Tag: Jesus

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Soon

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Simon Reza on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Revelation 22.

“I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7, 12, and, 20).

When someone says, “I’ll be there soon,” I expect their arrival within five minutes at the most. If someone assures me, “Just a minute,” I’m thinking somewhere around sixty seconds. When the text reads, “We’re almost there,” I walk out into the driveway and look for the car coming down the street towards our house.

I’ve learned that soon means different lengths of time to different people. It could be anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to whenever. Or a few thousand years in the case of Jesus who brings the bible to a close with the promise, “I am coming soon.”

The thing is, I live in a world with next day delivery, express lanes, microwavable meals, instant pudding, lightning passes, gig-speed internet, and fast-setting Quikcrete.

So we wonder, “How much longer?” And we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

On the other hand, we are quick to react, “Already?” Vacation is over, it’s time to go back to work or school, and we lament, “Already?” When a loved one dies, it’s often “too soon,” and we wish we had more time with them. Supper’s over and the kids are asking for snacks. Already? Six months have passed and it’s time for your dentist appointment. Already?

Rather than marking a day on the calendar, Jesus leaves us hanging with his promise, “I am coming soon.” That promise makes every day significant, because it might be the last. Make the most of it. It makes every day a gift. Another chance. It keeps him on the front burner of my mind, rather than thinking, “I’ve got lots of time.” It makes today more important than someday.

Do I have a lot of time to witness to a friend? To serve? To pray? Maybe. Maybe not. After all, Jesus is coming soon.

I began this reading through the bible on June 18, 2024. I think it took longer this time since I decided to write devotionally along the way. Now what? Start over again? Read cover to cover using a different translation? Pick a book of the bible and spend more time there? I’m not sure. I’ll figure it out. Soon.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A moment of silence

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Revelation 8.

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).

That silence stands in contrast with the unending praises of the six-winged creatures in Revelation 4:8. They are joined by the twenty-four elders, myriads of myriads of angels, and every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and in the sea (Rev. 5:9-10, 12,13. People from every nation, tribe, people, and language who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb praise him with loud voices as well (Rev. 7:9-10).

Heaven is a noisy place until the Lamb opens the seventh seal and “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Rev. 8:1).

One of the hardest things to do when teaching a class or facilitating a discussion is to ask a question and then be quiet. If no one says anything for fifteen seconds, it’s tempting to speak. A full minute of quiet seems like an hour.

Quiet is important. People are thinking. Pondering the question. Forming their thoughts.

Quiet is important when the baby is sleeping. I disconnected the doorbell so that a well-meaning delivery person didn’t push the button, ring the bell, make the dog bark, and wake the child.

Quiet is important in music. A rest means don’t play. Don’t sing a note.

Quiet is important when you’re playing hide-and-seek. Don’t giggle. Don’t breathe heavy. Don’t give away your hiding place.

Quiet is important in golf. Spectators are warned not to make a sound when a player is lining up a perfectly still ball for a drive or putt. Same for a tennis serve.

On the other hand, when a batter is trying to hit a 90 mile-per-hour fast ball, fifty-thousand people are yelling at the top of their lungs. When a basketball player lines up for a free throw, fans of the opposing team will be anything but silent.

How entertaining is it when an adult’s whispered, “Shut up!” is louder than the noise a wriggling child makes in church?

Or when a moment of silence is interrupted by the ring tone of a cell phone in someone’s purse or pocket?

In that half-hour of silence, the prayers of the saints reach the ears of God. The cacophony of heaven’s praises cannot drown out the asking, seeking, and knocking of believers.

More importantly, the roar of heaven’s worship will never drown out your prayers. They rise up to God like the smoke of incense (8:3-4). Your whispered prayers for his help, mercy, and presence sweetly disrupt heaven’s silence, moving God to respond with the thunder, rumblings, lightning, and earthquakes of his presence (8:5).

Let’s make some noise. Let’s pray!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A good look at Jesus

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Revelation 1.

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 1:12-15).

It’s interesting that this is one of the few physical descriptions of Jesus in the bible. Accounts of his transfiguration speak of sudden divine brightness (Matthew 17). Isaiah said there would be nothing special about his appearance, “no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). John says his crucifixion wounds were still visible after his resurrection (John 20).

When you picture Jesus, do you picture him as John describes him in Revelation 1? Probably not. The paintings and drawings of Jesus that come to mind probably aren’t accurate. We have no idea, other than what John writes here, which is overwhelming.

John’s Jesus has snow white hair. Long or short? Bearded? We don’t know. He’s got fiery eyes, kind of like the bright yellow eyes of ring tailed lemurs. Shiny gold-colored shoes (“Oh, Dem Golden Slippers”)?Maybe.

What do you think? Is it better to picture Jesus as an ordinary first-century Jewish man, or an awesome divine being you can’t look at because it’s like looking directly at the sun?

I suppose the answer is both. We should neither overlook his divinity nor his humanity. Jesus is so much the same and at the same time so much more than we are.

One day we’ll get to see him for ourselves (Job 19:26,27)!

