Overachiever

 

A series on meeting God – Saul
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Acts 9:1-18 

[We all have a story about how we met God. Some are more miraculous than others, but none more amazing than the mere fact that the Living God, our Creator, reached out to bring us into relationship with him. In this series, we will be looking at how people in the Bible met God, and what that means to you today.]

  

Growing up, my dad overcame many hurdles. Born in 1902, he grew up poor on a farm in Iowa. When he was eight his dad died suddenly. Since he was the oldest of four kids, he ran the farm. Because all four kids took turns attending college and working on the farm, he didn’t graduate until he was twenty-four

 

After getting his bachelor’s degree, he returned to grad school and went on to get his master’s and then his doctorate in chemistry. At his first job, he rose through the ranks and became the head of research and development. Dad was an overachiever.

 

So was Saul. Shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples. It was at this time that the church began to grow by leaps and bounds. They met publicly in the temple to pray, and people came from all over to be healed by the apostles. The religious leaders were extremely jealous.

 

As a result, the apostles were persecuted, including thrown into jail. Then one day, Stephen was dragged in front of the Sanhedrin where they brought false witnesses against him. As mob rule took over, they stoned him to death with Saul’s approved.

 

But Saul wasn’t satisfied. His hatred for the followers of Jesus resulted in further persecution.

 

³ But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.         NIV    Acts 8

 

He was like a shark that could smell blood in the water. After his conversion, he described his hatred like this.

 

^10b On the authority of the chief priests, I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.            NIV    Acts 26

 

But on the way to Damascus, Saul was confronted by Jesus when a light from heaven flashed around him and Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 

Following this, Saul was blind for three days until Ananias, led by the Lord, opened his eyes. Jesus had greater plans for Saul… the overachiever.

 

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.  NIV

 

The spirit led Paul on three missionary trips covering thousands of miles across the Roman Empire. Jews and Gentiles alike were converted to follow Jesus. Paul was an overachiever both before his conversion and after.

 

But it doesn’t matter if you’re an overachiever or an underachiever. Jesus meets us where we are at and will use our gifts for his plan. Even if it means getting knocked off our horse by a blinding flash of light, Jesus is always pursuing us to follow him.

 

¹⁰ God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.                     NLT   1 Peter 4

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

Whatever it Takes

A series on the story of redemption – Part II
The story of Abraham’s servant
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 24:1-27 

[Everybody has a story. Even God has one. His is a story about love and redemption and faithfulness. In this series we are going to take a closer look at God’s story through the lives of the people that He touched. How their story became His story of redemption. And how your story is also a part of it.]

  

During spring break of my sophomore year in college, my girlfriend unceremoniously dumped me for another guy. After three years of dating, we had been very serious and planned to get married. But it wasn’t meant to be.

 

Before returning to school, I decided to take a few days off, even though it meant that I had to hitch hike the 445 miles back to school. If you were driving, that would be at least an eight hour drive. Also, it was still winter time in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with plenty of snow on the ground. But, I had to get back to school.

 

When something is really important, you’re willing to do whatever it takes. Such was the case for Abraham as he considered making arrangements for a wife for his son Isaac.

 

The Lord had made a covenant with Abraham that included his descendants, so it was critical that both Isaac and his wife believed in the same God. There would be no Canaanite wife for Isaac.

 

However, a trip to Abraham’s native land would mean traveling almost 500 miles by camel. Because Abraham was a very old man, he sent his most trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant was up to the task and swore an oath to do it.

 

On the evening that he arrived, he went to the well outside of town where all the young women would soon be coming to draw water. He had a plan for how he would determine which one the Lord had chosen for Isaac, and asked the Lord for help.

 

¹² “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. ¹⁴ This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”         NLT

 

Even before he had finished praying, Rebekah approached the well. The servant then asked her for water which she willingly gave to him. She then offered to draw water for his ten camels. Seeing that the Lord had given him success in his mission, he prayed again.

 

²⁶ The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. ²⁷ “Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”        NLT

 

The servant believed in the Living God who was personal, not some celestial being that didn’t care. He believed that the Lord had chosen someone for Isaac and that He would bring her to him. He believed that the Lord was faithful and loving.

 

Even though the servant wasn’t mentioned by name, because of his faith, he was willing to do whatever it took. Because of his faith, he played a critical role in God’s plan of redemption. Because of his faith, the Lord’s covenant was continued.

 

He was a common man doing uncommon acts of faith. Anyone can do that right? Whatever it takes!

