“Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those he wanted, and they came to him.” (Mark 3:13, CSB) What is it about a mountain that pulls people to reach its summit? The difficulty of the ascent doesn’t matter; they feel a compulsion to reach where others dare not tread. Mount Everest, considered the world’s tallest summit, has had a “traffic jam” at times as unprecedented numbers of climbers waited in line for their turn to reach its peak. Can you imagine enduring over 29,000 feet of treacherous climbing, not to mention rigorous training and great expense, just to wait in…
The day after Christmas, I enthusiastically challenged my nine-year-old grandson to a game of bowling. The standup video kind. We were having a blast—he was winning—until something caused me to lose my footing, and I went down. I apparently tried to break my fall with my arm, but instead I broke my arm with my fall. Badly. When my fractured forearm was examined, I learned a new word: comminuted. A comminuted fracture is when the bone breaks into several pieces and needs more than simple resetting. In my surgery, for example, they had to reconstruct the shattered bones with grafts, plates and screws before they could realign them. But that was only the beginning. The doctor then had to splint my arm—to force the bones to stay in their proper position without moving so they could heal back together properly. That’s where I am at this writing—and it’s got me thinking. All that even the best doctor can do is REALIGN the bone fragments. The important work of healing kicked in when I submitted to an external stabilizer—a SPLINT—to hold the reassembled bones in place. No wiggle room. The process then requires sufficient TIME while God does the work that…
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17, ESV) You may think a year is 365 days long, but that is technically incorrect. It really takes the earth approximately 365.242189 days, a tropical year, to circle once around the sun. And, no, I will not (cannot) explain a tropical year. Just do an internet search to satisfy your curiosity. This year is Leap Year, and February will have twenty-nine days instead of the usual twenty-eight. Without this extra day in our calendar every four years, we would lose about six hours every year. Most of us complain that we don’t have enough time to get everything done. Now, on Leap Day those six hours times four—a full day, give or take a few seconds—will be placed back into our account. We will receive a gift—the gift of time! If we truly did have the gift of extra time, how would we choose to spend it? Just think of the possibilities. We could: Catch up on our sleep or…
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. (John 11:44-46, ESV) Many times, eyewitnesses to the same event will each “see” the event differently. I suppose it’s a combination of one’s perspective, attentiveness, or even bias that may affect our perception of…
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14, ESV) We are now into the second month of the new year. By this time each year, about eighty percent have fallen behind on their resolutions and slipped back into old habits. For the Christian, the resolve to read more, pray more, and spend more time with God may have already gotten crowded out with the busyness of life in the 21st century. Whether setting goals for spiritual, physical, financial, or professional growth, the one word that comes to my mind is determination. Whatever we desire to accomplish requires us to consistently, steadily push forward. Even when our progress may be slower than we had hoped, keep moving forward. The truth is, things beyond our control—illnesses, family emergencies, or other schedule wreckers—will interrupt even the best of our intentions. But that doesn’t mean we should throw up our hands and just give up. Remember the old fable of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise won the race not because he was so speedy but because he just kept plodding along. Not fast but steady. If you are discouraged because…
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him . . . And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” (I Samuel 3:7 and 10, ESV) I have several acquaintances who have hearing problems, not all of whom are older. Some use hearing aids and two or three have cochlear implants. Still others, with severe or total hearing loss, use sign language to communicate. Whatever the cause, when our hearing is impaired, it affects how we live. The problem we find in I Samuel 3 is not physical deafness but rather a spiritual hearing loss. Or should I say a listening loss? The people of Israel could have heard the voice of God had they chosen to listen. First Samuel 3:1 says, “And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation” (NKJV). Hearing from God was an unusual occurrence for the Israelites. It was a time of spiritual darkness and indifference. God desired to speak to His people, but they had hardened their hearts toward God and would not listen. The…