“Imitators”

March 8, 2024

March 8, 2024

Read Leviticus 24, Psalm 67, Ephesians 5

Children will often imitate or mimic each other to get on each other’s nerves. Unconscientiously children will often imitate other adults or an older brother or sister that they admire. As the saying goes, “imitation is the highest form of flattery.” In Ephesians 5 Paul challenges the churches in Ephesus to “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” vv. 1-2. The highest form of worship we can give to the Lord is to be an imitator of Jesus. If we truly love the Lord, we will not stop at expressing that in words alone, we will imitate Jesus teachings through our actions.

There are so many people today who want to put together their own version of Jesus that is far from the Jesus of Scripture. They either focus on love and neglect the truth of Jesus teachings, or they do the opposite. Both views are incomplete and are not the real Jesus. We need both love and truth to represent the Savior we claim to imitate. When I was younger, we played a game called “follow the leader.” If Jesus is really our leader, we should make our best effort to follow Him as close as we can. This means letting go of our own will and desires and the ways of the world to follow Christ.

What else do you observe in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Just One Sentence”

March 6, 2024

March 6, 2024

Read Leviticus 22, Psalm 65, Ephesians 3

If you have been reading my journaling thoughts semi regularly from this year you know I am reading anywhere from 3-4 chapters a day and writing down some of the things that I reflect on after I read the chapters. Most of the time what I write or the amount of what I write directly corelates to the time I have in each day. I often try to write a little something from each chapter, but this is not always the case. I also worry that if I go too long, I will lose whatever audience I may have to start! Three chapters are a lot of material to cover. There is a lot to take in when you or I read three chapters, even shorter ones. Today I want to just focus on one sentence and dwell on that today in my reading. If you are reading the Bible and your focus is to get through it in a year’s time (which is what I am doing this year) you might be tempted to just read to check off the box to knock out your 3.5 chapters a day. You also might be tempted to try and soak everything you can from the chapters you read and that is a lot of thoughts to gather. I want to help you see the “tree” through the “forest” tonight and just simply focus on one verse. You can do this too. Read a day and see what verse or sentence stands out to you most in your daily reading. Don’t feel guilty to try and soak up every drop of God’s Word and then you can get some rest or move to other things. As people, we cannot really drink in the riches of God’s word all at once anyway. It would be like trying to drink from a fire hose. I’m not trying to tell you to back off and read or study less, only to tell you that it doesn’t have to be the same each day or reach a certain level. So here is the sentence that stood out to me most today as I read.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” vv. 20-21

These two verses are a reminder to me about what kind of God I serve. God is capable to handle anything because of who He is. How often do we sell our selves short when we come to God in prayer and ask him for help or strength or to work in a situation we might be facing. It’s his power “that is at work within us.” “At work” meaning that God is in the middle of doing something not yet finished. We should be encouraged that this is not a promise for just the Christians in the first century but also for us today. That’s where the “thought out all generations” comes in.

So… what one verse stood out to you today? Maybe you didn’t read the same chapters I am reading. What verse or sentence stood out to you most? What are your thoughts on it? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Freedom for Fruit!”

March 2, 2024

March 2, 2024

Read Leviticus 18, Psalm 62, Galatians 5

As Americans, we love our freedom. Maybe a little too much. We tend to think of freedom as the goal and highest achievement. Many people are tricked into the myth that if they just get more power or money, they can increase the amount of freedom they have. We should not compare freedom to autonomy. These are two different things. This is where Galatians 5 teaches us that freedom is not ultimately for ourselves, but as Christians we are free to serve Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” v. 1. There is a difference between “freedom for” and “freedom from” for all of us to consider. Take a musical instrument or a symphony orchestra. You could take the approach that says, “I have the freedom to play my instrument however I like.” You could play any notes, melodies, in any key or rhythm. Imagine that with everyone in the orchestra doing the same thing. It would be a mess and make our ears bleed for sure. But if we play in the constraints of a certain key signature or time signature and play along with everyone else we have the ability to create beautiful music. That’s how it is with our freedom in Christ. Yes we are free from the law, but we must play within the moral key signature that God has given us in his word. This is the way God designed us as his musical instruments to function.

In Galatians 5 Paul writes about how Christians should not use their freedom in Christ, freedom from the law as an excuse to sin. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” vv. 13-15.  

