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Just another new trick up his sleeve.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.” ‭‭Acts ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Simon the Sorcerer. What a nickname, what a title to carry around. Luke admits that Simon was a big deal in Samaria. He had a big following of people that called him “The great one – the power of God.” Interesting right? Simon was earnestly flamboyant. Then SHOCKER, he becomes a believer and is baptized. He was a formerly a great magician, a crowd pleaser. Now he’s a Christian following Philip around, learning the ropes of this new religion along with signs and wonders. Curiosity must have got the best of him. Simon must have thought, hmmm, Philip was a believer and so was he. Then how or why could Philip perform these feats of great power with miracles. Could he do the same?

The answer would soon arrive with Peter and John’s arrival. When the apostles heard what had been happening in Samaria (of all places), they sent a couple of guys down to see what was happening. Doing a little follow up, they “they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.” I’ll let you sort out the truth of this moment. Luke says that the Holy Spirit had NOT YET come upon them even though the belief in Jesus and Baptism meant the Holy Spirit would take up residence in them just as Jesus had promised. What? How is that possible? Yeah, there’s a second and critical “in filling, outpouring” of the supernatural work of the Spirit. Peter and John were just following the instructions that God had given them.

What were the results for the Samaritan believers being filled? Luke doesn’t say, but clearly Old Simon the Sorcerer saw something! He saw something they had that he did not have. Was it speaking in other tongues? Probably. Was it prophesying, boldly proclaiming the works of God? Sure. It was clearly something Simon had not received. And, he wanted it desperately! But, not for the right reason.

He tells Peter and John, “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” Wow! He wanted more “power” than his former theatrical performances could possibly possess. That’s just what the show needed, a new trick to bring in more people, possibly more money! Simon tries to cut a deal with the two apostles and Peter quickly rebuked him, immediately revealing Simon’s motives, “But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought!” Whew. I never thought about people trying to buy the power of God. I’ve heard of people trying to buy salvation. Well there have been long dark seasons in history where the “church” was selling salvation as well!

Peter, who is full of the Holy Spirit and has the gift of discernment because of this, tells Simon far more about himself that we would have ever known, “for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” Whoa. Wasn’t Simon just some street performer trying to make a little more money? Where did Peter get all that from? From the same Spirit that Simon was trying to bribe! Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, wanted to lovingly and quickly judge this new believer’s heart and motives by exposing his sin and giving him opportunity to repent of his wickedness, this controlling sin of bitter jealousy. The light of Jesus Christ shines in darkness exposing sin to make us or allow us to get rid of it. We don’t know what happened to Simon or his sideshow after that. But all his new friends, who were believers, all knew what Simon was really struggling with.

Prayer

Dad,
As powerful as this scene is, it’s also a little creepy and convicting. Creepy because it is so mystical and outside of our understanding of how Christianity or certainly religion is supposed to work. Convicting, because it really hits home with my own sin and your desire for me to be completely free of things that I hold onto. Thankfully it’s not bitter jealousy or obsession with money, but I’ve got other problems to deal with. I am thankful that when I confess and turn away from my sin that you forgive and clean me up.

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Rocks mark the spot.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭35‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God, El-Shadddai (Shadday: Almighty), meets with and speaks to Jacob (sounds like aqeb – heel grabber or deceiver) and there changes his name to Israel (Yisrael -yisra + El – God strives or God fights).

God lays out the promises to Jacob even using the name He had used to introduced himself to Abram. Notice this is somewhat of a title of what God does. Later God tells Moses His actual name name – not Elohim, but hayah – I am (Yahweh YHWH).

After God meets and speaks with Jacob, Jacob sets up a stone pillar, a memory stone or altar. He even poured wine and oil on the stones, signifying both an offering and anointing. Have you had significant moments and specific places where God met with you?

