Three Strikes and You’re Out!

A Series on Living in the Wilderness
Mary Magdalene
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 8:1-3 

[In this series we’ll be looking at people who lived in the wilderness of life. In fact, there are times when we all feel like we are living in the wilderness. During those times, it’s important to remember that the Lord is faithful, that He loves you and is always with you.]

  

There’s a saying in baseball that is very unforgiving. “Three strikes and you’re out”! There’s no room for discussion; no compromise will be made; no arguing will change it. If you get three strikes, “YOU’RE OUT”!

 

Mary Magdalene had three strikes against her.

 

Her first one was simply due to the fact that she was a woman. Women in that culture were treated like second class citizens. They had no property or inheritance rights. In fact, they were considered the property of the man in their life, whether it was a husband or a father.

 

That brings us to her second strike. Women at that time were valued for bearing children. Because of this, they were known by who their husband was. For example, one of the women mentioned in this passage was “Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager”.

 

Unlike Joanna, Mary Magdalene had no such attachment to her name. She was called Magdalene because she was from the fishing village of Magdala. This would seem to indicate that she wasn’t married and therefore had no children.

The third strike against her was that seven demons were living inside of her. According to the New Bible Commentary, “Seven is a round number, indicating the worst possible state of corruption”. We can safely assume that she was a tormented soul controlled by evil spirits.

 

For Mary Magdalene, it was three strikes and you’re out! Even though they were not of her own accord, she would have been viewed with utter contempt by respectable Jews. She would have been socially and religiously isolated. She would have been considered unredeemable.

 

But not by Jesus. For him, she wasn’t defined by those negative circumstances and experiences. She wasn’t defined by her failures or sins. Instead, he saw someone that had been uniquely created in the image of God; who had value and the potential purpose of building God’s kingdom.

 

Jesus had three strikes of his own. One in each hand and the third through his feet. In doing this, he not only took away Mary Magdalene’s three strikes, but he also took yours and mine. He made it possible for our forgiveness and redemption. Paul put it like this in his letter to the Romans.

 

²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ^25a Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! ¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.        NIV

 

In the game of life, three strikes doesn’t mean you’re out if Jesus is in your heart. What it does mean though is that you’re forgiven. And, that everyday life is starting over for you with a clean slate, a new purpose and the opportunity to live life to the fullest.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Desperate and Dateless

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling desperate
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 142 

[Life is filled with emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for help and hope. In this series, we will be looking into the Psalms to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

  

“Desperate and Dateless” was a radio program broadcast out of Cincinnati back in the 70’s and 80’s. The concept was that single people were so desperate for a date that they would do anything to get one. Even calling the radio station.

 

Speaking of desperate, the army of Israel was so afraid of Goliath, that none of them would fight him. Despite being untested in battle, David volunteered. In the name of the Lord, he stood his ground and killed Goliath. As a result, David became a household name and a national hero.

 

But King Saul became jealous beyond reason. He pursued David with the sole intent of killing him. And pity anyone who helped David, because Saul had them killed too including the priests of Nob. Eighty-five in all, plus their entire families.

 

Saul was clearly out of his mind! David, with his four hundred men, fled from Saul going from town to town. In one town, David even pretended to be crazy in order to escape. Later he fled into the wilderness to hide.

 

Finally, David and his men hid deep inside a cave. Meanwhile, with his three thousand men waiting nearby, Saul entered the exact same cave. David appeared to be trapped. It’s based on this experience that he wrote his psalm.

 

^3-4 “As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away,
    you know how I’m feeling,
Know the danger I’m in,
    the traps hidden in my path.
Look right, look left—
    there’s not a soul who cares what happens!
I’m up against the wall, with no exit—
    it’s just me, all alone.      MSG

 

David experienced what it was like to feel desperate. He knew it deep inside his soul. And in his desperation, he called out to the Lord for help.

 

^5-6 “I cry out, God, call out:
    ‘You’re my last chance, my only hope for life!’
Oh listen, please listen;
    I’ve never been this low.
Rescue me from those who are hunting me down;
    I’m no match for them.               MSG

 

Feelings of desperation come to all of us one time or another. For the listeners of “Desperate and Dateless”, that meant calling the talk show host. But for you and me, the example to follow is David who called out to the Lord.

 

^8a Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.    NKJV             James 4

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Two Questions

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling spiritually dry
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 63 

[Life is filled with emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for help and hope. In this series, we will be looking into the Psalms to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

  

David had two questions to answer. But in order to do so, he needed to flee into the Judean Desert. His son Absalom had crowned himself as king and led a rebellion against his father. He followed David into the wilderness with the intent of killing him.

 

The Judean Desert was the perfect place for David to hide. It is described as being “marked by barren wilderness, mountains, terraces and escarpments. It is crisscrossed by a number of valleys and has deep ravines cutting through the rock”. It’s also a stark land devoid of food and water.

 

Having been driven from his home, David must have felt isolated and alone. In addition, he was no longer in the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem where the sanctuary and the ark resided. Instead of being a safe place, the surrounding wilderness of Judea had become a spiritual desert for David.

