09/30/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #20 — Luke 9:43-44 (CSB) says, “And they were all astonished at the GREATNESS of God. While everyone was amazed at all the things he was doing, he told his disciples, 44 ‘Let these words sink in: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.’”

A demon was tormenting a young boy, his father’s only son. Jesus’ disciples had previously failed in their attempt(s?) to cast it out. When the man begged Him for help, Jesus expressed His frustration at the impotence of His disciples. Then He rebuked the demon and cast him out. The astonished crowd immediately recognized the Jesus possessed and utilized the Power and Greatness of Almighty God.

Then, unexpectedly, in the midst of this celebration, Jesus reminded them that He was about to be betrayed. They needed to know that His victory over Sin, Satan and Death would only happen with His sacrificial, vicarious Death. Lots of us need to be reminded that our sin is a capital offense against our Perfect Heavenly Father. Scripture makes clear repeatedly, OT and NT, that the only acceptable payment for our debt to God is Death, either our own or that of Jesus. Either we must deal ruthlessly with our sin, or God will!

09/29/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #19 — Micah 5:4 (CSB) says, “He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord His God. They will live securely, for then His GREATNESS will extend to the ends of the earth.”

This chapter begins with the overthrow of King Zedekiah by the Babylonians and the resulting destruction of the nation of Israel. Then it predicts that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (5:2). And eventually this Eternal King would take His throne to lead and shepherd His faithful followers. And because the GREATNESS of Jesus will encompass the entire earth, His obedient, grateful subjects will live in Eternal Security! Wow!

09/28/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #18 — Daniel 7:27 (CSB) says, “The kingdom, dominion, and GREATNESS of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the holy ones of The Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.”

Chapter 7 is a flashback to 14 years earlier than The Handwriting on the Wall of chapter 5. Here Daniel interpreted Belshazzar’s dream of the Four Beasts. The application goes far beyond Daniel’s lifetime (and our own, most likely). The trial of the Antichrist is foretold, where his dominion is destroyed permanently. Here Jesus the Messiah is called the Son of Man (coincidentally Jesus’ favorite designation of Himself!) and God is referred to as “The Most High.”

Not only will God the Father finally promote His Only Son Jesus to the throne of the universe, but He will transfer all the power, influence and greatness of all the kingdoms on earth to all the faithful citizens of HIs Kingdom, those redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. What a Day That Will Be—Praise the Lord!

09/27/20 THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL — Daniel 5:25 (CSB) “This is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin (or Upharsin).”

King Belshazzar of Babylon has just witnessed the Hand writing on the wall. Terrified and desperate to know its meaning, he demanded an interpretation from all his magicians and diviners; but all of them were equally mystified. Then his queen suggested he consult Daniel who had correctly interpreted visions and dreams during the reign of the king’s predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. God had indeed given Daniel the ability to interpret visions and dreams.

In layman’s English, the message could be translated, “Weighed, Weighed, Wanting, Dissolved!” God had given Belshazzar several chances to repent, to change his behavior, honor God and give Him glory. But each time the king had utterly failed God’s test. That very night (v.30) the armies of the Persian King Darius broke into the palace and destroyed Belshazzar’s kingdom.

In modern slang the message might be: “Strike One, Strike Two, Strike Three, You’re OUT!” According to the Scriptures, God’s Patience and Mercy are as Amazing as His Grace. But eventually, God’s patience comes to an end; and it’s TOO LATE! Start LISTENING and OBEYING God NOW!

09/26/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #17 — Daniel 5:18-20(CSB) “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, GREATNESS, glory, and majesty to your predecessor Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Because of the GREATNESS he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted; he exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted. 20 But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken from him.”

Daniel was explaining to King Belshazzar of Babylon the meaning of “The Handwriting on the Wall” (more tomorrow). He reminded the king that God was the source of Nebuchadnezzar’s “greatness”; but when the king became arrogant and conceited, God had removed him. The same thing, only worse, was about to happen to Belshazzar—the very night!

Many of our powerful political and religious leaders—perhaps many of the rest of us as well—need to heed this warning and learn this lesson. There are NO “Self-Made Men.” God Himself raises up those with whom He is pleased and removes those who disobey and rebel against him.

