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

 

Hold on for Dear Life

A series on meeting God – Mary Magdalene
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 20:11-18 

[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.]

  

Hollywood loves scary movies. According to my computer’s AI, it all started in the late 19^th century. Then the “Golden Age of Horror” followed in the 30’s. This included the iconic monsters of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. In the 60’s, there was a shift to psychological thrillers like Psycho.

 

But in 1973, The Exorcist redefined the genre of horror movies. Based on a true event, it told the story about a young girl who was possessed by a demon and the two priests who attempted to save her by exorcising them. It was the first horror movie ever nominated for the Academy Award of Best Picture.

 

There are a number of stories in the Gospels about Jesus driving out demons. One of the most dramatic is about a demon possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. It reads like a Hollywood movie script.

 

The man was homeless and naked, living in burial caves. Even when the local people tried to bind him in chains and shackles, he simply broke them a part. Day and night he wandered in the caves howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

 

But when the man saw Jesus approaching, he ran up to him, fell to his knees and shrieked, “In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!” There were many demons inside of him, so Jesus drove them out and into a nearby herd of pigs who promptly ran into the lake and drowned.

 

However, not all of Jesus’ exorcisms were this dramatic.

 

^1b Jesus took his twelve disciples with him, ² along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons…      NLT   Luke 8

 

The number ‘seven’ signifies completeness, so we can assume that Mary Magdalene was completely possessed and controlled by demons. Beyond that, we don’t have any details such as how the demons manifested themselves through her behavior, or how Jesus drove the demons out.

 

But we do know that she became a dedicated follower of Jesus. Not only was she traveling with Jesus, but she also financially supported his ministry. And when Jesus was crucified, she was there; when he was buried in a tomb, she was there; and the morning following his death, she was there and discovered that his body was gone.

 

She assumed that someone had taken it. As she stood by the opening of the tomb, crying in her grief, she saw who she thought was the gardener and asked if he knew where Jesus’ body was. To her surprise, it was Jesus himself. He was alive!

 

She must have spontaneously run to him and wrapped her arms around him so tight that Jesus said, “Do not cling to me”. He then told her to return to the other disciples and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

 

Like Mary, there are times when we don’t realize that Jesus is at work in our lives. We don’t recognize him. But, also like Mary, we need to stay close to him and when we do see him… run to him and hold on for dear life.

 

⁴ You are to follow only God, your God, hold him in deep reverence, keep his commandments, listen obediently to what he says, serve him—hold on to him for dear life!                 MSG   Deuteronomy 13

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

The Chosen

This fictional scene shows Jesus' healing of Mary Magdalene.

 

 

 

“Follow Me”

A series on meeting God – Matthew/Levi
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 5:27-32 

[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.]

 

In 1978, my wife and I went to San Francisco for a conference. While there, we got to see many of the iconic sights including the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf. But one of the most memorable sights was something we saw on Fisherman’s Wharf.

 

A street musician used a “decorated” cardboard box as his stage. Initially, he was hidden inside of the box. However, when someone dropped some money into the designated slot, the musician opened a flap and played a song on his trumpet. It was an ingenious form of marketing in a very busy, touristy area.

 

One day in Capernaum, Jesus went down to the lake where a large crowd gathered around him, so he began to teach them. As he was walking, he noticed Levi, later known as Matthew, who was sitting in his tax collector’s booth.

 

Capernaum was at the crossroads of a major international highway. Like the street musician, Levi’s booth was strategically located to maximize the collection of taxes from merchants who traveled through the city.

 

Tax collectors were unregulated and unethical yet operated with the authority of Rome. They were notorious for collecting not only the required taxes, but as much extra as they could extract for themselves.

 

Also, the taxes they collected supported the oppressive Roman government. As a result, they were outcasts and hated by most Jews so much so that they were expelled from the synagogue.

 

Despite this, or maybe because of it, Jesus said to Levi “Follow me”. “So, Levi got up, left everything, and followed him”. This was no small decision. If Levi ever changed his mind, it was highly unlikely that he’d be able to get his job back.

 

To honor Jesus, Levi hosted a great banquet at his house. And he invited all his friends who also happened to be tax collectors and other “sinners”. Needless to say, the Pharisees were not happy and questioned Jesus about this.

 

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. ³² I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”           NLT

 

Think about it, in the middle of teaching a crowd of people Jesus saw Levi, a despised tax collector and an outsider. There must have been something that prompted Jesus to say to him, “Follow me”. As a result, Levi’s life was changed forever.

 

From his encounter with Jesus, Levi went on to use the same God-given skills that he had used as a tax collector. That is, he made keen observations and kept detailed notes. Ultimately, this led to writing the Gospel of Matthew.

