Category: Year C

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
“You have looked deep
into my heart, Lord,
and you know all about me.
You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
you discover my thoughts.
You notice everything I do
and everywhere I go.
Before I even speak a word,
you know what I will say,
 and with your powerful arm
you protect me
from every side.
 I can’t understand all of this!
Such wonderful knowledge
is far above me.” (CEV)
 
            Please do not quickly pass over these inspired words from Holy Scripture.  Take some time to carefully digest each phrase slowly so that the message becomes internalized, believed, and lived in real time experience.
 
            One of the theories of human psychology is that people are driven by two primary needs:  to intimately know another person; and, to be intimately known by another.  God knows us even better than we know ourselves – and he still loves us!  There is nothing about us that God doesn’t know.  No human relationship can even come close to the level of knowing that God has for us and about us.
 
            Therefore, to know God is perhaps the greatest and highest pursuit we could ever enjoy.  God is so big and infinite that we will spend an eternity getting to know him and will never get to the end of knowing him completely.  That is the kind of God we serve.  Be encouraged today and always with the reality that you are known, and can know God.
 

 

            Immense God, you are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me.  Everything you do is marvelous!  Of this I have no doubt.  Look deep into my heart, Lord, and find out everything I am thinking.  Lead me in the ways of Jesus.  Amen.

Luke 14:15-24

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            If the gospel of forgiveness in Jesus Christ is such good news, and God is so good, then why aren’t people breaking the door down to get into the church?  Today’s Gospel lesson gives us one reason why:  They just aren’t interested.  The parable Jesus told was of people, when invited to come to the great banquet, kept making one excuse after the other why they couldn’t come.
 
            Jesus was not talking to the sinful outsiders, but the religious insiders – they were the ones making the excuses why they could not participate.  Here’s the deal:  If professing believers in God are not excited about the gospel; if Christians are not enthused over what they possess in the gospel; if we as the church are content to go through the motions of Christianity without a concern to be with Jesus; if we are simply too busy to come and attend God’s banquet of grace; then, why in the world should those persons who don’t profess Christ as Savior break down the door to get in?
 
            Jesus was offering a penetrating warning:  The unresponsive religious insiders will be replaced by the responsive sinful outsiders.  If the insiders take for granted what they possess and have better things to do, then God is going to call people who will hear, listen, and respond to his gracious invitation.
 
            The deeply probing question for every believer today is this:  Are we so familiar with Jesus, and so content with the way things are that when God breaks into our lives in the form of an invitation that we refuse to respond because we are not interested in going to some stupid banquet?  Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.
 

 

            Gracious God, forgive me for wasting time in things that just don’t matter in the scope of eternity.  I choose to go out and compel outsiders to come in, so that your house will be full for the great feast at the end of the age.  Through Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray.  Amen.

Titus 1:1-9

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Paul wrote his letter to Titus so that some solid competent virtuous leaders might be appointed to guide the church on the island of Crete (located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Greece).  There was no ambiguity with Paul about this.  He laid it out clearly:  “Church officials are in charge of God’s work, and so they must also have a good reputation.  They must not be bossy, quick-tempered, heavy drinkers, bullies, or dishonest in business.  Instead, they must be friendly to strangers and enjoy doing good things.  They must also be sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled.  They must stick to the true message they were taught, so that their good teaching can help others and correct everyone who opposes it.”
 
            There is no reason to think that Paul thought of this as the ideal leader, as if no one could really be this way.  Paul also did not think about this instruction as a strategy for getting apathetic people off their butts and into some form of service.  No, Paul meant what he said.  He knew that compromising on the character of leadership would erode and destroy the church.
 
            The selection of church leaders is important because just one bad belly-aching non-virtuous apple can upset the entire apple cart.  Good people provide good teaching.  People with a selfish agenda find ways to subvert sound instruction to get what they want.  All of us in the Body of Christ are to be wise to it all through the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.  This is yet another reason to immerse ourselves in the Bible so that we will lead with the confidence of knowing God.
 

 

            Holy God, you insist on holiness in your people, especially in leadership.  Help all your churches everywhere to raise competent leaders with character so that the work of making disciples will responsibly go forward with joy and effectiveness.  In Jesus’ Name I pray.  Amen.

Hebrews 13:7-21

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I once rode a horse named “Old Glue” because he stuck to the ground like glue.  It took a furious amount of kicking to get that old horse to move at all.  I think about Old Glue every time I look at the final chapter of Hebrews.  It feels like the author is firing off exhortation after exhortation trying to kick some life into a group of people who have lost their enthusiasm for Jesus. 
 
            Don’t forget about your spiritual leaders; don’t be fooled by any strange teachings; share in the disgrace of Christ; keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus; don’t forget to help others and be benevolent; and, obey your leaders and do what they say.  All these exhortations come kicking one after the other in a short amount of space.  The reason why we ought to pay attention to them is that we were bought at the price of Christ’s blood.  God has redeemed us with the ultimate price.
 
            We need to work at becoming holy and serving in genuine Christian love as if this was the last day of our lives.  We are to run like wild stallions for Jesus, instead of being stuck to the ground like Old Glue.  There is no advantage to only moving when there is something in it for “me.”  There is no benefit in just griping and complaining instead of trotting along for the Savior. 
 

 

            As the author says:  “May Jesus help you do what pleases God.  To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever!  Amen.”