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

Turn up the volume

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Al Elmes on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jude.

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

In the first church where I served as pastor, the sanctuary was separated from a kitchen/fellowship area by a long accordion-style folding divider. One Sunday morning, a meal was scheduled to follow the worship service. I had to contend with slicing, chopping, conversation, and chuckling from well-intentioned parishioners busy with food preparation during the sermon. With a louder-than-usual-voice and lots of projection, I was up to the task.

It didn’t happen often, but some babies weren’t happy at their baptism. I had to contend with their louder-than-usual cries at the font. Once again, I was up to the task, calling upon the breath support I usually used for playing the trumpet.

Jude calls on believers to “contend for the faith” because there was a lot of other noise filling the early church air. The voices of false teachers, grumblers, complainers, and boasters created division in the church, even denying Christ himself! Jude encourages them to turn up the volume of the apostles’ words, praying and strengthening their faith in the promises of God.

Is the church a place filled with the sounds of joy or complaining? Are we united in mission or divided over worldly issues? Do we hear the voice of truth or lies from the enemy?

It’s always a good day to turn up the volume of love, mercy, and grace as we contend for the faith.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

We have an advocate

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash

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

“If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Over the years I’ve written many letters of recommendation for youth seeking admission to college or applying for financial aid. Most of the time, I knew them well, having taught them and gotten them involved in various church ministries. I enjoyed advocating for each one, anticipating their future success.

A few times I had to be honest and admit I didn’t know them very well. I did my best to write positively about them and their future potential.

I think it’s interesting that one of the roles the bible assigns to Jesus is advocate or mediator. But he doesn’t advocate for those who are upstanding citizens of heaven. If we fail, if we blow it, if we give in to temptation, if we do terrible things – if we sin, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.”

Who would you ask to write a letter of reference to God for admission to heaven? Isn’t that what we hear at funerals. Actually, that’s what you always hear at funerals. The deceased was the nicest person you could ever meet, unselfishly willing to do anything for anyone in need. Most of those in attendance know better, but dare not tell the truth. Grief is hard enough without recounting past hurts, regrets, and grudges.

Jesus is the one you want as an advocate. He doesn’t sugar coat your life. He simply assumes your guilt and shame and lets you wear his righteousness, which secures your admission to eternal life. You aren’t the nicest person he’s ever met, but he loves you so much he doesn’t hesitate to go to bat for you.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A few supplements for a life of faith

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

“Whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:9).

I started wearing glasses when I was ten years old. My fourth grade teacher alerted my parents when she noticed I squinted to see the chalkboard. A few weeks later I was wearing black-framed glasses for distance. As I matured, I needed increasingly stronger prescriptions for glasses and then for contact lenses.

When Peter writes about a nearsighted faith, he attributes it to a lack of the qualities he mentions in verses five through seven: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (1:5-7).

This is a departure from the usual, “All you need to do is believe.” Which is true. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can add to that.

However, Peter encourages his audience to supplement their faith with these qualities because we’re living in a world corrupted by sin that distracts us from God. Our sinful desires can easily shove God aside. These spiritual supplements help us see how our faith shapes every part of our lives and relationships.

Perhaps it’s like receiving the gift of a new bike. It’s yours. It’s beautiful. You adjust the seat and the handlebars to fit your body. You learn how to shift smoothly, keep a steady cadence, get in and out of the toe clips, adjust the brakes, check tire inflation, negotiate traffic, dress for different weather, and take off down a hill without ever touching the brakes. You don’t have to do any of those things, but it’s more fun riding when you do!

God knows you’ll really enjoy taking your faith for a spin!

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

He’s better

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Hebrews 7-12.

So much of the book of Hebrews is about how Jesus is better. Angels are great. But Jesus is better (Hebrews 1-2). Moses was great. But Jesus is better (Hebrews 3). The list goes on and on. Because of Jesus we have

  • A better hope (7:19)
  • A better covenant (7:22)
  • Better promises (8:6)
  • Better sacrifices (9:23)
  • A better possession (10:34)
  • A better country (11:16)
  • A better life (11:35)
  • A better word (12:24)

Now why would the writer spend so much time on how much better Jesus is? Probably because they, like us, aren’t willing to give up the old.

Just a few weeks into their exodus out of slavery, Israel reminisces about how good things were in Egypt. Not even half way done rebuilding the temple, those who returned from Babylon lamented how nice the old temple was. When Jesus shows up, devout Jews insist that God’s covenant with Abraham is all they need. Paul wrote that Gentiles who believed didn’t need the old covenant customs and regulations. They only needed Christ.

It’s far to easy to retreat into good intentions. “I can do this. I can do better. I will do better.” As if Jesus weren’t enough.

But he is. His perfect life is much better than my attempts to be good. His perfect sacrifice for sin is better than any good intentions I have. His power, glory, faithfulness, justice, righteousness, and love are better than I’ll find in this world’ll find anywhere else in this world.

I need to return to the book of Hebrews often, for a refresher course in all the “betters” I have in Christ.