Ephesians 3:16
During a picnic on a scorching day at a Wisconsin lake, Ole’s fiancée Bess said how much she would enjoy some ice cream. So the young Norwegian immigrant gladly made a 5-mile round-trip by rowboat to bring it to her. When he returned exhausted with a container of melted ice cream, Ole told himself there must be a better way. He put his mechanical mind to work, and a year later in 1907, Ole Evinrude field-tested his lightweight, detachable motor for small boats. He married Bess, and when the outboard motors went into commercial production, she wrote the advertising slogan: “Don’t Row! Throw the Oars Away!”
Ole Evinrude was not a lazy man, but he understood the limits of human power. Each day we employ machinery to accomplish the tasks of life. But we often stubbornly rely on ourselves when we’re trying to serve God. In Ephesians 3, the apostle Paul wrote of a better way: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (v.16). Instead of self-effort, Paul urged believers to find strength in “Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (v.20).
Don’t row! Receive and use God’s power. We can do whatever God wants us to do if we depend on His power to do it.
Ephesians 5:16-17
A patient checked in to a Florida hospital for a life-saving amputation. He awoke to find that the wrong foot had been removed. In the same hospital, another patient had surgery on the wrong knee.
Defenders of the healthcare system point out that such tragic cases of malpractice are like airline crashes—they are newsworthy because they are so rare. In that Florida hospital, officials responded with a plan to avoid what could go wrong: Staffers now write “NO” with a black Magic Marker on the healthy limb.
The Bible also urges that we do more than just recognize our past wrongs; we must take decisive steps to avoid evil. Paul warned the believers in Ephesus to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11). Christ has delivered us from condemnation, but we still risk temporary harm and loss because of our sinful tendencies. Our flesh still inclines us toward error and danger (Gal. 5:16-17).
But much has changed. Our relationship with God has changed. Our once hopeless future is now bright with promise. We have the opportunity to submit to His Spirit and to walk with the One who does good rather than thoughtless harm. Wise people don’t just admit wrongs, they strive to avoid a repeat performance.
Philippians 2:4
In giving of ourselves, we manifest the essence of Jesus’ character, for it has always been His nature to think more about others than He thinks of Himself. Why else would He humble Himself and become “obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).
Our natural tendency is to consider our own interests first—to look at everything from the perspective of our own needs and wants. But with Jesus’ help we can unlearn that habit. We can begin to think of the best interests of others—their wants, their concerns, their needs.
And so we must ask ourselves: Do we consider others’ interests more important than our own? Do we get as excited about what God is doing in and through them as we do about what He is doing in and through us? Do we long to see others grow in grace and gain recognition, though it may have been our efforts that made them successful? Do we find satisfaction in seeing our spiritual children surpass us in the work they are called to do? If so, such is the measurement of greatness.
We are most like our Lord when our thoughts for ourselves are lost in our thoughts for others. There is no greater love than that (John 15:13). The more you love the Lord, the more you will love others.
Galatians 6:7
It seemed innocent enough at the time. I had just come home from high school and told my mom that I was going to a friend’s house to play football. She insisted that I stay home and do my homework. Instead, I slipped out the back door and spent the next 2 hours making tackles and touchdowns in my friend’s backyard. But on the last play, I was tackled into a swingset and knocked out my front tooth. It hurt like crazy, but not as badly as telling my parents.
That choice to disobey put me on a 10-year path of dental problems and pain that have continuing implications today. Ballplayer Roy Hobbs said in the film The Natural, “Some mistakes you never stop paying for.”
Centuries earlier, Paul captured the same idea in the universal law of sowing and reaping. He said, “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Our choices often have a reach and impact that we could never imagine. Thus the apostle’s words remind us to choose wisely.
The choices we make today produce the consequences we reap tomorrow. It’s far better to avoid sin in the first place than to struggle to overcome its consequences.
Lord, we need Your wisdom to help us make good choices, and forgiveness when we make bad choices. One good reason for doing the right thing today is tomorrow.
John 8:32
Perhaps no one since the apostle Paul has written more graphically about the experience of spiritual bondage than the great theologian Augustine (AD 354–430). Although blessed with extraordinary intelligence, in his younger years he had wallowed in deep depravity.
Looking back, Augustine gave this account of his struggle: “I was bound by the iron chain of my own will. I was rather an unwilling sufferer than a willing actor. And yet it was through me that habit had become an armed enemy against me, because I had willingly come to be what I unwillingly found myself to be.”
