Contemplative Bible Reading

Colossians 1:3-14 (New International Version)

3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Look at verses 10 through 12. Notice the three words that end in “ing.”

bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father

These are active words, active phrases. They cause me to ask myself, “am I doing more of this action this year than last? Am I growing? Am I maturing as a Christian?”

Now look back at the “ing” word in verse 9 – understanding. Am I understanding God more this year than before? Do I understand His will in my life? Do I understand what he wants me to do? Do I understand what He wants me to be?

These may be difficult questions for me to consider and difficult to answer.

God, help me with these questions. Help me to answer them in my life everyday. Help me to grow the the understanding of and living the Christian life.

Luke 13:10-14 (New International Version)

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

Sometimes we find an excuse when we don’t like someone. Something bothers us about the other person, and it isn’t nice to say “I don’t like them.” So, we find a reason – the other person is doing something wrong. To add to that, the other person is doing something wrong per religion.

I think this is what the ruler of the synagogue is doing. He doesn’t like Jesus, so he finds a reason not to like Jesus. Aha, the Sabbath. Well, Jesus was doing something sort of wrong that violated some traditions, maybe they weren’t the strongest traditions, but close enough to make an accusation.

After all, Jesus had the audacity to infinitely improve the quality of this woman’s life. And he did it on the 7th day of the week. Sort of silly. Sort of like we still do today.

God, help me to love my fellow man. Keep me from finding excuses to dislike people – especially keep me from pulling You into my petty feuds.

Acts 26:8 (New International Version)Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

I will take the liberty of re-phrasing this verse:

Why should anyone consider it incredible that God (fill in the blank)

Well, what is beyond God’s power? What should we consider incredible for God to do.

In one respect, most of the things God does are incredible. He created us, he created all we see around us. Those are incredible feats.

In another respect, nothing God does should seem incredible to us. He is, after all God. If we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, then what is beyond Him? What is incredible.

God, help me to see all the things you do as incredible. Help me never to doubt the power that you have.

Luke 8:39 (New International Version)

“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

I went to a funeral this past week. The deceased – a friend from church – was 44 years old, died of cancer, and left behind a wife and five children (age 3 through 13). A terrible tragedy.

Before dying, this man made a video which was played during the memorial service. He made statements like:

I have never been hungry

I have never slept out in the cold

I have a wonderful wife and children

To his statements, I must add some of my own:

I have never been shot (or even shot at)

I have never been beaten (or seen any of these things happen to my family)

I have never been evicted from my home

I have never been persecuted for worshiping God

And then this verse – tell how much God has done for you.

I don’t know if I will live long enough to tell how much God has done for you. I pray that I spend my time wisely so I can tell as much as possible.

2 Peter 1:16 (New International Version)

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

In my life, I have on several occasions come across the idea of stories. As a child, we heard Bible stories. My father used to read to my two brothers and me from a story book. The main character was a little boy named Little Brown Coco. The book contained Bible stories.

I attended a church school for grades 1 through 5. I recall our first grade teacher Miss Lois Campbell (see footnote) starting our day by telling us Bible stories from the Old Testament. That is where I learned much about the Old Testament characters.

Recently, a consultant has been visiting our church. One of his themes is for us to discover and recount the stories of our Christian lives and of our church. By knowing and owning our stories, we can lay a foundation for where we as a church are to go.

This passage in 2 Peter mentions cleverly invented stories. Those are not the kind of stories that Peter and the other apostles tell about Jesus Christ. The stories of Christ were of truth, glory, and majesty.

I wonder about my own story, the story of my family, the story of the Christians I have known in my life. Christians like my dad and like Miss Lois Campbell. Those are not cleverly invented stories. They are some of the wonderful stories of my life.

Footnote

Yes, Miss Campbell was a “Miss.” She was the classic old maid school teacher. As best as I can determine, she taught in church schools her entire adult life. I met her a few years ago, and she was still teaching ceramics or something in a church school a few days a week. I guess she was in her 80s at the time. By  the way, she taught my dad in high school. That is a long teaching career.

Proverbs 27:1 (New International Version)

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

This passage struck me today. The odd thing about it was that I couldn’t decide what it meant to me. I went looking on the Internet for insights from other people. Below are a few paragraphs I found written by Warren L. Adams at http://ezinearticles.com/?Boast-Not-Thyself-of-Tomorrow&id=236793.

I learned the lesson that there is no tomorrow when I was a young boy. My love of boiled peanuts would drive me to a local store. One day the owner had posted a sign that read “Peanuts fifteen cents today ten cents tomorrow”. Upon reading the sign I decided to wait until the next day to make my purchase.

The next day I went to the store and presented my dime to the owner for a bag of peanuts. He looked at my dime and said “Son read the sign.” Once again I read the sign “Peanuts fifteen cents today ten cents tomorrow”. As I pondered on what I had just read it came to me, there is no tomorrow only today.

I think this is funny. I guess it also makes a point. Tomorrow may bring something I expect, but God does not guarantee that.

