Category: Year C

Revelation 3:1-6

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment


            When Christians think of biblical epistles (letters) to churches, the Apostle Paul might immediately come to mind.  But contained within the first three chapters of Revelation are seven compact succinct letters to seven different churches.  What makes these short bursts of exhortation so powerful is that they come from Jesus himself.  Yes, that Jesus – the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church.  So, it seems to me that Christ’s observations about the church carry more weight than anybody else’s thoughts.  
             “I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.”  Ouch!  The Lord pulled no punches in getting to the heart of the church’s life… that is, death.  The stark reality is that this statement from Jesus still remains penetrating and relevant; it could be said of a great many Western churches today.
             So, what is to be done about the situation of spiritual deadness in the church?  “Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent.”  Boom!  There it is.  If the Christian Calendar seems to be a liturgical downer by spending forty days of Lent in a state of repentance, then perhaps the Christian Year is not the problem but a provided avenue of getting square with God.  Maybe the issue is our own shortsightedness, lack of remembrance of Christ’s redemption in all things, and perpetual insistence on personal agendas which do not jive with Christ’s teachings.  In short, we have forgotten Jesus.  
             Awesome Lord Jesus, your words penetrate to the core my being.  Strengthen me by the continuing presence of yourself through the Holy Spirit so that my every thought, word, and deed is done in your Name.  Amen.

Psalm 63:1-8

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            The psalms are not just some nice ancient poems and songs about David and Israel; they are prayers which are still alive with the potential to connect us with God.  I sometimes personally like to contemporize the psalms so that I have before me a prayer which I can lift again and again to God in the midst of my own wilderness experiences.  Today’s psalm was crafted by David before he was king and was on the run from King Saul in the desert.  Here is my take on this psalm:
 
O God, you are my God; I’m putting all my effort into seeking you;
            my soul is thirsty for you;
my body is weak looking for you,
            like in a desert where there is no water.
I am no stranger to you because I have seen you work before,
            and I have gotten a glorious glimpse of your power in the past.
I have experienced that your steadfast love is better than life itself,
            and I now bank on those times and praise you despite my trouble.
I choose to keep on remembering you and blessing your holy name;
            In the mighty name of Jesus I will lift up my hands in praise, even if it looks weird to others.
 
I know that my soul will be satisfied in you, just like when I get a medium rare T-bone steak and sweet corn;
            and I will use my mouth to praise you with joy, no matter the circumstances,
when I remember you on my bed and can’t sleep,
            and meditate on your crazy good grace as I lie there with my eyes wide open;
for you have always been my help,
            and sitting on your lap I will be supremely confident and sing for joy.
Oh, my soul clings to you through this trial;

 

            and your mighty hand upholds me.  Amen.

2 Chronicles 20:1-22

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Today’s Old Testament lesson is a wonderful account for the Christian season of Lent.  King Jehoshaphat and Judah were facing the terrible circumstance of war.  They were about to be attacked.  So, the king admitted his fear, sought the Lord for help, and proclaimed a national fast for everyone in Judah.  The king prayed, God answered, and Judah put together a praise team and a worship gathering to go before the army because they believed God was good for his word and would deliver them as he said.
 
            King Jehoshaphat’s prayer was deeply felt and sincere in its belief that God could and would answer.  The meat of the prayer was this:  “O our God we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”  Now this is the kind of prayer that God delights to answer!  It was a prayer born of great need and desperation – a prayer upholding the name of God and discerning that unless he showed up, all would be lost.
 
            The foundational basis of all prayer to God is the recognition that we do not know what to do, other than look to the Lord.  We pray because we desperately need God to show up and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  We cry out to God in our affliction and believe that he will hear and save.  Afterwards, we are to stand firm, hold our position, and see the salvation from God on our behalf.  If we need some inspiration for prayer, and find ourselves in need of some faith to believe what God can do, then take the time to carefully and prayerfully read these verses.  Let prayer arise to the God of deliverance, and transform pressure into praise.
 

 

            God Almighty, you rule over all the nations of the earth.  In your hand are power and might, so that none are able to withstand you.  My eyes are fixed on looking for you to act on my behalf so that I might declare that your steadfast love endures forever, through Jesus Christ, my Savior.  Amen.

Psalm 105:1-42

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            There are days when we all get up on the wrong side of the bed.  And there are days when we arise feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day.  Then there are most days – we are neither energized nor grumpy but “meh.”  Just as the necessity of a decent breakfast is important to get a good start to the day, so beginning the day with some good spiritual food is a must to fortify our lives and set them on a solid trajectory for success.  We cannot simply rely on feeding upon God when we feel like it, for then we will succumb to all the vicissitudes and variegations of life, becoming slaves to our own emotions. 
 
            One way of taking charge of our spiritual lives is beginning the day with the psalmist.  Psalm 105 calls us to give thanks to God; call upon his name; make known his deeds; sing to him; glory in his name; seek him; and remember his wondrous works.  As we orient our minds and hearts from sleep to work, we are to cultivate and tend to our spiritual selves like a garden that needs attention lest the weeds take over.
 
            God keeps his promises to his people.  As we recall and remember those promises, and realize that God remembers us, we can allow praise, singing, and thanksgiving to arise along with our bodies.  Perhaps before even getting out of bed in the morning, we can reach over, grab our Bible, tablet, or smartphone and read these words of Psalm 105 so that our day is formed around the positive promises of God and not the negative thoughts of our minds.  And at night, the same ritual could be done before falling asleep so that our day is bookended with remembering God’s works.  For the Bible is not simply some old book to adore from afar, but a living word from God to shape our minds and form our hearts.
 

God Almighty, you have remembered your people throughout the millennia with wondrous works and powerful deeds.  Today I give thanks to you for giving me your Son, the Lord Jesus, and accomplishing the mightiest work of all:  securing my deliverance from sin, death, and hell.  May the Name of Jesus be praised!  Amen