Category Archives: Bible

January 4, 2017 · 4:54 pm

A Word for Me

I have always been fond of the words of the Gospels and have found more recollection in them than in the most carefully planned books. If I keep close to this Master of wisdom, He may perhaps give me some thoughts which will help you. I do not say that I will explain these Divine prayers, for that I should not presume to do, and there are a great many explanations of them already. Even were there none, it would be ridiculous for me to attempt any.

…….Teresa of Avila

The words of the gospels have more recollection than the most carefully planned books. This observation of Teresa of Avila was made long ago and yet it resonates in our day. We have a plethora of books, websites, blogs and digital downloads that clamor for our attention and promise to make life grand and glorious. All that said, the words of the gospel can speak volumes to us today. In times of trouble, in times of need such words can be an anchor to the otherwise shifting sands of life. Teresa referred to the gospels as prayers. They are “God prayers” directed to us.

Just like Teresa I cannot begin to dissect or explain why these prayers/words are still so relevant. I can say that they are still real and reliable. The truth of the gospel is not subject to popularity or current event relevance. The Gospel stands head and shoulders above all else. There is not a subject vital to life that escapes discussion in the Word. God covered the bases for us.

The tragic mistake made by unnumbered generations is to try to improve on the perfection of God’s revealed Word. Gospel means “good news’ and the news of our redemptive and grace-filled God can never be changed or improved. By this assertion I do not mean to engage in the age old “inerrancy and infallibility “arguments that have squandered the real gift of the Gospel. The gospel is God’s living word to YOU; its speaks to YOU in the ways that YOU need. The voice of God can say different things to different people and all these revelations are true. The singular interpretation of scripture leads to broken relations, war and even murder – all these horrible things done in the name of God. I urge you to read the scripture and let it act as your personal guide to life. Let us allow the words of the gospel to guide us in the way we should go. Look at Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as your personal life coaches. The words that they write are like text messages received from a close friend. Treasure them and remember them by applying them to your life. The world has spent far too much time interpreting the Word rather than applying it to our individual lives.

Here are a few topics and quotes from the Gospel of Matthew –

Compassion and Forgiveness

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors […] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:12-15)

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

Hypocrisy

Therefore when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:2)

When you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:16)

Sin

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, ALL MANNER OF SIN AND BLASPHEMY SHALL BE FORGIVEN UNTO MEN: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. (Matthew 12:30-31)

Those are but a few topics from the Gospel of Matthew that require no interpretation or explanation but only application.

Prayer

Lord help me this day to allow your Gospel to speak to me as thought it was written exclusively for me. I ask you to cast out all my thoughts of distance from you and invite an intimate closeness that you desire. That closeness will allow your words to speak in every situation in which I find myself. May I know that you are present and have the best in store for me. Lord give me the faith and patience to believe and endure.

Amen

A Simple Message (heartfixxer.wordpress.com)

Humility

The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

— Jesus of Nazareth

Those of us who call ourselves Christians sometimes neglect the instructions that came directly from Jesus. In the scriptures Jesus had many things to say. Because we live in this fast paced competitive American society, we find it difficult to image that we can be exulted by humble behavior. We have been taught from a very early age to put our “best foot” forward. The words of Jesus cut against that concept. The real task of humility is to be genuine and authentic in all that you do. The person who exalts himself is, in many instances, just lying. We have a time for self-exalted people. We call them hypocrites because can never live up to their talk.

In the Kingdom of God leadership is marked by servant hood and not self exultation. If you want to rid your life of hypocritical self agrandizement ,become a humble servant to all. A servant’s word will carry far more weight in the end than the word of a great teacher who does not follow through. The American Poet Edgar A. Guest wrote:

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one, any day;

I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way;

The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear.

Fine counsel is confusing, but examples always clear,

And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds,

For to see good put in action is what everybody need.

We are all (clergy and laity)walking sermons weather we like it or not.

Prayer

Grant us, O God, a mind to meditate on you; eyes to behold you; ears to listen for your word; a heart to love you; and a life to proclaim you. Amen.

Staring At My Pile of Dirt: The cost of growing the kingdom of God in Chicago (dailytheology.org)

Day 21–March 13

Mark in Forty Days

This year I am reading through the Gospel of Mark during the forty days of Lent. My suggested plan is that you do these readings in Lectio Divina format.