09/25/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #16 — Ezekiel 38:23 (CSB) says, “I will Display My GREATNESS and HOLINESS, and will Reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. THEN THEY WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.”

Ezekiel 38:18-23 describe God’s defeat of “Gog,” who is almost certainly the Antichrist. After repeated failed attempts of the assembled armies from the north to annihilate Israel with, God’s patience is exhausted. He sends a monstrous earthquake which panics the enemy soldiers, plus pestilence, heavy rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone. Totally confused, they turn on each other and destroy themselves. These descriptions match those in Revelation chapters 6, 11, 16 and 19.

 More than70 times in the book of Ezekiel, God declares that after He has displayed His GREATNESS, Holiness, and Power, inflicting punishment on any rebellious, disobedient people or nation, “THEN THEY WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.” It sure seems as if God thinks it is of UTMOST IMPORTANCE for people to KNOW that He exists, WHO He is and WHAT He is like! But let’s not wait for Him to discipline and punish folks; let’s tell them about Him NOW, before it’s too late!

09/24/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #15 — Ezekiel 31:1-2 (CSB) says, “In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes, ‘Who are you like in your GREATNESS?’”

The prophet compared Egypt to a huge tree that dominates a forest like a king and nation that dominates the world. Just as a strong tree like Assyria fell (~609 bc), so will Egypt (~568 bc). Lest the Egyptians tend to be proud and feel invincible, let them remember how powerful Assyria had fallen already at God’s command.

These days our best hope for eliminating Covid-19, violent riots in our cities and political unrest does NOT lie in the “greatness” of any political party or candidate, the medical professionals or even “science.” We need to appeal to the mercy of Almighty God, Whose true GREATNESS is unparalleled.

09/23/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #14 — Isaiah 12:4-6 (CSB) says, “And on that day you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord; proclaim his name! Make his works known among the peoples. Declare that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things. Let this be known throughout the earth. 6 Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in His GREATNESS.”

This is the second of two songs Israel’s redeemed, faithful remnant will sing on the great coming Day of the Lord. It reminds us of the similar refrains in Rev.19:6-7. Just as the Lord God provided physical water for the Hebrews as He led them through the desert as they left Egypt, eventually He will provide spiritual, living water for His faithful, redeemed people. I hope and pray that you are one of His. Praise the Lord!

09/22/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #13 — Psalm 150:2 (CSB) says, “Praise Him for His POWERFUL ACTS; praise Him for His ABUNDANT GREATNESS.” In this final entry in Psalms, the unknown author answers four questions about Praise:

1. WHERE should we Praise God? (v1): “In His sanctuary… and His mighty expanse”—from the inside of our most special worship centers to the ends of the earth, indeed, of His universe!

2. WHY should we Praise God? (v2): Because of His POWERFUL ACTS and ABUNDANT GREATNESS.

3. WHAT INSTRUMENTS should we use to Praise God? (v3-5): “Horn… harp and lyre… tambourine and dance… strings and flute… and… cymbals.” Scripture mentions MANY instruments used in worship acceptable to God our Father; it mentions fast and slow music, soft and loud music, old and new music. I can only find ONE verse in the Bible about music God doesn’t like: Amos 5.23. When we live in disregard of and disobedience to God’s commands, He REJECTS ALL our worship activities, including our music. So let’s declare a permanent truce in the “worship wars” Satan still uses to distract believers and our churches.

4. WHO should Praise God? (v6): Anyone, Everyone, in fact, EveryTHING that Breathes! The Bible speaks of ROCKS and TREES and even the LAND joining in joyful praise of our Amazing God!

09/21/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #12 — Psalm 145:4-6 (CSB) says, “One generation will declare Your WORKS to the next and will proclaim Your MIGHTY ACTS. 5 I will speak of your SPLENDOR and GLORIOUS MAJESTY and Your WONDROUS WORKS. 6 They will proclaim the POWER of Your AWE-INSPIRING ACTS, and I will declare Your GREATNESS.”

Let’s make sure that OUR generation passes on to our children what the Bible declares and what we know of God’s Works, Mighty Acts, Splendor, Glorious Majesty, Wondrous Works and the Power of His Awe-Inspiring Acts. In fact, let’s tell the WHOLE WORLD about God’s GREATNESS!

