Misused Bible Verses That Should Concern You - 2 Timothy 1:7

Does God Promise to Heal My Destructive Thought Patterns in 2 Timothy 1:7?

2 Timothy 1:7 is often used by Christians to support the notion that God enables the Believer to overcome destructive thought patterns, negativity, depression, phobias and the like.  This verse is used to encourage Christians that God has enabled them to be free from nervous breakdowns and all manner of mental ailments.  Basing one’s study merely on the etymology of the word might lend a person to interpret this verse, in this manner.  The word does come from the Greek word sophron; which in turn is from sozo, meaning to save.  Add to that the Greek word phren, or mind, and you have literally "a saved mind" or "a sound mind".  But is this so?

Paul’s second letter to Timothy was written to encourage Timothy to remain steadfast in his calling as a Christian minister “in the face of threats and difficulties (1:8, 13; 2:1, 3, 5, 15; 3:1, 10–14; 4:1–5). The false teaching mentioned in the earlier letter is again in view (2:16–18).”^[1]  Timothy is going to have to face up to that potential conflict and confrontation and not ignore it.   This verse comes with this portion of Paul’s letter:

Exhortation to Endurance for the Gospel (1:3–2:13)
                 Thanksgiving for Timothy’s sincere faith (1:3–5)
                 A call to bold endurance in ministry, part 1 (1:6–14)
                 Examples, positive and negative (1:15–18)
                 A call to bold endurance in ministry, part 2 (2:1–13)^[2]

The Immediate Context:

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ⁹ who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, ¹⁰ and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, ¹¹ for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, ¹² which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. ¹³ Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Because of Timothy’s faith and spiritual heritage, Timothy is pressed to “fan into flame” the recognized gift that God has given him; probably recognized through his ordination. Is it possible that Timothy by nature is fearful and therefore Paul is compelled to encourage him?  It has been concluded that he is called to ministry and therefore timidity is inconsistent with such a Divine mandate.  So Paul makes an assertion: “for God gave us a spirit not of fear . . ..”^[3]  “God has not given us a spirit of "timidity" (deilia, "cowardice," only here in the NT), but rather a spirit of "power" (dynamis), of "love" (agape) and of "self-discipline" (sophronismos, "self-control," only here in the NT).”[4]  In lieu of fear, when God calls His servant to ministry He grants as gifts “power and love and self-control”.

English Text Comparison:

ESV	NASB	KJV	AMPLIFIED
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”	“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”	“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”	“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”

“The word sophronismos is one of those great Greek untranslatable words. Someone has defined it as “the sanity of saintliness” . . . Sophronismos is that divinely given self-control which makes a man a great ruler of others because he is first of all the servant of Christ and the master of himself.”[5]

Conclusion

The gift of sophronismos given to “us” (the Christian worker) and it is the ability to use discretion, prudence; and not to act rashly or hastily. Rather than knee-jerk, off-the-cuff, reactionary decisions and statements, the gift enables one to exercise sound judgement and sober responses.  It is not, in itself, a promise to restore minds that have been afflicted by destructive patterns or mental health problems.  This is not to say that God doesn’t care about such things.  Nor is it to say that the Bible is silent regarding such difficult and debilitating matters.   The point is that Paul is encouraging a somewhat fearful Gospel minister who will face opposition as he guards the Gospel truths he has been entrusted to.  What aid can he expect from the Spirit of God when confronting false doctrine?  God in His mercy will grant to that Christian worker Divine power and authority.  He can trust God to enable him to love that person to whom he or she is in conflict with; and he can also rest in the promise that in the midst of that intimidating crisis God will give him clear, rational, sober thought.