Paul encourages the Christians in Galatia to “live by the Spirit” v. 16. In the last part of Galatians 5 Paul contrasts the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. He says “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law” vv. 17-18. Because God exists and we have a moral ought to do right and not do evil we are ultimately free in Christ, but to live by the Spirit and produce the fruits that Paul lists out. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” vv. 22-23.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Slave”

March 1, 2024

March 1, 2024

Read Leviticus 17, Psalm 61, Galatians 4

The word slave is not a word that brings up good vibes. We know that Old Testament slavery is different from that of the chattel slavery that took place in America almost 200 years ago. It was voluntary and had limits and God gave protections for slaves against any mistreatment. Much of the Bible deals with this topic, both in the Old and New Testaments. Many of the New Testament authors used slavery as an analogy for connecting a spiritual truth to their readers too. This is the case in Galatians 4 with Paul.

Paul compared the Christians to “sons of God” rather than that of a “slave.” Paul explained that as sons and daughters of God we have blessings that a slave does not have. “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” vv. 6-7.

In the middle section of Galatians 4, Paul uses this analogy to ask the church in Galatia, “Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” v. 9. The church had turned back to their old ways and beliefs that were based in the law of Moses and not from freedom that Jesus had brought on the cross. (The book of Galatians is the only Pauline epistle where Paul forgoes the pleasantries and goes right to taking them to task in the opening chapter of Galatians.)

One interesting little nugget that stands out to me is that Paul records the reason that he met the people of Galatia in the first place. “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14 Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself” vv. 13-14. Think about that, whatever Paul’s plans were, they may not have included a connection with the people he wrote the letter to, but because of an illness he had it put the two parties together. I hope that reminds us that good or bad that comes our way, God will use it for His purposes, and we can too.

The last section of Galatians 4 Paul compares the two sons of Abraham. “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.” Paul was encouraging the Christians to live in such a way as they are sons of Isaac and free. We should do the same as well and live in the grace and freedom that God has given us through Jesus. We should not desire to go back and live in the slavery that we once did according to the Law without Christ. “But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman” vv. 30-31.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“By Faith”

February 24, 2024

February 24, 2024

Read Leviticus 11, Psalm 55, Hebrews 11

We all exercise faith every day. Most of the time we don’t even bat an eyelash thinking about the ways that we put our faith into practice. Think about it, when you pick up a prescription from the pharmacy, get in your car and drive 70 mph down the road, or some other mundane tasks that we repeat repeatedly. Think about it, the reason we don’t even give it much thought is because often we repeat these tasks over and over. By faith we expect the medications we get from a pharmacist to be correct and by faith we expect our vehicles to run correctly and that others will abide by safe driving rules.

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the “Hall of Faith.” It begins with a concise definition of faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” v. 1. Next, we learn without faith, “it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” v. 6. Faith is the requirement that God desires from all of us.  Then the author highlights the Old Testament people who exercised faith and trusted God. From Abel to Rahab each of these people trusted God in faith and took Him at his word.

The last part of Hebrews 11 shifts from the giants of the faith that everyone recognizes from the pages of the Old Testament to a list of unknown and unrewarded faithful people. “Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawn in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and ill-treated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.” vv.35-39. Often when we read the narratives in the Bible we tend to focus on the military victories, the miraculous rescues, and other good things that we want for ourselves. We can easily overlook those who didn’t have the happy ending or those who were killed even for their faith. The author of Hebrews treats them all the same. Win or lose, they all win by exercising the faith in the Lord they had. The author reminds us, “God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” v. 40.

How can you exercise faith today? How can you trust the Lord and know that win or lose He has a plan for you just like He did each of these people in Hebrews 11.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you most?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Once For All”

February 23, 2024

February 23, 2024

Read Leviticus 10, Psalm 54, Hebrews 10

What is something that you have done once that you plan to never do again? Ride a rollercoaster, file your own taxes, try brussel sprouts, or take a trip to a city or location. As we have been reading through the chapters in Leviticus and Hebrews it discusses a lot about the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. Over and over, the priests would have to perform the sacrifices before the Lord for the people of Israel. The author of Hebrews makes us glad we are living in the New covenant times and that we have Jesus who made the ultimate sacrifice once for all. “For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins” vv. 1-2. The author tells us plainly, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” v. 4. The sacrificial system only temporarily covered the sins of the people.