09/20/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #11 — Psalm 145:3 (CSB) says, “The Lord is great and is highly praised; his GREATNESS is UNSEARCHABLE.”

Psalm 145 is the LAST of David’s ~73 psalms. Its 21 verses form an acrostic—each verse begins with the next letter in the 22 letter Hebrew alphabet. The MacArthur Study Bible says, “Here, the king of Israel extols and celebrates the King of Eternity for Who He Is, What He Has Done, and What He Has Promised.”

The English word “unsearchable” here translates two Hebrew words which also mean Infinite, Innumerable, Unfailing, and Beyond Examination. Get the picture? There are literally NO WORDS to describe just HOW GREAT our Heavenly Father is!

09/19/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #10 — Psalm 144:15 (CSB) says, “Happy are the people with such blessings. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.” The Subtitle of Psalm 144 is “Praising the GREATNESS of God.”

The beginning of this psalm reminds me of Psalm 18; perhaps the circumstances are similar. There David declares that God has delivered him from all his enemies, including King Saul. Here he first describes his GREAT WARRIOR GOD, Who Destroys ALL his Enemies and in Whom David finds Safety and Takes Refuge. Then he compares humanity’s mortality to God’s IMMORTALITY. He envisions the contentment, prosperity and blessings of God’s people that accompany the Lord’s Great Victories.

The Hebrew word here translated “Happy” is more often translated “Blessed,” especially in the KJV. For those of us who know and trust God, there can be no more true happiness than to experience the Rich Blessings of our GREAT GOD.

09/18/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #9 — Psalm 34:3 (CSB) says, “Proclaim the LORD’s GREATNESS with me; let us Exalt His Name Together.” David was trying to elude King Saul, who was determined to kill him. In desperation he pretended to be insane and tried to convince the Philistine King Achish of Gath to shelter him (1Sam.21:10ff). Eventually David was rejected.

Even so in the first 10 verses of Psalm 34, David expresses his personal testimony concerning the GREATNESS of his (and our) God. No matter how difficult, frustrating, discouraging or painful our circumstances, let us, like David, stand firm in our faith in our All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Everywhere-Present, Almighty God!

09/17/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #7 — 1 Chronicles 29:11 (CSB) says, “Yours, Lord, is the GREATNESS and the Power and the Glory and the Splendor and the Majesty, for Everything in the Heavens and on Earth Belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the Kingdom, and You are Exalted as Head over ALL.”

I’m awfully tempted just to add a big “AMEN!” This is King David’s last assembly before the people. He presents his son Solomon as his God-ordained successor and challenges all of them to build the Lord’s Temple with the materials he has accumulated. He warns Israel that his son is young and somewhat inexperienced. Even though Solomon has been chosen by God Himself, he will need the cooperation and assistance of his people to rule well.

This close to the Presidential Election, may I remind us all that NO MATTER WHO IS OUR CURRENT OR NEXT PRESIDENT, HE WILL ALSO NEED OUR COOPERATION AND ASSISTANCE (and definitely NOT our Disrespect and Hatred) IN ORDER TO RULE WELL! LET’S AGREE TO PERFORM OUR ROLES FOR HIS AND OUR BENEFIT, AND GOD’S PLEASURE!

09/16/20 ANOTHER INTERRUPTION — For the past several months we had been arranging the purchase of a brand-new home. Originally we were scheduled to close the deal this Friday; one week from today we would close the deal on our present townhome and vacate the premises. My careful, conscientious, detail-oriented wife Linda had made all the dozens of arrangements—mailing address change, newspaper, cable TV, Internet, cashier’s check, new blinds for all the windows and doors, movers to come here next Monday, and so on and so on…

But at the end of last week and on this past Sunday afternoon we had two inspections of our new home-to-be; both alarmed us. Yesterday we officially notified our builders that we would NOT purchase the home. They were not thrilled; no mention of returning our earnest money was made. What in the world were we to do? In 8 days we would be “homeless” unless… a genuine miracle happened, we thought. Of course we had been praying, at least daily, for God’s supervision, power, blessing, assistance, intervention…

Our realtor (who should win the Grand Prize for Realtor of the Century for the entire Milky Way galaxy!) began to check around. By the way: she had managed the sale of our townhome; she was just willing to help us now out of the goodness of her heart. If she juggled things there was a condo available for rent on October 2 that she should have advertised already, but for personal reasons had not yet done so. So we could move in there if we wished—we jumped right on it! She called the new owners of our townhome; they agreed to let us stay here until October 2. Two down, one thousand details to go. Linda called the power company, cable, Internet,… We worried about our earnest money—no problem. Everyone was UNUSUALLY prompt, enthusiastic and helpful (unheard of, right?)!