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^[1] Believer’s Study Bible. 1991 (W. A. Criswell, P. Patterson, E. R. Clendenen, D. L. Akin, M. Chamberlin, D. K. Patterson & J. Pogue, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (2 Ti 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^[2] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (2336). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (2 Ti 1:7a). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

[4] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:2 Timothy/Exposition of 2 Timothy/II. Thanksgiving (1:3-7)/B. God's Gift to Timothy (1:6, 7), Book Version: 4.0.2

[5] Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press

Hidden In Plain Sight

Soldiers train not to miss the trees for the forest.  It's been awhile but some of the indicators that we were taught to look for were things like texture, straight lines and of course movement.  One teaching point that I will never forget and still use today is to look from right to left.  Why?

From the earliest of ages we read from left to right.  The highly scientific reason that we do that is because we write from left to right.  We write from left to right because the Greeks and the Latins did.  A number of people think we write from left to right; top to bottom, to reduce smudging.  (That is if you're still using wet ink.)

The reason infantry soldiers are taught to observe right to left is because the mind is so amazing that after years of looking in the normal manner, the mind anticipates what it is going to see. Unfortunately the mind isn't always right.  Sometimes the mind misses things hidden in plain sight. The soldier has to trick the mind; force it to work harder.  The end result is better observation.

I thought today that as Christians who study God's Word, we need to be careful that we don't miss things hidden in plain sight -- or even worse see things in the Bible that aren't there.  Sometimes we are told things about the Bible by so many people, in so many ways, we just assume they are right. To make matters worse, we read into the Bible what is not there.  And in doing so, we miss what is really there.

Don't become so familiar with your Bible that you miss what is in plain sight.   I try to follow several rules that have helped me over these last few years.  It might sound like back-woods study techniques; and it sure won't impress too many seminary professors -- but it helps.  Here they are:

1. What's the first impression that a newly saved Christian would get from this passage? Somehow we want to read the Bible without all the baggage of excessive presuppositions. So as we approach the passage, let us pray: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (Psalm 119:18, NIV). 
2. Can my mother understand this?  Yes, I really think that.  Now my mother was smart.  She read and taught the Bible for many years.  She spoke English and a couple Nigerian languages.  She could even get the gist of a little Gaelic.  But if my mother needed Greek and Hebrew, a little Aramaic and especially needed to know a top secret number code to really understand the Bible, I'm in the wrong camp.   Bible interpretation has less to do with linguistics and more to do with hard work.  “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV).  "Do your best" equates to "work hard, endeavor, exert oneself."  Paul used the same word a few chapters later:  “Do your best to come to me quickly,” (2 Timothy 4:9, NIV).
3. Lastly, read it yourself before you read others.  When we refer to study notes, commentaries, media sermons etc. prematurely, it becomes very hard to see the passage clearly.  Now don't be confused.  I think it is arrogant and fool-hardy not to read what other godly people say about a text, but read the text yourself first.   Look for weird things, repeated things -- things that shouldn't be there.   Those are the straight lines and and the movements that alert you that there's something in the bush.  The Jewish leaders in Jesus' days on earth read the Scriptures and learned them faithfully.  But they missed the tree for the forest.   “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,” (John 5:39, NIV).

Someone has said that "the devil is in the details."   No so when it comes to God's Word.  In the Scriptures the truth is in the details.  It is hidden in plain sight.  Read the Bible today like you've never read it before!  With the help of the Holy Spirit you will see things you didn't know were there. You will also not see things that you thought were there.

   

   

Have You Thought About Friendship Lately?

I really enjoyed this chapter on Lewis' friends.  It just makes you want to run out and find a friend!

Without his friends, Lewis would never have become a spiritual and literary giant. And he would have little hesitation in demanding that we take the questions of friendship with the greatest seriousness: What kind of friends do we have? How much time do we spend nurturing our friendships? What’s the nature of real friendship ? These aren’t secondary questions as we might assume, but essential ones for living life well. Friends matter. They matter at school. They matter at work. They matter even more in old age. That’s why so many nod their heads at a neat epigram from Francis Bacon: “Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.” We all need friends—people who care for us, who can share our moments of joy, and who will support us in times of need and difficulty. Old friends tend to be good and true friends. Friends encourage us when we are downhearted and demoralised, they motivate us to perform better, and they help us pick up the pieces when things go wrong. We know that friends are important, but we live in a world that often trivialises the nature of friendship. Online social networks, with their collections of “friends ,” have in many people’s lives overtaken the place of real friendship. Yet despite these networks touting increased connectivity, research has shown that the upshot is less satisfaction with life. These “friendships” are leaving us worse off than before . . ..

