Monthly Archives: June 2023

The Obedient God: Something From Jesus’ Childhood That Might Surprise You

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Hidden away in Luke’s comments about Jesus as a boy is something you should not miss: Luke tells us the story of the Obedient God.

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them…” (Luke 2:49-51 NIV)

We have talked several times about this passage from Luke, which gives us pretty much everything we know about the years between Jesus’ childhood and manhood. Here are a few final thoughts on Jesus as a boy… Remember, this is God with skin on, the Son of God, the Messiah who has been foretold. Surely he was no average twelve-year-old…

obedient

The Best Kid in the Neighborhood

Have you ever wondered: What was he like? How did he exercise his power? Was he gifted physically the way he was gifted spiritually? If he was alive today, surely he’d be an NFL quarterback, right? There is so little in Scripture to go on about Jesus’ boyhood, and it’s tempting to try to reconstruct some things, but it is always important to let Scripture be Scripture, and allow the story to speak for itself. Luke 2:52 says that Jesus “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” He was growing in a balanced way; and the Bible basically says that his development was apparently fairly normal.

obedient

I love the fact that Luke points out how Jesus grew in four dimensions: mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. He wasn’t some spiritual nerd who didn’t live in the real world, but there was a balance in his growth that encompassed intelligence, strength, and his relationship with both God and men. That’s probably a good template for goal-setting when we start jotting down those New Year’s resolutions…

Even Joseph and Mary Seemed Surprised

As for this story, the fact that he slipped away and stayed at the temple caught both Mary and Joseph a bit by surprise. I’m sure he was normally very obedient, and this was new behavior. Jesus was exploring some independence at age 12, and apparently knew an impressive amount of Scripture and was able to teach about the principles it contained. He knew enough, according to Luke, to astonish learned men.

Since his own parents were surprised by what he was saying about doing his Father’s business, it makes sense to assume that this was not behavior they were yet accustomed to. What do we learn from that?

The Son of God was leaving boyhood behind, and stepping out onto a larger stage. He knew who his Father was, and was already connected to his mission. Those are all pretty impressive qualities to exhibit at only twelve. Luke’s short account of twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple makes it clear that Jesus was destined for greater things; but that last phrase in verse 49 about how he treated his parents kinda sneaks up on you. “He was obedient to them.” Apparently even the King of Kings obeyed his mom and dad. Young people take note: If God with skin on obeyed his parents, so should you.

The Obedient God

Our culture loves the shallow things,
And all the toys celebrity brings:
The bling, the cars, the diamond rings,
The cash register when it cha-chings!
But Jesus grew up mentally,
And physically, and socially.
He also grew up spiritually,
In ways you could and could not see.

You’d think that Jesus had it made,
The power of God in man displayed–
And yet the hand that Jesus played
Was this: the Son of God obeyed.
He didn’t try to take command,
He didn’t overplay his hand,
But followed what His Father planned:
Obey. Be humble. Understand
That life in all its parts can be much greater than the sum;
And greatness doesn’t celebrate before its hour is come.
The key to life is not what is expedient,
But this: know what God wants, and be obedient.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

We All Practice Condemnation. But, Who is Going to Judge the Judges?

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The Bible has a lot to say about condemnation. One of my favorite references is John 3:17: “For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” Even though the message of the Bible is about freedom from condemnation, the institutionalized church has a long history of practicing it. From the Crusades to the Spanish Inquisition, and from the Church Lady to Westboro Baptist “church”, nominal Christians have used religion for condemnation.

(In point of fact, Christians aren’t alone in rendering judgement. All three of the major religions allow for condemnation, based on law. But, rather than throw stones at them, I’m thinking today about us Christians, so bear with me.)

Judged By Whom?

When unchurched people are asked why they don’t go to church the #1 answer is “I feel judged when I go there.” In the name of Jesus, folks who call themselves Christians have condemned Muslims and Mormons, Denominations and Democrats, homosexuals and heretics. Now, I’m not saying those folks are all immune to judgment by a righteous God, because ALL OF US are going to give account before Him.

So, none of us is immune to condemnation. We’re just not supposed to heap it on each other. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

condemnation

The only sin you should ever get concerned about is your OWN. If you are sitting there reading this thinking, “Yeah, but, what about that group?” or, “What about those other guys?”, then you have the wrong perspective about sin.

God’s Tolerance Is Different Than Ours

The Bible teaches clearly that a Holy God cannot/will not tolerate sin, and that sin will be judged. Since sin and death cannot abide in the presence of the Living God, unresolved sin will be left to its own devices. In essence, it will judge itself. Those who reject God’s provision for payment will bring death and separation from God upon themselves.

Sin by its very nature requires condemnation because it brings death. Since God is Life, He is diametrically opposed to sin. He cannot tolerate sin because it brings His polar opposite into His creation.

