The Wilds

A Series on Living in the Wilderness
Saul
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Acts 7:54-8:3 

[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.]

  

Our youngest granddaughter Josie loves animals. Recently, my wife and I took her to a wildlife and safari park called The Wilds. They have 10,000 acres of rolling hills where wild animals from around the world are free to roam.

 

As your safari bus navigates the bumpy washboard dirt roads, the animals can walk right up to you. We had both camels and rhinoceros come within a few feet of us. My granddaughter thought the rhinos were “so adorable”.

 

Although the animals are wild, as the name of the park indicates, we didn’t observe any wild behavior per se. There was certainly nothing like the wild animal behavior that Stephen experienced from the Sanhedrin and Saul.

 

Beginning with Pentecost, the first century church was very visible. They met every day in public in the temple courts where the Apostles would perform signs and wonders and teach about Jesus. They even went from house to house proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Messiah.

 

Crowds of people gathered from towns around Jerusalem bringing their sick to be healed. The movement was spreading like wildfire. Literally, thousands of people had believed in the Lord.

 

The Christian church was so noticeable that the religious leaders couldn’t ignore them. In fact, they were furious with the apostles’ teaching to the point of wanting to put them to death. Instead, they bided their time which came quickly.

 

While in the temple, Stephen got into a heated argument with some religious leaders. As a result, they took him before the Sanhedrin having made false accusations of blasphemy. During his defense, Stephen said something that infuriated the Sanhedrin so much that they gnashed their teeth at him.

 

Then in a blind rage, they dragged him out to the edge of the city and stoned him to death with Saul’s approved. Their illegal act of capital punishment triggered more hatred for the church. It was like blood in the water attracting sharks.

 

^1b and on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ³ But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.      NASB

 

According to the New Bible Commentary, the word ravaging can be expounded to mean “like a wild beast does to the body of its victim”. In other words, Saul was so full of venomous hatred that he acted like a wild animal. That is, until he came face to face with Jesus on the road to Damascus.

 

We all have that wild animal instinct within us. It’s in our nature to rebel against the Lord. Thankfully, Jesus wants to show us his grace and mercy to bring us out of the wilderness; out of the wilds. Like he did with Saul.

 

Paul himself said it like this when he wrote to the church in Ephesus.

 

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.            NIV

 

So, come meet Jesus… face to face.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

A Clean Desk is a Sign of a Sick Mind

A Series on Women in the Bible
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
John 11:17-44

[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.]

  

There are two types of people in this world; those that are organized, and those that aren’t. 

You can easily identify which category a person falls into by looking at their desk. Over the years, I’ve come across people whose desk looked like a tornado hit it. Their belief seems to be, “A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind!”

 

In contrast, the desk of an organized person is very… organized. Everything is in its proper place; in neat piles, systematically located for the right time. If somebody dares to move something on their desk, the organized person can tell immediately.

 

Both of these types of individuals fulfill a role in society; both have gifts to be utilized; both also have a part to play in God’s plan. Last week I wrote about Mary of Bethany. She had a sister by the name of Martha, who would probably be considered organized; or at the very least, functional.

 

In John 11, Martha had a very functional, if not theological discussion with Jesus. This was during the pain and grief following the death of her brother Lazarus.

 

²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died…

²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me
will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”          NLT

 

A little later, when Jesus was about to call Lazarus out from the dead, this exchange took place between Jesus and Martha, making you wonder if she would ever truly get it.

 

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”                  

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”            NIV

 

Yes, Martha was very functional, pragmatic and analytic; dealt in the realm of ideas more than feelings or relationships; liked to keep busy with her hands rather than to contemplate; was highly organized, and maybe even a little OCD.

And yet, she was a child of God; someone who knew Jesus personally. She had a role and a purpose in his brief ministry on earth. She was a follower of Jesus who knew who he was, and what his mission was.

 

Time and again, Jesus showed Martha grace and mercy; the same grace and mercy that he shows us.

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams

 

 

Grading on a Curve

The Life of Jesus Series:

How Jesus interacted with others.

Luke 7:36-50

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%207%3A36-50&version=NIV;ICB

 

When I was in school, most of my teachers graded on a curve; except of course for Mr. Van Note. He was famous for saying things like, “You missed the boat” and, “I’m going to teach to the fast learners. The rest of you will just have to keep up”. He was a tough, but fair math teacher. But, going back to grading on a curve; how does it work?

 

According k12academics.com, "In education, grading on a bell curve is a method of assigning grades designed to yield a desired distribution of grades among the students in a class…  The instructor can decide what grade occupies the center of the distribution. This is the grade an average score will earn, and will be the most common. Traditionally, in the ABCDF system this is the 'C' grade”.

