Top Ten Things (or people) I’m Thankful For

10.  Good food.  Thank you Lord that I live where I never go hungry and I love the food.

9.  Good music.  It seems insignificant, but music brings an immense amount of enjoyment into my life, and I’m very thankful for it.

8.  Good house.  I really don’t “like” my house.  It’s small and old.  However, I’m thankful that God has provided it and my family doesn’t have to live in a van down by the river.

7.  Good parents.  They raised me in a good home and taught me lots of useful and good things.  I have nothing but fond memories of growing up.

6.  Good church.  As a minister, I know lots of people who serve in churches that are difficult to serve in.  Harvester Christian Church is definitely NOT that. 

5.  Good Bible.  I’m taking a course in church history and a good Bible in a language I can read hasn’t always been available to everyone.  I’m very thankful for mine.

4.  Good friends.  I have been blessed to have good friends near and far.  They encourage me, make me laugh, help me, and hopefully I can return a little bit of that for them.

3.  Good kids.  My son & daughter make me laugh and remind me that God loves me by allowing me to raise them.  Being a dad is the greatest adventure ever.

2.  Good wife.  We’ve been together for a long time and she’s always been there to encourage and love me.  She is the greatest gift God has ever given me in this life.

1.  Good God.  I’ve had a great life so far and while I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, God has always been good to me.

Saying “No”

I really have trouble saying “no.”  Call it what you will (people pleasing, being a pushover, weak willed, etc.), but I just have trouble with it.  I hate to make others unhappy.  I hate disappointing people.  I like to be involved in everything.  I like saying “yes” and making people happy.

It is easy to say “no” to bad things (“Would you like steamed broccoli with your double bacon cheeseburger?”)  What I find difficult is saying “no” to good things.  That’s where my problem lies.  Sometimes I say to every good thing that comes along and I get very over-committed.  After all, who doesn’t want something that’s good (“Would you like extra crispy fries with your burger?”)

The real problem with saying “yes” to every good thing that comes along is that we can have so much good that we never get the great.  It seems like a paradox, but it can turn out to be true.  Saying yes to something good can keep you from getting something great.  Of course, it takes discernment, discipline, will-power, and vision to know the difference between good and great.  Saying yes to the good has kept many companies from becoming great.  They get involved in so many good things that they stretch their resources and it keeps them from focusing on the great.

I believe this applies to the spiritual life as well.  What keeps us from experiencing truly great spiritual lives?  I think that many times good things keep us from great things.  Maybe if we said no to some good things we would free up our attention, time, schedules, resources, etc., to do some really great things.  What if we said no to an hour of televsion?  What if we said no to overly expensive Christmas gifts?  What great things might come our way?

In the last week I’ve had to say no to some things that are really, really good.  It wasn’t easy and I’ve come close to reconsidering on them.  Time will tell, but I am anticipating something really great.

The Expanded Bible

I have never been a fan of the “pick your own word” translations of the Bible like the Amplified Bible.  While the concept of providing a wider range of meaning for words is noble, it just doesn’t reflect the way that langauge is used or the way people communicate.  People (specifically authors) pick one meaning out of the possibilities and intend for their audience to know which one they chose.  Giving Bible readers the ability to pick whichever word the like best from a list seems like it leads to narcissistic Bible reading.

My first reaction to The Expanded Bible was much the same.  I thought it was just an updated version of the Amplified Bible.  That reaction has proved to be inaccurate.

The concept of the Expanded Bible is different.  While the actual Bible text is a modified version of the New Century Version (which is a very loose Dynamic Equivalent translation), several useful features are built into the text to help the reader fully understand the authors intended meaning.  Interspersed within the text are seven features designed to enhance the Bible reading experience.  These features are…

• Expanded meanings of words
• Alternate translations
• Literal readings of the Greek
• Traditional readings
• Comments from scholars
• Biblical references
• Textual variants

All of these features do indeed bring a fuller understanding to the text.  In this regard, this project does deliver on its purpose.  The downside to this approach, though, is the creation of a very choppy, interrupted reading of the Bible.  You can barely go five or six words without one of these embedded notes that stops your train of thought.  This drawback takes this work from a reader’s Bible to a reference Bible.  It would be nearly impossible to read a lengthy section of Scripture and focus on the text because of all the notes.

