The Pit of Life

A Series on Lamentations
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Jeremiah 38:1-13; Lamentations 3 

[The book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah to the Jews in Babylon who had been exiled and were lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem. Known as the “weeping prophet”, his tears flowed from a broken heart for Jerusalem – the “City of God” – and her people. In this series we will look at Lamentations to learn about God’s justice and mercy, the consequences of sin and the hope for redemption.]

  

We’ve all faced painful circumstances in our lives. For me, the most difficult one was when our first child was stillborn. We had done everything we could to prepare for our much-anticipated baby. No detail was too small.

 

Her nursery was ready with new paint and wallpaper, a crib and a new rocking chair. My Mom had given us her first toy – a little stuffed smiling sun that when squeezed it played “You are my sunshine”.

 

But it sat unused on the crib. There was no sunshine; no crying baby; no midnight feeding; no first steps and giggles.

 

Jeremiah knew what it was like to deal with painful circumstances. In fact, the very first verse of Lamentations 3 states, “I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath”.

 

The affliction that he spoke of was twofold. First, the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, which was the result of the Lord’s judgment of the people’s sin. Having both seen and experienced the siege, Jeremiah was the personification of its effects. Speaking of the Lord, he wrote this.

 

³ He has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. ^10a-11 …like a bear or a lion… He has dragged me off the path and torn me in pieces, leaving me helpless and devastated. ¹⁵ He has filled me with bitterness and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink.     NLT

 

Jeremiah also experienced his own personal suffering when he was arrested for his message from the Lord which was considered “discouraging the soldiers”. Later, they lowered him using ropes into a muddy, bottle-shaped cistern to die. Dark and damp, Jeremiah sank into the mud at the bottom of the pit.

 

⁵³ They threw me into a pit and dropped stones on me. ⁵⁴ The water rose over my head, and I cried out, “This is the end!” ⁵⁵ But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit.                NLT

 

Completely alone and without hope, Jeremiah was literally stuck in the pit of life... until he remembered.

 

²¹ Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: ²² The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. ²³ Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.       NLT

 

What he remembered was that it’s good to wait quietly for the Lord; it’s good to search for him, to see how he is at work. He remembered that the Lord has unfailing love for us; that the Lord always provides redemption; that the Lord is our portion, our inheritance.

 

From the pit of life comes life lessons, spiritual renewal, discipline and a greater understanding of who the Lord is. The Lord is waiting for you and me to call him from deep within the pit of life. It doesn’t matter what kind of pit, he hears us.

 

The words of Jeremiah are still true today for us: “Great is your faithfulness”!

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

Two-a-Days

A series on the Judges of Israel
 – Introduction to Judges
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 2:6-23 

[The book of Judges is a roller coaster ride. It’s about the history of Israel following their entry into the Promised Land. Unfortunately, Israel went through cycles of rejecting God and then repenting. Each time, the Lord saved them by raising up a leader who was called a judge. In this series, we will be looking at some of these judges to learn about God’s character as well as our own.]

 

In high school, two-a-days were a rite of passage for anybody who wanted to be on the football team. For two weeks in August, during the dog days of summer, we went out in the morning for practice, only to return in the afternoon for a second practice. It wasn’t unusual for a player to throw up.

 

Although there were many reasons for two-a-days, one was to find out who had what it takes. In a word, it was a test. If you could persevere through the mental, physical and emotional stress of two-a-days, then you could persevere through the season.

 

Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan where each tribe claimed their inheritance of land. Having done that, they were to drive out the people who lived there along with their foreign gods. Everything worked fine, until Joshua died.

 

Then Israel went into a free fall. Instead of driving out the pagans with their foreign gods, they worshipped their gods. Because of this, the Lord no longer drove out any of the remaining nations. They were to be a test to see if Israel could persevere. They were Israel’s two-a-days.

 

²¹ I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. ²² I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.”            NLT

 

The only problem was that the Lord was no longer with Israel. The result was predictable. After suffering from the oppression of the other nations, Israel would cry out for the Lord’s help. So, the Lord would raise up a judge who saved them.

 

¹⁸ Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. ^19a But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways behaving worse than those who had lived before them.  NLT

 

It was a cycle that was repeated time and again. But through it all you can see the Lord’s faithfulness. Twelve times in fact with twelve different judges. Each one saving Israel from their oppressors. Each one saving Israel from their sinful ways.

 

In fact, over the millennia, the Lord never gave up on Israel. Even to the point of sending his one and only son who he loved to die for their sins. And he did this, not because we first loved him, but because he first loved us.