Today’s reading

Mark 9:14-23

Prayer Thought

O gracious and Holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate upon you, and a life to proclaim you, through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lent is About Baptism (dailytheology.org)
Monday Meditations: The Power of the Son of God (keeponswimmingblog.wordpress.com)

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Filed under Bible, Bible Reading, Lent

Tagged as Act of God, Anglican Communion, Christ, Gentile, God, Gospel of Mark, Jesus, Jews, Lent

August 25, 2014 · 12:21 pm

First Things First

Abba Abraham told of a man of Scetis who was a scribe and did not eat bread. A brother came to beg him to copy a book. The old man whose spirit was engaged in contemplation, wrote, omitting some phrases and with no punctuation. The brother, taking the book and wishing to punctuate it, noticed that words were missing. So he said to the old man, ‘Abba, there are some phrases missing.’ The old man said to him, ‘Go, and practice first that which is written, then come back and I will write the rest.’

—–Sayings of the Desert

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?

—–1 Corinthians 3:2-3

In my office there are many books, some I have read, and some I have not read. Within my collection are books that I have not read since my seminary days. Somehow I am comforted by the clutter of words that surround me and forget that a book is no good unless it is read. The Abba and Paul hit this subject head on.

If we do not use what we have, how can more be of any use to us? Most of us, like the Corinthians and the brother of the story are crying out for fullness and never use what we already possess. We have to begin our spiritual journey by applying the knowledge we possess to our pilgrimage .As we are nourished by the milk we have been given, we then push forth to a higher plain of knowledge. Our spiritual passage begins with the life messages that God has given to us and our application of them. Far too many times we get well ahead of ourselves and begin drowning in an overload of spiritual information with the false illusion that more is better. Only later we discover that we have wasted precious time for blessing by coveting more that we can apply.

Prayer

Lord help me to absorb with diligence and humility all that you have revealed to me. May I spend my days trying to grow into the Christian that you created. This day I give to you what I know and understand, and I will wait with patience for what is to come. Amen

Virtues, and how to attain them – Abba Isaiah of Scetis (sayingsoftheorthodoxfathers.wordpress.com)

3 Comments

Filed under Bib, Bible, Bible Devotional, Desert Fathers

Tagged as Christ, Christian, Corinthians, First Epistle to the Corinthians, God, Paul, Wadi El Natrun

August 14, 2014 · 10:02 am

Wycliffe’s Bible

Handwritten Wycliffe Bible – The Prologue of John

In my various writings and gleanings of spiritual materials I sometimes neglect the importance of having a reliable version of the Bible that I can read in my own language. The father of the English Bible is the Oxford scholar, John Wycliffe. His enemies called him “John Wicked-Believe,” and his church branded him a heretic and traitor. Wycliffe completed his translation directly from the Vulgate into English in the year 1382, now known as Wycliffe’s Bible. Below is the prologue of John from that Bible.

John 1:1-5 (Wycliffe Bible)

¹ In the beginning was the word, and the word was at God, and God was the word. ² This was in the beginning at God. ³ All things were made by him, and without him was made nought, that thing that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men; ⁵ and the light shineth in darknesses, and darknesses comprehended not it.

Prayer Thought: Lord we thank for those who sacrificed to bring your Word to us.

John Wycliffe about by ” greatsite.com” (enquirynews.wordpress.com)
Bible Translation Needs at a Glance (visual.ly)

Perspective

Reading the scriptures is a great safeguard against sin.

—–sayings of the desert

The importance of a proper perspective on life can never be overstated. I once heard the story of an old Navajo Indian in Arizona who became a very wealthy man when oil was discovered on his land, but wealth did not change him. He went on living just as he had before while the money piled up in the bank. Every now and then, however, the old man would visit the bank and say to the banker, “Crops all dried up; sheep all dead; cattle all stolen.” The banker knew exactly what to do. He would take the old man into the vault, seat him at a table, and place several bags of Jesus teaching silver dollars in front of him for him to count. After a while the man would come out and say, “Crops fine; sheep all alive; cattle all back.” Why the change? He had simply reviewed his resources and reminded himself of what he had to fall back on. This is what believers must do when the pressure comes. When we feel like complaining and murmuring, let us remember who we are in Him and what He has promised us for times of stress.

Not many people who read these words will have an oil well that pours money into your bank account everyday’ but we have something far greater. We have the wealth of the Creator. His promises can relieve all anxiety and stress to those who trust Him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

——Jesus of Nazareth

The Secret of the Light Yoke (newevangelizers.com)
Seeking the Glory of God in the Desert (frted.wordpress.com)

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Filed under Bible, stress, Wisdom

Tagged as Arizona, Jesus, Navajo Nation, Navajo people, Nazareth, New Mexico, Pharisee, Wells Fargo

April 17, 2014 · 8:32 am

Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-15

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.

