Grains of Sand

Pixabay Submission would be whole lot easier if 1 Peter 5:5b was always true. " All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another… " As Peter ends his letter to the believers of his day, men and women had been forced to scatter throughout their world because of persecution, he addresses for a moment those with spiritual authority. He encourages them to be true shepherds, examples, imitators of the Great Shepherd, Jesus. As he finishes that brief word he tells those younger to submit to their spiritual leaders. Some exult at that instruction; others resent it. Few read, or dwell, on the phrase that follows. " In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. ALL OF YOU, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another… " I wonder if Peter was thinking of a certain discussion that took place just before Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem prior to His death? An ambitious mother came to Jesus to ask Him t...

Pixabay Frequently I hear other followers of Jesus comment on the desperate state of the world, and express their certainty that the Lord must be going to return soon to put right all the things that have gone so horribly wrong.  We long for that day. Two thousand years ago (and counting) other believers also longed for that day and were certain that it had to be close at hand. After all, how could things get any worse for them? As Peter writes to the persecuted and scattered pilgrims of his day he says: " The end of all things is near. " (1 Peter 4:7a) But Peter does not suggest that they climb up the nearest hill and wait for Jesus' arrival, ignoring the journey they have not yet completed. There is work to be done. " Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you ha...

Pixabay " How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God ." So writes the psalmist in Psalm 84.  Being a pilgrim, a stranger in a land growing more foreign to the follower of Jesus every day, is not easy. The desire to reach the end of the journey, to be at last in the court of the Lord and in His presence, is acute. But the journey isn't over. The pilgrimage has not reached its end and strength must be found to endure the strangeness, the darkness, the evil of the valley that must be passed through on the way to Paradise. We understand the darkness of the death valley to which we hope to bring just a little bit of life as we pass by. But it is hard to live in that darkness. Those who read Peter's letter also understood the challenges. He writes to encourage them to resist the pull from the dead, even though it might have been difficult. ...

Pixabay On the cusp of a new decade and a new year who isn't thinking about loving life and seeing good days. I wonder if the pilgrims that Peter was writing to thought much about the possibility, however remote, that life would get better for them, that soon being a follower of Jesus wouldn't be so dangerous, that they would be able to settle down and enjoy peace and prosperity once more without wondering when they might have to pack up and run again.  Sometimes I spend more time thinking about what might be coming than what  IS  at this moment. Dwelling too much on the uncertainties of the future can be paralyzing and counter-productive. Truth be told, I only have this moment—one that hopefully will stretch into a new year of other moments to be lived, but only God knows what tomorrow might bring. Peter has told his readers not to get caught up in the problems of today and lose sight of the promise of tomorrow. But at the same time, he knows that these beli...

Pixabay It's not the milk's fault! I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the line the "perfect food" became imperfect. Milk used to be considered that "perfect food". I remember one choir tour that took us to a farming community in Eastern Ontario. The ladies of the congregation prepared and served lunch for us in the church basement after the morning service. It was a full meal, a banquet in fact. Part of any meal is a beverage, and milk was one of the items offered that day. I took the milk and I seriously doubt that what I drank was ever touched by anyone but the farmer from whose cows it came. It was the real deal. It was sooooo good! What appears in our stores today is not that. And while what we drink might be so altered as to no longer be "perfect" perhaps the problem is not the milk so much as it is the drinker. We are an altered people, contaminated by the world we have contaminated—tit for tat. But thi...

Pixabay The recent political brouhaha here in Canada swirling around honesty, integrity, hypocrisy among the leaders of the major party leaders highlights the importance of Peter's instructions to the pilgrims of his day. He writes: " Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind ". (1 Peter 2:1) Whenever we see a " therefore " in Scripture we know that something was said earlier that is important. The previous section of Peter's letter had to do with being holy as God is holy. This call to holiness is based on what Christ did in giving His life to provide salvation for these pilgrims, these exiles now scattered throughout the Roman world. They were to love one another deeply as Christ had loved them. And love, being more than "a warm fuzzy" has characteristics. Peter is about to describe what those are. If these pilgrims, and by extension, if we, want to live out our journey in k...