. . . So what might we conclude? Perhaps the most important point to take away from our lunch with Lewis is that friendship is of vital importance because friendship is transformational—both for ourselves and for our friends. This is key because any form of ministry or service or endeavor worth pursuing requires support and fellowship. It cannot be undertaken in isolation. Friendship is essential to fit us for the task. That’s why the questions of friendship should be ones we ask ourselves on a regular basis: How are my friends influencing me? What task lies ahead of me that demands a community of support ? How can I support my friends? Am I spending enough time and energy cultivating real friendships? And is friendship an end or a means—something good in itself or a good to be consumed?" [1]

• Proverbs 22:24–25 (NIV), ²⁴ Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, ²⁵ or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.
• Proverbs 27:5–6 (NIV), ⁵ Better is open rebuke than hidden love. ⁶ Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
• Proverbs 17:17 (NIV), ¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
• Proverbs 13:20 (NIV), ²⁰ Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
• Proverbs 27:17 (NIV), ¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

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1.  McGrath, Alister (2014-03-21). If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis: Exploring the Ideas of C. S. Lewis on the Meaning of Life (p. 30-31, 52). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

The Law Within Is Much Better Than the Law Above!

For those of us who preach and teach the Doctrines of Grace and the mercies of God in the New Covenant, the most frequent reprisal comes from Roman Catholics and of course all Arminians, alike. To proclaim faith alone in Christ alone is to incur the accusation of antinomianism -- lawless living.  I doubt if I've read a better explanation of this than I find in Jeffry D. Johnson's book: The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism.  This is what he writes:

"In the old covenant, the law was written on tablets of stone and placed over the sinner.  Because of this, the sinner was under the law; therefore he was bound by the law to keep the law in order to be righteous in the sight of God . . . One the other hand, in the new covenant, the essence of God's moral law has been written upon the fleshly tablets. In this sense, the law is no longer placed over the sinner but within him.  God's new covenant people, in other words are no longer under the law but under grace.  Nevertheless, the grace does not lead to sin (Romans 6:1-2). Grace accomplishes two things: One, it brings about the forgiveness of sins by the merit of Christ's righteousness.  Two, it brings about a true desire and the inward ability to obey the law of God . . . This is why the law has two different labels.  In the old covenant it is called the law of bondage (Rom 7:1, Gal 4:3-5, 3:21-25), while in the new covenant it is called the law of liberty (Jam 1:25, 2:12). The law in the Mosaic Covenant led to bondage, because it demanded a righteousness, which sinners could not perform, while the law in the new covenant leads to liberty, because it finds no fault in those who stand by faith in the righteousness of Christ.  The law written upon tablets of stone led to bondage, because it opposed the stubborn and rebellious hearts of the Israelites'; conversely the law in the new covenant is liberating because it instructs Christians on how to express the love that they have for God and their neighbors.  Christians are in no way opposed to any of the normative commands of God; they delight in the statutes of God, as much as they delight in God Himself." [1] [emphasis mine]

So, as a Christian, when God's laws are placed before us, they resonate in our hearts, not to condemn us, for they are fulfilled to perfection in Christ, but to propel us -- to energize us -- out of great love, that we might live in a way that pleases our Savior.  The law over a person judges and condemns. The law within a person, inspires and motivates.


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1. Johnson, Jeffrey D., The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism, Free Grace Press, Conway, AR, USA, 2010, Page 173-174

More About Conditions Applied to an Unconditional Covenant.