I have! Before I even knew about this custom or these types of memory-stone moments as a new believer, I built a small pile of stones just like Jacob. I marked the place where it happened, I seared the spot in my heart and mind. Of course I only did this when theses places were outdoors 😂. I’ve never built a memory-stone inside a building. Here’s what’s so powerful about those moments. I still remember EXACTLY where those spots are! A couple of them are in the mountains up in Big Bear or Crestline, California. The other was in Vista, Ca in the hill above Green Oak Ranch. God spoke to me in these places and I listened. That place became a holy place for me and I wanted to signify it’s importance by building something with my own hands. I didn’t have wine or oil, and honestly, didn’t even know about that yet.

Isn’t this interesting for us as humans? That we would want to mark places of significance to remember them? For Jacob/Israel these places were talked about with their children. At one point, in the book of Joshua, Joshua explains this after he had 12 tribal leaders stack stones on the riverbank, ‘In the future your children will ask, “What do these stones mean?” Then you can tell them, “This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.”

Whether your outside, meeting and hearing from God in the spectacular beauty of creation or your sitting in your favorite couch or café, it’s important to make or mark a memory. Maybe someday you can tell the story to your own children or grandchildren saying, “you see that rock, that spot? – that’s where God spoke to me!”

Prayer

Dad,
I remember you meeting with me in the great outdoors. The first one was the most significant because it was just a few hundred yards from where I gave you control of my life, committing to follow Jesus. One of them was a place of decision and the last place was a time and place of sadness. I was so thankful to return to those spots and remember what had happened. These places and memories of experiences are so powerful and wonderful to me. I can see why so many stories of significance are permanently recorded in the Bible. Also, I am thrilled to know that you still meet with people, even people like me. Thank you.

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Riddle me this young Padawan.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Proverbs was written, likely as a school course for young men (according to Tim Keller). You just can’t get any clearer about the purpose of the book, the collection of the wise and their riddles. To teach people to live disciplined and successful lives.

Who doesn’t WANT discipline and success? Well, Proverbs also helps us with that answer in later chapters. We find it is the either the FOOL or the REBELLIOUS.

The rebellious is obvious. Throwing off constraints, doing what they think is right and ultimately whatever they want to do. They learn through bloody noses, broken bones and lots of trouble with parents and authorities. They feel invincible and indestructible, yet they tend to damage everything around them. What’s the greatest excuse the rebel uses later after burning down everything around them? Why didn’t someone stop me? Uh, because you wouldn’t listen.

The first group, the fool, is trickier. There are purposeful, malicious fools and the thick-headed, bumbling ones who can’t figure out why they have no real friends.

Proverbs is written to help people who want wisdom, to find it. And by warnings, to try to keep people from being the rebel or the fool, knowing they will not listen or heed any advice. The wise person admits they do not know and want to learn, the rebel cares about nothing but themself and the fool is sadly stuck in a loop for life.

Proverbs isn’t a casual read, one-and-done experience. It was written to be explored, held in tension and to experiment with the process. You read a Proverb like 16:9 when you’re young, then mediate on it in your 30’s, 40’s and beyond. “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Like I’ve written before, I read one entire chapter of Proverbs every single day when I was 16 years old and did so until my 20’s. I determined to LIVE my life based on Proverbs 16:9.

I memorized verses, I learned that if I got wisdom it was the only way it would make up for my shyness and social awkwardness. When I started Proverbs I just wanted to be normal, by the time I was 20, I discovered that normal was overrated and boring. Actually, because of Proverbs I just wanted to be who God created me to be! I was differentiating from what the fakes and fads were trying to pull off while trying impress others. I would be stubbornly obedient to God, opposite of resolutely rebellious. I would run towards God not from Him. I would seek to cause good trouble, not backing down from a challenge. I would not ignore bad behaviors or choices of friends when I deeply loved them, even risking their friendship to tell them the truth. Remember, “better the wounds of a friend?” (27:6).

Proverbs sharpened my social skills and gave me an edge of godly perspective when life was challenging. Proverbs even gave me kind of sixth sense when people were lying to me, using excuses to hide from what they knew was true, or even twisting God’s Word to fit their circumstances. God used Proverbs to do just want Solomon wrote, teach me wisdom and discipline.