As Paul says in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” I definitely believe that the Bible teaches about sin’s penalty and the righteous judgment of a Holy God. But in John 3, when Jesus told Nicodemus why he came into the world, he ruled condemnation out of his mission statement. (And yes, I know he condemned the hateful self-righteousness of the Pharisees, but whenever sinners were brought before him, he offered grace. You can look it up!)

To Condemn or Not the Condemn?

Apparently Christ does not condemn, he only saves. Repeat that. Remember that. In a world full of blame, finger-pointing, criticism, and condemnation, Christ does not condemn. I bet most of us still focus on the theology of right and wrong, and we focus on God as the Righteous judge. Curious, then, that His only son didn’t come as a judge but as a Savior.

Read John 8 sometime. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of being a demon possessed Samaritan (racial slur) he said, “I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” (John 8:50-51) God didn’t send his Son to condemn, but to give life.

As John said, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” If you were ever a sinner, if you have ever wronged someone else, or if you have ever been less than godly: remember that, and be grateful; remember that, and be gracious.

Pointing the Wrong Way

In a world of polar hate, where almost no one budges,
Who is going to heal the scars, and who will judge the judges?
You can look at other folks and judge them for their sin,
But in the end, your condemnation will not help you win.
Point out someone else’s sins, but know that when you do,
Three fingers there upon your hand are pointed back at you!
Christ told Nicodemus, though the world might be depraved
He came, not to condemn the world, but that it might be saved.
Take a hint from Jesus when the shallow world condemns,
And offer love instead, because you know… love always wins!

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-

Consecrate Yourself Today. See Amazing Results Tomorrow!

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“Consecrate yourself” is a phrase you don’t hear every day. (In fact, you may have lived your entire life without even considering it!) You might say “help yourself”, or “watch yourself”, and you may have heard Archie Bunker say “stifle yourself!” to Edith, but he never said, “Consecrate yourself, Edith!”

So, I’m curious. Have YOU ever consecrated yourself? How did you do it? What happened? And, what exactly does it mean to consecrate yourself? In Joshua 3:5, “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Did the people scratch their heads (like I might do), or did they suddenly have a great sense of anticipation? It was a command, but it was a command with a promise.

Say What?

As the Israelites prepared to take the Promised Land, they were operating for the first time without Moses. It was he who had brought them out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and given them the law. He had challenged them to obey the Lord. You might recall that they were not always consecrated even though they had seen amazing things! Apparently it was pretty important to Joshua. I’m sure they asked themselves, “I wonder what he meant by that?”

consecrate

The word consecrate means “to make sacred, to dedicate to a higher purpose.” The Israelites had failed to do that. In fact, they failed so egregiously that they had to wander in the wilderness for years and years. (You remember the whole “golden calf idol worship” thing, right? That event vividly illustrated how un-dedicated they were.) Even though they were going to the Promised Land, they were still far short of their goal. If anything, they started their journey dedicated to the wrong stuff.

You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country…

Now they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to start the campaign that would ultimately create a home for these wanderers, these skeptics, these idol-worshippers, these former slaves… Moses had brought the people out of Egypt. Now, Joshua told them they still needed to bring Egypt out of the people!

“Consecrate yourselves”! He challenged them to separate themselves to God, to assume His holiness and character, and to be devoted to His purpose. If they consecrated themselves, Joshua said, they would see the Lord do amazing things among them on the following day.

Consecrate This

What can we glean from this one simple, challenging verse? First of all, good leadership is visionary. It looks ahead to the future and sees amazing things. Second, leadership recognizes that in order for us to experience “amazing things”, we need to be dedicated. We need to make sure that nothing else keeps us from being part of God’s work. What competes with God for your time and attention? What is it that prevents you from being consecrated? I bet if you followed the same advice Joshua gave the Israelites, you would start seeing “amazing things”!

Think about being dedicated to the Lord above all things: Put your name in the blank: Consecrate yourself, _______________, [Bo Jackson] for the Lord will do amazing things around you!” Which amazing things would you like to see? What victories await? What giants will you slay? Consecrate yourself today. Get results tomorrow!

Joshua Said It, But Maybe it Applies to US

If the Lord commands, obey it. Don’t you wait, don’t hesitate,
Don’t obfuscate, prevaricate, don’t act on it a little late,
Or wait for it to resonate, and don’t you dare procrastinate.
Don’t meditate or vegetate, or even try to delegate:
If God tells you to consecrate, then consecrate, and calibrate
Your life so you can dedicate what once was unregenerate.
Just consecrate your heart to the King of Kings,
And you will see Him do amazing things.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Not Warm Enough? Sit a Little Closer to the Fire

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“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God with reverence and awe, for “Our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 10:28-29, NIV)

Playing With Fire?