In Exodus, chapter 1 and with the death of Jacob and Joseph, a new era of history begins.  A new leader emerges.  Not the wealthy, nomad of agrarian descent, but a man raised in the intellectual and royal palaces of Egypt.  The oppression that God foretold to Abraham is now a reality and God calls Moses, this Hebrew stalwart, raised by Pharaoh's daughter, to bring His people out of slavery into a great and prosperous land.

Moses had married a Midianite and “Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”” (Exodus 2:22, NIV).  With his father-in-law's permission, Moses and his family return to Egypt to set about the deliverance of Israel.  En route a strange this occurs:

“At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)” (Exodus 4:24–26, NIV).

This is a significant encounter.  "While it is often assumed that Yahweh seeks to kill Moses, Moses is never mentioned as being assaulted in vv. 24–26. Indeed, God’s wish to kill Moses seems to contradict the call of chaps. 3–4; Moses may not be the referent." [1]  So it is probable that God was threatening to kill Gershom, their son.  Why?  Because Moses had not circumcised him!

The ESV Study Bible adds an important notation:

"The events narrated in these verses are significant not only for what they tell but also for what they show. Not only has the Lord remembered his covenant promises (2:24), but his people are also called to remember the conditions of the covenant. Moses is held responsible for the provisions of the covenant with Abraham that required him to circumcise his sons (Gen. 17:9–14). Failure to be circumcised may lead to being “cut off” (some form of severe punishment from God; see notes on Gen. 17:14; Ex. 12:15; Lev. 7:11–36; Num. 9:6–14)." [2]

"The plain meaning seems to be that by sudden and shocking means God was reminding Moses that the penalty for uncircumcision was to be “… cut off from the people …” (Gen 17:14); it was a violation of the Abrahamic covenant." [3]

The timing of this event is important.  The Mosaic Law had not been established as yet in Israel.  The Exodus had not been enacted.  This is a clear demonstration that what God had said to Abraham in Genesis 18:17-21 plainly reveals that within the nature of the Abrahamic Covenant there were stipulations.  Obedience was required.

On April 23, 2014, I wrote further on this topic.  You can view it HERE.



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1. Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Ex 4:24). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
2. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (151). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
3. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (127). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

Is the Abrahamic Covenant a Lot of Mumbo-Jumbo?

I never imagined that the Abrahamic Covenant was so complex and so challenging as I just recently experienced.  The richness of study is worth it.  But as a pastor of an equally complex and challenging congregation, I thought yesterday, someone might still be asking, "What relevance is that for me?  Isn't this just a lot of theological 'mumbo-jumbo'?" 

So here is one paragraph that I wrote hoping to show everyone the important relevance this promise, covenant,  has for every Christian.   Here's the paragraph (it comes from the last 5 sermons):

Modern debates such as predestination,  eternal security, racial prejudice, holiness, grace, God's sovereignty and human responsibility, Israel, Gentiles, law vs. grace, etc., etc. are all resolved in the Abrahamic Covenant.  Just as US citizens tend to find their national identity and direction in the American Constitution, Christians find their hope, their rest and their comfort in the Covenant God made with Abraham.  It is one of the most important studies a Christian can spend their time on in reflection and worship.

To be a Christian, is to “… Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:29, ESV).

Future or Final Justification

How would I define future or final justification?   Well it is predicated on a verses such as this found in Romans 2:6–8 (ESV),

⁶ He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

The Greek text in verse 6 is: ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ [emphasis mine].  κατά the preposition is correctly translated by the ESV as "according to" does not necessarily mean "because of".  Now Dr. Douglass Moo does not favor the following interpretation (which places me on thin ice) but I think it's a favorable choice.  We might interpret this verse this way: "because of God’s grace in Christ and the indwelling Spirit, are enabled to produce works that will count favorably in the judgment of God (see, e.g., 2 Cor 5:10; Jas 2:14–26)." [1]