Many of us have gone through a similar struggle. We wanted deliverance from sin yet found ourselves unable to shake off the chains of habit. Then, as we turned in faith to Jesus, we were liberated and could repeat the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn: “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke—the dungeon flamed with light! My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.”
Jesus alone can break the shackles of sin in your life. Receive Him as your Savior, and “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). True freedom is found in serving Christ.
2 Chronicles 34:15
The builders of the Panama Canal overcame many enormous challenges: the moving of tons of earth, the redirecting of a river, and the cutting down of miles of jungle. But the tiny mosquito threatened to shut down the whole project. The Isthmus of Panama was an ideal breeding ground for this pest. As mosquitos infected canal workers with yellow fever and malaria, the death toll began to soar.
Fortunately, a physician who had studied these diseases arranged for an army of workers to spray the area with a chemical to kill mosquitos. The number of illnesses dropped dramatically.
In the Old Testament, we read of Judah’s epidemic of idolatry and its accompanying moral sickness. When the Word of God was rediscovered, King Josiah exclaimed, “Great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the Word of the Lord” (2 Chron. 34:21). Josiah understood the Scripture’s preventive cure for moral sickness. He began to apply its spiritual truths, and soon a revival swept the land that restored the nation’s spiritual health.
When we neglect the reading of God’s Word, we invite spiritual illness. Let’s be sure to set aside time to absorb its life-giving message. The Bible is God’s prescription for the health of our soul.
Mark 2:11
When I asked my husband to buy eggs on his way home so I could make cornbread for supper, he said, “I’ve got something better than cornbread.” Coming from Jay, that was a surprising statement. But I learned what he meant when he walked into the house and handed me a fresh loaf of homemade cinnamon bread. A label on the wrapper said, “Thanks for the dough. We kneaded it.” The bread was made by Sue Kehr and given as a “thank you” for a donation to a youth organization.
Sue started making bread after she had to quit her job as a nurse because of a head injury. Instead of letting circumstances pull her down when she could no longer help people in her usual ways, Sue rose to the challenge and created a unique expression of gratitude. She now makes and gives away delicious homemade bread to ministries that can then distribute the loaves to others.
Although Sue did not receive complete physical healing like the paralytic Jesus healed (Mark 2), she did rise up and cause many to be amazed at the work of God in her life.
God has something for each of us to do, despite our limitations. Rise up and ask what He might want to do through you. Step up to the tasks and do what God asks.
John 10:3
When we attended a large church, we learned new things, joined a great small group, and enjoyed the worshipful music. But I didn’t realize for a long time that I missed something—the pastor had no idea who I was. Because of the thousands in attendance, I understood that it would be impossible for him to know each person by name.
Then, when we began attending a much smaller church, I received a handwritten welcome note from the pastor. After a few more weeks, Pastor Josh was calling me by name and chatting with me about my recent surgery. It felt good to be personally acknowledged.
All of us have a desire to be known—especially by God. A song by Tommy Walker, “He Knows My Name,” reminds us that God knows our every thought, sees each tear that falls, and hears us when we call. We read in the gospel of John, “The sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name . . . . I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep” (John 10:3,14).
For the One who made heaven and earth, knowing a few billion people is not a problem. God loves you immensely (John 3:16), He thinks about you all the time (Ps. 139:17-18), and He knows your name (John 10:3). No Christian is anonymous to God.
1 Kings 3:9
If God offered you anything you wanted, what would you ask for?
When Solomon was given that choice, he asked for the wisdom to discern good from evil so that he might lead God’s people well (1 Kings 3:9). “Because you have asked this thing,” God told Solomon, “I have done according to your words.” He even promised to give him “both riches and honor” (vv.11-13). To this day, Solomon is remembered for the great wisdom God gave him.
Solomon began his rule with devotion to wisdom and a deep ambition to build a magnificent temple to honor God. But something happened along the way. His passion for living by God’s wisdom was displaced by the allures of the wealth and position God had given him. His marriage to foreign women who worshiped pagan gods eventually led him—and ultimately the nation—into idolatry.
The lesson is clear. Keeping our love for Christ and His wisdom preeminent is a primary objective for those of us who want to live to satisfy God throughout the course of our life. A commitment to following the riches of God’s wisdom will enable us to avoid the drift that destroyed Solomon.