 

Although grading on a curve is normally thought of in terms of education, it can apply to every area of our lives. In fact, it would seem to be human nature to “grade on a curve”, especially when it’s to our benefit.

 

Consider the story in Luke 7. The sinful woman shed tears on Jesus’ feet; then dried them with her hair and finally anointed his feet with expensive perfume. In the mind of Simon the Pharisee, the situation was black and white. He was righteous and she was a sinner.

 

³⁹ The Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this. He thought to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman who is touching him is a sinner!”                        ICB

 

In response to this, Jesus told a story about a moneylender who forgave the debts of two different people. One a very large debt and the other a moderate sized debt. What’s important here is that the moneylender forgave both the big and the small debtor. In the same way, Jesus offered forgiveness to both the sinful woman as well as the Pharisee.

 

So, who do you relate to in this story?

 

A more important question is; how do you respond to sin in your life? Are you blind to it like the Pharisee? Or, like the sinful woman, do you cry out to Jesus in love and faith, asking for his forgiveness and grace?

 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.                       Hebrews 4 NIV

 

 

 

 

 

Life or Death

Romans 6:14-20

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%206%3A14-20&version=NIV;NLT

 

What would you do if you had only two choices with every decision? Can you imagine in this day and age what that would be like? How would you feel if when you went to the grocery store there was only two kinds of chips and not a whole isle? Or what would it be like to buy a car where your only choice was a stripped down version of a plain black car or a plain white one?

 

We like to have multiple choices because it makes us feel like we are in control. We can decide what flavor or brand or crinkle we want in our chip. We can decide what color or size engine or package of options we get with our car. We decide… therefore, we control.

 

Paul gives us a different perspective on decision making in Romans.

 

¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.      NLT

 

Paul is so black and white about things. We like it better when our choices have some gray area to consider. Then we can be graded on a curve instead of exact percentages. We like essay answers where we can explain why we chose what we did, instead of true and false questions that leave no room for interpretation.

 

Then, just when we think we understand, Paul wrote this.

 

¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.    NLT

 

He just got done saying that you are a “slave to whatever you choose to obey” and now he’s talking about living “under the freedom of God’s grace”. Confusing right?

 

Maybe the lesson for us to learn is the next time we are facing a decision, we need to look at it like Paul did. We have two choices. The one that leads to death; or the one that leads to life? Which one do you want to choose?

 

Well… when you put it that way, it doesn’t seem like much of a choice.

 

 

CELEBRATE!

Isaiah 61:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2061&version=NIV;ESV

  

What is your most memorable celebration? For me, it was when my wife had a surprise birthday party for my fiftieth birthday. My brother’s job was to get me out of the house while my wife and sister-in-law decorated and all the guests arrived.

 

When my brother and I were about to return early before everything was ready, he faked heart attack symptoms. He must have been a good actor because I believed him. When we finally returned, all the guests were on the deck waiting to yell “Surprise!” And it was. In fact, it was a wonderful celebration.

 

As a young Jewish nation was preparing to occupy the Promised Land, God gave them the Law and rules to live by. Rules that would lead to celebration. The Year of Jubilee (described in Isaiah 61, but originated in Leviticus 25) was a yearlong celebration to be repeated every fifty years.

 

During Jubilee, all the prisoners were to be set free; all the slaves were to be released; all debts were to be forgiven; and all property was to be returned to its original owner. In addition, people were to not work land, which means that Jubilee provided a year of rest for not only the people, but also the land.

 

For many, Jubilee was to be an opportunity for them to start over with a clean slate; with nothing to feel guilty for or ashamed of. What would it mean for you to start over with a clean slate?

 

When Jesus started his ministry, he quoted from Isaiah 61.

 

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”       Luke 4 ESV

 

According to Leviticus 25, the Year of Jubilee started on the Day of Atonement. This was when the sins of Israel were laid on the head of a scapegoat, and were taken into the wilderness to pay for their sins.

 

Jesus did the same thing for you and me. He took our sins upon himself into the wilderness. We didn’t deserve to be set free from sin, but he did it anyhow. Just like those who were set free as a part of the Year of Jubilee.

 

Let’s celebrate!

 

 

 

 

Shocking Grace

Mark 2:13-17

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202%3A13-17&version=NIV;NLT

  

When was the last time you ate with a bunch of “sinners”?

Jesus’ ministry model was to spend time with “sinners” that nice, religious people wouldn’t want to associate with. Jesus looked at people differently.