This whole verse seems hopelessly out of date in some ways. It claims that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, when it seems like Christianity is less accepted and more under attack than it has been in years; it talks about reverence and awe when our culture enjoys coffee and flip flops in church (and we better be out of church in time for the big game); and it says that God is a consuming fire in a world full of consumers who buy temporary stuff and want instant gratification. It begs the question: if God is a consuming fire, who is being consumed?

A Promise made is a Promise Kept

Let’s go shopping in these verses and see what we can take home… 1) First, whenever you see a “Therefore” in Scripture, you should look back in the passage and see what it’s there for. The writer of Hebrews quoted Haggai 2:6, reminding a repressed and skeptical people that no matter what their political circumstances, God still had a covenant with them and was still going to exercise His will.

“In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory…” The nations will be shaken, but not God’s plans. Remember what God has promised and take heart.

2) The writer of Hebrews says we should be thankful. All revival begins with thanksgiving, and all thanksgiving begins with the right transaction in your heart. Having a posture of thankfulness assumes humility before the giver and an attitude of gratitude. Do you feel the proper sense of humility before the Lord? Are you grateful for all He has done? Have you given thanks today?

Step Out and Step In

3) Worshiping God should involve reverence and awe. What we wear to church doesn’t really matter, but when was the last time you truly experienced reverence and awe in worship? Step out of your timed church service boundaries and your concerns about where to go for lunch and allow yourself to be steeped in the majesty and splendor of an Almighty God. Remember that He loves you and is jealous for you.

The writer of Hebrews quotes Deuteronomy 4:24, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” He is not a petty suitor jealous of someone else but a passionate lover who is jealous for you and your attention. He wants what is best for you and wants you to experience His love and goodness in an overwhelming way.

Jealous How?

4) God is jealous for you in the way a mother is jealous for her child’s safety, and the same way a husband is jealous for his dying wife’s health. He is loving and possessive in the best kinds of ways, and we should remember that in our everyday lives. We should be consumed not because God demands it but because He wants to place us in the security and protection of His love and His presence.

fire

And finally, this: 5) If God is a consuming fire, then why are we not consumed? Is it He that is not hot enough or bright enough? Or is it that we just don’t WANT to be burned? Perhaps we selfishly reserve our passions for ourselves, refusing to be burned and thereby consumed. Consider this: if to avoid consumption, we stay away from the fire, then we also miss the warmth, the illumination, and ultimately the passion in being truly inflamed… Is God not warm enough? Bright enough? Perhaps you are sitting a bit too far from the fire…

Consuming Fire

Worshiping God assumes we're open to the things he cares for;
We therefore look within His Word to see just what it's there for.
Worship presupposes that we come to Him with gratitude,
Allowing Him to shape not just our service, but our attitude.
This Sunday, try to focus not on comfort or attire,
But let yourself be open to the passion and desire
That leads you to repentance as it lifts your spirit higher,
And lose yourself in worship in our God's consuming fire.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David

To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

The King of Kings: We Shouldn’t Bow Down to Anyone Else

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Great Job!

(This is Day Seventy or So of Reading through the ENTIRE BIBLE!) In case you haven’t noticed, back in March we started in Genesis, and have done our daily devotional through every book of the Bible. We took more than 66 days to cover the 66 Books of the Bible, since we covered a few things between the Testaments, and had a couple of double-entry books. Over the last two and a half months, we have read the story of the King of Kings, a multi-faceted presentation written by prophets, kings, shepherds, and fishermen, as well as a doctor and a tax collector! Today’s passage is from John’s Revelation, so if you have been reading along the last two-and-a-half months, you will have now read your way through every Book of the Bible! (And if you haven’t been reading every day up ’til now, you can always go back and “binge” read all the previous posts on a rainy day!)

John’s Amazing Book

In the opening statement of his book of Revelations, John says, “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:4-6, NIV)

Many people think the book of Revelation is mainly about the end times, and what’s going to happen in the future. While John did see visions about what is to come, what sometimes gets lost among speculation about the future is that John’s visions were really not about us, our curiosity, or our fate relative to the tribulation… They were about who Jesus is. They are about the Word made flesh, the promised Messiah, the King of Kings.

king of kings

The Real Message

The apocalypse is not just about the end of history, it’s about His Story. Read through the book and you’ll know a whole lot more about Jesus, his mission, and his nature. Do you see him as he really is? If he really is King of kings and lord of lords, are you giving him the respect he deserves?

You can ignore him if you like; in fact you have both the will and the right to make that decision. But what if Jesus of Nazareth is who John envisioned him to be? John saw him not just as a suffering servant who came to be the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (as his Gospel clearly portrayed), but as a victorious king returning in triumph to rule over everything.

The life of Jesus has already impacted history and changed the world, so there’s at least a chance that John’s (some would say) crazy vision was right. If even PART of it was accurate, then Jesus is worth investigating. Read the list below, taken from the Book of Revelation. Then, YOU decide…

Quite a list

1:5 Jesus is the faithful witness, firstborn from the dead, ruler of the kings; he paid for our freedom.