If you lack wisdom and discipline or your life feels out of control, commit to reading this 31 Day guide, then repeat as often as possible. NO ONE can do this for you! It isn’t a quick fix and can’t give you instant results, but it works! And, unlike all the other self help methods, this one is backed by Jesus himself – the very wisdom of God.

Prayer

Dad,
Where would I be, who would I be without you? Everything good that I have came from you. Every good and decent thought or behavior is there because of you. Your word has been and is a light shining ahead of my feet! As I look back, I am so grateful for your grace and abundant wisdom!

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Lineage and legacy.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How far back do we look into our past, our story? Genealogy took a whole new interest with the introduction of DNA tracing. Now with a little spit test and some money, you can find out who your great+ grandparents are. Just a few connections back you can discover first through fifth cousins as well.

Matthew, the former tax collector, not only had an interest in but an obsession with family lineage, every self respecting Jewish did! It was all about who you were connected to. Interestingly enough, Matthew had to list ALL of them, the good, bad and ugly relatives and relationships.

Look who shows up – Boaz’s mom was Rahab! After the Jericho moment, the girl gets her life back and marries into the legacy of Jesus! And just a few relationships later, Bathsheba shows up. The woman who was king-raped by David then commanded an assassin, Joab, to put Uriah (Bathsheba’s hubby) on the front line, then pull back the men, allowing the enemy archers to do the deed. These dirty family secrets are usually buried and hidden from the kids and grandkids! NIV translates it like this; “whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,” and doesn’t even mention Bathsheba’s name because in the Greek, Matthew doesn’t record her name!

Yet, God does not allow us to hide from our sin and He weaves it right into His grand story. Take a look at the 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus and you’ll find the highs and lows of humanity in there. The next time you might think your family is all that – good and clean – dig around a few generations back, you’ll find the shame we all bear. And, if you think your lineage is filled with corruption and dysfunction, murder and mayhem – welcome to God’s grace and use it for His glory. FYI, after doing the genealogy test, I found out that I trace back to the Hatfields and McCoys from the hills of Kentucky. Thanks great+ grandma for marrying into one of the United States most bloody family feuds.

Prayer

Dad,
Whew – Family! What can I say? I survived several generations of selfish, wild living, hard drinking, multiple marriages and dark stories my Aunt would never tell me about! It’s quite a miracle that Robin and I would celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary this week. And, that we have six (three because of marriage) amazing adult children and three young grandgirls as well. Your grace filled humor is evident in my life as well as Robin’s. Good job keeping us in your mercy and kindness. Thank you!

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A prayer for every leader.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son. Help him judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly. May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful. Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors. May they fear you as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭72‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Solomon writes this Psalm as he is given the reigns of ruling Israel from his father David. And as a man of wisdom, he requests everything necessary to lead a nation.

This prayer/Psalm should be the guiding words for any leader, at every level of authority over their charge. Help the leader, ruler, king, mayor, governor or president or pastor judge well! Let the poor be treated fairly. Let there be prosperity for all. Help them to defend the poor, rescue the orphan and needy children.

People WANT this kind of ruler, NEED this kind of ruler. Someone who leads in such a way that lightens the load of their care. Where folks echo back, YES – “May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth. May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.”

Our leaders, at every level, should commit this simple prayer to memory and understand, they are not in office or role for self advancement, fame or fortune.

I completely believe that all leaders, sacred and secular should have this Psalm placarded to their heart. Our governance, even as Pastors and Church leaders may not have the autonomous authority like a king, but we should lead with this kind of heart. I love Solomon’s conclusive line, “May they fear you as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains in the sky.” Amen.

Prayer

Dad,
Oh that we could have leaders and rulers in every sector of our country not only pray this prayer, but live it out as well. Wouldn’t this solve a lot of our struggles and issues of trust and confidence. I know that many of our “rulers” are not godly, but every single one of them from Washington DC to our local city councils are in positions of power because you put them there or at least allowed them to rule. When the Apostle Paul reminds Timothy to pray for all those who have authority over us, this is what I pray for them! Lord, hear our prayer.

