Luke 18:9)

I hate this parable. It’s addressed to me, or people like me, who look down on others. It is so easy to look down on someone else.

Why? Because I seek out those who aren’t as good as me, who have more problems than me, who need a lot more help than me, and whose lives are messier than mine. All that makes me look great. Until I look at the holiness, the righteousness, and the justice of God Suddenly, my opinion of myself means nothing. His evaluation means everything.

We all look down on someone. Someone younger, smaller, or less experienced than us. Someone less talented, less experienced, and less skilled. Don’t we love to elevate ourselves?

That works great, until someone else better comes along. They put us in their place. They look down on our talent, experience, skill, and ideas.

iI’s so much better to look up. Look up to what God had done. Remember what he has done for you,

 

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions, Travel

How much do you really need?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
 Photo by Totte Annerbrink on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 9 and 22.

Jesus said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics” (Luke 9:3).

 Jesus said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:35,36).

So should you pack light, or take everything you need?

Those who aspire to international mission work in our world must raise enough support to last three years. The sending organization wants to make sure they have enough funding for housing, food, transportation, and health insurance. Support comes from family, friends, churches, and church groups. It can take as long as a year raise enough support to embark on the mission.

Does anyone go with nothing but the clothes on their back, a bible, and a zeal to reach the unsaved? I suppose. But to travel to and stay in another country usually requires a visa, passport, cash for those who enforce entry points and transport your from one place to another.

Jesus was sending out the twelve to other towns in Israel, to Jewish communities where hospitality was the rule rather than the exception. They spoke the language, shared a heritage, and would know someone who knew someone who would have a place for them to stay.

Later, the apostles would face the same opposition Jesus did. So they needed to be prepared to fend for themselves in a hostile world. They would be hated and rejected just like Jesus. Equip yourselves with a sack for money, extra clothes, and a weapon. It’s going to be rough.

When my wife first went to Haiti just weeks after the 2010 earthquake, she followed instructions to pack as lightly as she could. Upon arrival, she watched people unpack ginormous luggage packed with clothing, food, fans, and other first-world comforts. The definition of “minimal packing” varies greatly from person to person.

We learn a lot about what we need with every trip we take. Basically, lay out everything you think you’ll need. Put half of it back in the closet, and pack the other half in the suitcase. You’ll still have packed way more than you need.

Spirit Airlines charges extra for carry on bags as well as checked luggage. You can bring on personal item, no more than 18x14x8 inches in size. I bought a backpack exactly that size, and am amazed at how much I can pack in there. I love the challenge of traveling that lightly!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Let me see some identification

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 1.

In the first chapter of his gospel, John identifies Jesus as

  • The Word
  • God
  • The Light
  • The Lamb of God
  • The Son of God
  • The Messiah
  • The son of Joseph
  • A rabbi
  • The King of Israel
  • The Son of Man

Identifying yourself is a big deal.

  • I have to show a driver’s license to visit a doctor or dentist, to travel, or to vote.
  • Everyone who sees me in the doctor’s office confirms my identity by asking my birthdate.
  • I’ll often have to complete two-step verification, with a password plus a code sent to my phone, to identify myself to a website.
  • A fingerprint or facial recognition grants you access to your phone.

After waiting a short while to see a doctor, a nurse came out and said, “William?” Three of us stood up. With a smirk, she said, “Just a minute,” and disappeared until she had found a last name.

I’ll be preaching at the church from which I retired three-and-a-half years ago. Enough time has passed that many will have no idea who I am, other than a preacher. Should I identify myself? Or just let them ask someone else, “Who’s this guy?” Or better yet, “Where’d they get this guy from?”

It’s not long into Jesus’s ministry that people begin to ask, “Who is this?” Who is this who forgives sin? Who is this that the wind and the sea obey him? Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Who is this riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? Are you a king? Are you the Christ?

All those IDs didn’t do him much good, I guess.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Persistent prayer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 18.