We needed to downsize a little more. So I put our upright freezer on Facebook Marketplace. I was inundated with offers, so fast, in fact, that I had trouble responding. A great guy named Bill bought it and picked it up in a couple of hours. Late yesterday he sent me a message that he joined others praying for us.

Then Linda called our movers. Uh-oh, they were booked solid for the entire month of October. But this morning, they called us back. One of their clients had called last night to cancel. Guess which date? Yep, October 2! And the builders emailed to say they WOULD return our earnest in full! You can’t make this stuff up!

Well, of course, some would say that all this is just a really unusual, fortunate set of coincidences. But we know better. Our Almighty God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit combined their efforts to answer our prayers mercifully, mightily, magnificently and miraculously (how’s that for alliteration)! AND thanks to all our family and friends, old and new, who prayed for us.

Near the end of His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus urged us NOT to worry about life’s “practical stuff.” He reminded us that God the Father, Who takes care of tiny birds and wildflowers, would certainly take care of His people. Basically Jesus described two jobs: our job is to seek God’s Righteousness and His Kingdom; one of God’s jobs is take care of our daily needs—food, clothing, shelter, etc. Once more God sure did an almost unbelievable Great Job for us! PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW! (I know—longest post so far. Too bad!)

09/15/20 BOTCHED PRAYER? — Sorry to interrupt my THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD posts, but something came up yesterday I just had to share!

My wife Linda and I have been trying to conduct a frustrating business transaction. Time was running out with no satisfactory resolution in sight. As we discussed it over breakfast, somehow I mentioned the name of the wrong company. After we read Scripture, I prayed especially for God’s help in this matter. When I finished Linda laughed and said, “That’s the SECOND time today you said the wrong name!” “Oh, no!” I said, “Do you think God is confused and will try to help us out with the wrong firm?” We both laughed loudly—we both remembered another time I did the same thing years ago.

I’m so grateful for Romans 8:26-27 (CSB) which says, “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

So… Praise to God for His amazing prayer promises in Scripture and for the many times He has answered our prayers in definite, powerful ways. And thanks to You, Holy Spirit, for Your PERFECT prayers on our behalf. And, finally, THANK YOU GOD ALSO FOR UNANSWERED PRAYERS—for those times when we’ve actually botched it—asked for the wrong things or misspoken, and You knew better than to grant those requests.

09/14/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #6 — In Deuteronomy 32:3 (CSB) Moses says, “For I will proclaim the LORD’s name. Declare the GREATNESS of our God!” At 120 years old, very near the end of his natural life, Moses has just transferred his leadership of the Hebrews to Joshua. He has warned them of the troubles they will undoubtedly face because of their continuing faithlessness toward God. Then, in chapter 32, he bursts into a majestic song, addressed to the entire universe, loudly and joyfully proclaiming the GREATNESS of Yahweh, our Almighty God.

Let’s commit ourselves, afresh and anew, to Proclaim—Loudly, Joyfully, Boldly, Confidently—the GREATNESS of our God. And, believers, let’s recommit ourselves to UNFLINCHING, IMMEDIATE, JOYFUL and TOTAL OBEDIENCE to Him!

 09/13/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #5 —  In Deuteronomy 11:2 (CSB) Moses says, “Understand today that it is not your children who experienced or saw the discipline of the Lord your God: His GREATNESS, strong hand, and outstretched arm…” He is reciting the long list of God’s powerful acts to free the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and enable them to advance towards the Promised Land.

But he is also underlining a vital truth. Most of the adults had personally experienced these mighty acts of the Lord; they knew firsthand that their God was Powerful and Trustworthy. But their children had NOT lived through most of this. It was the responsibility of these parents to pass their faith and testimony to their children. Somebody (undoubtedly) famous once said, “Christianity is always just one generation from extinction!” PARENTS: YOU are the VERY BEST and MOST IMPORTANT TEACHERS of YOUR CHILDREN!