1:13 He is “One like a Son of Man” (compare Dan 7:13–14)

1:13–15 Jesus is the King, priest, warrior, God

1:16 He will wield universal, cosmic power

1:17 Jesus is the first and the last, (compare 22:13)

1:18 Jesus has the keys to death and Hades (cf. ‘key of David’, 3:7), He is the living one

Chapters 2 and 3 He knows the church intimately, and holds their reward or judgment in his hand

More than History

5:5 Jesus alone has all authority for judgment,

5:5-6 He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah; He is the Lamb who is worthy

5:6 He is God (in the center of the throne). With all power (7 horns) and all spiritual insight (7 eyes).

5:8 He receives the prayers of the saints

5:11-14 He is worshiped as God

6:16-17 He is frightening in his retribution!

7:17 He is the Shepherd who leads us to living water

12:5 He will rule with an iron scepter

19:11-16 Jesus returns as a victorious and powerful warrior. His name is ‘word of God’

19:16 He is the ‘king of kings and lord of lords’

21:22-23 Jesus and God are the temple and the light of the New Jerusalem.

22:13 He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and Last, the Beginning and the End.

He’s worth your time, He’s worth your attention, and He’s worth your worship.

King or Not?

John's Revelation spells it out:
About this King there is no doubt!
The King of Kings, the End of Days,
The one deserving of our praise!
The Lamb who was slain, the chosen one,
The Son of Man, and God's own Son;
The King of Kings, the Lord of all
Who rules all kingdoms, large and small;
He's the Good Shepherd, warrior priest--
The Bridegroom at the wedding feast,
At once the Greatest and the Least...
The Holy One, the closest friend,
He is the beginning and the end
The one by Whom all things consist,
The ruler no one will resist.

The Alpha and Omega who
Was there when everything was new:
If the Revelation's true,
Then it will impact me, and you.
Jesus will someday come again
To rule His Kingdom without end.
For now, there is a choice for men:
To be his foe, or be his friend.
I think I'd rather choose him now,
For someday, every knee will bow
And all will kneel with one accord
To honor Him as Sovereign Lord.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Contend! Don’t Just Say: “I Coulda Been a Contender.”

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In the movie “On the Waterfront”, Marlon Brando’s character laments that he didn’t contend as well as he should have. The guy was a boxer who had unrealized potential. He made some bad choices, and never made it to the top. As he reflects regretfully about the way his life turned out, his words deliver body blows. “I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender.”

contend

In Jude’s letter, he urges us not to make the same mistake: “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 1:3, NIV)

Fight the Good Fight

Jude identifies himself as “the brother of James”. That is very unusual for a Hebrew writer, who normally would have referred to a father or patriarch instead. He also separates himself from the Apostles (v 17), so in all likelihood this is Jude (a form of Judah, who was sometimes called Judas), the brother of Jesus. (Jesus had 4 younger brothers born to Mary and Joseph according to Matthew 13:55—James, Joseph, Simon and Jude). Interestingly, neither James nor Jude identified themselves as Jesus’ brothers directly, probably out of humility or a desire to avoid being given special consideration as members of Joseph and Mary’s household.

Jude encourages us to “contend for the faith”. Contend comes from the Greek word, ἐπαγωνίζομαι,(epagonizomai) which means to struggle with; to argue earnestly, debate. The agon (agon) was an assembly location where people watched athletic contests. Paul uses a form of it to refer to “fighting the good fight.” In either case, it can refer to several things, and it would seem fitting that if you are called upon to contend:

Common Sense to Contend

1) Do some training. You should prepare. You wouldn’t go into an athletic contest without training, or a debate without mastering your subject. And yet many people who call themselves Christians do little or no training in order to understand and defend their faith. How’s YOUR training going?

2) It implies belief and passion, since competition requires commitment and effort. Athletes who compete at the highest levels all started as a kid from somewhere, but gained a belief in themselves that encouraged them to pursue their talents with passion.

3) It assumes competition. We live in a world that doesn’t automatically accept the claims of Jesus Christ, and is in fact increasingly hostile to it. While we are told to contend with gentleness and respect, we are encouraged to be able to give answers to those who oppose us. How ready are you to answer questions about your faith?

If you want to know more about how to do that, Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel and Tim Keller’s books are great resources. In the meantime, get out there and contend today! Fight for your faith! You don’t want to reach the end of your life, and look back with regret to say “I coulda been a contender!”

Don’t Quit

Jude had friends and family who died a martyr’s death,
Who boldly shared their faith until they drew their final breath.
No one knows exactly what may lie around the bend,
But each of us can make a choice of how we reach our end.
Faith is not some made-up thing we play with to pretend;
Take hold of yours and join the fight: Believe! Engage! Contend!