Keep your heart in tune with God’s wisdom and obey His voice. That’s the way to finish well. Monitor your heart daily to avoid wandering from God’s wisdom.
Ephesians 5:2
Our house in Boise, Idaho, backs up to a park with a walking track. You can see most of the path from our kitchen window, and because of that I’ve learned to recognize people by their walk.
There’s a lawyer from down the street who’s always in a hurry, an elderly man who trudges slowly by, a woman who strides with purposeful steps. Each has a characteristic gait.
The Bible instructs us: “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us” (Eph. 5:2) and “Walk in wisdom” (Col. 4:5). I ask myself, “Does my walk reflect God’s love and wisdom?” Am I “pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy”? (James 3:17). Do I have love, joy, and peace? Am I tranquil and strong? What do others see as I walk by?
George MacDonald said, “If you who set yourselves to [theorize about] Christianity had set yourselves instead to do the will of the Master, the one object for which the gospel was preached to you, how different would be the condition of that part of the world with which you come into contact.” How different indeed!
Is your life making a difference in the lives around you? Do others see Jesus in what you say and do? For a Christlike walk, keep in step with Jesus.
Ephesians 5:2
Our house in Boise, Idaho, backs up to a park with a walking track. You can see most of the path from our kitchen window, and because of that I’ve learned to recognize people by their walk.
There’s a lawyer from down the street who’s always in a hurry, an elderly man who trudges slowly by, a woman who strides with purposeful steps. Each has a characteristic gait.
The Bible instructs us: “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us” (Eph. 5:2) and “Walk in wisdom” (Col. 4:5). I ask myself, “Does my walk reflect God’s love and wisdom?” Am I “pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy”? (James 3:17). Do I have love, joy, and peace? Am I tranquil and strong? What do others see as I walk by?
George MacDonald said, “If you who set yourselves to [theorize about] Christianity had set yourselves instead to do the will of the Master, the one object for which the gospel was preached to you, how different would be the condition of that part of the world with which you come into contact.” How different indeed!
Is your life making a difference in the lives around you? Do others see Jesus in what you say and do? For a Christlike walk, keep in step with Jesus.
Mark 11:22
Some of Jesus’ words to His disciples about having faith in God leave me wondering if I can ever exercise that level of trust and confidence in prayer. I can’t recall telling a mountain to relocate itself into the ocean and watching it happen.
Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to China, said that Jesus’ words in Mark 11:22, “Have faith in God,” could be translated, “Hold on to the faithfulness of God.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, former pastor of London’s Westminster Chapel, appreciated Taylor’s insight and said: “Faith is holding on to the faithfulness of God and, as long as you do that, you cannot go wrong. Faith does not look at the difficulties. . . . Faith does not look at itself or at the person who is exercising it. Faith looks at God . . . . Faith is interested in God only, and it talks about God and it praises God and it extols the virtues of God. The measure of the strength of a man’s faith, always, is ultimately the measure of his knowledge of God. . . . He knows God so well that he can rest on the knowledge. And it is the prayers of such a man that are answered.”
“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations” (Ps. 119:89-90). Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful.
Psalm 19:1
The earth’s population is now over 6.6 billion. And depending on where we live, finding moments of solitude where we can gaze at the silent night sky is increasingly difficult. Yet, according to the writer of Psalm 19, if we were able to steal away to a spot where the only sound was our heartbeat and the only sight the canopy of the stars, we could hear a message from those heavens.
In such a moment, we could hear with the ears of our innermost being the noiseless testimony of God’s breathtaking creation.
We could hear from the heavens as they “declare the glory of God” (v.1).And we could watch in amazement as the sky “shows His handiwork” (v.1).
We could listen as “day unto day utters speech” that fills our minds with the unmistakable awareness of God’s splendid creation (v.2).
We could marvel through the night as the firmament shows in unmistakable splendor the knowledge of God’s handiwork (vv.1-2).
Our Creator tells us to “be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). A great way to do this is to spend time in His creation admiring His handiwork. Then we will certainly know that He is God! God speaks of His majesty through His creation.
John 15:15
While flying from Europe back to the US, I found myself sitting next to a little girl who never stopped talking from the moment she sat down. She told me the history of her family and all about her puppy, who was in the hold of the plane. She pointed excitedly to everything around us, “Look at this! Look at that!” I couldn’t help but think that 8 hours of this could make for a very long flight!