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

Three Man Weave

A series on the book of Hosea
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hosea 1:1-3 

[The story about Hosea is a story about the relentless love of God. Hosea was a prophet who spoke out against the idolatry of the Israelites as they pursued the pagan gods of Baal and Asherah. His life became an allegory about the unfaithfulness of Israel and the relentless love of God.]

  

As a sophomore in high school, I made the Junior Varsity basketball team. I can still remember one of the drills that we used to practice every day. It was called the “three man weave”.

 

This is where you and two of your teammates, run the length of the court first by passing the ball to one of them. Then you run behind him. It goes back and forth like that until you reach the other basket and shoot a layup.

 

The purpose of the drill was to prepare us to run a fast break during a game. However, we never used the three man weave in an actual game. But, even though it didn’t seem to serve any purpose, we practiced it every day. We did it not just because the coach said to, but because we trusted that he knew what he was doing.

 

Sometimes obeying God is like that. We really don’t understand the reason for what is happening. It doesn’t make sense. Life feels like it’s spinning out of control. I can imagine that’s how Hosea felt to the nth degree.

 

In today’s verses, we learn that “the word of the Lord came to Hosea”. This gave him the authority to preach. Then there’s a “time stamp” given through the list of kings that ruled during Hosea’s ministry. Finally, a person’s ancestry was very important in the ancient world. Therefore, we’re also told who his father was. 

 

But then, Hosea received a very bizarre calling from the Lord.

 

² When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”     NLT

 

Wow! Can you imagine the shock that Hosea might have felt? His calling wasn’t that of a high-profile prophet who would share the word of the Lord with a Jewish king. Instead, he was to marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her.

Plus, as a single, young man, marrying a prostitute to start your family with, wouldn’t have been his lifelong dream. This was an awful calling that would lead to a lifetime of pain and heartache.

 

Questions must have flooded Hosea’s mind. “Why God? Will she be a temple prostitute? Will our children even be mine?” You also wonder if Hosea felt completely overwhelmed with doubt about God; anger towards him; and confusion about the purpose of his life.

 

Whatever the case may be… he obeyed.

 

³ So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son.             NLT

 

You may not have received a bizarre calling in your life from the Lord. But sometimes, like Hosea, life doesn’t go the way we plan or expect. And when that happens, we just need to keep running the three man weave, and trust that the Lord knows what He’s doing.

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

An Impossible Vision

A Series on Lent
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 14:12-31 

[Lent is a 40-day season of personal reflection through prayer, fasting and giving in order to prepare your heart to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. We will be following Jesus through the Gospel of John as he enters Jerusalem for Passover, and the ensuing events that led up to his trial, crucifixion and resurrection.]

 

“The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them!”

Those were the words of the head coach of the Fairleigh Dickinson University men’s basketball team during his pep talk before taking the court against Purdue. The game was destined to be a classic David versus Goliath battle.

 

FDU was the shortest team in the tournament; Purdue had a 7-foot 4-inch behemoth at center. FDU was a 16 seed; Purdue was a number one seed. FDU got into the tournament by sheer luck; Purdue won the Big Ten conference. Many experts picked them to win it all.

 

But the coach of FDU gave his players an inspiring vision; an impossible vision to most. He believed they could beat Purdue and he got his players to believe it too! Then they went out on the court and did it - only the second time in history a 16 seed defeated a 1 seed. March Madness is truly crazy!

 

The disciples were a small group of followers of an itinerant rabbi from the backwoods province of Galilee. Made up of mostly fishermen and a known sinner, they were not exactly a group that would inspire confidence.

 

Yet, during three years of ministry they had grown significantly with large crowds following Jesus all the way to Jerusalem. But it’s here where everything started to unravel. During their Passover meal, Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray him, that Peter would deny him and that he, Jesus, would leave them.

 

In a few hours, the disciples will grieve the cruel death of their friend. They will mourn the loss of unmet expectations. They may even feel betrayed by Jesus. After all, they gave up everything to follow him… and for what?

 

In order to prepare the disciples for what lay ahead, Jesus gave them a pep talk, so to speak. He needed to give them an inspiring vision; an impossible vision to most. But one that would carry them through the difficult times ahead.

 

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.              NIV

 

Wow! Was Jesus telling the disciples that they would do greater things than healing the sick, feeding the five thousand and raising the dead? Unbelievable! However, that wasn’t his vision.