 

It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that Jesus had Levi in mind when he told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This is where the Pharisee was self-righteous and the tax collector self-deprecating. Jesus concluded:

 

¹⁴ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”        NLT   Luke 18

 

Like Levi, Jesus sees us and is calling us saying, “Follow me”?

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

A New Engine

A series on meeting God – Peter
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 5:1-11; John 21:1-17 

[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.]

  

Have you ever bought a car that you later concluded was a lemon? I did. It was a green Toyota Celica that I bought from a private seller in the late 70’s. He claimed to be mechanical, and that the car was in good condition.

 

However, when I drove it home, stinky smoke spewed from the exhaust. Even before I could enjoy driving around town in it, I discovered that it needed a new engine. The lure of a flashy sports car resulted in owning a lemon.

 

This is a good metaphor for Peter. His first meeting with Jesus happened one morning after he and his business partners had fished all night but without catching anything. Jesus asked if he could use Peter’s boat as a podium to speak to the crowds on the shore.

 

When finished, he told Peter to put out into the deep water and drop his nets. Peter protested mildly but acquiesced. After dropping his nets in the water, there were so many fish that it was too heavy to pull into the boat. He had to call for help.

 

When Peter understood what had happened, he fell to his knees. Jesus then called Peter to follow him and that “from now on you will fish for men”. Upon hearing this, Peter left everything including his family and fishing business, to follow Jesus.

 

Three years later, during the Last Supper, Peter declared to Jesus and to all the disciples, that he would never deny him. That he would follow Jesus to prison, even to death. But later that night, things changed drastically.

 

Following Jesus’ arrest, Peter denied knowing him three times. On the third time, as the cock crowed, Jesus looked right at Peter. Alone, and in the darkness of his guilt and shame, Peter “went outside and wept bitterly”.

 

Peter was clearly flawed! Had Jesus made a mistake when he called Peter to follow him? Was this macho fisherman with all the brave bravado a bust? Was Peter a flashy sports car that turned out to be a lemon?

 

After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, Peter and some of the disciples went to the Sea of Galilee. It was a déjà vu experience for Peter as he and the others fished all night but without catching anything.

 

Then from the shore, Jesus called out to tell them to drop their net again. This time there were so many fish that they couldn’t pull the net into the boat. When Peter realized that it was Jesus, he jumped into the water and went to him.

 

After they had all eaten, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. It was the same number of times that Peter had denied Jesus. By the third query, Peter became frustrated. But he consistently and adamantly answered, “Yes”!

 

Like my flashy sports car that needed a new engine, so did Peter. Jesus graciously welcomed Peter back as his friend and the rock upon which he would build his church.

 

Truthfully, we’re all lemons; we all need a new engine. And yet Jesus calls us to follow him. Did he make a mistake with us? No! He calls us and continues to call us to follow him and build his kingdom.

 

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.    ESV   2 Corinthians 5

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Pushing Buttons

A series on meeting God – Elijah
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 Kings 19:1-18 

[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.]

  

Pushing buttons… everybody does it. Spouses push each other’s buttons. Bosses push employees’ buttons. Parents push their children’s buttons. Siblings push their brother or sister’s buttons. Coaches push their player’s buttons.

 

In every case, the person pushing the button knows the other person well enough to anticipate how they’ll react. Such was the case for Ahab, the king of Israel. He married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess.

 

Jezebel was the daughter of the king of Sidon, a Phoenician city-state where they worshiped Baal. When she married Ahab, he followed her lead and also worshiped Baal. In fact, he even had a temple of Baal built in Samaria.

 

But Jezebel wasn’t satisfied with just promoting the worship of Baal in Israel. She went to the extreme measure of having the prophets of the Lord killed! In many ways, she was responsible for a three-year draught and famine in Israel which was the result of the judgement of the Lord for worshipping Baal.

 

Following Elijah’s defeat of the prophets of Baal, and their utter destruction, Ahab ran to Jezebel, and told her everything that Elijah had done. He pushed her button. As a result, Jezebel went into a rage and sent Elijah a cryptic message that promised she would have him killed within 24 hours.

 

She pushed his button which drove Elijah into a suicidal depression. He panicked and ran for his life into the wilderness of Beersheba, eventually arriving at Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. It was here that he had an encounter with the Lord even though Elijah was still feeling sorry for himself.

 

¹⁰ Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”                     NLT

 

In response, the Lord told him to “stand before me on the mountain”. As Elijah did this, a strong wind passed him; then an earthquake; followed by a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in any of these. Finally, Elijah heard a “gentle whisper”. It was the Lord.

 

Elijah’s life; his mission; his purpose for living, had been derailed by Ahab who pushed Jezebel’s button who, in turn, pushed Elijah’s button. Sometimes, it doesn’t take much to get us off track. It’s just a matter of the right button being pushed.

