Category: Year C

Psalm 27

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


We are in the Christian season of Lent, which is a time of repentance.  One of the greatest hindrances to repenting and believing is fear.  We reason in our heads that if I was to do the turn-around-thing that something bad or painful will occur.  We feel afraid in our hearts of what will happen if we take a repentant course of action, and we end up doing nothing but being stymied by fear.  
             The answer to fear is a robust faith in God.  The psalmist makes it plain that with attention and focus squarely on God, fear is tamed and exposed as a toothless beast.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?  The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?”  Even if embracing repentance leads to a change of life which others, especially family, do not appreciate and they heap abuse upon you, the Lord God Almighty will show you steadfast love and mercy.  “Even if my father and mother forsake me,” said the psalmist, “the LORD will take me in.”
             Getting to know God enables us to persevere with patience instead of scurrying about like scared rabbits.  When we practice repentance and hug faith in the Lord, a settled sense of peace and purpose begin to take hold so that we endure through suffering.  Difficult circumstances will not always be the norm.  “Wait for the LORD, take courage, be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD!”  Praying this psalm repeatedly through the trials of life can help us with faith and patience in those times when words fail us due to fear.
             Hear my voice, Lord God, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.  “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face;” your face, Lord, do I seek!  Do not hide your face from me; do not repel me in anger.  You are my salvation; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my Savior!  Amen.

Philippians 3:17-20

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


            One day, several years ago, while driving through an intersection, a car turned right in front of me and caused me to slam my brakes. After getting on my way (and proud of myself for not saying a word) my daughter, who was five years old at the time, leaned forward from the back seat and asked me, “Dad, is that guy an idiot?”  Kids often imitate their parents in everything, whether good or bad. This is no less true for adults. When it comes to Christianity, the faith is passed on not just from individuals reading their bibles in seclusion, but is handed down from person to person. Christians learn from leaders how the faith is lived out and practiced, not primarily from listening to sermons, but through imitating what they see.  It is good for us to ask the question: who do I imitate? We pass on things we learn from others, so it is imperative that we learn from the right people.
 “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”  We must imitate those Christian leaders who have a proven character in persevering in the faith in the face of pain and suffering, and have done it with great humility. This does not necessarily mean that we emulate those who eruditely speak the Word of God, have superior gifts and abilities, and enjoy success in ministry. It does mean that we ought to imitate, and have as mentors, those persons who imitate Christ and are not self-promoting peacocks who go after being admired and praised. 

We are to imitate those who have proved themselves in hardship. A Christian leader who has not undergone the purgative fires of trials in this life may more easily become seduced by their own importance. However, leaders who have seen their share of hard circumstances, pain, and suffering, and have come through it loving God and serving others out of grace and humility, are leaders worth imitating.  So whom will you follow?  What Christians will serve you well as good models of faith and ministry?

              Sovereign God, you graciously bring people of faith into our lives.  Thank you for bringing many people to my life over the years who have served as good models of Christian faith and practice.  Help me to continue learning, as well as modeling for others, how a Christ follower really speaks, lives, and acts.  In Jesus’ Name I pray.  Amen.

Philippians 3:2-12

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I am in the position, as a pastor, of interacting with a wide variety of people.  No matter the age, the station in life, the family background, or the socio/economic situation, the biggest thing I see most people struggle with is letting go of something.  We, as human beings, have this nasty tendency to hold onto things we really need to let go of, and I’m not just talking about hoarders.  We hold onto our anger and nurse it as a grudge; we hold onto our past, as if our pedigree, of lack of it, has to be constantly brought up; we hold onto our bad habits of poor sleep patterns, unhealthy eating, and no time with God to the point that our bodies and our souls break; and, we hold onto our church traditions and our theological thinking with such ferocity that no one can pry them from our cold dead hearts.
 
            If this New Testament lesson from the Apostle Paul tells us anything today it is this:  For God’s sake, let it go!  “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”  Paul died to his anger, his past religious zeal, his former theological thinking, his Jewish pedigree, and, quite frankly, everything.  He did it so that he could gain Jesus because Jesus was the highest value for Paul – so valuable that he was willing to die to his former life in order to embrace Christ.
 
            In this season of Lent we are to not only give up chocolate, or fast once a week, or take a break from social media; we are to die.  There cannot be new life without a death.  The death we need is to let go of all the emotional baggage, spiritual crud, and materialistic strivings that have played a more prominent role in our lives than knowing Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  What am I giving up for Lent?  I am going to follow Paul’s example and give up my life.  Will you join me?
 

 

            Blessed Lord Jesus, you are the ultimate value in life.  Help me to beware of people who would seek to draw me away and deplete my soul from this highest priority of knowing you.  I want to know you, the power of your resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in your sufferings so that I can be more like you.  Amen.

Job 1:1-22

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Much of life is a mystery.  We do not know why some things happen.  From our puny human perspective, they just do, and that is all we can say about it.  There are times in Scripture, however, when the veil between heaven and earth is peeled back long enough for us to catch a glimpse of mystery.  Today’s Old Testament lesson is such a story. 
 
            Job was a wealthy man and had everything that this earthly life could offer.  And he was a pious godly person of faith.  It was commonly understood that those two things always went together.  So, when we see behind the curtain and are privy to a conversation between God and Satan, the devil himself points this out – that Job only praises God because of how good he has it.  Even with this understanding of what was behind Job’s misery, we still see the mysterious God allowing Satan to operate with only God-knows reasons why.
 
            When calamity strikes; when bad news causes us to slump in our chairs; when adversity hits unexpectedly; when trouble smacks us upside our life like a sledgehammer, it is only human to begin wondering what we did wrong or what we did to bring on such a terrible set of circumstances.  But the truth is:  we just don’t always know.  But what we do know is Job’s incredible response to the mystery of God.  “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”  Rather than spending all of our emotional energy trying to figure out an answer to our “why” questions, perhaps the more sage response is to confess our faith in a radical trust of God.  Using these actual words from Job would be a necessary start to navigating the troubled waters of evil which swirl around us, even if we have to say them over and over again to believe them.
 

 

            God Almighty, every good thing I have in my life has come from you.  It is your prerogative whether I continue to have those things, or not.  Whatever happens, whether it causes heartbreak or happiness, is completely known to you.  I trust that you know what you are doing, and I completely throw myself upon your mercy through Jesus Christ, my Savior.  Amen.