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Sola scriptura – scripture interprets scripture.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.” Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Bible does a great job revealing mysteries and explaining itself. Hebrews is the classic example of how this works. Hebrews 11 is the hall of faith-fame giving us both context, explanation and shout outs for famous Old Testament people. It’s quite the list!

In this chapter we also discover truth about some tricky passages dating back thousands of years. For instance, Hebrews gives us the reason God rejected Cain’s (the first born son of Adam and Eve) offering. “It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts.” Comments about Moses that clear up our questions about extraordinary risk by Jochebed to protect her baby and why Moses was so angry about his origin story! “It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” Even the reason for Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, would not just be mentioned but also become part of the lineage of Jesus himself. She was not only a Gentile, but her people were enemies of Israel.

All of these people are heralded and celebrated as faith heroes, yet Hebrews calls them foreigners and nomads. It just reminds me that my lineage, as crummy as it was, is very much a part of God’s grand story. When I read the whole Bible and let the entire Word of God speak for itself, I find that folks like me are not just normal but welcomed and expected to be a part of God’s plan.

The warning for all of us, when we take God’s Word out of context and force it to say something that benefits us or allows us to take advantage of others, it is absolutely WRONG!!! God will hold those who do so accountable for misrepresenting Him – leaders, preachers, pastors and self-absorbed speakers beware. God will not be mocked.

Prayer

Dad,
For sure, I am so happy that “my kind,” the illegitimate, broken, outliers of faith are included and highlighted in this grand story of faith and redemption of humankind. However, those who have misinterpreted your Word to favor themselves and mistreat others is such a grievous behavior. Forgive them. Forgive us for being so cavalier with the Word. Forgive us for wrongfully mishandling the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Logos, the living Word. For all who teach will be held accountable.

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The bedouin called from obscurity.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Abram’s dad and grandad had done really well traveling the plains of eastern Turkey. There’s a comment in Genesis that sounds like Abram’s father was planning to make the journey to Canaan, but stopped and made a life in Haran.

Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. “One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.” Genesis‬ ‭11‬:‭31‬-‭32‬.

It was in Haran that God came to Abram and told him to leave. This was THE journey of faith that started the biggest conversation about faith and obedience ever. Abram saying YES to God wasn’t the first, because Noah had a very similar situation. But, this “yes,” this move, would later be referred to as Abraham being “credited,” credited to him as righteousness! Abraham’s faith and covenant (contract) in and with God was pre Law, pre ten commandments! This credit of righteousness would be a difficult, contrarian conversation with God’s own people, Israel, for many generations to come. And us Gentiles don’t find out the significance of this moment between God and Abram until the New Testament and the Messiah (Christ) comes to perfect and surpass that faith making faith the hinge-moment of salvation even above the law itself.

This one decision, buried in history, obscured by the past and eclipsed by Moses and the law is essential for us to understand the phrase the “righteous will live by faith!” All of our human attempts at perfecting ourselves or working off our debt to God miss the point. Just like Abram, BELIEVING and OBEYING God is what is required. The Apostle Paul said it perfectly, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” We are all kind of wandering bedouins, and believing God to leave that life means we can all find a permanent home with him.

Prayer

Dad,
I didn’t have to leave my country, but in many ways, I had to believe and leave a chaotic, spotted past to find my forever home with you. As someone who was adopted out of a difficult family situation to something far worse, I get the promise of permanency. I get the idea of stopping, putting down roots, developing deep and rich relationships that last a lifetime here and with anticipation of continuing those relationships into eternity. I know some move around, from state to state, city to city, and find it exciting, even adventurous. For me, I like the sense of stability. And, I am thankful that you have blessed Robin and myself to generally live that kind of life. Thank you for home, faith and permanence in You.