The last half of Hebrews 10 is instructions for the church to persevere. There are great instructions in these verses that true follower of Jesus cannot ignore. There are three exhortations that all begin with “let us….” First, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” v. 22. Our first goal is to work on our walk with the Lord and our goal is to have a close relationship with God. When we do this, it brings about the assurance of faith in us that we can confidently live for the Lord. Second, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” v. 23. We must look ahead in hope that comes from trusting God and his promises. Next, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds” v. 24. Our jobs as brothers and sisters in Christ is to encourage and push other Christians to continue walking with the Lord and it is all about our actions.

The author gives one admonishment to his readers also, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” v. 25. We are not to neglect the church, (not the building), but the people who gather. We are to encourage one another and for good reason, one day Jesus will return.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Elementary”

February 19, 2024

February 19, 2024

Read Leviticus 6, Psalm 50, Hebrews 6

What do you remember learning in your elementary school years? Shapes, colors, reading, writing, basic math? Maybe you picked up a trade like sewing, gardening, or cooking. I remember learning the basics of music like rhythm, harmony, and playing the annoying little flute like recorder and hurting everyone’s ears.

There are elementary truths we can learn about any subject; this includes the Word of God. We learn that God is Holy, compassionate, good, merciful, gracious, and forgiving. It’s always good to never lose sight of these elementary teaches from the Bible, but at the same time we do not need to stay with just these basic teachings for other deeper teachings in these areas.

In Psalm 50 God speaks boldly here. He tells Israel that He doesn’t need anything from his creation. “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” vv. 9-10. Later God rebukes those in Israel who simply recite God’s laws but do not care anything for it. He sees right through their lip service. “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? 17 You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you” vv. 16-17. There are people in our world today that try to shame righteous Christians by using God’s own words against them. They make a play on their compassion. It’s a no-win solution. If Christians do something they don’t like they cry, “That’s too much you went too far!” Then When Christians do something for the Lord and they don’t like it they cry just the opposite, “You didn’t do enough, you should have done this too!”

In Hebrews 6 the author challenges us to “leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity” v. 1. He names some things such as repentance, faith in God, baptism, praying for others, and the resurrection and judgment that is to come. Reading that list made me wonder how many people would see those topics as elementary today. We seem to be stuck on the love of God in the culture we live in today. All the surveys tell us that people are more biblically illiterate than ever before. This is why we must stay in God’s Word and have a steady intake of it in our lives. Have you taken a spiritual inventory of your knowledge from the Word of God? No matter what you would place yourself, novice, beginner, intermediate, or advanced, we all have work to do, and we all have room to grow in our knowledge of God’s Word.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below?

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Posted by John Weldon

“Devotion”

February 11, 2024

February 11, 2024

Read Exodus 32-34, Psalm 42

Today is the super bowl. I read a story last week about three men who have made it to all 57 Super Bowls. The men will sit together and cheer on their teams. Thousands of other people will gather around the stadium and millions more will watch the super bowl on TV tonight. Sports fans are devoted to a game they love. So are the “Swifties” who enjoy Taylor Swift. The things that most people care about or are devoted to can change over time. Sometimes rather quickly.

In Exodus 32-34 we read a little about devotion. Moses was at the top of the mountain talking with God and receiving the 10 Commandments on stone tablets. During the forty days he was up on the mountain the rest of Israel got bored and worried that something might have happened to him. Their solution, they go to Aaron and ask him “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him” v.1. Aaron without question decides to collect gold from the people and then he fashions a gold calf image that they will worship. “Then they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt’” v. 4. Moses and God had become silent for a short time and the people had to find something to worship. God informs Moses of what they have done and tells Moses to go down and take care of the incident. God calls them, “stiff-necked people” v. 9. In other words, they are stubborn or slow to learn. We might be tempted to scoff at their actions.  “What! Don’t the Israelites know who God is? Don’t they realize what He just did to help them escape from Egypt?” But remember to us, it is just a few short pages in the Bible, but much more time had passed. And if we are honest, we might see a little bit of ourselves in this passage.  We are all “prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love” as the great hymn describes it. It is very easy to get out of the habit of spending time with God. There are always distractions and temptations that want to steal away our devotion to the Lord.