 

Life is still full of tests; it’s full of two-a-days. But they’re not on a pass/fail basis. Instead, it’s progress, not perfection.

 

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.                                              James 1         NIV

 

And through it all, the Lord is always faithful.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Guilty as Charged

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling broken from guilt
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 51 

[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.]

  

When I was growing up, my Dad didn’t have to spank me to make me cry. All he had to do was raise his voice. Even though there was no physical pain, I felt the pain of rejection and of a broken relationship with the person who mattered the most to me. David felt the same way with God.

 

He had sinned greatly against God. In the spring when his army went to battle, the great warrior David stayed home. As a result, he had an affair with Bathsheba who became pregnant. When her husband wouldn’t cooperate in David’s cover up scheme, he had him killed. David knew he had sinned. He was guilty as charged!

 

⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.  NIV

 

In his guilt and shame, David begged God to forgive and cleanse him. There was a stain on his life that he couldn’t get rid of by himself. His only recourse was to appeal to God’s mercy and love.

 

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.     NLT

 

David had been a man after God’s own heart. He had stood up to the Philistines and defeated Goliath. He had led Israel into battle time and again. When he was unjustly persecuted by King Saul who intended to kill him, David didn’t retaliate. But now his sins overwhelmed him.

 

³ For I recognize my rebellion;
    it haunts me day and night.     NLT

 

However, what haunted him the most was the prospect of losing his relationship with God. The thought of being separated from God drove him to make amends.

 

¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.      NLT

 

David realized that he needed God’s forgiveness. In Israel, the normal way for seeking forgiveness was to offer an animal sacrifice. But David knew that wasn’t enough. He needed to change his life.

 

¹⁷ The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. NLT

 

Sin separates us from God. Only the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross can bridge that chasm; can restore us. Because of Christ, nothing can separate us from God. Paul put it like this to the Roman church.

 

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.        NIV

 

David was guilty as charged. But even though he knew nothing about Jesus, he understood that nothing could separate him from God’s love. Not even his sin.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Who Are You!!!

A Series on the “I Am” statements of Jesus
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 7:53-8:12 

[Moses encountered God at the burning bush where the Lord gave His name as “I Am”. Jesus used that same name for himself, thus claiming to BE God. In this series, we’re looking at the “I Am” statements of Jesus to learn about him and about God.]

 

Networking. I hate it. Basically, you immerse yourself into a group of people of whom you might know one other person. The idea being that you mix and mingle to get to know who the other people are. Or, at least get to know their name, who they work for and what they do.

 

Generally, people aren’t so blunt as to say, “Who are you anyways”? But that is pretty much the idea. To find out who in that room of strangers might provide a mutually beneficial relationship. A relationship that might bring “Cha-Ching” to both of your businesses. “Who are you”?

 

Despite rumors of Jewish leaders plotting to kill him, Jesus decided to attend the Festival of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. During this annual celebration which required all Jewish males to attend, Jesus taught in the temple. This led to discussions between Jesus and the religious leaders about who he was.

 

In an attempt to trick Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes brought a woman to him who had been caught in adultery. They asked Jesus if the Law, which prescribed death by stoning, should be adhered to with the woman.

 

Jesus didn’t fall into their trap but countered with, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” When they had all left without lifting a hand, Jesus told her, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”            NLT

 

Clearly, he had brought life-giving light to the woman caught in adultery. But he also brought light to the religious leaders. Light that they didn’t want. This led to more arguing which escalated to the point where the Jews demanded an answer to this question, “Who are you?”

 

The argument between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes continued to increase to the climactic point where Jesus finally claimed to be God.

 

⁵⁸ “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!”       NLT

 

For those attending the Festival of Tabernacles, the big question that seemed to be on everybody’s mind was, “Who is Jesus”. Some believed he was just a rabbi from Galilee; some thought he was demon possessed; some thought he was the Messiah. Yet the question persisted. “Who are you?”

 

To a world lost in darkness, Christ offers Himself as the light… and the truth… and the I AM. His claims don’t allow us to be neutral. We either find grace and forgiveness, like the woman caught in adultery; or we pick up a stone to kill him.

 

Which will you choose?

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

The Vows of a Young Woman

A Series on Women in the Bible
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Ruth 1:1-22

[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, I will try to show the faithfulness of some of these God fearing women.]

  

This picture of the yellowed poster board displays a sketch of a young couple who were married almost 47 years ago. It also has the vows that they made to each other at the time. 

As I read them today, his seem rather formal and stiff. But hers seem to come from the heart. They are taken from the book of Ruth.