We chatted for a while until she suddenly got quiet. She pulled her blanket up around her, so I thought maybe she was going to doze off. I quickly took advantage of the break and reached for the nearest magazine. But before I could open it, I felt a little elbow in my side. I looked down at her, and she threw out her little hand and said, “Hey, Joe, wanna be friends?”
My heart melted. “Sure,” I said, “let’s be friends.”
In the midst of the turmoil of life, when we think all we want is to be left alone, Jesus extends His nail-scarred hand and invites us to be His friends. He says, “I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). We have a choice: to keep to ourselves, or to open our heart to a friendship of unlimited love and guidance. Jesus longs to be your Friend.
Psalm 98:4
Singing comes naturally to the four von Trapp children. They are the great-grandchildren of Captain Georg von Trapp, whose romance with his second wife Maria inspired the 1965 film The Sound of Music.
After their grandfather Werner von Trapp had a stroke, the Montana siblings recorded their first CD in order to cheer him up. Soon the children were performing around the world. Stefan, the children’s father, says, “The music is inside them.”
The writer of Psalm 98 also had a song in his heart. He called on others to join him in singing “to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things” (v.1). He praised God for His salvation, His righteousness, His mercy, and His faithfulness (vv.2-3). The psalmist’s heart was so overflowing with praise that he called on the earth to break forth in song, the rivers to clap their hands, and the hills to be joyful (vv.4,8).
We have much to be thankful for as well—God’s good gifts of family, friends, and His daily supply for our needs. He faithfully cares for us, His children.
We may not be able to sing well. But when we recall all that God is to us and all that He has done for us, we can’t help but “break forth in song” (v.4). Praise is the overflow of a joyful heart.
2 Samuel 12:7
The pharmacist had a good reputation. He was a family man and a good businessman. News reports listed his worth in the millions. Yet, to increase his profits, this trusted professional began to dilute the strength of the chemotherapy drugs he was dispensing. He was caught and convicted of the crime. He left many health-care workers asking, “How could this happen?”
Some of the same questions must have been asked about King David. Known as a man after God’s own heart, he used the power of his office to take another man’s wife (2 Sam. 11). Then he conspired to take her husband’s life. The man who died was one of David’s own military officers who was away from home fighting the king’s battles.
We could look at the failures of well-known people to feel better about ourselves. But if we feel good about the wrongs of others, we don’t know ourselves. The Bible doesn’t tell us about the sins of David to weaken our sense of moral alarm, but to put all of us on notice.
The failures of others should cause us to be more aware of our own weaknesses and need for the grace of Christ. Only in the knowledge of our weakness will we be dependent on the strength of our God. The Bible is a mirror that reflects how God sees us.
Matthew 1:1
Dalton Conley, a sociologist at New York University, and his wife, Natalie Jeremijenko, have two children. Several years ago, they sought permission from the city to change their 5-year-old son’s name to Yo Xing Heyno Augustus Eisner Alexander Weiser Knuckles Jeremijenko-Conley. Actually, a lot of that name was already his, but his parents added three of the middle names. They had specific reasons for each one.
I believe that God had specific reasons for the names He included in the beginning of Matthew’s gospel. It may seem like a long, boring list of meaningless names, but those names served at least two purposes. First, they provided the framework by which true Hebrews could establish their family roots and maintain religious purity against outside influences. Second, the names reflected the sovereign work of God. They revealed God’s dealings in the past, which resulted in the birth of the Messiah. The Lord used all kinds of people in Jesus’ lineage—farmers, kings, a prostitute, adulterers, liars. When we read this list, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness.
As you think about being a part of God’s family by faith in Christ, remember His faithfulness to you and His desire to use you to bring about His purposes. Life’s purpose is found in a person—Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 11:2
In the Narnia Chronicle The Horse and His Boy, Bree is a talking horse. He considers the boy, Shasta, a “foal” who is badly in need of training. Often the horse’s arrogant opinions reflect an air of superiority. He thinks of himself as a brave warhorse, possessing great skill and courage. Yet, when he hears the roar of a great lion, he flees and leaves the other members of his party unprotected.
Later, Bree meets Aslan the lion, who is king of Narnia. The horse admits that he has been an arrogant and frightened failure. Aslan praises Bree for admitting his shortcomings.
The Bible tells us: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Life has a way of exposing the flaws of our own personal vanity. But learning the hard lesson that “pride goes before destruction” can become a turning point in which we intentionally shift our focus away from exalting self. Then, as we adopt a humble spirit before God and man, we can become channels of wisdom to others. “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2).