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Famous People Might not be Famous for the Right Reasons

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Here in America, we think being famous is cool. We watch TMZ or read People Magazine to keep up with all the “stars”. We get all gaga if we meet Lady Gaga or somebody else that’s famous, and if we were honest, a lot of us would love to BE famous. Andy Warhol said over FORTY YEARS AGO, that with the advent of media technology, “In the future, everybody is going to be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” (often used in reference to people who gain brief notoriety: “they’ve had their fifteen minutes of fame.”) In John’s third Epistle, we get some good advice about how being famous is going to count in the grand scheme of things: what if your fifteen minutes of fame fizzled? Or turned fickle?

famous

“It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth… I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us.” (3 John 1:3-4; 9)

Being Well-Known Depends on What You Are Known FOR

John wrote this letter to Gaius, a friend who had shown hospitality to John’s messengers on a previous trip. In it, he makes a couple of guys famous for completely different reasons. It is a contrast in two ways of doing business in the church. There is the warm, hospitable way that Gaius had demonstrated. His way apparently involved being faithful to the truth and loving others, even strangers (v 6). Gaius’ faithfulness and love earned him good reports and the appreciation of the church, and since we are reading about him today, I guess you could say it made him famous.

Diotrephes (Die-ah-truh-fees), on the other hand, was a local church leader who for some reason refused John’s messengers and refused John’s message. He did not allow John’s message to be read, and even kicked some church members out for welcoming other, different believers to church. Diotrephes (“who loves to be first”) may have been driven by jealousy; he may have wanted to maintain control; he may have even thought that, as a man called by God to lead, his own opinion was paramount and should not be contaminated by John’s message or his people.

So, What Are the Right Reasons for Being Famous?

Whatever his reasons, Diotrephes had ONE shot at being mentioned in Scripture, and instead of being called out as a hero of the faith, or even as a faithful man, he is mentioned for being evil. He became famous for all the wrong reasons.

Here are two things about that: first, I hope your church is inclusive, friendly, loving, and truthful, and run by servant leaders who follow the truth. The most common complaint I hear about Christians is that we are too judgmental, too snooty, or too righteous. Here’s some friendly advice: STOP IT! Instead, let’s try to be known for being too generous or too loving…

And second: If you had one shot to be mentioned in the Lord’s book, what would Scripture say about you? When successive generations read your snippet in the Second book of Acts, how will the writer characterize YOU? Will they describe someone “who loves to be first”, or someone who lives in love and walks in truth? Well, that book is being written. It’s not too late for you to influence your paragraph. Write one that matters. Write one that loves. No matter the times, or the place, or the seasons, Make sure YOU are famous for all the right reasons.

Two Famous Guys

Diotrephes just loved to be first;
But John called him out for being the worst.
The Bible recorded Diotrephes name,
But linked him with selfishness, power, and shame.
It’s lame that he wasted his one shot at fame
By playing his own little personal game…
He didn’t like John or deliver his letter;
And only did worse when he could have done better!

He wasn’t too godly, and those are the facts;
But tell me, when they write the NEW Book of Acts,
That records all the works that we Christians will do,
What will your paragraph say about YOU?
I hope we aren’t mentioned for things that will shame us:
There’s more than one way to approach being famous.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

John Says Obedience = Love. So, What Does Love Equal?

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The Second Epistle of John is a short letter, full of interesting possibilities. He wrote it to one of his oldest surviving friends, and it’s someone who may surprise you. In his letter, he offered some fascinating advice about love and obedience, and it might even connect some dots in Scripture for a story you may know.

“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:4-6)

obedience

A Surprising Connection?

There’s an interesting note on this, one of the shortest books of the Bible. John writes to a dear friend, and he addresses her as kyria (which is translated generally as “lady”). The Chaldean word for Martha is the feminine of “moro” or “more”, meaning “lord,” or “master.” This is the same root as maran in the well-known phrase Maran-atha, “The Lord cometh”. The Greek equivalent for MARTHA is Kyria, the feminine form of kurios, or “Lord”, so some scholars believe that John may have been writing to Martha, sister to Mary and Lazarus.

If that’s the case, John might just be reminding her of the time she was bustling around the house and became frustrated because Mary was just sitting with Jesus, soaking it all in. To me,it’s nice to consider that years after she was gently rebuked by Jesus for being too busy, Martha’s children were obedient and walking in the truth, and that these old friends had stayed connected. John reiterates what Jesus said in the upper room: Love one another.

John knew something about love. After all, he spent three-plus years with the Master who taught he and his friends a whole new definition of the word. It changed his heart and it changed how he saw the world. John  was so appreciative of those lessons that when he wrote his Gospel he never referred to himself in the first person, but always as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23, 20:2).