 

When that happens, what can we do to get back on track? For Elijah, he needed to meet the Lord in a quiet place far away from the pressures he was feeling. He needed to be someplace where he could listen for the Lord to speak to his heart.

 

It’s hard to find a quiet place in today’s world. Everybody’s busy. Life is lived at a frenetic pace. But the Lord is faithful and is always pursuing us. He’s waiting for us to draw near to him so that we can hear his voice.

 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.       ESV    Hebrews 4

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

Turning Point

A series on meeting God – Moses
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Exodus 19-20:2 

[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.]

  

Do you remember where you were on 9/11? I was in a meeting when someone’s pager went off. His wife told him that a plane had flown into one of the towers at the World Trade Center in New York City.

 

I can still remember watching the TV reports as first the south tower crumbled and then the north. Before collapsing, you could see people jumping from the towers to escape their fiery death. The images were horrific, unbelievable and surreal. It was a turning point for the United States, as well as the world.

 

The Israelites also experienced a turning point in the life of their nation. For 430 years, the Egyptians had enslaved them. But then the Lord called Moses to lead them to freedom… to the Promised Land.

Sixty days after they escaped Egypt, the Israelites entered into the wilderness of Sinai where they stopped at the foot of Mount Sinai. This wasn’t by chance. It was providential; a divine appointment orchestrated by the sovereign God.

 

The Lord was about to confirm his covenant and to give the Israelites a new identity and purpose as a nation. Not as slaves, but as free people to serve a holy God. Speaking to Moses, the Lord gave him this message.

 

⁵ Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. ⁶ And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”           NLT

 

Following this, the Lord told Moses that he was going to come to him in a dense cloud so that the Israelites would hear him when he spoke to Moses. But before doing that, Moses needed to consecrate, or prepare, the people for the Lord.

 

On the morning of the third day, “thunder roared, and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain". In fact, Mount Sinai shook violently. 

“As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply”. Although consecrated, the Israelites were terrified!

 

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.   NIV

 

Like 9/11, this was a dramatic turning point not only for Israel, but for the whole world for ALL generations to come. In fact, almost fifteen hundred years later, the Lord sent his Son to establish a new covenant.

 

This new covenant included everyone everywhere. Because of this, God’s word spoken to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, today applies to all who believe and follow Christ. Peter put it like this.

 

⁹ 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.            NIV    1 Peter 2

 

Like he did with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, the Lord has freed us and given us a new identity in Christ. He has chosen us to be his priests, his holy nation and his special people.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Sight Unseen

A series on meeting God – Abraham
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 12:1-9; Genesis 15:1-21 

[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.]

  

As a junior in high school, I planned to go into geological engineering. When I told Mr. Clark, our guidance counselor, he immediately said, “You need to go to Michigan Tech in Houghton”.

 

I didn’t know anything about Tech. Things like their average annual snowfall was 250 inches; or that there were 10 guys for every girl; or that it was about a nine-hour drive to the middle of nowhere. All I knew was that Mr. Clark recommended it; so, I went to Tech… sight unseen. Abram did the same thing!

 

Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldeans in Mesopotamia. He lived there with his father, Terah - who worshiped the moon god, his wife Sarai - who was barren and his nephew Lot – whose father had died.

 

While in Mesopotamia, the Lord appeared to Abram telling him to leave his home and his people, and to go to the land that the Lord would show him. Based solely on the word of the Lord, Abram uprooted his life to go there… sight unseen.

 

Abram took with him Terah, Sarai and Lot. However, on the way they settled in Harran, a city also known for worshipping the moon god. Although we don’t know why they settled there, you could speculate that it had to do with Terah. Because when he died Abram once again set out for the land the Lord would show him.

 

Despite Sarai being barren, the Lord made this startling promise to Abram.

 

² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.       NIV              Genesis 12

 

At the age of seventy-five, Abram arrived in Canaan with his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, along with all their possessions and people that they had acquired in Harran. But they weren’t alone. The Canaanites lived there.

 

Even though Abram was old, Sarai was still barren, and the Canaanites were there, the Lord again appeared to Abram and promised that he would give Abram’s descendants the land. Therefore, he built an altar to the Lord.

 

However, over the following decade, Abram experienced many adversities, not the least of which was that he still had no children. Afraid and discouraged, the Lord appeared to Abram again. This time, Abram complained about being childless.

 

⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

⁶ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.  NLT   Genesis 15

 

Based on God’s word and promise, Abram went to the ends of the earth… sight unseen. The Lord had made a covenant with Abram that he would fulfill his promise. The Lord also made a new covenant with you and me. A covenant to forgive our sins and restore us to him.

 

²⁰ After supper Jesus took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.  NLT   Luke 22

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com