Promoting our own importance leads to stumbling. But focusing on glorifying God and meeting the needs of others gives us the perspective of the wise. Pride brings shame. Humility brings wisdom.
2 Corinthians 5:17
One of my earliest memories of my dad is that he loved doing paint-by-number pictures. The canvas was large, but the numbered segments where a predetermined color would go were very small. Dad would sit in his chair in our basement for hours, working meticulously with his painting in front of him and a cup of coffee at his side.
As a boy, I would sit on the basement stairs and watch with fascination. My interest did not stem from a misguided thought that doing paint-by-number work made my dad a great artist. Rather, I was amazed at how patiently he would work on each painting. Finally, the thousands of slivers of color became an image that Dad considered well worth the effort.
As I think of my dad’s patience in bringing a painting to life, my heart is directed to our heavenly Father. He looks on us and sees the voids and imperfections in our lives, yet lovingly and patiently does His work in us to make us His masterpiece—a masterpiece that “conform[s] to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29).
What a joy it is to have such a God, who makes us new (2 Cor. 5:17) and never tires of investing His energy and effort into our lives! Only God can transform a sin-stained soul into a masterpiece of grace.
Galatians 6:14
Many heart-touching stories were circulated after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. None seems more spiritually significant than that of ironworker Frank Silecchia. As he was helping to recover bodies, Frank noticed two steel beams in the shape of a cross standing upright in the middle of all the debris.
Appointing himself as the curator of that striking symbol of God’s love, he often took heartbroken visitors to see it. Many of them were comforted by the silent testimony to the divine Presence in the worst of tragedies. One day when journalist Barbara Walters came with tearful friends who had lost a son in the catastrophe, Frank simply led them to the cross.
The answer to the world’s terrible pain and evil is not a philosophical argument or a theological treatise. The all-sufficient answer is Calvary’s cross, where in fathomless grace Jesus, the incarnate God, took upon Himself the burden of our sins and bore them “in His own body on the tree, that we . . . might live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).
If you have not been led to Calvary’s cross, let me take you there. He died for you and then rose again. Believe in Him and you will be saved (1 Cor. 1:21). They are nailed to the cross, they are nailed to the cross!O how much He was willing to bear.With what anguish and loss, Jesus went to the cross,But He carried my sins with Him there. The pathway to heaven begins at the foot of the cross.
Job 3:25
Death, divorce, and disease could be called the three Ds of misery. They slice through life like a tsunami of sorrow, raising doubts and destroying dreams.
Recently, a friend and I agreed that the previous year was one that we both would just as soon forget. Each of us had suffered one of the three.
Our conversation brought Job to mind. In a short period of time, he lost his children, his health, his wealth, and his wife’s respect. Job’s distress was so great that he pleaded, “May the day perish on which I was born” (Job 3:3). Job wanted God to erase not just a year, but all memory of his existence! He had enjoyed years of success and respect. Now, he questioned the purpose of living (3:20).
Job wanted to die and be forgotten, but instead God made sure his name and story would be remembered forever. Rather than give Job what he asked for, God gave future generations what they would need—an inside look at the spiritual battle between God and Satan. The result is a God-inspired document about suffering that has comforted countless people.
When what we fear actually happens, we know, thanks to Job, that God can use it for good. Our highest good may come from our deepest suffering.
2 Chronicles 20:17
When our son Brian was small, I took him with me to pick up our babysitter. As I approached the house, I noticed that her dog, usually penned in the backyard, was lying on the front porch. At first glance, the dog looked benign. But to my alarm he sprang to his feet and attacked Brian, who leaped for my leg, shinnied up to my waist, and somehow ended up wrapped around my neck and shoulders.
I, on the other hand, was left to fend off the dog. We danced for a while—the dog trying to get in a bite and I a kick—until, to my relief, the owner came around the house and called off the beast. All of us—dog, boy, and I—escaped unscathed.
Later, as we were walking to the car, Brian looked up to me and said, “Dad, I’ll go anywhere with you.” His confidence was misplaced; I can fail him. But I often think of his words when I grapple with fear.
As Moses faced uncertain circumstances, he implored God, “Show me now Your way, . . . that I may find grace in Your sight” (Ex. 33:13). The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you” (v.14).
Whenever we enter frightening circumstances or face furious assaults, we can say with confidence, “Lord, I’ll go anywhere with You.” You need not fear where you’re going when God is going with you.