Psalm 42 is one of my favorite psalms. The popular song in the late twentieth century “As the Deer” comes from this psalm. The author desires to be in the house of the Lord and cannot go. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” vv. 1-2. Here you have the opposite effect occurring. Being cut off from God’s people, being alone and away from the Lord. If brings a strong desire for the authors to desire to back at a place where they were before. “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng” v. 5.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your comments below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Walk on ahead of the people”

February 6, 2024

February 6, 2024

Read Exodus 17-19, Psalm 37

Ever have a time when you need to get away from something? Maybe it’s a situation or maybe it’s a person(s). It might be both! In chapter 17 you will read about Moses who fielded complaints from the people. God tells him to walk on ahead of the people, take some elders (leaders) with him, and take his staff with him. God was up to something. He was going to have Moses tap the rock and bring forth some water to provide for the people. Maybe this would stop their complaining for a little while. I bet Moses enjoyed the time away from everyone else. Maybe he enjoyed the silence or lack of complaints. We all do it from time to time. I am guilty!

Ever think about what life would be like if there were no complaints? If no one complained then that might mean we got everything we wanted, had all our needs met, and didn’t lack anything. Sounds a lot like Heaven. Don’t miss something in this chapter. Read verse 1 slowly. “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.” So, God led Israel place to place, where He wanted them to go. And the place that God led them was a location with no water. Hmm… why would God do that? Maybe, it was so that we would turn to Him and seek his help for our needs. Do you think that maybe God wouldn’t give us everything we need, or think we need, so that we might rely on Him? I do.

Exodus 18 is one of my favorite chapters in Exodus. Here we meet Jethro! Jethro is Moses’s father-in-law. Jethro comes for a visit and observes how Moses is busy sunup to sundown acting as judge before the people.  Jethro tells Moses, “What you are doing is not good” v. 17. Moses had a choice here.  He could say, “Hey Jethro! God put me in charge of these 2 million whining people. I get to make the decisions here.” Or Moses could do what he did in the Scripture passage. He listened to his father-in-law and took his advice. Moses wasn’t threatened by Jethro or felt the need to go on a power trip. When he listened, everyone benefited from it. We may find ourselves in positions of leadership from time to time, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop and hear people out when they come to us. A wise leader surrounds himself with people that are smarter than themselves. They are threatened by someone else’s ideas or skills.

Psalm 37 is a great psalm that contains many song lyrics from modern Christian music, and it is encouraging to read. The psalm encourages us to wait and trust in the Lord no matter what others, especially the wicked may be doing. Face it, we live in a world where it’s easy to think that evil is winning. David had this same mentality, but it was 3,500 years ago. Things do not really change much do they?

As I read this psalm, I was reminded of the childish sayings I said as a kid to the other kids we got in verbal battles of name-calling. “I’m rubber, you’re glue, bounces off me and sticks to you!” We might have said the silly things like this to push back and let the other person knew we weren’t fazed by their trash talk. God is not worried about the evil that is done by the wicked, He knows their day is coming. “But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming” v. 13. Verses 14-15 say, “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.”

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you? Is there one verse that just hits you with a dose of truth serum as you read? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Dreams Can Come True”

January 28, 2024

January 28, 2024

Read Genesis 40-42, Psalm 28

Dreams are interesting to say the least. Sometimes they can be enjoyable, frightening, or just plain weird. Do you remember some of the dreams I had as a child? Were they traumatic or caused you to call into question something? Here in these chapters of Genesis we find that Joseph the dreamer is at it again. Except this time, it’s not his dreams, he is the interpreter of them.

In Genesis 40 we find a rather inconsequential story of two of the king’s officials, the cupbearer, and the chief baker. A cupbearer was someone who tasted or sampled a person’s food to make sure that it was not poisoned. The king decides to send these two men to the jail for a time out and while they are there, they both have a dream that troubles them. Joseph is there and offers to interpret the dreams for them. Joseph pleads with the chief cupbearer to please remember him when he is restored, but the last verse of the chapter leaves us hanging on. “The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him” v.23. While the chief cupbearer may have forgotten Jospeh, God did not. Eventually the cupbearer remembers the error of his ways and in a time of need from the Pharoah Jospeh is called out the prison two years later. Do we understand that the small and seemingly inconsequential meetings, conversations, and little things done may lead to something big and important.  Jospeh could have said, forget it, I’m not helping you guys, but he chooses to help them, and it turned back on himself into something good. I’m reminded of the saying’ “It’s always the right time to do the right thing.” If we sow good seeds into the lives of others it just might produce a harvest of good things for us later in life.

What else do you see in these chapters as you read? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

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