Bad Things

A Series on Women in the Bible
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 2:23; 3:20

[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.]

  

People are often defined by the “bad things” that they do.

 

In the fall, over 106,000 screaming fans cram into Ohio Stadium to worship the Ohio State football team. From 1978-81, Art Schlichter was the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes.

 

He was an All American, three time Heisman trophy candidate, and was the fourth pick in the 1982 NFL draft. He knew what it was like to have everything going his way; to enjoy the celebrity of being a football god; to be at the top of the world.

 

And yet, his life came crashing down. He had a gambling addiction that cost him his NFL career, and landed him in prison for over a decade. Despite all the good that he did while at Ohio State, some might define him only by the bad things he did.

 

The same thing could easily be said about Eve. She was living at the top of the world; in harmony with the Lord God, with nature and with Adam. She couldn’t have asked for a better life.

 

And yet, she threw it all away. She left the Garden of Eden in shame. She is only mentioned two other times in the Bible; both in reference to her being deceived, and in deceiving Adam. Eve could easily be defined by the “bad things” that she did.

 

But, she is also the same person who Adam said this about.

 

²³ “At last, here is one of my own kind—Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. ‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.”    GNT

 

She was named Eve because the name sounds like a Hebrew term which means “to give life”. Think about it. A man can create by designing and building something, but he can’t give life. Adam couldn’t give life. Only Eve could. That’s a phenomenal gift; to give life.

 

²⁰ Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.               NIV

 

Therefore, the next time you find yourself judging someone by defining them according to the bad things they have done; think about Eve. And the next time you judge or define yourself by the bad things you have done; think about Eve. Then look for how the Lord God has worked in your life to bring life to others.

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams

 

 

The Choice is Yours

Acts 13:44-52

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2013%3A44-52&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

Last week, when all the buzz was about the upcoming Ohio State/Penn State football game, the host of a local sports radio talk show told how he and his wife had recently

celebrated their daughter’s first birthday. Of course, even at the age of one, she is a HUGE Buckeye fan!

 

 

The brother-in-law, who IS a huge University of Michigan fan, gave his niece a stuffed U of M teddy bear and U of M pajamas. The mom was incensed, and told her brother that he wasted his money; that no daughter of hers would ever use anything with U of M on it.

 

The question was posed: Was it more important to be polite, or to ream out her brother? All the callers agreed… she did the right thing. But here’s the question that came to my mind: What is most important - family or football; relationships or rivalry?

 

In the Acts 13 passage, the phrase “the word of the Lord”, is repeated multiple times

implying the importance of it.

 

The word of the Lord gave Paul strength and focus in his life and ministry. It helped him to weather the hard times and move forward with purpose and power. It enabled him to be used by God impacting the lives of both Jews and Gentiles. Without the word of the Lord, Paul would have continued down his path of persecution, rather the road of redemption. Paul was a force to be reckoned with because of the word of the Lord.

 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.            John 1:14 NIV

 

Here’s how The Message interprets the first line of this verse: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” That picture brings it home and makes it very personal. The point is that the word of the Lord can’t be ignored.

 

So, regardless of whether you are a Buckeye fan or not, you must ask yourself the question - what is most important to me; the word of the Lord, or something else?

 

The choice is yours, but keep in mind that your answer will be life-changing.

 

(If God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share the link with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

Elite Athletes

Psalm 8

 

Two weeks ago a record number of Ohio State University football players were drafted by the National Football League. Each one is an elite athlete in his own right. Each one exceled at the top of the college level and those that know talent best, believe they will excel at the next level.

 

However, not everybody that plays football has that kind of talent. In fact, most people don’t. According to the NCAA website, of the total number of NCAA student athletes playing football, only 1.9% will play professionally. Basketball is even a smaller percentage.

 

These are not very good odds. In fact, for the majority of high school athletes, they could easily feel intimidated and overwhelmed. They could feel like a miniscule nobody in an eternal universe of stars.

 

^3 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”             NIV

 

One of the life lessons of being on a sports team is that every player contributes; from the starters to the last player on the bench. The same is true for us as believers in Christ. Every person has an important role to play. Every person has God given talents that they are to use to share and build the Kingdom of God.

 

^5 “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. ⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: ⁷ all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, ⁸ the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”    NIV

 

Because God has created us in His image, we hold a position of great honor. He has

called us to serve Him with authority and responsibility.

 

In the Parable of the talents, Jesus tells the story about the master who gave talents to his three servants while he was away. To the two who invested their talents, the master responded by saying, ²³ “Well done, good and faithful servant!” But to the third servant who hid his talent he said, ²⁶ “You wicked, lazy servant.”        

 

In the world of following God, we are all elite athletes as long as we use the talents He has given us. Will you be a responsible steward of your time, talent and treasures? Will the Lord say to you on that day, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

 

 

 

What are Your Expectations?

Matthew 20:20-28

 

 

Ezekiel Elliott

There was a recent Columbus Dispatch article about all of the Ohio State football players that are expected to be drafted in the National Football League. There are a total of fourteen Buckeyes, with six of them expected to go in the first round, which would tie a record. Those are pretty lofty expectations.

 

When I asked Jesus into my life in the summer of 1970, I expected that life would be a spiritual mountaintop experience from

then on. In the fall of 1974 when I got married, I expected to have the perfect marriage. We all have expectations of our spouse, our children, our work and our life. And in reality, those expectations are what we expect from Jesus.

 

James and John also had lofty expectations. They wanted to sit by Jesus in his kingdom on his left and on his right. After all, they had given up the family fishing business when they responded to Jesus’ call to follow him. No doubt this was a huge economic, social and relationship sacrifice.

 

As a result, they expected something in return. I scratch your back, you scratch mine...

Expectations. What’s even more amazing is that they asked for this “favor” shortly after Jesus had announced his death and resurrection for the third time. Could Jesus’ closest followers actually be this dull, this ignorant?

 

“Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion. On the third day he will be raised up alive.”      MSG

 

This statement seems pretty clear to me. The disciples heard what they wanted to hear; what they hoped to hear; what they expected to hear. Expectations and hope go hand in hand.

 

What are your expectations of Jesus? What do you hope to get from him? A job, a spouse or children without issues? A life without tragedies or without struggles? What can you realistically expect?

 

The Bible tells us that what you can expect from Jesus is that he will be faithful. He will be with you always, and never leave you no matter what you do or what is happening in your life. He will always love you and be at work in your life to draw you closer to him, and to use you in the lives of others.

 

That’s an expectation that you can count on.