 

The book of Ruth is a story about love. As a young woman she married a foreigner who, after a brief marriage, died. Soon afterwards, her mother-in-law, Naomi, decided to return to her homeland, so she told Ruth to return to her family. In a highly emotionally scene, here is Ruth’s loving response.

 

¹⁶ “Don’t make me leave you, for I want to go wherever you go and to live wherever you live; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God; ¹⁷ I want to die where you die and be buried there. May the Lord do terrible things to me if I allow anything but death to separate us.”                     Ruth 1 NLT

 

The book of Ruth is also a story about redemption. Ruth made the above vow to Naomi and kept her promise. They returned to Bethlehem together as a family. Ruth began to provide for both of them by gleaning in the fields of Boaz. He was related to Naomi, and held the special position known as a “family redeemer”.

 

²⁰ “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”  Ruth 2 NLT

 

A “family redeemer” was a provision in the Law of Moses for a poor person who was forced to sell part of their property or themselves. The nearest of kin could "buy back" what the relative was forced to sell. With time, Boaz married Ruth, thus fulfilling his role as family redeemer of Naomi through Ruth.

 

Finally, the book of Ruth is a story about faithfulness. The faithfulness of Ruth to Naomi is highlighted in this passage.

 

¹⁴ Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. ¹⁵ May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”     Ruth 4 NLT

       

 

The book of Ruth is a story about the love, redemption and faithfulness that we see lived out through Ruth. But it’s also a story about the character of God, who is loving, redemptive and faithful; just like the young girl who made her vows 47 years ago.

 

Copyright 2021 J.B. Williams

 

 

March Madness and One Shining Moment

A Series on Lent
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Mark 14:12-26

[As we approach Easter, consider the example that Jesus set by spending forty days alone in the wilderness to prepare for his ministry and his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Lent is a forty day period with a focus on spending time with Jesus, to meditate on who he is and what he did for us. This Lenten series is about people who spent time with Jesus; and as a result, their lives were changed forever.]

  

March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year! 

College basketball teams from across the country compete in a single elimination tournament. There are schools that haven’t been in the tournament for over thirty years; and other schools that are there every year. From a small private school to a public mega-university; they’re all thrilled to play.

 

For me, it’s exciting to see what school is going to be this years “Cinderella” team. It’s exciting to watch as the tournament unfolds and is whittled down from 68 teams to 32 to the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight to the Final Four. With each game, the excitement and pressure builds until the climactic finish when they play ‘One Shining Moment”. It’s a pressure cooker that ultimately explodes.

 

The final week of Jesus’ life was a pressure cooker too. Jews had been anxiously waiting for centuries for the Messiah. With these expectations, Jesus road into Jerusalem on a donkey with the crowds cheering him onto victory, and calling him the Son of David.

 

But soon after arriving, Jesus created chaos as he went to the Temple and drove out those who were buying and selling, and turned over the tables of the money changers. Following this, Jesus gave his disciples instructions on preparing for the Passover meal.

 

During this meal, the pressure really ratcheted up. It was then that Jesus informed his disciples that one of them would betray him. On top of that, Jesus told them that all of them would desert him! Peter was adamant that he would never do that; he would die before deserting Jesus.

 

Finally, Jesus took the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here, while Jesus was fervently praying to his Abba, Father, he sweat drops of blood while his closest friends and followers fell asleep. Soon a crowd came to arrest Jesus. In one final attempt of bravado, Peter cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant.

 

After three years of living and learning and loving together, the pressure cooker exploded, and the disciples scattered. Peter denied Jesus three times. There seemed to be no victory. All seemed to be lost. There was no “One Shining Moment”.

 

Yet, in the midst of all this darkness and defeat, there was a brief moment of hope... one shining moment, if you will. During the Last Supper, Jesus explained that his body was the bread; that his blood was the wine. And even though they would desert him, he wouldn’t desert them. He would be faithful.

 

That promise is still true for you and me. That same meal is the one that we as believers celebrate to remind us of his promise. It doesn’t matter how badly we sin; it doesn’t matter how badly we fail him; he will forgive us. Jesus paid the ultimate price as the perfect Passover lamb so that we might also know his Abba Father.

 

 

Are You Chosen or Called?

A Series on God’s Call to Ministry

Deuteronomy 7:6-9

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%207%3A6-9&version=NIV;NLT

[Preface: How do you know what your calling in life is? Will you know from a big bang experience? Or will it come quietly, almost imperceptible? Will you be inspired by the stories of a visiting missionary; or a book that opens your eyes to the needs of a specific people group; or from your own life experience? This series is about God’s call to ministry for your life; what it means or doesn’t mean.]