Let’s face the FACTS, the awful TRUTH: So many of our young people, apparently saved and active in church activities throughout high school, go off to college; and five years later the vast majority have abandoned the church and Christianity, seemingly never to return. Let’s REVERSE THIS TREND, starting NOW! Parents, take advantage of every opportunity, make opportunities to TEACH your children about the GREATNESS of the God we serve!

 09/12/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #4 —  In Deuteronomy 9:26 (CSB) Moses says, “I prayed to the Lord: Lord God, do not annihilate Your people, Your inheritance, whom You redeemed through Your GREATNESS and brought out of Egypt with a STRONG HAND.” He is in the middle of scolding the Hebrews, reminding them of God’s displeasure, frustration and wrath at their continued unfaithfulness, as well as the several times Moses had interceded with God on their behalf.

God responded in Mercy, rewriting the Ten Commandments on a second pair of stone tablets and Renewing His Covenant with them. In light of the rampant ungodliness in our culture, government, and even in our churches, WE need to intercede—to ask our Merciful God to Forgive us and Bless us with His Power and Presence again.

 09/11/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #3 — Moses had just finished repeating and elaborating on the Ten Commandments for the Hebrews. He reminded them that they had been TERRIFIED as earlier the LORD had displayed His Majesty, speaking to them accompanied by earthquake, wind and fire. Moses reminded them how they responded in Deuteronomy 5:24 (CSB), “You said, ‘Look, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and GREATNESS, and we have heard His voice from the fire. Today we have seen that God speaks with a person, yet He still lives.’”

OT and NT the Jews fully expected that anyone who saw or spoke to God face-to-face was (nearly) instantly destroyed. And God only allowed a very few exceptions—one such was Moses himself. The Hebrews FEARED for their very lives. At least for a short time, they seemed to realize their stubborn rebelliousness, unworthiness and sinfulness. But their idea was misguided. They begged for God NOT to speak directly to them anymore—just let Him speak to Moses and have Moses relay the information. It seemed never to occur to them that all God required of them was worship and obedience.

Same goes for us today. The (New) covenant God offers us is that He will forgive our sins and give us a new heart, a new name, etc. in exchange for accepting Jesus’ Lordship, surrendering control of our lives to Him.

09/10/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #2 — God had used Moses mightily to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land. But Moses had failed to honor God as he STRUCK the rock instead of SPEAKING to it and personally took credit for the miracle (Num.20:10-11). So God declared that neither Moses nor his brother Aaron would enter the Promised Land.

In Deuteronomy 3:24 (CSB) Moses begs God to change His mind one final time, “Lord God, You have begun to show Your GREATNESS and Your STRONG HAND to Your servant, for WHAT GOD IS THERE IN HEAVEN OR ON EARTH WHO CAN PERFORM DEEDS AND MIGHTY ACTS LIKE YOURS?” Moses was absolutely right in his description of God’s POWER and GREATNESS, and His Divine Intervention on our behalf.

But God NEVER makes a mistake or has to reconsider. As our population and, especially, many political leaders become more and more anti-God, let’s remember to proclaim God’s GREATNESS, as well as His righteousness, justice, wrath AND forgiveness.

09/09/20 THE GREATNESS OF OUR GOD #1 — Decades ago I admired the athleticism and skill of Muhammad Ali. But I and lot of others got really SICK of hearing him proclaim, “I AM THE GREATEST!” With the Presidential Election only weeks away, I’m ALREADY SICK of leaders on BOTH sides loudly proclaiming their “greatness.” Romans 12:3 (CSB) says “For by the grace given to me, I TELL EVERYONE AMONG YOU NOT TO THINK OF HIMSELF MORE HIGHLY THAN HE SHOULD THINK. Instead, THINK SENSIBLY, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”

God Almighty is the ONLY being in His universe Who is entitled to proclaim HIS OWN GREATNESS. I found more than 25 Bible verses which proclaim God’s GREATNESS in various contexts. Please bear with me as I share them for the next few days.