An interesting Equation

He also recalls exactly how Jesus said we should do that in John 14:21: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

According to Jesus (as quoted by the disciple whom Jesus loved!), the equation looks like this: Love = obedience. Love = recognizing the authority of the Lord and then submitting to it. (Perhaps the way Martha and kyria offer a play on words reinforces John’s point. Loving Jesus is more than being busy for him, it is about being His .)

We all sing the song, “Jesus loves me”, and of course we know that’s true; as a child, it comforted me to think that Jesus loved ME. But, was there a song that spoke of reciprocation? Can we sing a song that says WE love JESUS? Here’s a circular summary of John 14:21 about having commandments and keeping them: How many of Jesus’ commands do you HAVE (possess, know)? First, read the stuff Jesus said to do. All of it, not just the best-known quotes. We’ve all done that, haven’t we?

Second, to express your love for him, be OBEDIENT to his commands. Third, feel the love from the Father, and then you will learn more about who Jesus is because He will show more of himself to you. He showed us what true love looks like. Now, with your new knowledge and awareness of Christ, Love Jesus by loving others. LOVE. LEARN. BE OBEDIENT. LOVE. Repeat.

Love Equals What?

Jesus told his followers, “It’s plain enough to see
That he who keeps my commandment is he who loveth me.
To keep them, you must HAVE them. So remember what I say,
And exercise obedience to me every single day.”
It’s not about the works you do, or what the law requires:
It’s more about the way you love, and what His love inspires.
The law will beat you down, but love will always lift you higher.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Love the Father, not The World. How Are We Doing on That?

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In John’s first epistle, he talks about the world where we live, and the Kingdom where God lives. He goes on to describe two very different kingdoms, with very different standards and agendas. Have you ever really stopped to think about what John really means? If there is a heavenly father, how is he different from the world? Are His values different from the world’s values? And what exactly does “the world” refer to?

(As you answer these questions, take a moment to congratulate yourself for reaching Day 70 of Reading through the Bible; just a few books to go and you will have read passages from Genesis to Revelation!)

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

Perhaps because John had heard Jesus’ descriptions of the Kingdom of God firsthand, he had a strong opinion about it. In his eyes, the world we live in is very different from what our Father has planned for us.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16, NIV) The conflict between what the world has to offer against God’s promises has been going on since Esau traded his birthright for a pot of stew. (Well, actually you could go back to the Garden of Eden, when Eve traded being God’s subject for independence. She wanted to experience the world in the worst way, and she succeeded!)

John sees a dramatic contrast between the Father and the world: they have different values, priorities, and characteristics. Perhaps we should take a closer look.

father love

The world, in John’s eyes, is made up of carnal appetites, earthly ambitions, and temporal values. It is a place where human nature pursues its lusts, and where men vie for wealth and power. The world is, candidly, a place where humans are concerned primarily with self-fulfillment. Worldly people and rulers pursue selfish goals and ambitions, whether it’s on a personal level, or is based on the pursuit of power. It’s what we see around us every day.

Contrasting Domains

On the other hand , John contrasts the world and its agenda with the Father. What are the Father’s characteristics? In his Gospel and in his letters, John spells them out. God is love. He is truth. The Father is goodness. He is life. The Father’s domain includes faith and redemption, hope and transformation… It is about servant leadership and new birth.

The world, on the other hand, is characterized by self: it includes all greedy desires, lust, appetite, pride, and self-sufficiency. The world caters to the flesh and the temporary. It is about building yourself up, and salving your insecurities with temporary fixes. As a result, the world is about grasping, power-hungry leaders, and even ordinary people who can be cruel and selfish. This world, says John, is about the sin that afflicts all of us. Therefore, it is about death.

John warns us not to love the world, but we do anyway. We abandon grace for gratification and accept lust in place of love. Have you ever stopped to realize that the world mimics the Father? For every good thing the Father offers, the world offers a counterfeit replacement that is either a watered-down version of the real thing or the opposite of it. It is one of Satan’s oldest strategies, and it works with every generation.

Conflicting Agendas

The Father offers humility; the world offers pride. The Father offers peace; the world offers thrills; the Father offers Truth. The world gives us relativism with its spin, half-truths, and outright lies. With the Father, it’s all about HIM; in the world, it’s all about ME. God’s kingdom is based on unusual logic, where you have to accept another’s will to be free, give to gain, die to live, and serve to lead.

The world is based on selfish logic, where freedom means doing whatever you want, people worship shallow possessions or money (it’s all about the Benjamins in the Lifestyles of the rich and famous), they look out for number One (“nice guys finish last”), and leaders covet and capture power using sophisticated deceit. It was John who informed us that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Now he’s telling us there is a simple choice to make: love the Word, or love the World. John says you can’t love both.

Tell me, what choice have you made? Look at your priorities, your time, your inner thoughts, your desires… what do you love? John says, “the world passes away, and the lust of it: but he that does the will of God abides forever.”

