Tag: grace

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Ugly grace

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels

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

After Jonah is thrown off the boat, swallowed by a fish, and spit up onto the beach, we find out why he didn’t want to go to Nineveh in the first place. Jonah says to God, “That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2).

God’s grace is wonderful when applied to our lives. It’s harder to swallow when he’s gracious to someone else, someone we know deserves to be punished.

I find it hard to understand how God could forgive people who have done atrocious things. This struggle reveals a shocking self-righteousness, as if there was nothing very sinful going on in my life.

The truth? I’m much more sinful than I realize. The ugliness of the cross reveals the ugliness of my sin, which Christ took on himself. Rather than thinking of myself as less-needful of grace, I’m need to be reminded I’m less deserving of grace than I thought.

The Jonah in me needs a regular reminder of God’s unlikely yet very real grace, mercy, and steadfast love.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I don’t want to do that

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 42 and 43.

Most of the nation has been taken into exile. The remnant who’s left wants Jeremiah to ask God, “Now what should we do?” They promise, “We will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you” (Jeremiah 42:6).

Jeremiah passes along this message from the Lord: “Don’t run away to Egypt. Stay here. I’ll take care everything” (42:10-12).

That’s not the answer they wanted to hear. “You’re lying!” they said, and “did not obey the voice of the Lord” (43:7). They all ran away to Egypt, dragging Jeremiah with them.

How often has someone asked you, “What do you think I should do?” Or, “What can I do to help?” After your thoughtful and loving response, they reply, “I don’t want to do that.” You’ve been that someone, haven’t you? Yeah, me, too. We don’t really want advice. We just want someone to affirm what we wanted to do all along.

It’s just like the man who asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16) He had obey all the commandments, and wanted to make sure he had left nothing undone. When Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Jesus, he walked away sadly because he had a lot of possessions. Jesus’s instructions were the last thing he wanted to do.

The fact that Jesus’s instructions are often the last thing I want to do reveals a lot about my heart. I need his grace a lot more than I like to admit.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Lessons from the ocean

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sean on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” devotional thoughts from Jeremiah 5.

I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,
    a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
    though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
    they have turned aside and gone away. (Jeremiah 5:22,23)

The ocean is an imposing body of water. It is powerful. A single wave can knock you over. Riptides pull you helplessly away from the shore. Offshore storms create waves that rip apart piers and wash away resort beaches. The seas toss huge ships around as if they were nothing. Pressure at the bottom of the ocean crushes the sturdiest submarines.

But the ocean obeys its creator. They can only go as far as he permits.

People? They are stubborn. They are rebellious. They disregard the barriers of God’s law. They dismiss the guardrails of God’s statutes. They ignore his warnings. They go where they want. They do what they want.

Okay, let’s be honest here. Let’s correct the pronouns. I am stubborn. I am rebellious. I disregard the barriers. I dismiss the guardrails. I ignore the warnings. I go where I want and do what I want.

Let’s get it right. I’m a piece of work. I’m a mess. I’m greedy, selfish, judgmental, prideful, insensitive, and cruel. I’m the enigma Jeremiah describes. I’m the one part of God’s creation who doesn’t honor and obey the creator.

That’s a tough confession to make, isn’t it? It’s honest though, isn’t it? It’s truthful. It’s real. It’s puzzling. It makes Jeremiah’s words come to life. Yeah, he’s talking about me.

Once I get that right, the bible starts to make sense. I need help. I need God’s help. And I have a God who helps. With love, mercy, and grace he gets my attention, draws me in, and shows me how much he still loves me.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Instead of

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Mariana Medvedeva on Unsplash

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 61.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me…
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit (Isaiah 61:1,3).

What do you think of those restaurants whose menus announce, “No substitutions?”

  • “Can I get a side salad instead of the vegetable medley?”
  • “Could you give me a baked potato instead of the smashed garlic potatoes?”
  • “I’m gluten free. Can I get celery instead of the pita chips?”
  • “I’m vegan. Do you have Beyond meat?” (at a steak restaurant, lol)

Burger King was the chain who conditioned us to think we can have it our way. John Wanamaker supposedly said, “The customer is always right.” Plenty of “Karens” have led us to believe we can bully our way around a “no substitution” world.

On the other hand, God is all about “instead of.”

  • Joy instead of gloom.
  • A beautiful outfit instead of a black suit for a funeral.
  • A smile instead of a frown.
  • Life instead of death.

This world offers little. God offers so much. Grace instead of shame. Forgiveness instead of condemnation. Renewal instead of expiration. Fresh instead of stale. Victory instead of defeat. The old has gone; the new has come!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Perfect Peace: Mindfulness in Isaiah 26

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Isaiah 26.

“You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3)

I paused at this verse in Isaiah because it spoke of the mind. How many times have I read that Christian faith is not something to engage your intellect but a truth to touch your soul? I’ve often read that the longest distance is from the brain to the heart. The gospel is more than information about Christ. It’s the foundation of a relationship with him.

That’s all good and valid, but what about Isaiah’s image of a mind stayed on God?

  • When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
  • Paul wrote about being transformed by “renewing your mind” (Romans 12:2).
  • Paul also encouraged believers to have a mind like Christ, which he described as humble, obedient, and sacrificial (Philippians 2:5).
  • Paul also reminded his readers that “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Want to get inside the head of God? You can in Christ.
  • Paul also comes down hard on those with “minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19). Instead of that, “Set your minds on things that are above” (Col. 3:2).

