The Question

Series on “I am Joe’s Favorite Verses”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 

[Many years ago, there used to be articles in the Reader’s Digest titled “I am Joe’s ___” with the blank being filled with a body part or organ. Over the years, I’ve written down verses that are meaningful to me on 3x5 cards. In this series we’ll be looking at some of my favorite verses. In other words, “I am Joe’s Favorite Verses”.]

  

One of my favorite songs from the Broadway musical Rent is “Seasons of Love”. The chorus asks an interesting question.  

Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

 

Following this, the song rhetorically asks the question again by suggesting a number of different ways that you could measure a year: in daylight, in sunsets, in midnight, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife? But the question remains unanswered. How do you measure a year?

 

You might think that Paul measured a year by the number of people that he led to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Or possibly the number of churches that he started. The truth is, that when he went to Macedonia on his second missionary trip, he got kicked out of more towns than not. On the surface, he looked like a failure.

 

Despite this, Paul persevered. Even in the midst of heavy persecution, he shared the love of Christ. He truly loved the people. In fact, his first letter to the church at Thessalonica is filled with statements that reflect just how much he loved them.

 

^7b Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, ⁸ so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

¹¹ For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, ¹² encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.    NIV    1 Thessalonians 2

 

Even in the opening statement of Paul’s letter, he describes how much he cared for them. He mentions their faith, love and hope… three characteristics that Paul built into their lives while living with them.

 

² We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, ³ remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ESV 1 Thessalonians 1

 

The foundation of any relationship is communication. The same was true for the Thessalonians relationship with God. Therefore, Paul emphasized the importance of staying in constant communication with God. It’s an outgrowth of their love for him.

  

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.         NIV    1 Thessalonians 5

 

In the song “Seasons of Love”, the conclusion is that you measure your life in love. So, the question is – how do you measure your life? Paul prays the following prayer for the Thessalonians. It gives a pretty good answer.

 

¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.          NIV  1 Thessalonians 3

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

The Unseen World

Series on “I am Joe’s Favorite Verses”
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Ephesians 6:10-20

[Many years ago, there used to be articles in the Reader’s Digest titled “I am Joe’s ___” with the blank being filled with a body part or organ. Over the years, I’ve written down verses that are meaningful to me on 3x5 cards. In this series we’ll be looking at some of my favorite verses. In other words, “I am Joe’s Favorite Verses”.]

 

When I was a teenager, I loved horror movies like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and Wolfman. Every Saturday night there was a TV show called “Shock Theater” hosted by Christopher Coffin. I never missed an episode.

 

I loved movies like House on the Haunted Hill starring Vincent Price and Beast with 5 Fingers with Peter Lorre. There was a TV series called The Twilight Zone hosted by Rod Serling. Edgar Allen Poe was my favorite author. Anything that involved the supernatural or the unexplainable fascinated me.

 

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul encouraged them to “be strong in the Lord”. Then he warned them about something that sounds like it could have come straight out of one of the movies that I watched as a kid.

 

¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.         NLT

 

Our Western culture doesn’t embrace the concept of spiritual warfare. We would rather attribute life’s struggles to circumstances, mother nature, the environment, science or some other logical reason. But Paul clearly stated that there are spiritual battles.

 

For example, when he was in Ephesus for two years, there was a riot started by a silversmith who made shrines of the Roman goddess of Diana. Paul’s ministry was hurting his business. On the surface, it appears that the root cause of the riot was greed and jealousy. But underneath, it was a spiritual battle.

 

The book of Job is a classic example of a spiritual battle that on the surface appeared to have worldly causes: The Sabeans killed his servants and stole his oxen and donkeys. A windstorm caused a house to collapse killing his sons and daughters. His wife turned against him and told him to “curse God and die”.

 

But previous to this, unseen by Job, there was a conversation between God and Satan. The Lord pointed out the faithfulness of Job. But Satan claimed that it was only because God had blessed him with so much that Job was faithful.  

