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.

Luke 7:18-30

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            For a short time in my life I had a side business doing some painting.  I once painted an interior apartment in a large beautiful Victorian house.  When I was done, it looked great.  However, there was a bit of a problem.  The owner came to check on my progress only to find that I had painted with the wrong color!  I was certain I had it right, but, alas, the job ended up taking twice as long as anticipated.
 
            Sometimes we can be so sure about our plans, only to discover our expectations were off.  John the Baptist was sitting in jail, not for any crime other than offending the king.  As he sat there, John began to doubt.  He started wondering about Jesus.  Maybe he had been wrong about him.  Perhaps he was not the Messiah after all.  John had been doing ministry with the expectation that Jesus would beat up the Romans, usher in a renewed political Israel, and put down all threats to his Lordship.  But that was not happening.  John was now uncertain.  So, he sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
 
            John reasoned that if Jesus were really a sovereign king, he would not be imprisoned facing imminent death.  Jesus responded to John’s uncertainty by quoting the prophet Isaiah and letting him know that the kingdom takeover was going exactly as planned.  The problem was that John had been using the wrong paint.  John’s plans did not fully sync with Jesus.
 
            It is easy to doubt when adversity strikes.  When things don’t go according to our expected plans, then what?  This is why it is so vitally important to continually seek the Scriptures and seek the Lord Jesus so that we might not only paint the right building, but use the paint Jesus expects us to use.  The thing that John got right was pursuing Jesus.  When in doubt, he sought the Lord – and that is something we all can emulate.
 

 

            Lord God, you are sovereign over your world, even though at times it does not seem like it.  I look to you, Holy Spirit, to keep me on track with Christ’s kingdom purposes so that your will is accomplished in and through me.  Amen.

2 Peter 1:2-15

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I will admit that I am not much of a cat person.  I especially do not care for housecats.  I personally think their nocturnal behavior is creepy.  What is more, they get spoiled and finicky quite easily.  Some cats can get so fat and sassy that they turn up their nose on food that I would like to eat myself.  Yet, just as easily as a housecat can take for granted all she has, we as believers can far too easily lose sight of the incredible grace that we possess in Jesus Christ.
 
            Today’s New Testament lesson is meant to be a wake-up call to be reminded of how good we really have it.  God has given us his very great and precious promises.  He has given us everything we need for life and godliness for this present time.  And, yet, like a housecat sticking up her nose, we do not feed upon the grace that has been given to us.
 
            We need to come to our senses and make every effort to supplement our faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  This is how we make our calling and election sure.  We are to recall these things on a continual basis so as to not become fat and sassy Christians only showing up when we want something from our owner.
 
            Instead, be a dog person.  Have unbounded joy when God shows up.  Lay at the Master’s feet.  Eat whatever is put in front of you with happy abandon.  Anticipate the delight of walking alongside the owner as you stroll together through the neighborhood of life.
 
            Do not just pass over these wonderful verses today.  Read them over several times.  Drink them in and feed on them.  Savor the words of Holy Scripture.  Let the Holy Spirit teach you.  Enjoy Jesus today, my friend.
 

 

            Gracious God, thank you for giving me everything I need for life in this old world.  Your divine power is all I need.  I lack nothing in you.  I only ask that you help to live into the grace you have already given so that I can be effective in my Christian life for Jesus Christ, my Lord.  Amen.

Romans 8:22-25

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Advent is a season for patience, waiting, and anticipation.  As Christians, we have the confident hope that Jesus is coming.  His arrival is certain.  It will happen.  When my wife was pregnant with our firstborn daughter, the nine months seemed to go agonizingly slow.  And the closer the time came for her to be born it seemed she would never come!  But, of course, she did.  My first gander at a live childbirth was not a pretty sight; there was nothing at all romantic or glamorous about it.  It was not easy seeing my wife in such unique pain.  Yet, after it was all over, it was as if she had forgotten the difficulty of pregnancy and birth because her joy was so immense.
 
