Contemplative Bible Reading

Galatians 2:21 (New Living Translation)

21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Paul is writing to a group of Christians gathered in Galatia. A long time ago in a place far, far away kind of thing. These are simple words; this topic bends the mind and at times goes far beyond my ability to understand or even question.

Paul emphasizes the importance of grace as it relates to God, Jesus, and mankind. Grace is what saves me. It is a gift from God. That gift was sealed or wrapped up like a present with a ribbon and bow by the sacrifice of Jesus. Grace is superior to following any detailed set of instructions, and I mean DETAILED instructions.

If keeping a set of detailed instructions would make me right with God, why did Jesus die on the cross? This is a question with an obvious answer. The “if” part of the question is false. False proves nothing. Jesus needed to die on the cross because I am unable to appear before God in my natural pathetic state.

There are times when I don’t like any of the above. I’m a pretty good guy. God would accept me, right? I pay my taxes, keep my lawn cut, drive the speed limit, and all those things that society expects of pretty good guys. Unrighteous? Well, that’s a judgement call, huh? Yes, it is a judgement call with God being the judge and oh, uh, er, I am pretty pathetic.

Grace has meaning—a lot of meaning for me. Grace is what saves me from myself. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Proverbs 29:25 (New Living Translation)

25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
but trusting the Lord means safety.

This is a wise saying written a few thousand years ago. Lots of “wise sayings” were written a few thousand years ago. This one is from God and concerns mankind and God. Let’s pay more attention to this one.

Am I afraid of other people? Yes, there are some frightful people out there. Am I really afraid of people in general? Am I afraid that what I have can be taken by these other people?

We are in an election year in America. I think this will be published online a few days after the national election. Lots of fear, uncertainty, and doubt in America this autumn.

Do we fear them? Do we fear those other people who voted for those other people? I’m not sure who “we” and “them” are, but them are not we, or something like that.

Fear is a dangerous trap. It leads to all sorts of un-God-like behavior. Such behavior is bad for me. See how this works. Fear, ungodly behavior, sin, destruction of myself. Not good. The first step—fear—is a trap.

How do I escape this downward spiral? Trust the LORD. Pretty simple idea which can become all complicated and icky and such if I let it. Trust the LORD, Dwayne. Avoid fear of others. Please God, help my in my unbelief.

Galatians 2:9 (New Living Translation)

9 In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews.

Paul is writing here to the Christians in Galatia. He describes a meeting with Peter, James, and John—pillars of the church in Jerusalem and part of the group who walked with Jesus (literally). Up comes this fellow Paul, who had destroyed churches in his past, who ministers with Gentiles all the time.

Attitude? Do the pillars of the church take an attitude of superiority to this newcomer and his, uh, er, sort of disdained group to whom he ministers? No. Acceptance as co-workers is the attitude.

Folks, good Christians reading this, the attitude of Peter, James, and John should be our attitude. There is much to do as Christians. There are many folks who need to hear the good news that we have to share. Accept others as co-workers. Yes, but they didn’t go to the right school or read the Bible correctly or, or, or…

Accept others as co-workers. I have been fortunate in my life that others have accepted me as a co-worker. I have known people who were not accepted, and that hurt. That hurt deeply and for a long time. Let’s not do that. Let’s be like Peter, James, and John.

Psalm 103:14 (New Living Translation)

14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.

Whoa. This isn’t a very flattery description of us folks. The writer is describing the LORD God. God knows us since he created us. We are weak and only dust.

Well, I sweep dust and dirt out of my house. Get rid of dust.

The lines of text that surround this verse describe a much different situation with God. God doesn’t punish us for all our sins as we deserve. God cherishes us. God forgives us. God loves us.

God loves us dust? Yes. That doesn’t make any sense to me, but here it is right in front of me in black and white or whatever colors I have my computer screen set to at the time.

Thanks be to God for the unfailing and unending love God has for me and all of us. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Judges 6:13 (New Living Translation)

13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

This is part of the (hi)story of Gideon defeating the Midianites with only 300 soldiers and the trumpets and pitchers holding torches. Gideon here has one of his many moments of doubt.

Why has all this happened to us?

My grandparents told me all these stories about the miracles that God performed when our people left Egypt. There were all those miracles and miraculous battle victories as our people entered this land promised to us. What happened to us? What about all those things my grandparents told me?

Grandparents tell things to grandchildren. That seems to be the way of things since the first grandparents appeared on earth. Some, maybe most, of the things grandparents tell are true. Gideon, however, had not seen the tales of his grandparents come true.

Up until now.