 

So, God allowed Satan to attack his servant Job to prove that he was faithful. On the surface, it appeared to be natural causes. But below the surface, in the unseen world, it was spiritual warfare.

 

When Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he was under arrest and chained to a Roman soldier. So, it’s not surprising that he would use the armor of his jailer as a metaphor to encourage the Ephesians to stand strong.

 

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.                      NIV

 

After he details what the “full armor of God” is, he closes with this statement.

 

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.       NLT

 

In Ephesians, Paul teaches us that our ultimate struggle is not against human enemies, but against "spiritual forces of evil". But the good news is that we don’t have to face them alone. The Holy Spirit is always with us and makes God’s power available to us.

 

 Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Staying in Touch

A Series on Spiritual Turning Points
Moments in Time: Catalytic
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Acts 1:1-14; Acts 8:1-4 

[God is always at work in our life – drawing us to him, helping us to become the person he created us to be and leading us to opportunities to serve him. In this series we will look at spiritual turning points in the lives of real people and the moments in time that it happened. Applying this to our own life, sometimes this happens suddenly, sometimes gradually, but always with purpose.]

During the summer before my freshman year of college, my parents helped me to get ready. They gave me two hard shell Samsonite suitcases. My mom taught me how to iron my shirts and gave me an iron. Dad set up a checking account for me. But the last instructions that he gave me were to write them a letter every week.

 

Just before Jesus was taken up into heaven, he gave the apostles these instructions.

 

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”         NLT      Acts 1

 

Now, one might think that the apostles would have returned to Jerusalem and begun to strategize how to accomplish the mission that Jesus had given them. They could have worked on a mission and vision statement; or brainstormed goals and objectives. Instead, they returned to the upper room where all they did was pray.

 

However, God must have had a plan in mind because he brought the world to them. Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, Jerusalem was jammed with devout Jews from all over the world celebrating Pentecost. Most of them would not have spoken either Hebrew or Aramaic.

 

At the same time, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in different languages – languages that the visiting Jews would have understood. Also, fire appeared over the apostle’s heads. A crowd came to see what was happening. So, Peter stood and spoke to them about Jesus.

 

That day about 3000 people believed and were baptized. Following this, the apostles spoke in the Temple every day, and even went house to house, sharing that “Jesus is the Messiah”. The result was that “the number of believers greatly increased”.

 

About this time, there were some men from a synagogue who created trouble for the disciple Stephen. False accusations were made. Because of this, Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin – the leading religious and political Jews. He concluded his defense by accusing them of killing Jesus, the Messiah.

 

With blind rage, they dragged Stephen outside the city limits, as the law required, where they brutally stoned him to death. This opened the floodgates of persecution for those who already hated the church. But it also led to the spread of the Gospel.

 

¹ A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. ⁴ But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.       NLT      Acts 8

 

When I went to college, there were no cell phones, no texting, no emails. Even long-distance phone calls were rare. So, what was the main method of communication? It was writing a letter. Staying in touch with my parents was important.

 

Two catalytic moments – the apostles being filled with the Holy Spirit and Stephen’s stoning – directly led to the fulfillment of Jesus’ previous instructions to spread the word. But before that… the apostles had prayed. Staying in touch with their Father was important.

 

^12a Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem… ^13a When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. ¹⁴ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.     NIV     Acts 1

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

Whatever it Takes

A series on the book of Hebrews:
A call to faith and perseverance
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 10:19-39 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

  

There are lots of ways to motivate people. When I was in high school, we had an assistant football coach who was 6 foot 8 inches and probably weighed about 300 pounds. During one of our half-times, he was yelling at us as he pounded on his clipboard until it shattered in two. After that, we were motivated!

 

There were many times during the history of Israel that nothing seemed to motivate them to follow God. One such occasion was when Moses was handing over the leadership to Joshua just before Israel was to enter the Promised Land.