            In this world which is so full of physical, emotional, and even spiritual pain, we groan inwardly longing for the day when the promise will be realized and Jesus arrives.  Christians have a settled expectation that Jesus is coming.  If we keep our focus on this future reality, it helps to give shape and purpose to what we do now.  If we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it with patience.
 
            But sometimes we lose sight of our hope.  How do we hold on and not give in to discouragement?  How might we remain vigilant and steady, especially when times are difficult?  One way we persist is by not going it alone.  Christians all share the same common experience of needing to embrace hope.  We are to remind one another of our forgiveness in Christ, our shared love of Jesus, and our commitment to remain true to the Lord’s way of love.  Perhaps today you need to be vulnerable enough to openly share with a trusted believer how much you need your hope reawakened; or, maybe you have noticed someone who is losing hope and needs an intervention of encouragement.  Let us keep reminding each other that better days are coming….
 

 

            God Almighty, although this is a season of hope, many suffer in silence with hurting hearts.  Open my eyes to those around me who need their hope reawakened today, and use me to remind them of your abiding grace in Jesus Christ, our coming Savior.  Amen.

Pursue Peace

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
Over the past several years I have developed the notorious “pastor paunch.”  But, in the past three weeks I have lost fifteen pounds.  It didn’t just happen.  It has been intentional.  If I were to only focus on the negative of what I can’t eat, I would never make it.  After all, if I keep thinking about the anchovy pizza that I’m not supposed to have, eventually my willpower breaks down.  But if I focus on the positive, of becoming healthy and incorporating positive practices of health into my life on a daily consistent basis, then I am setting myself up for holistic well-being.
 
            Peace does not just happen.  Peace was bought at a price – the blood of Jesus (Colossians 1:20).  And it must be pursued (Ephesians 4:3).  Practices of peace must be engrafted into our lives if we are going to experience it on the daily practical level (Romans 14:13-15:7).  Is it hard?  Yes, absolutely.  Is it worth it?  I’ll let you be the judge.  I think your conscience already knows the answer.
 
            How bad do we want to be spiritually healthy?  How bad do we desire the peace of God:  Enough to stop being negative? Enough to reconcile and make things right? Enough to pursue Jesus?  It is high time we begin redefining our situations from a negative focus on only problem solving to the positive vision of peace, wholeness, integrity, and spiritual growth and health.
 
            Zechariah’s song of praise anticipating the birth of Jesus gives us a vision of a future full of peace, joy, and thriving (Luke 1:68-79).  The name “Zechariah” means in Hebrew “God remembered.”  God has not forgotten his promises.  The time has come to take hold of the vision God had from the very beginning to walk with humanity in continual fellowship and happiness in the garden, a place of abundant growth, beauty, and health.
 
            The World Health Organization did a study which has found that 10% of Americans suffer from some form of depression.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has taken notice of the rising figures of suicide in this country, which has been growing steadily for the past thirty years.  Last year nearly 42,000 people took their own lives in the United States.  That’s approximately 13 suicides per 100,000 people.  Large numbers of people lack peace in their lives.
 
            This year a study came out from a task force put together by professionals across a wide spectrum of disciplines known as the World Happiness Report.  Every country in the world was ranked according to criteria such as the gross domestic product, social support, healthy lifestyles, freedom to make choices, lack of corruption, and both negative and positive outlooks on life.  The U.S. did not even make the top ten.  Even with all of our vast resources Americans are, collectively speaking, a very unhappy people.  I believe the most interesting finding from the World Happiness Report was their conclusion as to what makes one country happier than another.  The Report concluded that citizens of the happiest nations on earth continually find a steady stream of joy in three sources:  their families, their rituals/traditions, and their religion.
 
            If we are not finding joy in our lives through our Christianity and/or our church involvement, then it is reasonable to conclude that we are not experiencing the peace of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps we need to find newfound hope and joy through celebrating the Table of the Lord together.  It is a religious ritual that we experience together which reminds us that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
 

 

            Forgiveness of sins, spiritual peace, and human well-being is ultimately found in Jesus.  We both remember Christ’s accomplishment of peace through the cross, and participate in that peace through the common elements of Bread and Cup.  As we eat and drink, let us ingest the peace of Christ into our lives.