 

In Matthew 20, Jesus told the parable of the vineyard keeper who paid the men who worked 1 hour the exact same wage as the men who worked 11 hours! It was an illustration of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. A friend of mine referred to it as “shocking grace”. But that’s what grace is like; it’s shocking!

 

Tax collectors were considered to be the scum of the earth by Pharisees and other righteous Jews. They were thought of as traitors who turned on their own people because they collected taxes on behalf of the Romans. Levi recognizes that he is the recipient of shocking grace.

 

²⁷ Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his

tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. ²⁸ So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.      Luke 5:27-28 NLT

 

Following the pattern of Peter, James and John, who left their fishing business to follow Jesus, Levi left everything to become a disciple of Jesus. And Levi wanted his friends, who also happened to be “sinners”, to hear about this shocking grace; to meet Jesus face to face; to find out what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus.

 

²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.   Luke 5:29 NIV

 

How can we duplicate Levi’s example? With whom has God brought into your life? Placed on your heart? A co-worker or neighbor or friend or someone on the periphery of church life? Jesus was always reaching out to sinners; and those sinners reached out to their friends.

 

That’s called discipleship.

 

 

 

That’s called “shocking grace”.

 

 

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

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/

 

A Safe Place

Luke 22:14-20

 

¹¹ “Eat it with your shoes on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. And you must eat it in a hurry. It is the time the Lord will pass over. ¹² For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night. And I will kill all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³ But the blood will mark for you the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you. And no trouble will come upon you to destroy you when I punish the land of Egypt.                     Ex 12:11-13 NLV

 

Can you imagine what that first Passover must have felt like? The Israelites were eating quickly as they listened to the wailing of their neighbors. Their emotions must have been all over the place; from fear to guilt to relief and back to fear again. The lamb’s blood on their doorpost is all that separated them from life and freedom, and the painful loss of their first born. The blood made their home a “safe place”.

 

¹⁵ He said to them, “I have wanted very much to eat this special supper with you

to remember how the Jews left Egypt. I have wanted to eat this with you before I suffer.             Lk 22:15 NLV

 

As Jesus served his disciples the Passover meal, he knew what was going to happen to him that night; He knew that all hell was about to break loose. But for his followers - his life blood, his body would provide the same protection that the Israelites experienced in Egypt. He was the sacrificial Passover lamb. This was indeed a safe place.

 

Of course, the body and blood of Jesus provided much more than a safe place. He changed things forever. With his death, and ultimately his resurrection, he made it possible for all our sins to be forgiven; he made it possible for us to know God personally; he made it possible for us to go to the ultimate safe place of Heaven.

 

When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I would come downstairs on a cold winter morning and crawl behind the couch and lay there for several minutes. I was snuggled between the couch and the heat vents in the wall. It felt very secure. It was a safe place for me to start my day.

 

Each one of us needs to find, or create our own safe place. A safe place where we can be refreshed; where we can draw strength to “fight the good fight”; where we can “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles; where we can begin to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith”; where we can “approach the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.

 

Nobody said it any better than David.

 

God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. ² So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, ³ and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.            Psalm 46:1-3 NLV

 

 

Like the little boy hiding behind the couch, getting ready for the day;

let us create our own safe place with the LORD throughout our day.

 

 

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you, or touched your heart through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

Survivor: Outwit, Outlast, Outplay

Hebrews 4:12-16

 

Survivor - It is one of my wife’s and mine favorite TV shows. We watch every episode and get into the lives of the players. We find ourselves cheering for some and against others based on their behaviors and attitudes.

 

Imagine though, what it would be like to have a camera recording every action you take, every thought you have, every word you say and every motivation that drives you. You don’t have to imagine.

 

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”.         Hebrews 4:13 NIV

 

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away, you know my every thought… Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it.”     Psalm 139:1-4 TLB

 

If we are honest with ourselves, these verses would make us very uncomfortable. After all, our eternal judgment is at stake, and if God knows everything about us, we don’t have much hope. But some of the most hopeful words in the Bible are included in Hebrews.

 

“But Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop trusting him.  This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned”.            4:14-15 TLB

 

On Survivor, a jury of peers judge the final three participants. This jury is made up of the same people that the final players had a hand in voting out of the game. They may have been blind-sided by them, lied to or manipulated. They have observed the finalist over the last 39 days when they have been at their worst; thinking only of themselves; of what it would take for them to win the game, and doing anything to get there.

 

Although our Judge will be able to know and observe everything there is about us throughout our whole lives, both the worst and the best, we can still approach Him boldly and receive both mercy and grace.

 

 ^“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need”.          Hebrews 4:16           JB Phillips

 

What more do we need to survive than this? What more do we need to be victorious?