Love, Instead

The world is full of fun and flesh, and thrills that are forever fresh:
The biggest house, the latest styles, the nicest car, the biggest smiles…
The orbit of the world, you see, revolves around the planet “Me”–
Where consequence brings no regret, and I should take what I can get!
Eat and drink today! Get High! Because tomorrow we may die!
The Father says, “Love me instead.” Don’t give the world your heart or head;
Love me, my child; remember this: the world is never all there is.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

YOU Can Choose to Read Today’s Blog About Eternity

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In the grand scheme of things, what happens to us? Do we get to choose our fate, or not? Is where we spend eternity something that just happens to us, or do we have a choice in the matter? Here’s what the Apostle Peter wrote about it:

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9, NIV)

choose wisely

Put Things in Perspective

Peter quotes Psalm 90:4 here to remind us that a day with the Lord is like a thousand years… (So if you’ve heard that phrase and wondered where it came from, there you go!) The perspective of a thousand-year day reminds me of the man who learned that a million dollars was but a penny to God, and a thousand years was but a day. He asked the Lord, “Father, will you give me a penny?” The Lord said yes. Overjoyed, the man asked, “Father, when can I have it?” The Lord said, “Just wait a day.”

Peter contrasts God’s eternal nature with our finite one. It’s hard to wrap our brains around the difference because we are so used to endings. This short passage highlights two important things: God’s timing is by definition different from our timing, and God’s agenda may be different than we assume.

Why Would God Allow Us to Choose?

As an eternal God, His desire is truly for all men to live with Him for all eternity. This might explain why the day of the Lord (which Peter felt could happen at any time) is still yet to come. God is patient, and every passing year allows a new set of people with birthdays to come to Him in repentance. I understand people objecting to that notion, feeling that a loving God would surely choose all men to be saved all the time. He could indeed do that, but He’d have to take away our choice. If He gave us no choice, we wouldn’t have freedom, and He wouldn’t be loving.

Second, Peter says God tarries in executing judgment because His desire is that all men would have an opportunity to choose grace. I don’t think this verse means that all men will be ultimately saved (universalism); but it DOES mean that Christ died for all men, and all have the opportunity to repent. It’s hard to believe, but not everybody chooses repentance, and not everybody wants God. C S Lewis says, of the person who declines to choose God: “He has his wish—to live wholly in the self and to make the best of what he finds there. And what he finds there is hell.”

Your Choice

Many people follow their own will, or depend on a finite perspective to accept or reject God when God’s will for us is infinitely better than our own… Man’s will often chooses temporary gratification over long-term benefits. God’s will always sees the bigger picture and provides the opportunity for the greatest benefit. “Instead he is patient, not wanting anyone to perish…” In the grand scheme of things, when it comes to eternity, you really DO have a choice. Perhaps you should consider your options carefully.

Peter says that God desires all folks to find repentance;
He wants all men to choose His love, and not sin’s deadly sentence.
When you think of eternity and all there is to lose,
Make sure you think of what God says right here before you choose.
Peter offers sage advice; in fact, he says it nicely:
God’s steadfast, loving patience offers you a choice. Choose wisely.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

The End of the World IS Coming. Are You Prepared?

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Over the past few months I have probably heard more conversation about the end of the world than I’ve heard over the last few years. I guess a global pandemic can do things like that. The advent of AI and its impact has also sparked a great deal of speculation: will it build Skynet and take control? Or, will it just blur the lines so that no one will know who to trust anymore? Just read the clickbait- err, headlines, and stay tuned. A few centuries ago, the Apostle Peter ALSO lived during some amazing current events. He felt strongly that the end was near back in the FIRST century!

His epistle gave some advice that made good sense for someone who heard the Olivet Discourse firsthand. He said that we should take life a little more seriously if the end is at hand. When you think of it, his advice still makes good sense two thousand years later. On the one hand, the end of all things may occur; on the other hand, every human also has an individual, inevitable ending… Either way– if the end IS near, then shouldn’t it affect what we do today? Or is it just something to make light of?

end near

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins… Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:7-8, 10-11 NIV).

Was he Wrong or Right?

Since we’re still here, we could criticize Peter for being a little premature in his prediction about when the end of the world would occur. (Although from a personal standpoint, his words ACTUALLY DO apply to everyone, since every day the end of this world is nearer for each of us than we think, even if we live to a ripe old age…)

But Peter’s advice make good sense. He encourages all of us to live differently because time is short. His true focus is not WHEN it would happen, but HOW its eminent possibility should make us act. Tell me, do you act any differently at all because the end of the world could happen at any time? No? Well, let’s ask that question another way: If you knew today was your last day, would it change the way you look at it? Would it change the way you live it?