 

The Lord told Moses that once Israel entered Canaan, they would reject him by turning to other gods. Following this, the Lord spoke these words of judgement to Israel through Moses.

 

³⁵ I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
    In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
    and their destiny will overtake them.’          NLT

 

Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were considering rejecting their faith. The writer quoted the above verse from Deuteronomy to motivate them. He also reminded them how faithful they had been in the past. Even in the face of terrible suffering, they had willingly followed Christ while helping other believers.

 

With such pain and persecution in their life, it’s not surprising that they had doubts. They had lost patience in the promise that Jesus would return. Their hope in him had waned. In response, the author quoted from Habakkuk to encourage them to not give up hope, but to persevere and wait patiently.

 

³ This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.         NLT

 

The writer also reminded the Hebrews about the benefits of keeping the faith.

 

¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.            NLT’

 

The promise of being able to enter into the presence of the Living God, was to motivate them to faith in action. With that in mind, the writer gave them a “to do” list starting with “let us”.

 

^22a let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. ²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. ²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.  NLT

 

My high school coach motivated us by intimidation, fear and the desire to take it out on the other team. The writer of Hebrews used many different methods to motivate the believers, including to remind them about the promises of God, his faithfulness and encouraging them to persevere in their faith.

 

What motivates you to keep following Christ? Is it the promise of his return; the threat of consequences; the encouragement of fellow believers; the faithfulness and love of God; the presence of God through prayer?

 

Whatever it is… do whatever it takes to stay motivated.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

The Biggest Move You Can Make

Series on “I am Joe’s Favorite Verses”
Jeremiah 29:11
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Jeremiah 29:1-23 

[Many years ago, there used to be articles in the Reader’s Digest titled “I am Joe’s ___” with the blank being filled with a body part or organ. Over the years, I’ve written down verses that are meaningful to me on 3x5 cards. In this series we’ll be looking at some of my favorite verses. In other words, “I am Joe’s Favorite Verses”.]

 

What’s the biggest move that you’ve ever made?

 

For me, it was when we moved from Lansing, Michigan to Columbus, Ohio. It’s about 250 miles. We packed all our worldly possessions into a 26-foot U-Haul truck and drove it to what seemed like a foreign land.

 

But it wasn’t so much the logistics of packing and driving that made it such a major move. It was the fact that we knew only four people in Columbus. On top of that, my wife was born and raised in Lansing, and I had spent virtually my entire life in Michigan. We were leaving all our friends and everything that was familiar to us.

 

Basically, we were starting over. We had to find where to shop for groceries, a doctor, a dentist, a church, friends – everything was new. Even the culture was different. It was a much bigger city. And you had all those rabid Ohio State fans.

 

Over a period of twenty years, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, invaded Judah on three separate occasions. During his final invasion, he destroyed the city of Jerusalem including the Temple! Thousands of Jews were forced to leave their homes and move to a foreign land. It must have been traumatic!

 

Once in Babylon, the exiles were starting over. They had to learn a new language, find a job, a home, ways to meet their educational and religious needs - everything was new.

 

To make it even worse, they had been forced to leave the Promised Land. The land that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had promised when He made an eternal covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

 

However, Jeremiah prophesied that they would return to their homes after seventy years of living in exile. But there were false prophets who didn’t trust the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel. They tried to take control by making promises of a speedy return to their homeland.

 

Because of this, Jeremiah, who was still in Jerusalem, wrote a letter to the exiles in Babylon. His letter confronted the message of the false prophets. He gave the Israelites true hope. And he showed that they could trust the Sovereign Lord.

 

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

 

Like the false prophets, there are times when I don’t trust the Sovereign Lord and try to take control of my life. At that point, the biggest move that I can make isn’t from Lansing to Columbus, but from my head to my heart to my knees.