Choosing sides for a baseball game was pretty much a rite of passage for boys when I was growing up. If you were chosen first, or near the beginning, you felt pretty good about yourself. However, if you were chosen towards the bottom, or especially last, you wished that you could run and hide.

⁶ For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.  NLT

Quite unlike my experience of choosing teams for a pickup baseball game, Israel was chosen, not because it was big and powerful, but because the LORD loved them. In fact, Israel was one of the smallest and weakest of all nations. But the LORD had made a covenant with Abram, and the LORD was faithful.

In my New Living Testament Bible, the preface for Deuteronomy states the following:

“Deuteronomy summarizes the events that led up to that moment in Israel’s history; the eve of Israel’s entry into the Promised Land. Moses exhorted the Israelites to remain faithful and obedient and called them to rededicate their lives to the task God had given them.

Clearly, Israel was not only a chosen nation, but they were also a called nation. They were called to be a “kingdom of priests”. They were called to enter the Promised Land. They were called to be a blessing.

So, are you chosen by God, or called? The answer is yes!

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”             1 Peter 2:9 NIV

 

It feels good to be chosen first for a pickup baseball game. It feels even better to be chosen by the LORD as his own. But the LORD also calls you to action. He calls you to be a priest; holy and obedient. He calls you to be a blessing to others. He calls you to be a light in the darkness.

Love me Tender

The Lord is…  A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 103

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20103&version=NIV;NLT

 

How much does the Lord love you?

 

This past week my grandson lost his first tooth. He wiggled it right out of his mouth as Nonna, (the name my wife is called by the grandkids), was bringing him to our house for dinner. He could barely contain his excitement. In fact, he hardly ate anything because he couldn’t wait to tell his parents.

 

When we got him home, his Mom had scarcely opened the door when he shouted, “I lost my tooth Mommy”! Without missing a beat, and with just as much excitement, she shouted, “That is so great Buddy”, and wrapped her arms around him. It was a tender moment of a Mom loving her son.

 

In this Psalm, David wrote about all the things the sovereign Lord had done for him personally, as well as for Israel as a nation. But the main focus of the psalm is the eternal love of the Lord. It gives context and meaning to all that He does.

 

¹⁷ But Lord, your endless love stretches
from one eternity to the other,
unbroken and unrelenting toward those who fear you
and those who bow face down in awe before you.
Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you’ve made
passes from parents, to children, to grandchildren, and beyond.     TPT

 

Because my grandson is five years old, and because this was his first tooth to come out, he thought the tooth fairy should leave him a $5 bill. Of course, the tooth isn’t worth $5; but the tender love that his mother showed him was priceless. The Lord loves us in the same way.

 

¹³ The same way a loving father feels toward his children—
that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us,
your beloved children, who live in awe of you.             TPT

 

Let us respond to the tender love of our Heavenly Father in the same way that David began and ended this psalm.

 

¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.               NLT

 

 

 

 

 

Unmet Expectations

God with you - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 77 

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2077&version=NIV;NLT

 

Unmet expectations! Everybody has them. It might be as small as your expectation of another driver to not cut you off. Or it could be as big as the expectations of a spouse not being fulfilled, resulting in a marriage breaking apart.

 

Whether they are the garden variety, daily living type of unmet expectation, or the earth shattering, life changing type; we all have them. The question is, how do you deal with them?

 

The psalmist had unmet expectations of God that hurt him deeply.

 

² When I was in deep trouble,
    I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
    but my soul was not comforted.            NLT

 

As a result of his unfulfilled attempts to connect with God, he asked some painful questions.

 

⁷ Has the Lord rejected me forever?
    Will he never again be kind to me?
⁸ Is his unfailing love gone forever?
    Have his promises permanently failed?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion?          NLT

 

You may have asked yourself those same questions. However, the most important question to ask is, how did you respond? The psalmist reached the point of no return when something unexpected happened.

 

¹⁰ And I said, “This is my fate;
    the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
¹¹ But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
    I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.         NLT

 

The Psalmist goes on to recount how God miraculously brought the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, into the freedom of the Promised Land. He brought them salvation. It is the same salvation that He offers to us; that is, to leave the land of slavery to sin for the Promised Land of freedom in Jesus.

 

Unmet expectations! Have yours led you to give up hope? Or do you keep reaching out to God? For He is faithful; He loves you with unfailing love; He is with you always and at work constantly. There is none other like Him. remember His wonderful deeds.