Psalm 15:5
Bruce Weinstein is known as “The Ethics Guy.” His books and seminars challenge people to make choices based on principle rather than convenience or self-interest. In his business workshops, he often asks the participants, “Why should we be ethical?” He says that most responses center on the benefits of honesty and morality—avoiding punishment and having a clear conscience. While acknowledging that there are long-term benefits, Weinstein emphasizes doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.
Psalm 15 gives a vivid picture of the person whose conduct grows out of fellowship with the living God. The question “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?” (v.1) is answered with examples from everyday living: “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart” (v.2). It goes on to describe honest relationships with neighbors and friends (vv.3-4), along with integrity in business and financial matters (v.5). The psalm ends with the words, “He who does these things shall never be moved” (v.5).
Ethical living is more than a concept discussed in seminars. It’s a powerful means of demonstrating the presence of Christ in our lives. Doing what is right is always the right thing to do. There is no legacy as rich as integrity.
Proverbs 2:6
Voltaire said, “Common sense is not so common.” He was right! In a society that has grown increasingly litigious, we are inundated with warnings on products, mostly because some people lack common sense. Just read the following instructions.
On a hair dryer: Do not use while sleeping.
On an iron: Do not iron clothes on body.
On a chainsaw: Do not attempt to stop chain with your hand.
Common sense can be learned from experience or the teaching we receive from those we trust. But God’s Word is the best source of all to develop discernment and good judgment.
Three words echo throughout the book of Proverbs: wisdom, knowledge, understanding. God has packed this book with common sense.
Proverbs 11:12 advises restraint: “A man of understanding holds his peace.”
Proverbs 17:27 warns: “He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.”
Proverbs 20:13 is practical: “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty.”
To get more common sense, consult God’s Word—the source of wisdom—daily. Knowledge without common sense is folly.
1 Corinthians 15:51
An 8-year-old boy, who was learning in school about the way plants grow, was intrigued when told how a tiny seed that germinates in the ground could later burst through the soil as a plant.
During that same time, he and his family attended the funeral of a family member. At the service, the pastor talked about the final resurrection of our bodies.
Several days later as the family traveled past the cemetery, the boy remarked, “That’s where they plant people.” Seeds planted in the ground and bodies buried at death had connected in his young mind.
The apostle Paul used this same illustration of planting seed to describe death, burial, and resurrection to the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 15). He said that even though the body of the believer in Christ is buried in the ground, it will one day be raised to new life (v.42). Our natural body is weak, but our spiritual body will be free from sickness, decline, and death (vv.43-44). Our new body will be glorified, endowed with power, and like Jesus’ resurrection body.
We look forward to that day when the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ are raised, and “we shall be changed” (v.52). As we anticipate that day, let’s spread the good news of our victory over death through Jesus (vv.56-57). Christ’s resurrection guarantees our own.
Are the Pseudepigrapha Authoritative?
The first question is easier to answer than the others. First, the reference to Michael is probably from a pseudepigraphal work known as the Assumption of Moses or the Testament of Moses, also used by Jude in verse 16. This first-century work is extant today, but the problem is that the ending, which should contain this passage, is missing. However, the church fathers agree that this was Jude's source, and a number of Jewish traditions that parallel it enable us to reconstruct the essence of this ending as follows: After the death of Moses the archangel Michael was sent to bury the body. Satan came and argued that Moses was not worthy of a decent burial, for he was a murderer, having killed an Egyptian and hidden him in the sand. Michael's response, "The LORD rebuke you" (a phrase from Zech 3:2), was here, as in Zechariah, a call for God's commanding word, which would assert his authority over Satan.
Second, the prophecy of Enoch is more easily identified, for it comes from 1 Enoch 1:9. While 1 Enoch was probably not in its final form when Jude wrote his letter, it is clear from his citation that at least the first part of the book was finished. This first section also contains the tradition of the imprisonment of the "sons of God" (called "Watchers" in 1 Enoch) from Genesis 6:1-4, which is referred to in Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4, 9; and 1 Peter 3:19-20 ( see also comment on Gen 6:1-4). It appears that these stories were favorites in the churches that 1 and 2 Peter and Jude represent.
