Tag: God

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

“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

Drifting

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Malachi.

By the time we get to the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, God’s people have been back from exile for about one hundred years. During that time, they have drifted back into some old habits.

  • They are bringing imperfect animals for their sacrifices. The law clearly states that offerings must be without blemish. Anyone can spare a blind, sick, or lame animal. What kind of a sacrifice is that?
  • The priests are not teaching teaching the curriculum entrusted to them. God doesn’t grade on the curve. It’s important to stick with the lesson plan.
  • Couples are divorcing at an alarming rate. God had other, better plans for marriage.
  • Tithes and offerings are down. People have forgotten that God will always give you more than you give him. (What church hasn’t addressed this at the end of a fiscal year?)

It’s a perfect example of how anyone can drift away from God and his ways. It doesn’t happen in a week, a month, or a year. But over decades, disciplines begin to slip. You skip a workout here and there, and suddenly, you’re only getting to the gym twice a week. A weekly phone call becomes twice a month. You cancel one dental cleaning, you blink your eyes, and suddenly it’s been two years. One travel weekend, one sick child weekend, one guests-town-weekend, and just like that you’ve missed three weeks of worship. That’s all it takes to establish a new habit.

God is not happy, but he’s not surprised by any of this. He graciously sends prophets to call people to account, to repentance, and to restoration.

It’s kind of like wading out into the ocean. You’re enjoying the warm air and the cool water. Then you look up and realize the currents have pulled you away from the place where you set up beach chairs and cooler. How did that happen?

A loving God lets us drift, but never too far away. He loves us too much. He speaks, he warns, he sends prophets, he disciplines, he loves us too much to let us drift too far away.

So the book of Malachi is both a warning and assurance that God is serious about us and our lives.

How far have you drifted? How far have I drifted?

Whoa. I’ve gotten through the Old Testament. Again. It’s been a long journey. Are you still with me?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I didn’t hear you

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com

“Did you hear what I said?”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

How often do you think two people have that little conversation? No doubt daily around the world in every language. A noisy world drowns out the voices speaking to us. You weren’t listening because that voice in your head captured your attention. You didn’t hear the kitchen timer go off, and burnt the cookies. You slept through last night’s thunderstorm. In the airport, a voice repeatedly summons a person to a TSA checkpoint to retrieve and item they lost there. Everyone heard it – that person.

In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, God is not happy. “They refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear” (Zechariah 7:11) It’s not that God’s people didn’t hear him. They stuck their fingers in their ears, shutting out every prophetic command and warning.

The consequence of their intentional deafness is severe. “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts” (7:12). Hang up on God when he calls? He’ll be sure to hang up on you when you need to talk to him!

What did God say that was so offensive that they put their hands over their ears? God had told them (again) to be honest, kind, and merciful to each other (7:9). That’ it.

It wasn’t actually a hearing problem. It was more like an obedience problem. Everyone was willing to feast and sometimes fast (7:5,6). In other words, an occasional spiritual ritual was fine. Just don’t ask them to be nice to someone else. Nurturing selfishness means changing the channel so you don’t have to listen to God.

What is it that I don’t want to hear? When do I tune God out? Can I just pretend I didn’t hear that question?

When I’m busy. When it’s not convenient. When I already know what to do. When it interferes with my plans. When I’ve heard it all before. When it makes me feel guilty. When he’s right and I’m wrong.

People often wonder why God hasn’t responded to their prayers. They can’t figure out why he’s not listening. Maybe we’re the ones who need to listen before we open our mouths.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Under construction

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Gennifer Miller on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from the Old Testament book of Haggai.

“Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4)

In post-exilic Jerusalem, everyone’s time is consumed working on their homes. Of course they need a place to live. But they haven’t gotten around to rebuilding the temple. The focus on day-to-day living left them little energy for their spiritual lives.

Working a job, raising a family, and maintaining a home demands much time and energy. Getting everyone up and out the door for an hour of worship is no simple task. Even when you do it for a living (like a pastor), squeezing God into life is challenging.

God knows this. Ultimately he builds his temple out of people, “a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). Instead of waiting for us to make room for him, God makes room for us in his church. Instead of God being a part of what I’m doing, I’m a part of what he’s doing. Rather than waiting for me to invite him into my life, he invites me into his. Pretty clever, huh?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Lessons from Habakkuk on Sin and Judgment

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Habakkuk.

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
    and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
    and you will not save? (Habakkuk 1:2)

Habakkuk’s displeasure with God sounds familiar. Why doesn’t God do something? Why doesn’t God do something about the violence, wickedness, and injustice going on all around us?

It’s a great question. Why doesn’t God do something? Why does he seem remote, aloof, and unconcerned about our situation? From our limited point of view, there are two answers. Either God doesn’t care, or God can’t fix it.

God’s response is shocking. He’s assembling the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to sweep through and put an end to the horrible behavior and inexcusable idolatry of God’ people.

Well, that’s one way to deal with the problem, isn’t it? Let’s bring in an even great evil. Let’s burn down the house because the roof leaks. Cut a hole in a shirt to get rid of a stain. Trade in the car for a new one because the brakes are squealing. Put the TV on the curb because of an offensive word from a person in one episode of one TV show.

Would you consider any of those things be an overreaction? I would. Fix the roof. Remove the stain. Repair the brakes. Patch the roof. Watch a different TV show.

Clearly their sin was beyond repair. Their sin and idolatry called for extreme measures. Like foreign invasion. Destruction. Exile.

Bottom line: don’t challenge God unless you are willing to hear some hard truths about your sin, his holiness, and judgment.

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

A basket of fruit

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nataliya Melnychuk on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Amos 8.

“This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit” (Amos 8:1).

Old Testament prophets have great object lessons. Amos’s “basket of summer fruit” reminded me of one of my high school youth group’s favorite games, “Fruit basket upset.” (Yeah, this is how we had fun back in the 1900’s.)

We arranged our chairs in a circle, one fewer than the number of youth there. Everyone picked a fruit to identify with, including the person in the middle of the circle who started without a chair. That middle person would then call out two or more of the named fruits. Those fruits would have to exchange chairs, as the person in the middle attempted to steal one of their seats. The person left in the middle without a chair would then shout out fruits.

Every once in a while, the middle person would call out, “fruit basket upset!” which meant everyone had to leave their seat and find another. The ensuing chaos was hilarious.

A basket of summer fruit actually sounds delicious. Imagine strawberries, cherries, and ripe peaches. Add in a few blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, and you’ve got a wonderful bowl of fruit.

Fruit doesn’t last long in the biblical world with no refrigerators. In other words, time’s up. It’s the end of a season, and God’s judgment for a nation that has gone bad with injustice and greed is just around the corner.

There’s an interesting contrast here. Are our lives more like Amos’s summer fruit or the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? On any given day, it could be either. When our greed gets the best of us, we don’t worry much about the needs of others. When the Spirit moves us, though, we bear the fruit of love, kindness, and goodness, as well as other Godly qualities.

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.