 

Jesus came to earth to fulfill his Father’s plan of redemption which he had begun with Abraham. The Living God chose a small nomadic nation to bring redemption into his world. His plan had migrated through the millennia. And now, Jesus was passing the torch to his little band of believers.

 

Like the coach for FDU, Jesus was telling his disciples that he believed in them. He believed that they could take on a vision that they had no right to. It was the vision to step into God’s redemptive plan at a critical time in history, and to spread the Good News throughout the world.

This is the same impossible vision that he gives us. And by doing so, Jesus is telling us that he believes in us. That we can step into God’s plan of redemption to spread the Good News. Jesus is passing the torch to you and me.

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

 

A Wild Ride at Disney World

A Series on Advent
The candle of hope – Joseph
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Matthew 1:18-25

[Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Tradition includes lighting four candles: hope, love, joy and peace. To celebrate Advent, we will be looking at four people plus one who were intimately involved in the Christmas story, and then relating their part of the story to one of the Advent candles.]

  

Recently, my wife and I went to Disney World with our daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, ages 12, 8 and 4. It was Magical! Where else could you do any of these?

 

Eat in a restaurant where Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Grumpy or Snow White might stop by your table for a photo op.

Go to “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party” where we dressed up as the Seven Dwarfs. (After all, there was seven of us.)

Go on the roller coaster ride Expedition Everest, where during part of the ride you’re in total darkness going backwards! It's wild!

 

I would imagine that Joseph might have felt like he was on a roller coaster ride with all the ups and downs; flying around turns; abruptly changing directions with no control over where he went; riding in total darkness, not knowing where he was going. It was unchartered territory.

 

After all, Joseph was your “average Joe” – nobody special. He was just living life. He had started his carpentry business and was engaged to be married, when suddenly the roller coaster went off the rails. His fiancé was pregnant… but not by him.

 

An angel appeared to him in a dream, telling him an unbelievable story. That Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit; that he should still take her as his wife; that she will have a son and they should name him Jesus. Why that name?

 

²¹ And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”    NLT

 

You could imagine when Joseph woke up the following morning the thoughts that were running through his mind. “What just happened? Did I have bad pizza last night? Was the dream even real? The angel couldn’t have said all those things. Surely, I misunderstood.” But he didn’t.

 

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.             NLT

 

Like Joseph, sometimes life can feel like a roller coaster… out of control, even hopeless. But, there is a plan; there is hope. For Joseph, that plan included the extraordinary fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah.

 

²² All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

²³ “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”            NLT

 

As you contemplate and celebrate the birth of Jesus, keep in mind that God has a plan and that he is sovereign. And, because of this, there is hope. And, because of that hope, we can live faithfully like Joseph.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

Fifteen Seconds of Fame

A Series on Women in the Bible
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Exodus 15:20-21

[God worked in and through the lives of countless women in the Bible. These women played significant, if not critical roles in the Lord’s plan of Redemption. In this series, we will look at the faithfulness of some of these God fearing women.]

  

Geico is known for its weird, if not funny, TV commercials. 

The most recent involves the U.S. Olympic gold medalist winner, McKayla Maroney. Two young guys throwing a Frisbee, inadvertently throw it on top of a roof. McKayla saves the day by doing a gymnastic run to the roof to retrieve the Frisbee. Mission accomplished.

 

Olympic athletes typically work hard for four years in obscurity, putting in thousands of hours of practice and preparation, for a few seconds of competition to try to win a medal. Most never succeed. Only a few will ever get recognition for their dedication; their fifteen seconds of fame. That’s how it was for Miriam.

 

You remember her right? She was Moses and Aaron’s older sister. Apparently, most of her life was pretty uneventful. Besides her death, she is only mentioned three times in the Bible.

 

The first time she is the doting older sister who watched Moses as he floated down the Nile River in a basket until the Pharaoh’s daughter rescued him. What a good sister she was.

 

The second time was in the midst of Israel’s Exodus to the Promised Land. Miriam and Aaron complained that Moses was getting all the attention and making all the decisions. Talk about bad timing.

 

The final event was following the death of Pharaoh, and all of his horsemen, who were drowned as the wall of water from the Red Sea swallowed them up. Finally, Miriam’s fifteen seconds of fame.

 

²⁰ Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. ²¹ And Miriam sang this song:

“Sing to the Lord,
    for he has triumphed gloriously;
he has hurled both horse and rider
    into the sea.”        NLT

 

Whether we ever experience our own fifteen seconds of fame, it’s easy to relate to Miriam. She had her good moments, and her bad. And like her, most of us live pretty quiet lives; uneventful even.