Pixabay " Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For 'all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you. " When I posted my thoughts on 1 Peter 1:17-19, someone commented that love without justice and righteousness was just an empty word. That observation fits so well into these verses from 1 Peter 1:22-25. The pilgrimage that produces springs in the desert, that gives life where there is no evidence of it, as is suggested in Psalm 84, cannot be simply a "warm fuzzy". Here, in Peter's words as recorded in 1 Peter 1:22-25, we read his challenge to these pilgrims,...

Pixabay As is always true, there so many diamonds to dig out of every passage of Scripture. A lifetime is not enough to find them all and expose every one of their glorious facets. We look briefly at a couple from 1 Peter 1:17-19 as we consider our pilgrimage or journey through this death valley of life and we look toward home.  Earlier this morning I was reading through the book of Amos. It's a book of judgment sprinkled with a little hope. But two words stuck out: justice and righteousness. The absence, or perversion, of these two in the lives of God's people, Israel, brought judgment down on their heads. God's judgment fell equally both on the enemies of His people as well as on His people. He will not be mocked by either. Peter alludes to that as he writes: " Since you call on a Father who judges each other's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or...

Pixabay Here's where we are going as we travel through 1 Peter: Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go on from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.  —Psalm 84:5-7 Here's the next part of how we are going to get to our destination: I recently embarked on an archiving course. In preparation I bought a few books that looked like they might help me navigate my way through something I know very little about. I also confess that keeping track of important things in my life is not something I do well and I can certainly use some guidance on how to do a better job at that. One author used a fascinating illustration when discussing how vital it is to keep track of the important stuff. Apparently someone at NASA erased a huge chunk of the original video that had been taken duri...

Pixabay Paul Tripp writes: " Perhaps we can find no more real and present argument for heaven than the angst that we all carry in the face of the temporary and dissatisfying awes of the present." He then quotes C. S. Lewis: "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." Placing our focus in life on eternity's destination changes what life looks like as it is lived out with anticipation of our arrival there. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go on from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.  —Psalm 84:5-7 When Peter writes his first letter, he addresses it to " …exiles scattered ."  "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect,  exi...

Pixabay Everyone, well, probably almost everyone, complains about having to work too hard. That is, in part, one of the consequences of sin according to those first few verses of the Bible. The curse that was placed on Adam because of the rebellion of the first family against their Creator includes the note: “ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return ” (Genesis 3:19). In Eden the first family had everything provided for them. All they had to do was to take care of what God so generously gave them. But what God gave wasn’t enough for them and the rest, as they say, is history. But the more ominous part of the verse follows. Hard work will be man’s portion until he dies and returns to the dust from which he came. Psalm 104 echoes this statement: “ These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open ...

Pixabay " This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,      Let it shine!     Let it shine!     Let it shine!  Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let is shine,     Let it shine!     Let it shine!     Let it shine! Won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine. Won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine,     Let it shine!     Let it shine!     Let it shine! Let it shine til Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine til Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine,      Let it shine!      Let it shine!      Let it shine! " (Avis Burgeson Christiansen)   Remember that song? Even the smallest light makes a difference in a dark world. Light is o...

Patricia Lake, Alberta North, south, east and west—the four “corners” of the world. Those of generations long since past believed that the earth was flat. If you traveled far enough in any direction you were bound to fall off the edge. We know better now. The corners are curves and they intersect somewhere, creating a never-ending connection, a circle of life and history. Psalm 36 reminded me of God’s never-ending circle and the wonderful fact that He has all the “corners” covered. “ Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD ” (vss 5, 6). Love Faithfulness Righteousness Judgment It’s all there—the complete package, all inclusive. Other parts of the psalm describe these elements, as essential to our spiritual well-being as the classical elements are to our physical well-being, a needful as earth, fire, water, an...