T his passage says it all for this day of Holy Week.
Whose feet are you washing, and just as important, why?

Prayer: Loving Provider, you gather me in this upper room with your son, to be fed by your love. At that supper, Jesus told us to “love one another” and I know that is the heart of his gift, his sacrifice for me. I ask that I might find the source of my own heart, the meaning for my own life, in that Eucharist. Guide me to the fullness of your love and life.

3 Comments

Filed under Bible, Prayer, Self-denial

Tagged as Bible, Maunday Thursday, Prayer

March 7, 2014 · 7:31 am

4 Things Jesus Never Said

This is a reprint of an article by Michael Hidalgo in the current issue of Relevant Magazine. I hope you can gain some insight from it. Irvin

Here are a few things I hear frequently hear that we may need to rethink …

If You Had More Faith God Would Answer Your Prayer.

There was a man who had a son who suffered from convulsions, and was unable to speak. The father brought his son to Jesus for healing and said, “If you can do anything … help!” Jesus replied to the father, “If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23).

The father then said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

What happens next is interesting. Jesus does not say, “I’m sorry, I’d love to help you out, but you need more faith before I can do anything” – not at all. Rather, he heals the boy in the midst of the father’s struggle to believe.

In fact, if we read through the Bible we see God at work in the lives of people in the midst of their doubt and unbelief. We see this with Sarah in Genesis 18, the people of Israel in Exodus 14, Naaman in 2 Kings 5, and Zechariah in Luke 1—to name a few.

We cannot forget the Bible is the story of God’s work, renewal, faithfulness and redemption in the midst of the unfaithfulness of humanity. He does not demand we believe and trust so he can work. He works, and invites us to believe and trust.

Doubting Is Dangerous.

Did Jesus say “Stop Doubting?” Yes. Is there more to the story? Yes.

Of all the disciples, the only one who was has an enduring nickname is Thomas, a.k.a. “Doubting Thomas.” We have traditionally thrown him under the bus for doubting Jesus rose from the dead, and condescendingly shake our heads at his resistance to believe.

But let’s not forget, he is not the only one who did not believe. When the disciples first hear of Jesus’ resurrection from the women who went to Jesus’ tomb, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11).

All the disciples doubted, but Thomas was the only one with the courage to admit he needed proof. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). And when Jesus finally encountered Thomas, he did not rebuke him. Rather he gave Thomas what he needed. He invited Thomas to touch his wounds, and only then did Jesus tell him he could stop doubting.

The beauty of this is Thomas had an encounter with Jesus none of the other disciples did. He is the only one who touched the wounds of Jesus, because he had the faith to doubt. Nowhere does Jesus condemn doubt; rather he meets people right where they are in it.

Here is How You Can Get To Heaven.

What’s remarkable about Jesus is how little he talked about what happens to us when we die. He was far more concerned with what happens to us while we live here and now. I say this, because Jesus commented very little on heaven as a place somewhere out there we can go when we die.

However, Jesus talked nonstop about our life here and now. Make no mistake Jesus proclaimed the gospel, and the good news about the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven). But his desire was to see this Kingdom come to earth. By comparison we speak about the gospel being how we can leave earth to get to heaven and have eternal life after we die.

Which raises a question: Why does our gospel get us ready to die while the gospel of Jesus gets us ready to live?

Perhaps we should listen closely to the words of Jesus, and move from being consumed with where we will go when we die to being consumed with how we live here and now. How would that change, not only us, but also our world?

There Will Always Be Poor People Among You. Period.

I have a t-shirt that has the words “End Poverty” on the back. Several times when I have worn the shirt I’ve had people say dismissively, “Jesus said, ‘The poor you will have with you always …’” True, he did say that. But that is not all he said.

According to the gospel of Mark Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want” (Mark 14:7). Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 15 where God told his people, “There need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you … he will richly bless you” (Deuteronomy 15:4). God told his people there is no good reason for poverty to exist.

But God seemed to know how we operate, so he said, “If anyone is poor among your people in any of the towns … be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need …” And “There will always be poor people in the land … be openhanded toward those of your people who are poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).

If anything, Jesus’ quote about the poor is a challenge to be generous, lending freely and openhanded toward them.

Jesus certainly had a lot to say; it’s no wonder he is often misquoted. However, when we take the time to truly hear what he has to say to us we will be both comforted and challenged by his words. And when we truly hear him, we will have much more to rethink.

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Tagged as Bible, Doubt, Jesus, Lent