Author: Tim Ehrhardt

I'm just a common ordinary pastor, chaplain, father, grandfather, and dog owner who loves the smell of a genuine leather Bible and the aroma of its message. I'm on a quest to track down the best Bibles, how to best read and use them, and to discover the encouragement inside.

Matthew 2:1-12

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            This date, January 6, of every year is a very significant day in the Christian Year – it is the day in which we as Christians intentionally recognize and celebrate the glorious truth that God’s Son was not only given to the Jews, but to Gentiles, as well.  This day is known as “Epiphany.”  Epiphany simply means “appearance” or “manifestation.”  Epiphany is the realization that the incarnation of Jesus involves a great deal more than Christmas; it brings a vision, a revelation, and an epiphany of God’s glory to every nation, people-group, and person on the face of the earth.
 
            The event that most represents and symbolizes Epiphany is the visit of the Magi to Jesus.  God, in his grace and mercy, made known to a group of Gentile astrologers that something of great importance was taking place.  A sign and light was given to them, leading them to Christ, the King.  Indeed, it is only through God’s gracious revelation of light to us that we are led to Jesus and receive the salvation that brings life, peace, and hope.
 
            Sometimes we forget and lose sight of what is really important in life.  We move at such breakneck pace and bind ourselves with such busy-ness that to stop and connect with life itself is not even a thought in our heads.  Yet, it is imperative that we look up into the sky and see a bright star in the east leading us, even beckoning us, to the Christ for whom all the universe hinges.  What do we really and truly need in life?  We need a Savior.  He has come.  He has been revealed.  Thanks be to God.
 

 

            God of light, you shine brightly and call us to your Son, King Jesus.  Today I celebrate your grace and goodness displayed in leading me to Yourself.  Thank you for salvation and life in Christ.  Continue to open my eyes so that I might see your love and truth.  Amen.

John 1:1-18

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I once spent several months in Tacoma, Washington.  The first few weeks I was in that wonderful city it was overcast, cloudy, and dreary.  Then, one morning, I woke up to a bright sunshine and looked out my window.  Behold! It was as if someone had dropped mountains on the landscape overnight.  And there was Mount Rainier staring me right in the face!  But I had seen none of it for weeks.  It is rather amazing what the light can do for us.
 
            “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”  Seeing the light, becoming a child of God, and being born again is a precious gift.  We can neither make ourselves see in the dark, nor can we cause ourselves to be Christians; only God can do it.  Jesus Christ is the light of the world, and through the will of God, Jesus is made known to us.
 
            What this means is that salvation, deliverance from sin, death, and hell is solely the work of God.  It all comes through the willingness of God in Christ to rescue us.  We cannot earn it, work for it, or pay-off our debt of sin.  Just as I was in awe of the majestic mountains that were in front of me, so I am slack-jawed over the grace of God in Christ that saved a sinner like me.  In Christ, there is rest.  Praise and adoration is the appropriate response to such mercy.
 

 

            Saving God, you have sent your Son, the Lord Jesus, to be the light of the world.  Shine in the darkness so that many others might know that grace and truth comes through Christ.  Thank you for saving me.  Please deliver many more from their groping in the dark.  Amen.

Isaiah 6:1-5

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Isaiah saw a vision of God in his throne room.  It was a grand, majestic, and transcendent vision of a God who dominates the entire setting.  The train of God’s robe filled the temple.  This is Isaiah’s way of saying that the vision he saw was a really big one.  God is immense and huge.  It is vital that we see the bigness of our God.  Gaining a vision of the hugeness of God is what causes our human problems to be seen as small.
 
            We are to take our cues from the seraphs that were worshiping God.  They were in the presence of God’s immensity and the seraphs gave unceasing praise.  A seraph is an angel with the job description to glorify God with continual adoration.  The seraphs physical description symbolizes their function:  covering their face symbolizes humility in God’s presence; covering their feet identifies that they are on holy ground; and, flying symbolizes their work to do God’s bidding. 
 
            So, then, the seraphs have two-thirds wing power for worship, and one-third wing power for work.  If this is any kind of indication how God’s creatures are to conduct their lives, we as humans have a great deal of life-adjustment to make in order to accommodate the worship of God into our lives. 
 