Google Images Last night I watched White House Down —for the second time. I had seen it on the big screen last year and when I discovered it was on television I decided to watch it again. Throughout the movie I found myself thinking, “This can’t be the same show! I don’t remember this!” Granted, my memory isn’t always the best, but honestly, though there were parts that I did remember having seen, most of it seemed new to me. But I also caught myself paying closer attention this time to the details. Perhaps in the back of my mind I did remember the story and now, months later, I had enough background tucked away back there to be able to focus on the nuances. Though there is a limit to the depth of most fiction, whether it be on the screen or in some other form, I would probably find something new in the movie should I ever watch it again. That same kind of thing happens when it comes to the Scriptures. This time we have a true story with depths that we can only begin to fathom. But...

Google Images Matthew 24 ends with some pointed advice from the Lord about being watchful. This last “sermon” of His, called the Olivet Discourse, covers some details about the future of Jerusalem and information on Christ’s return to earth, which we call the Second Coming. The message on being watchful is based on His caution to His followers that no one knows when all this is going to happen and because of that, they need to live as though it could happen at any moment. “ Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come...you also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him ” (Matthew 24:42, 44). Jesus gives the illustration of two women grinding grain and two men working in the fields. One will be suddenly taken and the other left. He also says that life will be going on as normal when the Lord returns. No one will be standing on a mountaintop dressed in white with one eye raised to heaven and the other on a ...

Google Images Several posts ago, I commented on our service to the Lord by saying that WHO we serve will make all the difference when it comes to our attitude toward that service and whether or not we quit when the going gets tough. Here is the book of Titus, another “why?” pops out of Paul’s encouragement to yet another younger pastor. Chapter 3 begins with the contrast between what we were and what we are and reminds us that the proof of any life-change brought about by the Spirit of God is found in how that life is lived out. Then Paul wraps up the reason for the life-change in these stirring statements: “ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs, having the hope of e...

Google Images Paul’s final instructions. Well, Paul’s words are never really “final.” They are the last things he says before he says something else! In any case, there is quite an impressive list of “finals” beginning in 1 Thessalonians 5:12. Acknowledge and hold in high regard those who labour for the Lord among you (vs. 12). Live in peace with others (vs. 13). Warn those who are idle and disruptive (vs. 14). Encourage (vs. 14). Help (vs. 14). Be patient (vs. 14). Don’t look for revenge (vs. 15). Do what is good (vs. 15). Rejoice always (vs. 16). Pray continually (vs. 17). Give thanks in all circumstances (vs. 18). Don’t quench God’s Spirit (vs. 19). Test and pay heed to God’s prophecies (vs. 20). Hold onto the good (vs. 21). Reject evil (vs. 22). On a scale of one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best, where are you? (No, Paul didn’t say this last bit but as I typed out the list I realized that some of his “finals” still have a long way to go in my life before ...

Google Images It was meant to be a tricky situation. The religious leaders of His day thought they could catch Jesus on the issue of tax fraud. They asked Him if He paid taxes to Rome (which was even more annoying to the citizens of the country then than it is to the citizens of our country today!). Jesus wasn't fooled by the question so he turned the tables on them once again. He took a coin and held it up in front of their noses and asked whose picture was stamped on its face. Of course, it was Caesar's image. " Then he said to them, 'So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's .'" (Matthew 22:21). For the moment that silenced his critics. I wonder if they thought about the implications of what Jesus said in that pointed statement. It begs the question: "So if I give back to God whatever bears His image, just as I give back whatever bears Caesar's image, then what am I being asked to give back to God?" A little...

As I read the passage for today in my journey through Exodus I came across these verses: " Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come " (Exodus 27:20, 21, NIV). 1 Samuel 3:3 describes the boy Samuel, lying beside the altar during the night. He was probably tending the lamps when God called him. The lamps were an eternal symbol of the presence of God among His people. God was always on duty, as it seems at least one person was to be. Stock.xchng The picture reminded me that, as believers, we need to be always ready, day and night, to reflect the light of God in a dark world. This old hymn well expresses our mission: Brightly beams our Father’s me...