When I wake up in the morning I have three things on my mind and in my prayer. First, I woke up. Thanks God for letting me sleep and awaken.

Second, I consider if I have a headache. I went through a year where I had headaches about four days a week. I awoke with a terrible headache and struggled through much of the day. For the past few years, however, I don’t have a headache when I awaken. I thank God for no headache.

Third, I look out the window to see if my son returned home the previous night. He works nights at a restaurant. When I see his vehicle in front of the house, I thank God for his safe return.

Each day is a blessing. Each day holds many blessings.

When I go to bed at night, I thank God for a day.

Psalm 34:4 (New International Version)

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

I’m not afraid of as much as used to be. At least I tell myself that here when I am 49 years old. Still, if someone probed me they could find plenty that I fear. Those things that I admit to fear are probably more fearful than anything I feared as a child.

This is a comforting verse. When something frightens me, I can seek the Lord and He will deliver me from that fear.

This is also frightening verse. At my age, as long as I have been following after Christ, God knows that I will still have fears. Large, awful, terrible fears to which only He can deliver me.

God, deliver me from my fears. Help me to follow after Christ in spite of them.

Leviticus 23:22 (New International Version)

‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’

I first recall reading this page some 25 years ago. I puzzled over this word glean, and hence researched it in dictionaries. Below is a common definition:

glean |gl?n| verb [ trans. ]

historical gather (leftover grain or other produce) after a harvest : [as n. ] ( gleaning) the conditions of farm workers in the 1890s made gleaning essential.

—from the Apple, Inc. dictionary in OS X

The farming technology of Biblical times was not efficient as edible crops were left in the fields. It was common that the farmers would harvest their fields a second time to ensure they gathered all the food possible in the field. This is where the phrase “reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings” originates in the verse.

God here tells His people not to be so efficient in the harvesting of food. He wants them to leave some in the fields so that the poor and the alien can harvest something for themselves.

I think this principle applies to me today. I don’t need to be super efficient in my life when it comes to harvesting money and possessions. I should leave some for others.

Also notice that God does not ask His people to harvest everything and give food to the poor. He asks His people to leave some in the fields so that  poor and alien can gather for themselves. He wants the poor and alien to work for their harvest.

I am not sure how to do this in all aspects of my life. I am not sure how to do this at all. I do, however, try to keep this in mind. I like to do things myself; I like to do things for other people. Sometimes, thinking of this passage helps me to leave some work for others to do, so that they too can have the satisfaction of self-reliance.

God help me to understand gleanings and see where I can apply this concept in my life.

Galatians 6:1-2 (New International Version)

1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

I have a friend who consults with organizations for a living. When asked about what he does, he replies, “Art restoration.”

Let me interpret. What he does most of the time is speak with persons one at a time about things that are puzzling them. These puzzles can be from work, home, anywhere. Often the solutions to these puzzles were within the person. They knew the answer all along, it was just that people had muddied these solutions through the years. They had ruined a beautiful piece of art. He helps to restore the piece of art.

This passage in Galatians is a challenging one, and there are many lessons I have learned from it. Today, I concentrate on the act of restoring the person.

“When a person is caught in sin or wrongdoing” There is no doubt or debate about what has happened. The person has done wrong. Sometimes morally, sometimes they have violated the law. And they have been caught, not maybe, not sort of, they have been caught.

Now what do I do as a Christian?  I read this passage as a command – restore the person, and do it gently.

Suppose a Christian has violated the law of the state as well as  sinning against God. That person goes to jail. I cannot “write them off.” I am commanded to restore them. This may mean visiting them in jail. This may mean visiting them often after they are released from jail.

Often in churches, we wait until the person comes back to us confessing and asking for forgiveness. I don’t see that in these verses. Instead, I see a command to go to the person and help them back.

I also see the concept of gentleness here. No “I told you so. Have many times did I tell you that you should stop doing such-and-such?” Those statements are not gentle. Those statements do not restore – they chastise instead.

Restoring a person is much easier if the person wishes to be restored. Willingness to change one’s life is a great help.

But what if the person resists being restored?

What if the person is suspicious of our motives at restoration?

What if the local church doesn’t want the person back?

Each of these challenges are likely, and there are many more. But none of the challenges erases the verses from Galatians.

Mark 1:34 (New International Version)

and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

The demons knew who Jesus was. They knew he was the son of God. I believe that spiritual beings recognize one another. I believe that there are spiritual beings on the earth today. Demons, angels, and the like. Those beliefs come from this verse.

Though we as humans don’t see or recognize these spiritual beings, I believe the recognize one another. I also believe that they recognize Jesus living in us. I believe they recognize the Holy Spirit in us.

I believe these demons act according to what they see. Sometimes that may mean they run from us. Sometimes that may mean they attack us and bring grief into our lives.

God, grant us strength for when they attack us. Help us to live so that they will recognize you in us. Help us to live so that our fellow man recognizes you in us.