Tag: faith

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Through the roof

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Elina Volkova: https://www.pexels.com

Some more “through the bible” thoughts from Mark 2.

“When Jesus saw their faith…” (Mark 2:5).

There is so much going on as Jesus preaches to a crowd crammed into his house in Capernaum. Four men carry a paralyzed man to Jesus, but can’t even get in the door. They take him up on the roof, open up a hole, and let him down to where Jesus is. “And when Jesus saw their faith…” he responds with spiritual and physical healing. The man walks away forgiven!

I’ve heard it said that faith is personal, but it is never private. What does faith look like on the outside? Faithful church attendance? Helping to feed or clothe someone who needs the basics? Going on a mission trip to share the gospel? Financially supporting Christian ministry? Yes to all of the above.

The faith of these five men looks like confidence, persistence, and creativity. No crowd, roof, or disability was going to keep their friend from Jesus. Their efforts reflect Paul’s words, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38,39).

Sometimes it seems like those we love are so far away from God. If we could just get them to Jesus, they would get it. But maybe you’re not the one who will do it. Maybe it will be a friend or coworker who will bring them. Pray that the right one will come along who will get them through the roof to Jesus!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

From small to large (and everywhere in between)

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Crystal Jo on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Matthew 14 and 15.

In quick succession, two people desperately ask Jesus for help in these chapters. Peter, distracted by the storm, learns that walking on water isn’t as easy as it looks. When he cries out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus grabs his hand and gets him back in the boat (Matthew 14:30-31). Soon after a Canaanite woman with a demon possessed daughter begs Jesus, “Lord, help me.” Jesus instantly heals her daughter.

They both needed Jesus’s help. But while Jesus says to Peter, “O you of little faith” (14:31) he says to the woman, “Great is your faith!” (15:28). Both did the right thing in a dire situation. Both knew only Jesus could help them. Neither one deserved Jesus’s help. Peter should have kept his eyes on Jesus. The woman wasn’t one of the lost sheep of Israel Jesus came for.

What makes the different between “little” faith and “great” faith? It can’t be quantity. Jesus taught that faith the size of minute mustard seed can move mountains. It’s never about quantity. It’s always about the object of your faith.

Was it her persistence and humility? “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table” (15:27). Was it Peter’s bold challenge, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (14:28)?

I don’t have an answer. I just know on any given day, faith fills my field of vision, while on others, my faith tank seems to be empty. However, the object of my faith is the constant. He’s there regardless of the size of my faith.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

“Good eye!”

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Mason McCall: https://www.pexels.com

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Matthew 6.

It’s fall baseball season in Florida, and we’ve been going to a lot of my grandsons’ games. The younger seven-year-old is playing in a machine pitch rec league, where every batter gets five pitches. The older is playing on an Under 10 kid pitch league, with umpires calling balls and strikes.

When a batter takes a pitch high and inside or low and away, someone in the stands always encourages them, “Good eye!” It takes time to learn how to not swing at a ball outside of the strike zone.

That’s the first thing I thought of this time around Matthew 6 when Jesus talks about a “good eye.”

[Jesus said,] “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matthew 6:22,23)

What does it mean to have a “good eye” in God’s kingdom? I think it means you see things from Christ’s perspective. You view eternal treasures in heaven as worth pursuing, rather than the earthly that too quickly slip through your fingers. You see God as provider, assuaging anxiety about your daily needs. You give, pray, and fast with a focus on God rather than recognition from others.

That sounds like a good prayer request. “Lord, give me a ‘good eye’ so that I have less anxiety as I pursue worthwhile things. Help me see you at work in my life, past, present, and future. Open my eyes to see the wonderful things you have created and provided.”

Every morning when you wake up, you’re up to bat. You (and I) are going to need a good eye!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

God’s got a lot of pieces

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by T.J. Breshears on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Nahum. Chances are you haven’t read the Old Testament book of Nahum for a while. Or ever. I’ll do my best to pique your interest.

The Old Testament book of Nahum begins with a list of God’s attributes

  • Jealous
  • Avenging
  • Wrathful
  • Slow to anger
  • Powerful
  • Indignant
  • Angry
  • Good
  • A stronghold

Interesting. Is that how you think of God? If so, do you find it easy to talk to him? I think most people either think of God as a nice guy or aloof and detached. You either love God and what he’s doing, or you’re disappointed and wonder what he’s up to. You like him or hate him. He’s either your safe place, or your worst nightmare. It’s a challenging dichotomy.

Nahum challenges us to think of God in terms of all his attributes. Not just love and forgiveness. Not just righteousness and justice. Not just kindness. Not just wrath.

Instead, the whole package.

A friend of mine said it was like one of those huge cheesecakes you bought at a big box wholesale food store. Sixteen slices of cheesecake all different. God is like that whole variety pack. You never get just slice or attribute. You get the whole thing. Wrath and mercy. Justice and grace. Forgiving and avenging. A whole bunch of opposite traits that compliment each other, comprising a God who isn’t so easy to comprehend.

So how will you (I) respond? Run from a wrathful God? Or run to a stronghold God? Avoid a jealous God? Or pursue a good God? Try to assuage an angry God, or be thankful that he is “slow to anger?”

Yeah, I know. We don’t have God all figured out. And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. He’s way more powerful than we know. And he is far more personal than we realize.

In Nahum, God cares about what the nations are doing, not just people. He sees the big picture. And he knows our personal challenges. It all matters to him.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

It’s so simple. It’s so hard.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Adam Nemeroff on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Micah 6.

He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

On any given day, it’s easy to resolve first thing in the morning to humbly walk with God, be kind, and do the right thing.