I think Dr. Richard Gaffin summarizes this so well:

"For Christians, future judgment according to works does not operate according to a different principle than their already having been justified by faith. The difference is that the final judgment will be the open manifestation of that present justification. . . . And in that future judgment their obedience, their works, are not the ground or basis. Nor are they (co-)instrumental, a coordinate instrument for appropriating divine approbation as they supplement faith. Rather, they are the essential and manifest criterion of that faith, the integral 'fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith.'”  [2]

The danger and the most frequent "push-back" is to suggest we are saying something contrary to "justification by faith alone in Christ alone".  This cannot be too strenuously affirmed.  We are not. Just like Abraham's works (Genesis 22)justified him, after he was previously imputed the righteousness of God in Genesis 15, (“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?” (James 2:21, ESV).  ) so too our works, at the final judgment will affirm that we indeed were justified, saved by grace, and sanctified. 

I quote Dr. John Piper: "Present justification is based on the substitutionary work of Christ alone, enjoyed in union with him through faith alone. Future justification is the open confirmation and declaration that in Christ Jesus we are perfectly blameless before God. This final judgment accords with our works. That is, the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives will be brought forward as the evidence and confirmation of true faith and union with Christ. Without that validating transformation, there will be no future salvation." [3]   That last sentence is not meant by Piper to suggest that imputed righteousness of Christ is insufficient to save.  He means by this that those who are indeed granted the free gift of justification, will out of inherent necessity bring forth fruits, evidence and confirmation of that gift.  In plain English, if there is no evidence of sanctification, then there has never been justification (“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30, ESV))

The Westminster Confession of Faith [4] affirms this:

Section II.—Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.  [Emphasis mine].

Romans 2:13 (ESV) reads this way: "¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified."   The ESV notation states, "Paul reaffirms the principle enunciated in vv. 6–11, that the doers of the law are the ones who are righteous before God, and that their justification will be pronounced on the last day." [5]  Taking that to be a correct interpretation we could then say that those who are counted righteous by God through faith in His Son, will be pronounced righteous at the final judgment; and Spirit-empowered works will give evidence that this in fact is valid.

Again, I am in grave danger of being misinterpreted. No one is justified by works, but no one will be justified without works.  There are inherent, intrinsic elements that accompany salvation by faith in Christ alone (“Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.” (Hebrews 6:9, ESV).  There are things that belong to salvation that will be evident on that last and final judgment.

Robert Haldane  gives us a great summary statement here:  "The works of believers will not be appealed to as the cause of their acquittal, but as the evidence of their union with Christ, on account of which they will be pronounced righteous, for in them the law has been fulfilled in their Divine surety." [6]

That's future, or final justification.  

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1. Quoted as an option by Moo, D. J. (2002). Encountering the book of Romans : A theological survey (66). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
2. Richard Gaffin By Faith, Not By Sight (Paternoster Press, 2006) pp. 96-97 noted in http://feedingonchrist.com/paul-the-law-and-eschatological-justification-three-views-on-romans-213/
3. http://www.trinityfoundation.org/horror_show.php?id=46
4. http://www.reformed.org/documents/shaw/index.html?mainframe=/documents/shaw/shaw_11.html
5. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (2160). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
6. Haldane, R. (1996). An exposition of Romans (electronic ed.) (90). Simpsonville, SC: Christian Classics Foundation.

"He Interpreted to Them in All the Scriptures the Things Concerning Himself."