The other questions are difficult because we find these few references to pseudepigraphal works in such short biblical books. Clearly Jude parallels the prophecy of Enoch with the words of the apostles (Jude 17); likewise the story of Michael and Satan is not differentiated from the biblical stories he cites in Jude 11. Jude (and probably 2 Peter, which refers to both of these topics but does not use direct references) obviously considers these stories true and authoritative. In fact, in labeling the 1 Enoch reference "prophecy," Jude appears to recognize it as divinely inspired, for he certainly would not cite a prophecy that he believed was not from God. This much is clear.
But did Jude recognize the books these stories come from as canonical, or did he just cite the stories themselves as authoritative? That question is impossible to answer. We have no evidence that anyone in the New Testament period, Jew or Christian, wanted to include these works within the Old Testament collection used in the synagogue (or church), although the Apocrypha was bound into biblical codices as early as the fourth century. But the issue of what should or should not be in the canon of Scripture was not being asked in the church at the time Jude was writing. Even the Jewish debates about canon between A.D. 70 and 90 were not over issues that we would consider central to the canonical debate. This, of course, is the reason that Jude can make these citations so casually. He did not have to deal with our post-Reformation questions of canon.
What we can say is that Jude did consider the Old Testament authoritative. He also considered authoritative at least two pseudepigraphal writings and the tradition of the apostles (in whatever form he had it, written or oral). Even though he uses only two brief citations from these works, his failure to differentiate them from the Scripture he does cite indicates that in his mind there was probably no distinction to be made. Nor does he inform us that only these two passages are to be trusted, and the rest of the books rejected. However, all of this information we gain by "reading between the lines" in Jude. He does not say anything directly about the issue. While the later church did not believe that any of the pseudepigrapha were inspired Scripture, it did accept Jude with its use of them. In other words, it did not endorse whatever views Jude may have had about the works from which he took these citations, but it did endorse the explicit teaching in his letter.
This is not a clean and neat answer to our question, but no such answer is possible. First-century Jews used the Old Testament, but alongside it various Jewish groups read and valued a number of types of supplementary literature, ranging from the Apocrypha to the Dead Sea Scrolls to the pseudepigrapha. Early Christians likewise valued the Old Testament and gradually acquired collections of gospels and letters as they were produced and gathered. But they also read many of the works in the Apocrypha and other Christian literature such as the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas, binding many of these works into their Bibles as such codices began to replace scrolls. The situation was relatively fluid and imprecise. Only as the challenge of heresy forced the church to decide which books should be read in church and which should not were the lines begun to be drawn more clearly. Jude was written long before this time. It is therefore wrong to expect in him the precision of the later distinctions. It is also wrong to look at his casual use of what was being read in his church and assume that he meant to equate these works with Scripture in the sense that we use the term. Rather, we need to accept him on his own terms, but also to accept that the Holy Spirit through the church has given God's people increasingly clear direction about what bears his full imprimatur and what does not.
Finally, this brings us to an issue in biblical interpretation. What is considered authoritative or inspired in a biblical author is what they intended to communicate or teach, as that can be determined from the text. Often we can discover information that the author accidentally gives us about what he believed, the social class he came from, or the way his church assembled. While this is interesting information and may give us background that helps us understand what the author means by what he does intend to communicate, it is not in itself inspired. It may form a historical precedent for how a church or person might live or might believe, but it is not normative. If Jude accidentally reveals that he saw 1 Enoch on a par with Scripture, that is interesting, but since it is certainly not in the least his intention to give us that information (in fact, he was totally unaware it would even interest us), it does not form part of the teaching of Scripture. The same can be said about the meeting of churches in houses in Acts or the indication in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that Paul at that time believed he would be alive when Christ returned. As interesting as this is, it should not form the topic for a sermon or the basis for a doctrine. It does provide information about the history of the early church and examples of what might be legitimate today, but it is not normative. Once we master this distinction, we will realize that the incredible wealth of information that can be gathered from Scripture (which makes it come to life as we see the writers as real people in a real culture) must not obscure the message from God that these men wished to communicate to their generation and that we believe is still a message for us today.
Psalm 85:8
Gone are the days when a real person greets you on the other end of a phone call. It seems as though whenever we try to “reach out and touch someone,” we are greeted with a computerized voice.
I’m glad this isn’t true of our Father in heaven. He is always there. No voice-mail boxes, no “press 2 for more grace” and no “call waiting” interruptions. Thankfully, “Call to Me, and I will answer you” (Jer. 33:3) has not been replaced by, “All lines are now busy. Your call is important to Me. Please stay on the line.”
Yet I wonder what kind of access He has to us?
