Tag: God

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Evaluating Churches: Insights from Revelation 2 and 3

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Cosmic Timetraveler on Unsplash

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

When I look at a church, whether my own or another, I tend to notice different things than God does.

  • I look at it’s size. How many gather for worship? I think most of us assume that bigger is better. They must be doing something right, right?
  • I evaluate the style. What kind of music do they have? What’s the quality of the music? What message does the music communicate?
  • I pay attention to the demographics. Is it just a bunch of old people? I like to see a multi-generational gathering, with lots of families with children.
  • What about their programming? Do they have a lot of things going on? How full is the weekly calendar of events? Is the congregation reaching out to the local community as well as supporting mission efforts around the globe?

As John writes to the seven churches, we learn that God looks at the church in an entirely different way.

  • Is that church’s activity fueled by love (Ephesus)?
  • How does the church respond to difficulties and challenges (Smyrna)?
  • What false teaching does the church tolerate (Pergamum)?
  • What false teachers does the church tolerate (Thyatira)?
  • What programs have stalled out (Sardis)?
  • Is the church pursuing opportunities for ministries in the immediate area (Philadelphia)?
  • Does the church care about people, the community, and the world? Or are they indifferent, isolated in a bubble (Laodicea)?

How can anyone not be convicted when they read these chapters of Revelation? No church is perfect. No church checks all these boxes. Every church has something to work on.

Every church needs to repent.

Any church can dig in and declare, “We’re right and they’re wrong!” How many churches will admit, “We have a lot to work on”? How many will commit to being the kind of church that the Lord wants us to be?

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

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

Itching ears

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Tom Spross on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from 2 Timothy 4.

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

God knew about the algorithm a long time ago.

The more time I spend on social media and shopping online, the more the internet knows about me. It will quickly and efficiently begin to show me more of what I’ve read about and shopped for. A machine will become my teacher who suits my own passions, feeds my aspirations, and sells me things I never knew I needed. My news sources will reflect my bias. When I am repeatedly told what I want to hear, truth no longer matters.

God is not surprised by any of this. He simply charges his ministers to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). God’s word reveals that he is biased. It declares that he alone is God. There is no other. He alone can save. No one else can. He alone is all-powerful, holy, loving, righteous, all-knowing, and good. Yes, God is biased. But his word is also truth.

God is also biased because he loves us more than anything. We’re the apple of his eye, his treasured possession, and his dearly loved children. All that is not just what we want to hear. It is the truth.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Walking Worthy: Exhortation and Growth in Faith

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kasper Rasmussen on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from 1 Thessalonians 2.

“We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12).

How much of the Christian faith involves the involvement and encouragement of others? Much more than we realize!

We’ve known for a long time that the most successful evangelism strategy is a simple invitation. Research shows again and again that most people go to a church because someone invited them. It’s not the music, the preacher, the building, the donuts, the children’s program, or the free gift for first-time visitors. It’s the encouragement of friends or family. Of course it’s not a fool-proof strategy. Not everyone will accept the invitation. But it’s the best we’ve got.

A personal relationship with God will always connect us with others who know him, trust him, listen to him, talk about him, and worship him. Sometimes just being with other Christians influences us. It’s like seeing what someone has ordered at a restaurant and saying, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Other times it’s their exhortation and encouragement. The only reason I ever sang in a choir, taught children, wrote devotional material, served on a board of directors, or went on a mission trip is because someone asked me to do those things. I’m glad they did, because with each experience, I grew in my faith and met some great people.

When Paul wrote these words to believers in Thessalonica, he wanted them to know how much he cared about them. He wanted them to experience the kingdom and glory of God. So he exhorted, encouraged, and challenged them to “walk in a manner worthy of God.” He urged them to be the people God had created and saved them to be.

I’m thankful for the many who exhort, encourage, and challenge me, too.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

More or less: a different kind of math

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Valentina Giarre on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Ephesians 3.

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

I measure lots of things: the inseam of my pants, 3-1/2 cups of flour for a batch of sugar cookies, 1/3 c. of food for the little dog, the weight of a dumbbell, how much time to drive to a destination, the area of a rug, the brightness of a lightbulb, days until Christmas (lol), how long I slept, and how many steps I took today.

Churches measure lots of things, too. Leaders track worship attendance, offerings, membership numbers to track progress, plan programs, and strategize ministry.

One of Paul’s prayers for the believers in Ephesus is that they would have the power to grasp the dimensions of Christ’s love, a measurement that goes far beyond mere knowledge (numbers).

We miscalculate those dimensions. Someone has wandered too far away from God’s care. The bar to please God is as low as our best efforts. He doesn’t have time to care about our down days, so we have to pull ourselves out of a funk. His promises are out of reach.

The truth is much different. No one is beyond God’s reach. The bar of righteousness is way over our heads. He’s really close, right there with us on our worst days. His promises aren’t far away at all, lodged in our hearts. We underestimate our sinfulness. We underestimate his grace, too.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Prayers that glorify God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 17.

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you'” (John 17:1).

We know that Jesus went off by himself to pray. In John’s gospel we get to listen in. At the heart of Jesus’s prayer is the desire to glorify his father.

How often do we pray that God would be glorified?

I pray for healing, protection, relationships, faith, and provision. And I ought to pray for all those things. But my prayers are for my personal health and well-being. Sometimes it is for others. Do I pray for God to be glorified?

Not intentionally. To be honest my prayers sound selfish compared to Jesus’s. But God is glorified when he responds to my prayers. He’s the source of healing, provision, faith, and life. Whenever I receive those things, he looks good. That is, he’s glorified.

How would the shape of my prayers change if my motivation was God’s glory? The slices of praise and thanks would be the larger pieces of my prayer pie chart. The bottom line would not be my comfort and happiness, but good publicity for God, that more would know, trust, and glorify him.

What if prayer were a highlighter for all that God is and does? I wouldn’t be able to ignore his power, kindness, grace, justice, and mercy. He would look better and better every time I prayed.

He would be glorified!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The breath of life

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 20.

It’s the evening of resurrection day when Jesus appears to all but one of the disciples in the locked upper room. Twice he said, “Peace be with you.” “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'” (John 20:22).

This time around, I made the connection. At the very beginning, “the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7).

God shows Ezekiel a valley full of dry, lifeless bones and commands him to prophesy. Ezekiel does, and “the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10).

God’s breath gives life!

It’s that time of year when our neighborhood plays host to every imaginable Christmas lawn inflatable. They lie lifeless until someone plugs in the fan that breathes air into them. Santas, snowmen, penguins, the Grinch, and dogs in Santa hats all come to life!

  • New parents check on their sleeping infants, to make sure they’re breathing.
  • I’ve been in hospital rooms where the rhythmic sound of a ventilator reminded all of our mortality and the blessing of medical technology.
  • It doesn’t happen very often in Florida where I live, but on a cold day you can see your breath. A glimpse of the divine?
  • After a tough day of guarding the house, my dogs breathe very heavily on the love seat as they catch up on their sleep.
  • Every air mattress now comes with a built-in inflator, alleviating the need for lots of huffing and puffing before bedtime.

If I’m breathing, I’m alive. God gives me my first breath, blesses me with daily breath (ands bread), and will see me through my last breath in this world.

I’ve been there for some last breaths. I’ve been there when families have pulled the plug. I’ve been there in the hospice room waiting for that last breath. I’ve held my dogs as the vet put them to sleep and they took a last breath.

What a joy to know that God reverses that, and when we take our last breath here, we take our next with him!