In Numbers 14:19 (CSB) Moses begs God, “PLEASE PARDON THE INIQUITY OF THIS PEOPLE, in keeping with the GREATNESS of Your Faithful Love, just as You have forgiven them from Egypt until now.” After all the miracles God had done for them, the Hebrews were STILL Belligerent, Disobedient and Rebellious. God had “had enough”—He told Moses He was ready to destroy them and make a fresh start with Moses and his family tree. But Moses pled for God’s forgiveness, based, at least in part, on God’s Reputation and Greatness. That’s MY prayer for us Americans and the rest of the people on earth suffering under this pandemic!

 09/08/20 SELL ALL ?! — A wealthy young man once asked Jesus what he could DO to obtain eternal life. He claimed he had obeyed nearly ALL the Ten Commandments PERFECTLY his entire life (?). Mark 10:21 (CSB) gives us Jesus’ final response: “ Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: GO, SELL ALL YOU HAVE AND GIVE TO THE POOR, and YOU WILL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN. THEN COME, FOLLOW ME.’”

Note that Jesus LOVED him; He was NOT trying to be sarcastic or hard-nosed. Jesus knew that “THE MORE STUFF WE HAVE, THE MORE THE STUFF HAS US”! And Jesus requires our TOTAL attention and devotion.

How many of us have read that passage and thought, ”Wow, I’m glad Jesus does NOT expect ME to sell all my stuff!”? So many of us CLAIM all the wonderful promises in Scripture, but IGNORE all the passages we don’t like. But in Luke 12:33-34 Jesus told His DISCIPLES, “SELL YOUR POSSESSIONS AND GIVE TO THE POOR. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, AN INEXHAUSTIBLE TREASURE IN HEAVEN, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In Acts 5:4 Peter scolded Ananias for his lying and deceit; the apostle declared that selling one’s property to help the poor was OPTIONAL. But clearly Jesus expects (ALL?) His followers to accumulate heavenly treasure by helping the poor rather than personal earthly riches for themselves. Let’s all be a lot more careful which Bible passages we embrace and which ones we ignore.

 09/07/20 A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND THAT — Years ago at the opening of the “Donnie and Marie” TV show, Marie Osmond used to sing “I’m a little bit country…; and Donnie would chime in, “I’m a little bit rock ‘n roll!” Similarly not so long ago we heard one of our very highest ranking government officials claim, “Well, I’m a little bit Christian; I’m a little bit…” some other faiths.

Of the literally thousands of different religious faiths various people claim here on earth, only three believe in exactly ONE “GOD,” ONE SUPREME BEING—these are Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And no one can be JUST A LITTLE BIT of any one of them. You’re either ALL IN or you’re NOT IN AT ALL! We Christians are prone to say, “Jesus is either Lord of All, or He is NOT Lord at all!” Anything else is just Do-It-Yourself, Make-It-Up-As-You-Go NONSENSE!

 09/06/20 THE LORD’S SUPPER AT CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH, OAK RIDGE, TN — Back in the mid-1980s, at one Sunday evening service, the 1500 seat worship center was nearly packed. As we deacons served the Lord’s Supper, we ran out of the “elements”—wafers and/or grape juice! All of us 84 (Yep!) deacons joined hands; our chairman held the Pastor’s hand. The Pastor ate and drank vicariously, “by electricitry,” for the rest of us.

That happened TWICE (best I can remember)! Our church was growing so fast, no one seemed to be able to figure out just how many wafers and how much juice we needed. Hopefully THAT’s a challenge ANY church would LOVE to have. Praise the Lord!

 09/04/20 JUSTICE OR VENGEANCE — Deuteronomy 32:43 (CSB) says “Rejoice, you nations, concerning His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants. He will take vengeance on His adversaries; He will purify His land and His people.” And Romans 12:19 says “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, ‘Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.’”

My mom (probably your mom, too) taught us, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” All over this land people are screaming for “Justice!” But it seems clear that what they really want is VENGEANCE. Unbelievers most likely do NOT care what the Bible says. BUT for all you Christians out there, REMEMBER: God specifically FORBIDS us to seek/take vengeance. Be assured—eventually ALL wrongs will be righted, because real vengeance is HIS responsibility.