Now, Gideon would become one of the things that grandparents would tell their grandchildren. Now, Gideon would become one of the (hi)stories adults told children for several thousand years. Now, Gideon would inspire people for a thousand generations to believe in the power of God and to allow God to show power through little powerless people.

God hasn’t asked me to take 300 soldiers and battle an army outnumbered a hundred to one. Well, maybe not in those terms, but maybe so. God asks each of us to do things that are beyond belief and human power and the laws of nature. God asks each of us to be the mechanism for God’s miracles in everyday life.

I believe that the miracles our ancestors told us about are still happening everyday right in front of us. We simply need to be like Gideon. He believed all those things his grandparents told him. He allowed God to act miracles through him. God, please help me in my unbelief.

Joshua 23:7-8 (New Living Translation)

7 Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them. 8 Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

Here are a few emphasized instructions to the people as they are about to enter the land promised to them by God. There were many peoples and cultures in the promised land. There would be many occasions to be led astray by those peoples and cultures.

God’s people were told clearly to not even mention the names of the gods of the peoples in the land. Instead, they were to cling tightly to Jehovah their God. Jehovah their God was the Creator, the all-supreme God.

Cling tightly. I find this two-word instruction to still hold for me today. There is nothing else. This is pretty simple, but we tend to make things complicated. Cling tightly.

Judges 10:13-14 (New Living Translation)

13 Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!”

Sometimes life is tough. Sometimes we stray from the people who truly love us and care for us. We go elsewhere for “fun.” Then we have troubles. And who helps us in trouble? These elsewhere places?

This is a tale of woe as old as the time of the Judges. The people turned away from the loving Jehovah who was their God. They turned to other gods for fun. Then the inevitable trouble came. “Help me, somebody.” Where to turn? Where did these gods go? They provided fun, huh? Why won’t they help me, now?

When will we learn? We are an odd lot. How does God tolerate our endless folly? Thank you God. Please help me in my unbelief.

Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (New Living Translation)

47 If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, 48 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The Lord will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you.

This is part of the (hi)story of the people receiving the old law from God through Moses. There are blessings for obedience and curses (we don’t like to use that word much these days) for not obeying.

God wants service. As we read hear, not just service, but service out of joy and enthusiasm. Whoa. Must be something lost in translation here, huh? Serve with Joy? Serve with Enthusiasm? I mean, wait, there isn’t much that I do these days enthusiastically. Huh?

Right here in front of me in black and white. Clear as day. Not just obedience and service to check the boxes on some checklist of boxes, but with joy and enthusiasm. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Judges 9:22-23 (New Living Translation)

22 After Abimelech had ruled over Israel for three years, 23 God sent a spirit that stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the leading citizens of Shechem, and they revolted.

This is part of the (hi)story of the Judges who ruled Israel before the kings. The fellow named Abimelech ruled three years—a pretty good run. Then there was a revolt. Why?

God sent a spirit that stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the leading citizens of Shechem.

Let’s see, God sent a spirit into the people of the land. Things turned out badly for Abimelech. God influenced politics and political rulers. Should God be doing things like this? I mean, let politics be left to the politicians, right? And who am I to question what God does? And who am I to say, “Well, God was in politics in that time and place, so I should be in politics here and now and start a revolt just like God.”

Uh, er, we can take this too far in many directions and cause more unrighteous trouble. Let’s be careful here folks.

Still, right here in black and white in front of us are the words, “God sent a spirit.” God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. At some times in some places with some people, God guides political movements. We, or at least I, cannot judge when it is God acting or God allowing people to act or whatever other possibilities there are. We, especially I, can live a Christian life no matter what happens. That is my choice.

Deuteronomy 26:5 (New Living Translation)

5 “You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation.

God is speaking to the people as they are about to enter the Promised Land. When they enter the land, “they must then say…”

Jacob entered Egypt with fewer than a hundred people. Later, 400 years later, they exited with a million or so people, i.e., a mighty nation.

This is the ultimate rags to riches story. Perhaps it is a rags to bigger rags story. Sure, the people who exited Egypt did so with valuables earned over the 400 years as well as riches given to them by the Egyptians (good riddance).

Did the people, however, retain the riches or just become a much bigger group of rags? Did the experience lead them to righteous living? Did the people fall into injustice and unrighteous living? History shows that it didn’t go well with the people as they turned away from God. They became a much bigger group of rags.

What was wrong with them? What is wrong with me? I am blessed far more than these descendants of Jacob were. What am I doing with the blessings? Oh, well, sure I’m a good guy and all that. Really? Am I rich in justice and righteousness? Well, on my good days, but I have too few of those and too many of the other kind (if I am being honest with myself). And thank you God for your grace, and please help me in my unbelief.