 

¹ O God, you are my God;
    I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
    my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
    where there is no water.            NLT

 

In his whole being, David desires the Lord. His soul thirsts and his flesh yearns for the Lord. He will seek him at dawn; watching for him; waiting for him. He will think about him throughout the night.

 

⁶ As I lie in bed, I remember you;
    all night long I think of you.    GNT

 

Throughout the Bible, the wilderness is the setting for extreme experiences including a severe lack of food and water, isolation, danger, divine deliverance and encounters with the Lord.

 

The nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Once that generation had passed, the next generation was given this command by Moses before entering the Promised Land.

 

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.   NIV                            Deuteronomy 6

 

As a result of David’s exile in the desert, he was able to answer two life-changing questions. First, what do you want so badly that you’re willing to do whatever it takes? And second, what keeps you awake at night?

 

Sometimes, we have to wander in the wilderness; we have to go through dry times; we have to struggle with adversity. And when we come out at the other end, we find that like David, there’s nothing more important than knowing the Lord.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Now You’re Cooking with Gas

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling overwhelmed
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 61 

[Life is filled with emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for help and hope. In this series, we will be looking into the Psalms to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

  

During high school, I was pretty self-disciplined about doing my homework. Every night I would sit at the dining room table and complete my assignments.

 

However, there were times when I wasn’t able to solve a problem and would get frustrated. My anger would build until I would ask my Dad for help, hoping that he would just give me the answer. But he never did.

 

He always guided me along and helped me to figure it out on my own. When the light bulb finally came on for me, he would say, “Now you’re cooking with gas”. His words, given with love and encouragement, brought both comfort and confidence to me. In the same way that I asked my Dad for help, David asked the Lord.

 

David was the king of Israel, the leader of the land. And as the saying goes – it’s lonely at the top. Whatever his specific circumstances were when he wrote this psalm, David was feeling overwhelmed and at the end of his rope.

 

¹ O God, listen to my cry!
    Hear my prayer!
^2a From the ends of the earth,
    I cry to you for help
    when my heart is overwhelmed.          NLT

 

He desired to get away from it all. To escape reality because, to be honest, he was tired of dealing with the problems. There was no light at the end of the tunnel.

 

⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.           NIV

 

He felt a need for a newfound security, so he called on the Lord.

 

^2b Lead me to the towering rock of safety, ³ for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.        NLT

 

Finally, David found his source of comfort and confidence in his relationship with the Lord. As he prayed, it was in the third person. Not only did he pray for himself, but also for the fulfillment of the Lord’s covenant which was ultimately completed through Christ.

 

⁶ Add many years to the king's life;
    let him live on and on!
⁷ May he rule forever in your presence, O God;
    protect him with your constant love and faithfulness.       GNT

 

Like David, there are times when we feel overwhelmed; a desire to escape; the need for a newfound security. During those times, turn to the Lord and call out to him. 

And when you do, listen for his response of love and encouragement as he tells you, “Now you’re cooking with gas”.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

The Vice Grip of Life

 

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling stressed
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 31

[Life is filled with emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for help and hope. In this series, we will be looking into the Psalms to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

  

From 1991-1999, there was a popular TV sitcom called “Home Improvement”. The storyline was about Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, who was the host of a home improvement TV show. Tim always liked tools that had more power. VROOM!!!

 

Because of that, he may not have been familiar with vice grip pliers. The beauty of a vice grip is that you can tighten it as much as you want and then lock it in place, freeing up your hands to do something else. It’s a way to work smarter, but not necessarily with more power.

 

In life, sometimes you feel like a vice grip has you in its teeth and won’t let you go. When that happens, you can feel it squeezing tighter and tighter until you think your head’s going to explode. David felt that way.

 

The pressure and stress of his life affected him physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially. He described himself as being “consumed by anguish”, “drained of his strength”, and “wasting away from within”. He felt isolated and paranoid. Fear reigned within.

 

¹¹ I am scorned by all my enemies
    and despised by my neighbors—
    even my friends are afraid to come near me.
When they see me on the street,
    they run the other way.
¹² I am ignored as if I were dead,
    as if I were a broken pot.           NLT

 

But in the eye of the hurricane of his life, David remembered the goodness of God; that the Lord offered good gifts “stored up for those who fear him”; that the Lord had “shown the wonders of his unfailing love”. Because of this, David reached out to the Lord.

 

¹⁴ But I am trusting you, O Lord,
    saying, “You are my God!”
¹⁵ My future is in your hands.
    Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.     NLT

 

About one thousand years later, Jesus was hanging on a cross on Golgotha outside of Jerusalem. He had been rejected by all of his closest friends and followers. Darkness fell over the land, the sun stopped shining and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. With his dying breath Jesus quoted David from Psalm 31.

 

⁴⁶ Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.                NIV    Luke 23

 

You may never experience the vice grip of life like David did, and definitely not like Jesus did. But when it does clamp its teeth down on you… remember the goodness of God; trust in him by putting your hand in his; and say to him, “You are my God”.

 

²⁴ Be strong and take heart,
    all you who hope in the Lord.   NIV

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com