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Proverbs catches a conundrum.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How can God be all powerful, all knowing and all present and NOT be arrogant? Is pride the opposite of humility? Pride certainly destroys lots of things: relationships, trust, faith and opportunities. Pride and humility cannot share the same space. One defeats and displaces the other. Pride also has an oder, it stinks. People smell it and it’s repulsive. Don’t mistake confidence for pride either, one is admirable, the other deplorable.

The wisdom writers tell us that humility brings honor. Honor? I think honor only comes from the honorable. To the proud, humility brings jealousy and confrontational complexity.

Robin and I watched the brand new Season 3 of The Chosen the other day. This season is far more intimately gritty. Dallas Jenkins and the writing team have decided to dig deeply into the characters and our unique human dilemmas. Questions are asked that we’ve all wanted to ask, but have never had the guts or the platform to facilitate them.

In episode 3, Jesus returns to his childhood hometown of Nazareth. I don’t know how Dallas pulled it off but Jesus, played by Jonathan Roumie, comes off naturally, if not even awkwardly humble! Jesus is portrayed as an introvert!

And he’s not just quiet, he’s shy! He quietly arrives at night. The next day is a big celebration, a Jewish holiday that honors the day God created the world. Families and friends are all out in a field like a massive community fair. Word had spread about Jesus’ miracles and fame. Thousands had come to hear him speak, the paralyzed cure, possessed were freed from demonic slavery. The news was everywhere! Yet the writers chose to portray Jesus as almost embarrassed by all the attention! Roumie playing Jesus, deflected praise, and avoided direct questions of who he was. While playing a childhood game, they had Jesus LOSE after clumsily dropping the ball several times! When meeting with Jesus’ childhood teacher and master Rabbi. They had Roumie genuinely honoring his own teacher and giving us the feeling that it was strange to have the roles reversing as now the student was becoming the master.

Jesus, who IS God and had stared down power, veiled threats, demons and doubters, was seemingly uneasy with this shift happening in his own hometown. Oh, it’s all true, but we’ve never seen it acted out like this.

There is a scene in the local Nazareth synagogue where Jesus opens the scroll to read out of Isaiah. Roumie rolls it up and gives it back to the attendant. He then sits down and scans the room, his eyes taking in everyone that has known him and his family since he was born. His eyes, his body language are amazing. He stares at his mother, Mary. He stares at his own Rabbi. And as he stares you feel the angst and anticipation of what is about to happen. Dallas, puts you in the synagogue, the room packed with emotion.

Jesus, at this moment seems to struggle. He does not want to tell this group, his childhood friends, his own mother, and his Rabbi what MUST be revealed. It is the most powerful moment of humility that I have ever seen! Jesus, being fully God and fully human, understands the pain and confusion this news will bring to his family, friends and all of Nazareth. But Jesus HAS to tell them! He has to reveal what God has spoken, what God has declared as His will. “Today,” Jesus says, “this scripture has been fulfilled today.” In the show, the crowd that’s gathered gets super aggravated and aggressive and they press Jesus. The Rabbi comes out and asks him, are you saying you are greater than the law of Moses? Ahhhhh, here it is. How will Jesus respond, what will he say? Dallas had Roumie say this, “I AM the law of Moses!” It gave me chills, it made me cry. It wrecked me! And, it must have wrecked them as well, because they took him out on the cliffs in Nazareth to stone him for blasphemy!

Jesus would leave and never come back to his hometown because he said he was God, but didn’t act like they thought God should act!

Prayer

Dad,
When I think about humility and remember the stories Jesus told and lived. When I think about Jesus’ mannerisms and attitudes, his gentleness and kindness, it is then that I begin to understand how Your ways are above and mostly unknown to me! How could any of us be so arrogant, so puffy proud? Am I above God? Do we think we are better than you, know better than you and can finagle our own way without you? That’s just insanely ridiculous! I am sorry for my own arrogance and independence.

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The widow and the secret of the thirteenth trumpet.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box.” Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke records this brief story highlighting a widow and her extraordinary gift to God. Luke as well as Mark both include this story. Mark’s version has far more detail.