“[Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). The good news in Jesus’s parable (18:1-8) is that we don’t have to wear down God with relentless prayer like an uncaring judge. We know God will respond in just the right way at just the right time.

It’s not that I lose heart. It’s all the distractions that compete for my attention. Morning prayer is easy. It’s part of my early day routine. After that, life gets busy.

In the Old Testament, Daniel prayed three times a day, every day. He didn’t abandon that habit when threatened with lions (Daniel 6). Someone suggested a similar system. Set an alarm for noon and late afternoon, a simple, personal call to prayer. It’s not a bad idea. When my phone buzzes in my pocket, I remember to pray. When that alarm goes off, God shows up on my radar. I don’t pray for a long time. I just give thanks for whatever is going on, or pray for whoever’s around at that moment.

A bell summons monks away from work to prayer in monasteries. Why not use technology to my advantage? What a great way to weave prayer in the fabric of a day.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Free admission

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 18.

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Luke 18:17).

With grandchildren in tow, we pay a lot of attention to admission prices. Free admission for some of them varies from place to place. Sometimes we pay nothing for two and under. Other places there no fee until you turn five. Once place didn’t charge for twelve and under.

One of the great things about the kingdom of God is that admission is free. Well, at least for us. Jesus paid for our ticket with his life, sacrificed on the cross. Kingdom entrance is free for the children of God!

That’s an easy truth to forget. As we get older, we expect more from ourselves and others. We beat ourselves up for failure and congratulate ourselves for success. We look down on those who don’t have it together, and aspire to be like those who have accomplished much. As we age, we begin to think and act like there’s a buy-in.

There’s not. (If there was, you couldn’t afford it anyway.) If he’s your Father, then you’re his child. Come on in. It’s free.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Words from the heart

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 6.

“What’s on your mind?”

Sounds like a good question. But a better question would be, “What’s in your heart?” At least that’s what Jesus says.

“Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45 ESV)

“The mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45 NIV).

If you want to know what someone really cares about, just listen. Listen to their words. Pay attention to their vocabulary. Do you hear what they’re saying? What we say just never comes from our mouths. It’s not about what we’ve learned. It comes from deep within. It comes from our hearts.

  • Does every sentence begin with “I?” Guess who is the most important person in their life?
  • How frequently do they mention money, purchases, or possessions? They’ve revealed the identity of their God.
  • Have they told you about everything they can’t stand, won’t tolerate, and absolutely hate? A lot of anger escapes in their words.
  • Admission of worry, concern, and doubt reveals fear.

It’s not all bad. Sometimes our words reveal beautiful heart-held truths.

  • Does the speaker ask a lot of questions? They care a lot about you.
  • Words of gratitude flow from those who know the one who gives them life, and breath, and everything. They have a close, personal relationship with the provider.
  • What if they obsess about the hurts and needs of others? Perhaps they see people as Jesus did: sheep who need a shepherd.
  • Do you hear joy in their words? Do they see the hand of God in the most difficult of situations? Their hearts are attuned to the one who truly holds our lives in his hands.

Here’s your assignment. Listen carefully to what another is saying. What do you hear that’s coming from their heart?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The house where you grew up

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 2.

To his parents, who had been searching for him for three days, Jesus said, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49).

Something has changed. After Passover, the family was on their way home from Jerusalem to Nazareth. But now as a young man, Jesus refers to the temple as his father’s house. He has begun to understand his unique relationship with God the Father.

All the fullness of God may have been in Christ, but he also had to grow up. Just like you and I, he learned language, customs, and a trade from his parents. On this trip to Jerusalem he began to understand that he was here for something more than carpentry.

As we grow, we continually learn what it means to be a child of God. Our perspective changes when we become parents and grandparents. Seeing the next generations helps us understand our relationship with a heavenly Father. Just like us in every way, Jesus learned what it meant to be the Son of God.

I love hearing people talk about the house where they grew up. That location occupies a treasured spot in our hearts. Jesus had two of those, a home in Nazareth and the temple in Jerusalem.