Communication with God is a two-way street. He speaks to us through His Word when we come attentively before Him in prayer and through the clear voice of the indwelling Spirit. He paid a great price to keep the lines open so that we can experience the joy of being still long enough to know that He is God (Ps. 46:10). As my grandmother’s favorite hymn “In the Garden” says:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
Is God getting through to you?
Ephesians 5:25
People around the world reacted with shock in September 2006 when news broke that Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter,” had died. His enthusiasm for life and for God’s creatures was contagious, making him a favorite personality worldwide.
When his wife Terri was interviewed shortly after Steve’s death, her love for him was obvious as she said through her tears, “I’ve lost my prince.” What an affectionate way to memorialize her husband! She saw him as her prince and her best friend.
The husband-wife relationship is often viewed today as anything but the tender one Terri and Steve must have shared. We see bitterness, insults, and animosity presented in the media as the norm. How much more desirable it is to see true love—to see a husband unashamedly cherish his wife, to unselfishly be her “prince.”
How can a husband continue to love his wife in a more princely way? Try these suggestions: Listen—enjoy those tender times when she can unburden her heart without fear. Love life—find ways to add fun to your marriage. Lead spiritually—guide the way into prayer and intimate fellowship with the Lord.
Men, be a prince to your princess. Marriage thrives in a climate of love and respect.
Acts 4:34
Six friends have formed a home-repair club in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They meet one Saturday each month at one of their homes to work on projects that cannot be tackled alone. Having helped one another for 20 years, they say they’re now bonded together like one big family. A similar group has formed in Snohomish, Washington. Their motto is: “Will Work For Friends.”
The concern of these groups for their friends reminds me of the early church (Acts 4:32-37). During this time of great persecution of believers, they especially needed the support of one another. Some people voluntarily sold their lands or houses and brought the proceeds to the apostles, and “they distributed to each as anyone had need” (v.35). They were of “one heart” and “had all things in common” (v.32).
As followers of Christ today, we too need the spiritual support and encouragement of one another. We may be struggling with a decision about how to serve the Lord, or concerned about a problem at work, or unsure of how to discipline a rebellious child. These are good opportunities to enlist the advice and prayer of fellow Christians.
Through love, let’s serve one another—physically and spiritually—in the family of God (Gal. 5:13). Christians stand strong when they stand together.
1 Kings 19:12
In recent years, the spread of personal digital music players has resulted in concerns about hearing loss. The design of the music players and their earphones has been the target of complaints and lawsuits. Long-term exposure to music at a high volume has been shown to cause serious hearing impairment. In a sense, too much hearing can result in an inability to hear.
We live in a world filled with noise—noises designed to sell, plead, seduce, and deceive. In the midst of this cacophony of sound, it’s easy to miss the one voice that matters most.
Elijah had listened to Jezebel’s threats and the voice of his own fear, so he fled to a cave to hide. In the cave he was confronted with the overwhelming noise of wind, an earthquake, and fire (1 Kings 19:11-12). Then the cave grew silent and the voice of the Lord—the only sound that mattered—broke through as “a still small voice” (v.12).
If we are to hear God speaking to our hearts through His Word, we need to pull away from the noise of the crowd. Only when we learn to be quiet can we really understand what it means to commune with the God who cares for us.
In our “quiet time” today, let’s make an effort to listen for the voice of God. To hear God’s voice, turn down the world’s volume.
1 Corinthians 12:7
In 1869, John Roebling dreamed of building a massive bridge over the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Unfortunately, at the outset of the project, his foot was crushed in an accident. In the recovery process, Roebling insisted he knew best and took charge of his own medical care. After refusing help, he began to show signs of tetanus. Before long, Roebling’s jaw had locked into a permanent smile. Seizures and dementia plagued him until his death weeks later.
The Bible records a story about an independent person who balked at the help offered him. Naaman, a great warrior of Syria, suffered from leprosy. He sought out the prophet Elisha for healing but had preconceived ideas about how the healing should take place. So when Elisha sent his messenger to tell him to dip in the Jordan River seven times, Naaman was enraged. But Naaman’s own servants gave wise advice: “If the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it?” (2 Kings 5:13). And so Naaman followed the prophet’s simple instructions, and his leprosy was cured.
God gives us gifts to aid each other (1 Cor. 12:7). But self-sufficiency shuts the door on much-needed help. Let’s be open to the helping hand He provides. The first step in getting help is humility.