As I read through the gospels I do so with “western” eyes. I read through my modern, cultural and historical lenses. I can’t help it, it just happens. But as I read these ancient texts, I have come to realize there is so much more going on that I have no idea about.

When Robin and I visited Israel, I came to see that at least one third of our understanding of God or theology is anchored in geography! The physical geography of the land of Israel holds so much rich and helpful background to text. I’ve also come to believe that similar is true with the historical and cultural significance of these stories, places and characters mentioned in the Bible. No worries, God’s revelation of Himself to us comes through crystal clear even without the geographical, historical or cultural clarity. However, when you find out about the full 360° view of where the story took place and the full-color of the context, well it is just mind-blowingly beautiful! This is the case with this story.

Luke just writes about where Jesus was (in temple) and what he was doing (people watching). But oh, there is so much more about these details alone. I’ll give you a link to my notes on this story here – https://bit.ly/13thtrumpet.

Let’s just say this, where Jesus sat, why he sat there and what was looking at, is truly amazing. I’ll give you a hint. The Bible says “THE collection box.” But the Greek word is gazophulakion or treasury. There wasn’t just one box or treasury, there were THIRTEEN of them. Which one did the widow drop her little “mites” into? You’ll have to get the notes to find out.

Prayer

Dad,
Finding out that these recorded stories have a full and colorful background all on their own was so eye-opening for me. I’m happy that the truth of your Word and what Jesus’ said doesn’t need some expert dissertation to understand. Yet, with just a little bit of background, it gives a brighter experience to know more of the human character and authenticity of our shared context living on this planet. I deeply appreciate the text more with this fullness. It helps me understand that people were just people then and the same is true today!

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I can shine brighter than a rock!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and young women, old men and children.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭148‬:‭7‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And, ​everything means every thing. The Psalmist captures the height, breadth and width of all that should give our creator what is do – PRAISE.

The Hebrew word for praise, hal·lū put together with the name of God, yah is where we get hallelujah. Interestingly enough, the Hebrew root word for praise (hallu) is halal: shine. Doesn’t that remind us of something to do with light? God made light, but God is also light. Jesus said he was the light of the world!

We as human beings are all light-bearers, or we are supposed to be. The Psalmist goes wild with extravagant words describing how EVERYTHING that God created should reflect light and SHINE or praise Him. All creatures, all elements, all the parts that make up the earth itself and especially those who govern it. All kings, rulers, judges, young and old adults and children – all human existence should reflect, should praise God because He is worthy of it. The only reason we exist is to reflect His light, His glory on the earth. If nature itself could speak, it would shout God’s name in gratefulness. If animals could talk, they would sing songs to the greatness of their creator. It would be wild to discover that whales, dolphins, birds and hyenas aren’t just communicating to each other, but also praising their creator! All creatures big and small, all creation singing, shouting, reflecting God’s glory, His light in thanks. The Psalmist set the declaration in 148:5, “Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.”

How odd it is that every thing instinctively knows God and has no problem giving Him what is due, yet humans struggle. Humans struggle precisely because God breathed himself, His image – imago dei, into our souls. We struggle because God gave us a free will, a choice to know Him, choose Him, even a choice to praise and reflect Him. We are supposedly the smartest of all creation. We are given so much more, above all that was created, yet we can choose a fake, a lie to believe and love another. Such a dilemma, such a sad story.

While all the earth dances and sings and praises the creator, we pout and brood, curse and complain like a dramatic, moody toddler on Christmas morning. I will not let the earth out praise God for me! With every breath, with every ounce of strength and will, I declare, I am determined to reflect and shine for Him.

Prayer

Dad,
I don’t want a whale, a monkey, bird, rock or tree praising You, shining, reflecting Your glory better than me! I mean, it’s sounds a little competitive, but I want to be better at praising You not worse than other parts of creation. You’ve given me more than words to sing and speak. You’ve give me a grand imagination to draw, paint, build and act out my praise to you. And I can make an instrument out of almost anything! Every creative expression I can think of is at my disposal to shine for you. And, I want to use all of them to reflect Your glory.