            Perhaps we see our problems as so large because we have a small view of God.  This must be inverted so that we see a big God who can take care of our puny situations.  The only way this is going to happen is if we have a vision of God, and the only way having a vision of God is going to occur is if we put ourselves in a position to see God. 
 

 

            Holy God, you are very large and very in charge over all your creation.  When I contemplate your bigness, I realize how small I am and how much I really need you.  My life is yours.  Here I am.  I belong to you. Amen.

Praise the Lord

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
We are made to praise the Lord.  It is in our spiritual DNA to give adoration, praise, and honor to God.  Praise is not just meant for the times when our circumstances are going well; it is also for the despondent times, the times of difficulty, and the situations which are downright hard.  It is always open season on praising the Lord, no matter what is going on in and around us.  Praise can help to re-orient our lives around God instead of remaining stuck in being dis-oriented.  Whether in good times or bad, we are to praise the Lord. 
 
            Everything and everyone is to praise the Lord (Psalm 148).  Because God has created and continues to impact every nook and cranny of his creation, the entire universe, every creature, and all humanity have the common task to praise the Lord.  The outer reaches of the universe, everything out there which we cannot even see, are to praise the Lord.  The earth and everything in it is to praise the Lord.  The forces of nature are to praise the Lord.  The landscape, the flora and fauna, animals and humans are, together with all creation, to praise the Lord.  Young people, old people, men and women no matter who they are or where they come from are to praise the Lord.  The proper purpose of everything and everyone that exists is to give adoration and praise to God.
 
            Praise to the Lord is the recognition that God deserves praise from everyone, and the way to do that is to bow, yield, and submit to him.  “Praise the Lord” is the Hebrew “hallelujah.”  Hallelujah literally means “to raise the hands.”  Raising the hands is not just for Pentecostals! It is a symbol of submission and joy.  To have open hands lifted toward heaven is to convey to God that we will obey him and live for him in everything.  Praising the Lord, lifting the hands, is not only to occur in church; praising the Lord is to happen everywhere.  We are to lift our arms in reverent submission at our workplaces when we land a client or have a good day, as well as when we are overwhelmed and cranky people demean us.  It is always open season on praising the Lord, and it is not limited to a certain set of good circumstances.
 
            We are to raise our hands and praise the Lord when our neighbors care about us and look out for us, as well as when they make noise and irritate us with their less than kept up yards and houses.  Yielding to God’s purposes for our lives is not dependent upon whether we have good neighbors or not.  We are to praise the Lord and raise our hands when our marriages are life-giving and thriving, as well as when our relationship with our spouse is dry, dull, and going nowhere.  It is always open season on praising the Lord and reflecting his image through love.  We are to praise the Lord over our kids, not only when they do what is right but we are to raise our hands with hallelujah when they are complete stinkers and drive us nuts.  We are to use our hands to praise and enact obedience, not refuse to praise and use them for violence through finger pointing, fist shaking, and even hitting.
 
            In adversity we praise the Lord because it gives us a chance to put our faith into action.  In times when someone is being insensitive and callous, it provides the opportunity to praise the Lord and love them because God loves us.  It is very difficult to see God with your head down and your shoulders slumped; raise your hands, lift up your head and praise the Lord!
 
At all times, and in all places, in every circumstance and with each situation we are to raise our hands in hallelujah to Jesus for saving us from our misguided ways and bringing us back into fellowship with God.  Sometimes we go through experiences that leave us feeling alone, as if no one else has ever known such pain.  At other times we encounter such sentiments of joy that we wonder if there are people who have ever known such elation.  And then there are the typical, ordinary, mundane times of the daily grind, the living of each day almost on auto-pilot – going through the motions without much thought to what we are doing or where we are going.
 
            No matter our current situation, every day and every situation is a summons to praise the Lord.  God’s claim upon our lives ought to lead us toward raising the hands to him.  The person who truly praises God is marked by three things:  a deep humility, understanding that they are not God; expressive gratitude, recognizing God’s actions and living in patience; and, unity, a sense of common purpose with all humanity and all creation to praise the Lord. 
 

 

            There is to be a seamless transition from praising God in church settings to praising him in all other environments.  Our adoration of God is to be consistent across the entire spectrum of our lives.  By God’s grace our Sunday worship will train us to carry our adoration of Christ into daily praise.  May it be so, to the glory of God.