 

But, we can also be inspired by her. Between tracking her baby brother Moses, which resulted in him staying alive to lead Israel to the Promised Land; and leading a celebration of one of the most memorable acts of God in the Bible; I think you’d have to agree that she played an integral part of God’s plan of redemption.

 

What part are you playing in His plan?

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

 

Dice Baseball

God with you - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 89

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2089&version=NIV;NLT

 

When I was an adolescent, my best friend and I created a baseball game that you played with dice. In addition to the game itself, we created a league with six teams that competed for an all-star game and World Series.

 

It was great fun. I spent hours upon hours playing the games and tracking the statistics for all of the players. I became quite proficient at adding columns of at bats, hits and RBI’s.

 

After the first season, my friend lost interest but I continued to play all the games for all the teams for several years. I also created a dice basketball game, complete with teams, and played all of those games.

 

Some might say it was a waste of time; but in reality it helped incubate my desire and develop the skills that lead to my twenty five years of running basketball leagues and tournaments in urban youth ministry.

 

God had a plan with that silly, time wasting dice baseball game. Not only did He have a plan, but He loved me enough to foster the desire and ability to put that plan into place. He was faithful to His promise of working in my life.

 

The author of Psalm 89 had a similar view of the Lord God Almighty. In this psalm he wrote about God’s eternal covenant with David; about the promises made and kept; about God’s love and faithfulness, even in an unfaithful world.

 

³³ But I will never stop loving him
    nor fail to keep my promise to him.     NLT

 

When I remember back to that young boy, sitting on the living room floor rolling dice and keeping track of hits and outs; I am reminded of God’s love, faithfulness and plan. As God watched the same boy, He may have had this promise from Jeremiah 29 in mind for me.

 

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.           NIV

 

God’s Covenant didn’t end with David. It continued through Jesus, and still continues through followers of Christ today. How do you see God’s faithfulness in your life? What promise has He fulfilled for you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why God?

John 14:22-27

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2014%3A22-27&version=NIV;AMP

 

Have you ever asked this question? I know I have. Twice that sticks in my mind. Once when my fiancé dumped me during my sophomore year of college. After about six months I was able to give an answer to the question. God used her rejection to bring me to the point of turning my life over to Him; to draw me closer to Him.

 

The next time wasn’t as easy to figure out. My wife was pregnant with our first child when something went terribly wrong. We went to the hospital at about eight months, and were told that the baby would be still born. Looking back on it, even now after over forty years, I still can’t answer the question, “Why God”.

 

¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.           John 14:18-19 NIV



 

²² Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, what has happened that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”      AMP

 

Even the disciples asked the question, “Why God”. Maybe not in those exact words, but essentially that’s what they were asking. The disciples were expecting Jesus to become the political leader of Israel; to overthrow the Romans and anyone else in power.

 

Sometimes we just don’t get it do we. The Israelites certainly didn’t get it while wandering in the wilderness. The disciples didn’t get it as Jesus was giving them his last minute instructions before being crucified. And we don’t get it when we’re in the middle of struggling with life.

 

But God has a plan and you are a part of it. You may not understand it right now. You may not understand it in forty years. But God has a plan and He is working it. The question to ask is not “Why God”, but “What is your plan God, and how can I be a part of it”. Then trust the Spirit to lead you.

 

²⁶ But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.  AMP

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Masterpiece

Ephesians 2:1-10

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2%3A1-10&version=NIV;NLT

 

Many masterpieces have been created over the centuries. Michelangelo’s sculpture of David; Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Handel’s Messiah; Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, just to name a few.

 

An argument could be made that God has created His own masterpieces in nature. The beauty of a sunset; the wonder of the Grand Canyon; the power of Niagara Falls; the gale force of a hurricane; the serenity of a mountain stream. But have you ever considered that you are one of His masterpieces?

 

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. NLT

 

The NLT introduction to Ephesians states: “Every once in a while, God grants his people a glimpse of their place in the grand scheme of history. There is a brief moment when they can assess who they are, where they have come from and where they are going. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians provides the church with such a vision.”

 

God has a plan to create a masterpiece, and you are an integral part. In addition to the verse above, consider these.

 

⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1 NLT

 

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.    Philippians 1:6 NLT

 

¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.        Psalm 139 NIV

 

Have you considered whose you are, where you have come from and where you are going? Without even knowing you, I can say with certainty that you have God given gifts that He wants you to use for His work. You are His masterpiece!