Then life happens. I forget. I get preoccupied. I get busy. I get defensive. And suddenly it’s all about me. Suddenly, I’m no so humble, nice, or interested in “justice.”

It sounds so simple. But it’s so hard to do. It’s not my problem. I don’t want to be nice. And I want to be recognized and appreciated. My natural inclination is just the opposite of what God wants.

And that’s the problem, isn’t it? I’m on a whole different page than God. Justice? Only if it’s in my best interest. Kindness? Maybe, if I think I might like you. Humility? I mostly think about me. I’m not as humble as I like to think.

In context, God’s people wanted to bring more sacrifices and give more offerings. But that’s not what he wanted. He wanted them to be different, to be nice, to make the world a better place.

I think it comes down to this: God doesn’t want me to do more for him. He does something — everything — for me. My God is just, kind, and humble. For me. Because I’m not good at this.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Imagining the temple

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Ezekiel 40-42.

To be honest, I don’t find chapters 40-42 of Ezekiel inspiring. There’s little devotional material here.

Twenty-one years ago, as my church made plans to build a new sanctuary, the architect included a thick volume of specifications for the construction along with the blueprints. It was not inspiring either. But we had one man, retired from construction, who took them home and digested them!

However, the architect also supplied us with artist renderings of the finished building, along with a scale model to display in the entryway of the church. That was inspiring! That got everyone excited. That fueled the fund-raising which made the new building possible. Not only could we see the finished structure, but we could picture ourselves worshiping there.

So I figure that these chapters from Ezekiel helped his audience picture the restored temple when God brought them back to Jerusalem to rebuild what the Babylonians had destroyed. It was intended to inspire and excite those who would undertake that effort. They would once again be worshiping there.

A few years after, our church attempted a capital campaign to pay down debt and reduce our mortgage payment. It was a flop. No one gets excited about debt reduction.

But a building program? Everyone loves that! Maybe Ezekiel’s description encouraged the hearts and minds of the exiles waiting to go home.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Physical Benefits of Spiritual Practices

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Yesterday, I promised to explore spiritual pursuits that have physical benefits. I’ve been pondering that throughout the day. To tell you the truth, the converse was easier. But (as usual) I came up with a few examples.

  • The obvious example is healing. Prayers for healing are powerful. Healing may come through medication, doctors, time, or rest. But it’s all ultimately from God.
  • Spiritual activity brings you into the church, where surrounded by other believers, we find mutual encouragement and support. We help meet the physical needs of others; they meet ours.
  • We often pray for and give thanks for tangible things. Safety. Protection. Homes. Food. Whatever we need to live. All physical blessings from a spiritual source.
  • Fasting as a spiritual discipline has a physical benefit, at least according to the intermittent fasting experts. Who knew?

God knew what he was doing. Spirit and flesh, body and soul, physical and spiritual. It all works together.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I’ll just have a salad

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Daniel 1.

When Daniel and his friends are taken in to exile, they are quickly selected for education and training, to work in the king’s palace. Rather than the usually fare of food and wine, Daniel asks that they be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. In a place far from his home and family, he has little control over his destiny. This small request is a way of sidestepping food that may have been an offering to an idol. It is one small corner of his life where he can still have control and still be faithful.

After ten days, Daniel and his friends are in better health than any of their classmates. They also surpass the wisdom and abilities of all the other magicians and enchanters in the kingdom. In a sense, they become better Babylonians than the Babylonians!

In this account, a physical habit has a spiritual benefit. Their choice of foods becomes a way of being faithful, of demonstrating their trust as they obey the statutes of God.

So I’m wondering: What other physical habits benefit someone spiritually?

  • Closing our eyes to pray. Shutting out visual distractions heightens our other senses, helping us focus on both speaking and listening. The folding of hands brings us fully into that moment.
  • Walking in the morning heightens my awareness of the creation around me, which reveals God’s glory and power.
  • Some will fast to escape the habitual shopping for, preparing, eating, and cleaning up after meals to focus on prayer.
  • When I enter a church that burns incense, the aroma seems to say, “This is a sacred space.” The smell of candles and wine proclaims that reality, too.
  • Some of my best devotional thoughts have come to mind while walking or running.

Those are just a few things that come to mind. As people with both bodies and souls, our physical and spiritual selves are vitally connected.

Next time: how does spirituality affect our physical lives?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

God is really good at the game of Risk

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 46.

“The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations” (Jeremiah 46:1).

It turns out that God had a message for the whole world, not just Israel or Judah. God speak of judgment for Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Syria, Persia, and Babylon. Their violence, cruelty, pride, oppression, and idolatry has not gone unnoticed. Don’t worry. God will deal with them.

As I read through these chapters, I jotted down two notes in my journal. First, God is not a spectator in human history. He doesn’t passively watch it unfold. He’s the star. He’s on the stage, causing and working through current events.

My second note is, “God is playing the game of Risk.” Risk was one of my favorite childhood games. We left the Risk board on a basement table, since an ongoing game might take days to complete. Ours was an original game with wooden pieces representing armies and tens of armies. Risk taught me geography and strategy, along with statistics and luck. With a large enough army, I could defeat anyone, even if the dice seemed to be against me.

When it comes to God, there’s no luck or odds. He’s in control of the board, and he comes out on top. I too often forget about God’s role when I read the news. For better or worse, he’s behind all the headlines. He’s not a passive observer of human ambition. God is the headliner, the main event, and the star of the show. Nothing happens outside of his control. There may be a lot of players in the game of Risk (I think six is the max), but when it’s all said and done, God always wins.

My memories of playing Risk with my brother and sister and neighborhood friends helps me understand the Old Testament. There are lots of nations in play, we think it’s all random and luck, but God reveals himself and his plans as nations rise and fall.