In so many ways, scripture tells me to get my head in the game. It challenges me, “What were you thinking?” It directs to me to grow in both grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). It reminds me to consider, “What’s my mindset today?”

I can wrap my head around this. I am a logical thinker. This makes sense to me. Am I anxious, worried, upset, or unsettled? My mind needs a reset. At any given moment, what’s on my mind? Probably not the things of God. I need a reset. I need to refocus. I need to redirect my thinking.

How do I do that? I remember that Christ is the cornerstone. The prophetic and apostolic scriptures are the foundation. I build my life on those truths rather than circumstances, current events, financial news, the well-intended opinions of others, and my own limited understanding.

My mind will never stay focused on God. My desires, the world, and Satan himself continually distract me.

But I can pursue mindfulness. Being mindful is more than being in the moment. It’s about being mindful of God’s love, grace, truth, and authority over this moment.

You can trust him, depend on him, and be stay your mind on him. In return your get shalom shalom, that is, perfect peace.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I’ll never again complain about lunch taking so long

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Duncan Sanchez on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 91.

While in Texas, we took four grandchildren to lunch at Panera last week. Tw o of them had bowls of soup, one had the macaroni and cheese, and the fourth went with grilled cheese.

I couldn’t believe how slowly they ate! It took every bit of forty-five minutes for them to enjoy a nice relaxing lunch. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve just never seen anyone eat a potato chip in six separate bites. I grab a few and pop them in mouth. Rather than a whole spoonful of soup, which wasn’t that hot, the olders scooped very small amounts of soup with their spoons. Mac and cheese? One small noodle at a time. Unless she decided to eat that noodle in three bites.

We weren’t in a hurry, had lots of things to talk about, and enjoyed our time together. Afterwards, we headed towards a Target to pick up a few things. As we approached the turn in, I saw two banged up cars waiting for the police to arrive. A minute sooner and it could have been us. I said, “I’ll never again complain about lunch taking so long.”

The psalmist writes

He will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
 On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11,12)

Forget about a guardian angel. I’m thankful for a bunch of them taking care of me. And here’s the fascinating thing. Most of the time, I’m not even aware of their presence and protection. The bad stuff that could have happened doesn’t. So I go on with my life, oblivious to their efforts.

In the bible, angels sing, deliver messages, praise God, fight battles, and take care of us in ways we can hardly understand. Thank you, Lord, for letting us linger over lunch.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Just like silver

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 66.

For you, O God, have tested us;
    you have tried us as silver is tried. (Psalm 66:10)

I found these fascinating words in a little commentary on this psalm: “Silver is pure enough when the refiner can see his image in the molten metal.”

You know how silver (and gold) is refined, don’t you? You heat the metal up until it is a liquid. Once that happens, any impurities will also melt and rise to the surface. The refiner skims all of that off, leaving the pure silver beneath. It now reflects the refiner’s image.

The analogy is powerful. God tests and tries us like precious metal. He heats up our circumstances, allowing temptation, crises, difficult people, and unexpected expenses into our lives. He does all that to bring us to repentance and dependance on him. His forgiveness purifies us from our failures, shame, guilt, and all the stupid things we’ve done. And then guess what? You can see him reflected in our lives. Pretty cool, huh?

Now when we’re going through it, it’s not so cool. It’s hot. It’s hard. It makes us want to wail, “I’m melting!” But it’s worth it. Who else can take our mess and make it magjificent?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

You’re forgiven. Now what?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by CDC on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 32.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity (Psalm 32:1,2)

I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (32:5)

Forgiveness is an amazing thing. Life is good without shame, regret, and guilt hanging over your head. By the grace of God, all that is off the table when we’re forgiven.

Now what?

Your transgression is forgiven, your sin is covered, and the Lord doesn’t count any iniquity against you. What’s next?

In Psalm 32, David takes us to the next step.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you. (32:8)

We learn a lot from our mistakes. We resolve, “I’m not going to do that again,” “I’m going to think before I speak,” “I’m not going there anymore.” But we will. We’ll drift back into old habits, let our words fly, and make the same stupid mistakes.

I’m grateful for God’s instruction and teaching. I’m thankful he’s keeping an eye on me, to counsel me, and lead me in the way of life. A lot of things look good that really aren’t good for me. His scriptural guidance is always for my benefit and blessing.

Forgiven? Yes! Now go back to class.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Is good enough good enough?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on pexels.com

Yeah, I’m still at it. Here’s another “through the bible” devotion from Job 1.

The book of Job starts like this:

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1).

Was Job perfect? No. “None is righteous” (Romans 3:10). “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23).

So what kind of a person was Job?

What’s the difference between being “blameless” and “sinless”? Here’s one explanation. Sin is vertical, blame is horizontal. Sinful is what you are like in the presence of a holy God. Blameless is about life with others. Think portrait vs. landscape mode.

Blameless? Everyone thought of Job as a good guy. But Job still needed God’s grace as much as anyone else.

No criminal record. Perfect attendance. Excellent credit score. Employee of the month. All lab results normal. Most likely to succeed. 4.0 GPA. A horizontal righteousness, blameless and upright in the eyes of most.

Angry. Jealous. Holds a grudge. Bitter. Lips honor God; heart is far from him. Selfish. A vertical unrighteousness in the sight of the one whose opinion counts.

Some of us claim that we don’t care what others think of us. That’s a lie. Of course we care. We work hard to look good horizontally. Do we care about what God thinks of us? Probably not as much as we care what others think of us. How much effort goes into that vertical relationship?

Good enough or God’s enough? That’s a good question, isn’t it?