"The Bible does not teach that salvation was ever possible by the works of the law. Salvation has always been by grace through faith alone. Those saved in the Old Testament dispensation were saved by grace and grace alone.  They were regenerated by the Holy Spirit and had faith in the promised Messiah.  They were circumcised in the heart (Deut 10:16).  The moved from Abraham's natural seed to Abraham's spiritual seed by the means of the new birth.  Among the natural descendants of Abraham were a few, a remnant according to election who were saved the same way Abraham was, by faith and grace, just as we are today . . . Old Testament saints were inward members of the covenant of grace, but outwardly they were still under the guardianship of the law [This was to preserve the seed until the fullness of time when Christ would come.] . . .  The ineffectual animal sacrifices were gracious in that they pointed to the efficacious substitutional atonement of the future Messiah."  [1]

"The Gospel is visible in the very writings of Moses (Luke 24:44).  It was first published in the garden (Gen 3:15) and republished more clearly with Abraham (Gal 3:8).  Even the very law itself pointed to Christ.  As Christ explains to the Jews, '[I]n the volume of the book it is written of me (Heb 10:7), and if 'you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.' (John 5:46)." [1]

Thus Jesus could say to Nicodemus as He conveyed the necessity of the New Birth, “. . . Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” (John 3:10, ESV).

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1. Johnson, Jeffery D., The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism, Free Grace Press, 2010, Pages 127-129.

 

HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY, KATRINA!

I walked into the post-delivery room at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton, 20 years ago to the distressed cries from a little baby girl named Katrina Ann MacLellan.  My fondest memory was when the sound of my voice silenced her cry and she looked toward me.

When I'd go to Church on Sundays she had to go with me.  One day I left her at home because she was late and Debra told me that she cried her eyes out.  We wrestled together.  We built stuff together.  We shot stuff together.  I still hold a privileged spot that even others don't: I get to hug her and give her a big Daddy-type kiss.

Katrina is one of the most talented people I know.  I don't think there's very much she can't do. Whether she's doing pretty flowers on a birthday cake or shingling a building, she's amazing.  She can switch out the shocks in her truck, do a brake job, consistently hit deer at 200 yards, outplay me at any video game ... and the list goes on.  Another thing about Katrina is that she is an amazing people person.  She's a blast in a party; and she's the best "auntie" any kid could have.

I used to tell her that the 'A' in her middle name was really "Anny" (for Annoying). Katrina loves to joke and bug her Dad.  For the last 20 years I don't think I could ever walk by her without getting a major punch somewhere in my torso.

Her favorite four-legged creature is her dog: Gracie.  You ought to ask how that dog got the green light to be in our house!  This girl came into my office, sat like she'd had just booked a counseling session and cried her eyes out, pleading for permission.  This big black Lab/Collie cross is the rest of the story.

I hope you get the impression that you think, I think, that my daughter is amazing.  She is!   Some days, Katrina, I wish you hadn't grown up -- but you had too.  You're no longer a teen, Kiddo.  I love you. Remember what I used to say, "All the way up to the sky and back."   Still do! You've seen me at my worst and you love me.  That's really cool.  Thanks!

Every night when I tucked you in I said quietly to you, "Your going to be a great and godly woman." You are well on your way.  God's not finished with you yet.  “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

Daddy

Jehovah-Jireh (The LORD will see and provide)

Genesis 22:8,14 (NIV), ⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together . . . ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”  

[And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh (meaning the Lord will see to it thus He will provide).] [1]

Hebrews 11:17–19 (NIV), ¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

"1. That the Lord will see; he will always have his eye upon his people in their straits and distresses, that he may come in with seasonable succour in the critical juncture. 2. That he will be seen, be seen in the mount, in the greatest perplexities of his people. He will not only manifest, but magnify, his wisdom, power, and goodness, in their deliverance. Where God sees and provides, he should be seen and praised." [2]

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1. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (60). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2. Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (53). Peabody: Hendrickson

How To Read Good!

I am using this title in a totally unauthorized way with absolutely no citation.  I read a similar blog title that was written: 'How to Write Good'.  Now perhaps I'm venting -- no, I AM  venting (need a little honesty here!), but one of the little irritants I face (Oh, I forgot: I'm being honest.) -- one of my huge irritants that I face -- almost daily, involves the simple failure of poor reading.