Peter says that because the end of all things is near, it should give us a different sense of urgency and a different way of thinking and acting: We should PRAY, intentionally and intelligently. We should LOVE each other deeply because (wow, how true is this?) love covers a multitude of sins. What else does that? Can you think of any of your sins that have been covered by love? What does that mean?

Theologically speaking, our sins carried the death penalty, but have been “removed as far as the east is from the west”. Though our sins be as scarlet, they have been made white as snow; they “are remembered no more…”

Personally speaking, love enables us to forgive and to find acceptance in spite of our flaws. We all do wrong. Only love helps us rise above. Peter spoke from experience, didn’t he? His arrogance didn’t prevent him from betraying his best friend. He was crushed by his cowardice and ashamed of his failure. But, love brought him back.

So, What’s the End Game?

How then should we live? Peter says that we should be faithful stewards of grace, serving others and spreading the love; the same love, in fact, that had been spread upon him. Are you covered? Are you serving? Since there may not be much time left, make sure you spend it wisely. Basically Peter says, “Make sure you live, serve, and love as if God himself were doing it through you.” Because who knows? Perhaps He is…

The End Game

Peter made it very clear: He said the end of the world was near,
And we should live in such a way that if our world would end today
We wouldn’t have some lame excuse for gifts neglected or misused.
Peter said that we should pray, and act with faithfulness today,
Without regret or doubt or shame, if our tomorrow never came.
If you have a gift, then give it! Take your life: rejoice, and live it!
Take the things you say and do as if God did those things through you.
Live as if the end is near. Do it now. And do it here.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread

Sticks and Stones, Hmm… When Your Words Become a Weapon

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You may remember a poem by Carl Sandburg, where he said your tongue can get you into trouble. Well, actually he once wrote: “Look out how you use proud words. When you let proud words go it is not easy to call them back. They wear long boots, hard boots, they walk off proud; they can’t hear you calling — Look out how you use proud words.” Good advice from a famous American poet, advice that is largely unheeded today.

As children, we were taught to say, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Funny, then, that most of the injuries I remember from childhood came from something somebody said. Hmm… In the Bible, the Book of James also says you should watch your tongue because it is such volatile and powerful force in our lives. When you think about how much impact words can have, that’s certainly true. But is it our tongue that’s at fault, or something else?

tongue

Small Object, Big Results

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:3-6, NIV)

Apparently swearing or using profane language was pretty common in New Testament times. There were also liars and charlatans who used language to fool people or to mislead them. Funny, but not much has changed since. People still operate that way today. The means of corrupt communication has been multiplied a hundred fold, but lies and language are still hurt everyone. And they are still the gateway to evil.

Inside Out

Every day you hear half-truths, advertising promises, spin, and outright lies, and your mind is continually bombarded with corrupt communication. And yet Jesus said that it’s not the stuff we hear that really gets to us: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

One of the things that makes language so significant is that it is a reflection of our hearts. If curse words or vulgarity roll easily off a man’s tongue, what does that say about his heart? If a man can use God’s name as an expletive, what does it say he feels about God?

I think James is basically telling us two things: 1) be careful what you listen to. If communication is corrupt, then it can only add the wrong kind of abundance to your heart. And 2) be careful what you say. Words take on a life of their own, and I have learned several times the hard way that the impact can be far greater than the intent. How we say something is also almost as important as WHAT we say.

The Tongue Wags Both Ways

Proverbs 25:11 says “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” It would seem that we have the ability to confer wealth through mere words, and to offer incorruptible beauty to someone by saying something to edify them. Consider therefore, carefully the things you have to say, and offer some free jewelry to the people you meet today. Carl Sandburg’s advice was good about what NOT to say; the Bible has great advice about what we OUGHT to say instead. Just sayin’…

tongue kindness

Mind Your Tongue

What we say can lift, or play, or even make somebody’s day,
But it can also spread some dirt, or criticize, or wound and hurt.
James says tongues can be a flame that burn with anger, pride or shame,
And cause disruption, pain and grief instead of loving, sweet relief.
Consider what you say to folks–the kind of words, the kind of jokes–
Don’t pile your words on what is broken; offer good words, fitly spoken.
The Bible says that you can start by putting treasure in your heart,
So Spread some joy with words today. That’s really all I have to say.

To buy my latest book, Real People, Real Christmas: Thirty-one Days Discovering the Hidden Treasures of the Christmas Story, go here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729034918/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For Slaying Giants: Thirty Days with David, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Giants-Thirty-Devotions-Ordinary/dp/172568327X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535814431&sr=8-1&keywords=Slaying+Giants%3A+Thirty+Days+With+David
To buy my book, Beggar’s Bread, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Devotions-Ordinary-Guy/dp/1535457392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-1&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread
For the Kindle Edition, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Beggars-Bread-Bo-Jackson-ebook/dp/B01K5Z0NLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473336800&sr=8-2&keywords=Beggar%27s+Bread