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.

Malachi 3:16-4:6

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America — one out of every three — live in biological father-absent homes. The National Fatherhood Initiative reports that nine in ten American parents agree this is a “crisis.”  Consequently, there is a “father factor” in nearly all of the social issues facing America today. Yet there is hope in the fact that children with involved fathers do better across every measure of child well-being than their peers in father-absent homes.
            From a biblical perspective, the relationship between fathers and children is hugely important not only for the well-being of family and society, but for God’s people.  Fathers in ancient Israel were the primary instructors of God’s covenant to their children.  This responsibility was critical to ensuring success in Israel obeying their God.  The fact of the matter is that fathers as a whole blew it.  The very last verse of the Old Testament ends on a note of coming judgment.  But that is not the end of the story because the prophet Elijah will come to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and vice versa.
 
            John the Baptist, Jesus said, was the Elijah to come.  Jesus, then, is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to his people.  Dads have a sacred responsibility today to point their kids to Jesus.  We must take up the mantle of teaching our children the ways of God especially as expressed by Jesus.  God is on a mission of restoration, and the place to begin is with restoring relationships between fathers and children.  It behooves all us Dads to step away and slow down enough to consider what the nature of our family relationships are really like.  Then, take action to instruct our kids with both words and with actions.
            Gracious God, thank you for the gift of children.  Teach me your ways of grace so that I might pass them on to my children in Jesus’ name through the power of the Spirit.  Amen.

Habakkuk 3:13-19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Tucked away in the Old Testament is the little prophecy of Habakkuk.  Yet it packs a punch of a message.  The prophet, Habakkuk, was distressed over the corruption of his people, Israel.  So, he complained to God about it.  God responded by informing Habakkuk that judgment was coming to sinful Israel through the pagan Babylonians.  This was not what Habakkuk expected.  The prophet grumbled even more about the fact that the Babylonians were much more evil than the Israelites.  The Babylonians needed judgment, too!  The rest of this little book then unpacks Habakkuk’s struggle to come to terms with what God was doing.
 
            The conclusion that Habakkuk finally came to was this:  “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield not food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”  Even though the circumstances were bad, even dire, yet the prophet chose to rejoice in the Lord.
 
            One of the most significant faith experiences we can ever have is to come to the point of complete trust in God so that our happiness is not dependent upon good circumstances.  The truth is that the Christian’s joy and spiritual security is independent of what is going on around us.  Even though situations might be difficult and even evil, believers can still rejoice because we do not need everything to go our way in order to experience happiness.
 
            Joy is neither cheap, nor easy.  Total trust in God can only really come through a serious and open engagement, even argument, with God.  The place of contentment comes from a consistent, persevering, and constant interaction with God in his Word and through prayer – just like Habakkuk.
            Gracious God, bring me to the point of joy despite my circumstances so that my soul is not divided and unable to praise you.  May I delight in Jesus every day through the fellowship of the Spirit.  Amen.

Renewal

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
 
 
In this time of year, there are many who do not have to think twice about purchasing and giving gifts for Christmas.  We have blessings, both material and spiritual.  And we can always identify those persons who are in much more need than we are.  We may even believe that those in need are in that position because of their own unwise individual choices.  But we must recognize that the maladies of ourhearts are very real. 
 
There are specific conditions in our lives that leave us in bondage and in need of restoration, renewal, and revitalization, just like all kinds of other people. 
 
            Being a vital part of a local church does not automatically immune one from having serious needs.  We must not suppress those realities and those needs, but name the conditions which are packed away in a closet of our heart deep inside us:  the love of things and money; severed relationships; old grudges; hidden addictions; domestic violence; denial of depression; secret affairs; cutting; fear; anger; greed; and, hatred. 
 
Outward smiles and small talk conversations may hide the truth from others, but they do nothing to hide ourselves from a God for whom everything is laid bare.
 
            The good news is not just something for someone else who has “obvious” needs.  The gospel must touch our lives and bring us freedom so that we can pass on that very real good news to the legion of social ills that make our world sick.  There are people all around us who need spiritual, emotional, and material help.  But we will not have eyes to see them or have hearts to help if we are ourselves stuffing burdens so deep within that we are blind to others.
 
            Far too many church-going Christians have become expert emotion and need stuffers.  We might think that other people, “those people,” need ministries of justice and help.  But the truth is that many of us are either one paycheck, one prodigal kid, one mental health diagnosis, one serious illness, one drink, one affair, one bad decision away from being one of “those people” – the people we typically identify as in need – the ones that bad things happen to – the ones we do not want living next door to us.
 
            We just may not yet be vulnerable enough to admit our situation and so we keep practicing the denial of our spiritual poverty.  What should we do?  We should turn from the things that have caused us to be in poverty and be prisoners (not just secretly!) and delight greatly in the LORD by focusing on his grace, mercy, and justice (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11).  Our souls ought to rejoice in our God because he will make a sprout come up.  God will cause us to grow. 
 
God will rebuild our ruined souls.  God will restore the places of our lives that have been devastated.  God will even renew the places that have not seen renewal for generations. 
 
But it must begin with you and me allowing the justice of God to work within us.  God cannot bring comfort to those who do not mourn; he cannot turn grief into joy if there is no acknowledgment of a dire situation.  If we want to be an oak of righteousness there must be in existence a confession of despair and an allowance of the justice of God through Jesus Christ to work its way completely through us.
 
            What is your true situation?  What are the realities of your life that need to be named?  Where will you go to address those needs and truths?  Will you keep stuffing them, or will you become able to voice your inner personal needs?  Will you be vulnerable enough to allow the church to minister grace to your needy soul?
 

 

            Let us have a vision of Jesus coming into our lives and replacing a tattered hat of grief with a crown of beauty.  Let us picture the Lord placing on us a garment of praise to replace our stinky clothes of grumbling.  Let us allow our lives to display the grace of God in Christ because we have been profoundly touched by the justice of God.  Let us herald the coming of the Christ child as the hope of us all.

Psalm 126

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            You reap what you sow.  This principle is not only true with farming and gardening, but is also a reality of the Christian life.  Growth does not occur quickly.  Instead, a constant and vigilant attention to the spiritual life is what eventually bears fruit in good works and godly attitudes.  In our Western society of wanting everything immediately, this is a difficult principle to grasp.  We may think that when we sin and lightning does not strike us right away that what we did must not have been so bad.  But eventually our sin will find us out.  Conversely, we might believe that when we commit ourselves to service and see no immediate benefits and results that we must be doing something wrong.  So, we easily become discouraged and give up.
 
            But the psalmist reminds us of the necessity of patience.  Just as it takes continual watering to reap a harvest in the field, so the Christian’s life of weeping and tears, of tilling deeply into the things of God, is necessary to realizing a sprout, growth, and finally fruit.  Thus, the tedious patient development and weeding of our souls is the task before us.  If we wait, we will realize a harvest of righteousness. 
 
            Jesus taught us his Beatitudes to help us understand that righteousness, peace, and joy come through being in touch with our poverty of spirit; mourning over personal and corporate sin; becoming humble and meek; hungering and thirsting after righteousness.  Only through the blood, sweat, and tears of agonizing over the state of our souls will we come through to the deep happiness of seeing the Lord accomplish great things in our lives.  In other words, joy is neither cheap nor easy.  It is the fruit of many tears.
            Living God, plant yourself so firmly in my soul that life and joy will result.  Let my mouth be filled with laughter and shout the deep satisfaction that comes from having great things in my life, through Jesus my Lord.  Amen.