Now by poor reading I don't mean mispronunciation.  I don't mean improper diction.  I mean "ever reading but never knowing what you read."  I mean, is this a judicial blindness from Almighty God, or what?  Now before I fall off my high horse and have the pedestal I'm on crush my noggin, I need to confess that I'm not perfect here.   (I hope you read that.)  Having said that we really, really need to realize the urgency of this issue.

I wonder if our 'read-ability-index' is directly proportionate to the 7-second commercials we get bombarded with or even the 140 character tweets we get tweeted with?   What about all the Christians who rely on a weekly diet of edited television and radio preaching and teaching; who rest on 'quick-kiss-on-the-cheek' devotionals; and when they really, really, really want to go deep in the Word, they contract the latest and famous preacher through modern DVD lesson material?

All of these RATs[1] help us to do one thing: not read good!  I had a friend in High School that often used the phrase: "the blinding flash of the obvious."   So here it is: God gave us His authoritative revelation in a Book.  It is not an audio book.  It does not come with Coles Notes (Showing my age, right?).  It's a Book with sentences, nouns, verbs, etc., all dressed up in tenses.  It is a Book with cohesive and connecting thoughts.  It's a Book that God intended us to read -- ourselves.

OK, you don't like to read.  At this point I quote my sister: "Hezekiah 3:9 says, 'Life's hard, wear a helmet.'"  OK, you find reading difficult (same verse)!  Oh, you can't read.  Now you got me.  Not! Did you ever hear of Ann Preston, 1810-1906.  My father often told of her story.  Who is she?

Ann was born in Ireland and moved to Canada.  When she died at the age of 96, ministers from 6 denominations paid tribute to her life, at her funeral.  As a child she was told she was unfit for reading.  She couldn't memorize.  She prayed two hours every day and quoted, veraciously the Scriptures.  Who taught her to read?  The Holy Spirit.

So here it is folks, in spite of your RDD (another made up psychological condition), WE HAVE TO READ.  Martin Luther wrote: "For some years now, I have read through the Bible twice every year. If you picture the Bible to be a mighty tree and every word a little branch, I have shaken every one of these branches because I wanted to know what it was and what it meant." 

• Romans 15:4 (ESV), ⁴ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
• Colossians 3:16 (ESV), ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
• 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV), ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Why not go shake some branches.


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1. RAT = Reading Avoidance Techniques (I made this up!)

Taking the Mystique Out of Walking With God.

Of all the "firsts" in the Bible, this is still astounding.  “Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:22–24, ESV).   This was an early description of someone who enjoyed a unique intimacy with God.

• Genesis 17:1 (ESV), ¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
• Genesis 24:40 (ESV), ⁴⁰ But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father’s house.
• Genesis 48:15 (ESV), ¹⁵ And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,

"The double repetition of the phrase “walked with God” indicates Enoch was outstanding in this pious family." [1]  "The verb stem used signifies to walk about or to live, and the preposition denotes intimacy, fellowship." [2]   And not only was the intimacy a first, since the Fall of Adam, but the New Testament informs us: “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5, ESV).  "The verb pleased (Gr euaresteō) is the Septuagint rendering of the Hebrew phrase “to walk with.” [3]

To walk with God, is to please God.  

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5–7, ESV)  

Father, the Apostle Paul casts this goal: “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9, ESV).  What a great ambition, for us today,that everything we do, we do to bring great pleasure to God -- to delight Him.  Grant to us the grace of pleasing God but learning about Him.  Grant the courage to please Him, by not necessarily pleasing others.  Grant the mercy to please Him by dealing with our own sin.  By the power of the Spirit, for the sake of the Gospel grant a day that brings Christ much joy in us.   Amen. 

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1.  Wenham, G. J. (1998). Vol. 1: Genesis 1–15. Word Biblical Commentary (127). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
2. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (28). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
3. ibid, (2571).