That being said, I placed the Expanded Bible right along side my other study Bibles on my desk.  It is a welcomed addition to a biblical reference collection.

Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions

by James A. Beverley

Writing a book on the religions of the world can be dangerous in our culture of tolerance and political correctness.  What better way to offend people than call their religion into question?  James Beverly takes this challenge on admirably.

Writing from a very well-stated Christian position, the author first lays out some basic questions to the study of cults and religions, names what qualifies as both.  This kind of helpful information seems to be missing from other popular books on the subject.  The main body of the book, though, is a catalogue of the worlds major religions, the major arms of Christianity, significant Protestant groups, and finally groups that have been traditionally viewed as “cults.” 

Overall, the author’s treatment of each of these categories is very fair and helpful.  He states from the outset that he measures truth from a Christian perspective, which necessarily means calling many of the groups surveyed in the book inaccurate and wrong.  This negative evaluation is always given with personal respect and Christian love rather than acrimony or disdain.

The best feature the book offers is very helpful summary charts for each group.  They provide good information in easy to understand and read formats.  The “illustrated” aspect of the book is very minimal.  There are a few photos scattered throughout the book that do not significantly add to the value.  That being said, this is a great resource for students, ministers, and anyone wishing to understand the diverse world we live in.

Why Study the Old Tesatment? part 10

The Old Testament speaks the language of the heart

“I was born
I was born to sing for you

I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise …”

Nope.  Not a quote from the Old Testament.  It is a verse from U2’s Magnificent.  An amazing song that sounds like it came directly from the Psalms.  I think one of the reasons that I like U2 so much is because their music speaks the language of the heart.  As a culture (actually, as an object of creation) we are wired to express ourselves in heart language–song and worship.

As good as U2 is, God is a better composer.  One of the great things about the OT is that it speaks the language of the human heart more accurately than others.  So many of the songs we sing (and have sung for a long time) come from the Old Testament, particularly the Psalms.  It’s not just praise songs that we find there either.  Just about every emotion is found expressed in the OT.  Whether that be praise, thanks, awe, fear, dread, disappointment, or amazement.

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth”

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Why Study the Old Testament? part 9

The Old Testament is exciting reading

Yeah, yeah, I know Leviticus is in the Old Testament it has served as a cure for insomnia for many would be readers of the Old Testament.  Who hasn’t made that New Year’s resolution to read the Bible in a year and hit the skids about the middle of February when they turned the page to Leviticus.

The laws about mildew and skin disease aside, from a pure literary perspective, the Old Testament has some incredibly interesting plot lines.  I love a good page turner as much as anyone else, and John Grisham and Dan Brown have nothing on the OT.  Think about these plot turns and twists…

• The high drama of Abraham and his would be heir and the several failed attempts to force God’s hand.
• The scandal of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar.
• The bittersweet saga of Joseph and his ascent to Egyptian leadership.
• The cosmic battle of Moses and Pharaoh.
• The violent and bloody conquest of Canaan.
• The action packed period of the Judges.
• The heart wrenching epic of Ruth.
• The fierce pursuit of David by King Saul.
• The underhanded conspiracy of Absalom’s failed coup.
• The political intrigue of Solomon’s ascent to the throne.
• The tenion filled showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
• The supernatural career of Elisha.
• The bloody and desperate siege of Jerusalem under King Hezekiah.

That list could go on and on.  The Old Testament is anything but boring.  In fact, there is just as much violence, illicit sexual encounters, murder, and drama as any R-rated movie.  Why study it?  Because it is flat out good reading.

Why Study the Old Testament? part 8

The Old Testament makes us wise to salvation

In some of the his final words, the Apostle Paul said these words to his protege Timothy…”the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus…” (2 Timothy 3:15).