 

This is what the Lord said, ¹² “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”.            NIV

 

Following these verses, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, promised the people of Israel that he would return them to their homeland. The Sovereign Lord provided restoration for them. And through Jesus, he provides restoration for us today.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Waiting

 

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

There’s a stop light in Columbus at the corner of Case Road and Riverside Drive. If you’re on Riverside Drive and get a red light, the wait isn’t bad. But if you’re on Case Road and get a red light, you might as well take a nap.

 

Waiting is not easy! When I’m ready to check out at the grocery store, I'll walk back and forth looking at all of the lanes to see which one looks like it will be the fastest. Invariably, I choose the wrong one. Waiting goes against our human nature because we want what we want when we want it. In other words, we want to be in control.

 

When Paul founded the Thessalonian church, the initial response was tremendous. Converts included “some Jews who believed”, plus “a large number of Greeks and quite a few prominent women”.

 

Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders were jealous. Because of this, they stirred up some troublemakers, started a riot and accused Paul of treason against Caesar. It became so threatening that Paul had to flee the city that night.

 

Although the Thessalonian church was well established, the riot had created so much animosity towards them that it resulted in continual persecution. Therefore, here’s what Paul prayed for the believers.

 

¹¹ So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.  NLT

 

This begs the question of what does it take to “live a life worthy of his call”?

 

There’s some insight into the answer to this question that can be found from these words of encouragement that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.

 

³ We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. ⁴ Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.     NIV

⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.               NLT

 

Paul confirmed that God was at work in their lives through their hardships. That God was making them “worthy of his Kingdom”. In other words, “worthy of his call”.

 

The problem with this is that it requires patience, which means waiting. It’s one thing to wait at a long stop light or a long line. But waiting for God to stop the persecution; or change an old habit; or change a loved one who is addicted; or get a new job; or heal an illness. These are in a whole different ballpark.

 

Yet, the benefits of waiting are incalculable. John Ortberg, an author, speaker and a former senior pastor, had this to say about waiting.

 

“Biblically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.”

Pray and wait. If there’s a secret to being “worthy of his call”, that’s it.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Demolition of Division

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Philemon 1:4-25 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

The second house that Debbie and I ever owned was beautiful, but it needed a lot of work. One of the things that needed some attention was the garage. Actually, it was a wreck; to the point of being useless. In fact, it needed to be demolished.

One Saturday, a group of friends came over and that’s exactly what we did. Truth be known, it was kind of fun tearing it down. When we were done, all that was left was a pile of debris and a lot of dust.

 

We live in a time of significant divisions - political, racial, economic and religious – just to name a few. There were many divisions during Paul’s time as well – men and women, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, slave and master.

 

Philemon was a believer from the Colossian church… and a slave owner. According to the NIV Study Bible, Roman era slavery was significantly different from American history. First, it wasn’t based on race. Most slaves could expect to be emancipated. Some even owned property.

 

What prompted Paul’s letter to Philemon was that one of his slaves, Onesimus, stole from him and then ran away. It was during this time as a fugitive that he met Paul and became a Christian.

 

Paul’s personal appeal to Philemon was for him to accept Onesimus as a Christian brother and to forgive him. In light of what happened, forgiveness and reconciliation between owner and slave was a radical request.

 

⁶ And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. ⁷ Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.        NLT

 

Reading between the lines, you can easily see where Paul is going with his prayer. “Put into action the generosity that comes from your faith”. In other words, just as Jesus showed grace to Philemon and forgave him, he should show grace to Onesimus and forgive him.

 

Just like my friends and I knocked down the walls of my dilapidated garage, Paul was asking Philemon to knock down the walls of division between Onesimus and himself. He was asking Philemon to go against the norms of society by not only forgiving Onesimus, but also accepting him as a brother in Christ.

 

¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.            NIV

 

As Paul asked Philemon to knock down the walls of division in his life, the Lord is asking you and me to begin the demolition of division in ours.

 

 

 Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com