 09/03/20 TRUE FREEDOM — When she was in elementary school, one day our daughter was having trouble with her math homework. It involved finding common denominators, then adding and subtracting fractions. Frustrated, she came to me and said, “This is so confusing! Dad, didn’t Jesus say if I knew the truth, I would be FREE?” “That’s right!” I said. “Well, then,” she continued, “since Jesus has made me free, I just want to add the numerators and then add the denominators and call that the answer. Am I FREE to do that?”

I cut a piece of notebook paper into 12 (nearly) equal pieces. She agreed with me that one fourth of the sheet was 3 pieces and one third, 4 pieces. But if we did what she suggested, then 1/3 + 1/4 would be (1+1)/(3+4) = 2/7, which is less than half. But, actually, 1/3 + 1/4 of the paper is 4 pieces plus 3 pieces, or 7 of the 12 pieces so 1/3 + 1/4 = 7/12 (more than half!), the only true, right and correct answer.

I tried to explain to her that being free does NOT mean ignoring TRUTH and RIGHT in favor of what is clearly FALSE and/or WRONG. When I see her now, a godly wife and mother of three fine sons, I think she believed me. It seems that LOTS of other people in our nation need to learn that lesson ASAP as well.

 09/02/20 CITIZENS AND THE GOVERNMENT — With all the crazy talk we’re hearing these days about what to do about the police, I thought it might be a good idea to see what GOD says about Government, Citizens and the Police. Romans 13:1-4 (CSB) says, “LET EVERYONE SUBMIT to the GOVERNING AUTHORITIES, since there is NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, and THE AUTHORITIES THAT EXIST ARE INSTITUTED BY GOD. 2 So then, THE ONE WHO RESISTS THE AUTHORITY IS OPPOSING GOD’S COMMAND, and THOSE WHO OPPOSE IT WILL BRING JUDGMENT ON THEMSELVES. 3 For RULERS ARE NOT A TERROR TO GOOD WORKS, BUT TO EVIL. DO YOU WANT TO BE UNAFRAID OF THE AUTHORITY? DO WHAT IS GOOD, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For HE IS GOD'S MINISTER TO YOU FOR GOOD. BUT IF YOU DO EVIL, BE AFRAID; FOR HE DOES NOT BEAR THE SWORD IN VAIN; for HE IS GOD'S MINISTER, AN AVENGER TO EXECUTE WRATH ON HIM WHO PRACTICES EVIL.”

Sorry for all the uppercase; I just didn’t want anyone to have any trouble reading the Lord’s absolute instructions on these issues! God’s commands could NOT be clearer. He knows each of us is naturally disobedient and rebellious. In order for us to live in safety and order, we desperately NEED the police; AND the police MUST be able to use whatever force (including deadly force—see v.4) is necessary to enforce our laws for our protection. LET’S GET BACK TO DOING IT GOD’S WAY. . . AGAIN. . . ASAP!

 09/01/20 “MODERN SPORTS” IN SCRIPTURE — Here’s a few modern sports also mentioned in Scripture:

1. FOOTBALL:  Acts 9:32 (KJV) “And it came to pass, as Peter PASSED throughout all QUARTERS, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.” In fact, this verse tells us that the Apostle Peter was the quarterback and his team’s offense had a primarily passing game for the entire four quarters of at least one game!

2. TENNIS: 1 Chronicles 23:28 (NKJV) “because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the SERVICE of the house of the LORD, in the COURTS and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God.” The Levites were coaching the priests to improve their serves. Also, in Esther 6:5 we find that evil Haman was (wasting time) standing in the COURT!

3. BASKETBALL: Genesis 40:18 (NKJV) “So Joseph answered and said, ‘This is the interpretation of it: The three BASKETS are three days.’” The chief baker was obviously NOT a high scorer; Joseph predicted he would make just one basket in each of the next three games. Also Deuteronomy 28:5 (NKJV) “Blessed shall be your BASKET and your kneading bowl.” I think God promised to bless the Hebrews’ national basketball team if they were obedient.

4. SOCCER: Acts 9:5 (NKJV) “And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to KICK against the GOADS.’" Jesus confronted Saul on the road to Damascus and explained why Saul hadn’t scored many GOALS recently. I’m guessing the translators failed to notice the misspelling, “GOADS.”

Amazing what “careful” Bible study can show you! Maybe YOU can help me find MORE modern sports in the Bible!