How can the Old Testament make us aware of salvation?  After all, there’s no Jesus in the Old Testament.  That’s a great question (glad I asked it!)  Primarily, the Old Testament makes us aware of the need for salvation by making us aware of sin.  We learn of man’s shortcomings by becoming acquainted with the Law.  The Law made us aware that God is holy and we are not.  It is the knowledge of sin and leads us to anticipate the final solution to sin: salvation in Christ Jesus.

The Old Testament doesn’t just make us aware of sin, though.  It also looks forward to the promised solution.  As early as Genesis 3:15, God drops hints that one day the problem of sin will be taken care of.  The Old Testament doesn’t complete the picture, but it brings us to the doorstep of the Gospels.  Without the understanding of the human condition we learn in the Old Testament, the good news of the gospel makes no sense.

Why Study the Old Testament? part 7

The Old Testament was written for our instruction

The church at Corinth must have been an absolute mess.  It seems like they had every single problem that a church can have.  The fought among themselves, abused spiritual gifts, taught false doctrine, tolerated immorality, and much more.  The issue of idolatry also had to be dealth with.  With so many of the new Christians coming from a background of pagan idol worship, there was always the temptation to either return to the idols or incorporate some of the idolatrous practice into their new Christian faith.

In chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians, Paul takes the issue of idolatry head on.  In doing so, he used examples from the Old Testament to illustrate the dangers of idol worship (Ex 13, 14, 17, Num 11, 14).  However, he also makes two very interesting points when referring to the Old Testament stories.  He says, “Now these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did” (v6).  Again in verse 10, Paul says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

WOW!  Do you sense the imprtance of those statements?  All of the things that happened in the Old Testament–every event, story, and word–happened as an example for us.  In other words, we are supposed to learn from them.  They’re not just cute stories for kids; they are instructional narratives.  Also, they were written down for us to learn from.  God went to the trouble and effort to record those events so that we can be instructed by them.  All those scribes who gave their lives to preserving the text were working for our benefit.

What are we to learn from the Old Testament?  Well, we learn what faith is, how to please God, and how to put faith into our every day lives.  Paul assumes that we are being instructed by the Old Testament.

Why Study the Old Testament? part 6

The Old Testament was written FOR Christians

A common misconception among Christians is that, while the Old Testament is nice and has some interesting stories, ultimately it isn’t “Christian” and therefore not really applicable or beneficial.  Now, it is certainly true that the original audience of the OT was Israel.  We need to study the OT in its original context and attempt to understand what God said to the original audience.  However, we need to realize that while the Old Testament was not written originally TO Christians, it was ultimately written FOR Christians. 

Don’t believe me?  This is exactly how the New Testament writers understood the Old Testament.  Look at these three statements…

For whatever was written in the former days was written for OUR instruction, that through endurance and through encouragement of Scripture we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

It was revealed to them (the OT prophets) that they were serving not themselves but YOU in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels longed to look. (1 Peter 1:12)

(Speaking of a quote from the OT Law of Moses) Does he not speak ENTIRELY FOR OUR SAKE?  It was written FOR OUR SAKE… (1 Corinthians 9:10)

According to the New Testament writers, the ultimate audience of the Old Testament writers was the church!  While this does not mean that the Old Testament didn’t have a meaning in the original context, it does mean that the ultimate significance and mean of the entire Old Testament can only be found through Jesus.  Jesus is the interpretive key to the Old Testament.

Keep this in mind as you read the pages of the Old Testament…the law of Moses, the psalms of David, the proverbs of Solomon, and the prophecies of Isaiah were written for US.  It wasn’t written TO us, but it certainly was written FOR us.

Shelfari

I am now a member of Shelfari, a website that allows you to track which books you’re read and also allows you to see what other people are reading.  Like most people, I am always looking for good books to read.  You can see my profile at www.shelfari.com/donsanders.  Take a look and join so I can see what you’re reading!