Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Chronicles 29:19 (New Living Translation)

19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.

David is praying. David asks God to give things to his son Solomon. I love this phrase “the wholehearted desire to obey.” David does not ask that his son obey him, but obey God.

Sure, my sons and my relatives and the folks I know aren’t about to build a temple. They are about to wake on a Saturday morning and not do every little thing their heart desires. They have other people in their lives who need them for this and that and a dozen other things. Won’t those people just go away and …

No, God puts these people in our lives for us to love and serve. And some Saturday mornings we just don’t feel up to … oh wait, what was that sound? Is someone making a mess in the kitchen again or fighting over the … Life.

God, bless my sons and their wives and children. Bless my brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and on down the line. Grant them the wholehearted desire to follow You. And God, help me along the way as well. Help me to pray and love and serve, too.

2 Corinthians 10:7 (New Living Translation)

7 Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do.

Paul is writing to a church in Corinth. There is a lot of fussing going on. Some say Paul is a phony. Paul is not a real Christian like they are. Paul defends himself. We are Christians just as much as they are Christians.

Funny, a few thousand years ago folks were fussing about “we” and “they.” Not much has changed since.

And now we come to the part of the blog post where I use this centuries-old sentence to bonk myself in the noggin’. Those folks over there are Christians, too. They read the Bible; they pray, and they love everyone. And they probably read and pray and love and care more than me and us. And they don’t agree with me and us on everything.

I can spend all my time and energy fussing with they. I can spend all my time and energy loving those who need such. It is my choice. God, help me in my unbelief.

Ephesians 4:34 (New Living Translation)

24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

The writer is explaining what Jesus Christ has done for them. Jesus made their lives different. They are better.

NO! WRONG!

My life isn’t different. My life isn’t better. My life isn’t improved.

My life is N E W.

We have this phrase today used in ads all the time, “New and improved.” Jesus did not make me “new and improved.” Jesus made me N E W. Jesus didn’t work on a few of my faults to lessen them. Jesus didn’t work on a few of my strengths to increase them.

Jesus made me N E W.

The old (good and bad) in me is gone, forgotten, vanished. I am N E W.

Every moment of every day I need to act like it.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (New Living Translation)

9 There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. 10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

Buried here among all the lineages of the Chronicles is a short mention of a man named Jabez. This is the only time this man is mentioned in the Bible. The name “Jabez” is sort of Hebrew for “pain.” This is like naming a boy “Burns” because his birth brought burning pains to his mother.

Anyways, this obscure man with a painful name prays to God. This short prayer is one for the ages. It is one of those things that I, and everyone I know, can pray everyday.

Please God, be with me in all that I do.

Thank you, Jabez. And thank you God for your never ending mercy and grace.

Mark 10:45 (New Living Translation)

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Let’s think a moment about ransom. If someone kidnapped my wife and told me, “We want a dollar in ransom money.” I use “a dollar” as an example, multiply by whatever number seems appropriate.

If I pay the dollar as ransom, that means I want my wife more than I want the dollar. That is what a ransom is—something I want less than something else.

Now consider Jesus as a ransom for many (I am in the group “many”).

God sent Jesus as a ransom for me. God wants to be with me more than with His own and only Son. There must something wrong in translation here. That is silly. God wants “me” more than his Son? Yes, that is what it says right here in black and white in front of me. God wants to be with pathetic little me more than with His righteous and sacrificial Son.

I’ll have to think on that one a while. Perhaps I should straighten up a bit. Perhaps I should love a bit more. Perhaps… the list will be pretty long.

Romans 10:3 (American Standard Version)

3 For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

Righteousness is a state of being right. I got it right. ‘Nough said (wrong).

Paul is writing about those people who want to establish their own definition of right and wrong. We know, them. Let me make a list of them so we all know who they are (wrong, again).

Paul then writes about people who subject themselves to God’s definition of right and wrong. Now Paul is writing about me, right? I certainly know God’s definition. All of us here do. Right? Do I have to write “wrong, again and again?”

Nope. I must set aside my definition of right and wrong and come to God on God’s terms. Well, I’m so good that I … Wrong. I’m not so good. If I was so good I wouldn’t need God, and boy is that ever wrong.

I am using the word “wrong” a bunch of times in this little blog post. I suppose I should read my own words with a little more care.

We are all wrong. We all want our definition of right and wrong. We all must subject ourselves to God’s righteousness. Please God, help me day by day, step by step.

Colossians 3:11 (New Living Translation)

11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

The writer is writing about life and how to live. Prior to this sentence, the writer lists all the things that folks in the world do and that folks following Jesus Christ no longer do.

Things have changed. It doesn’t matter who I am. It doesn’t matter where I went to high school and if I went to college or if I am from the West, the East, the most, or the least.

All that matters is Jesus Christ.

Well, sure, but, you know, I have a special place with Jesus Christ. You see, I came from “good stock” and “the right people” so while everyone is welcome, there are some of my kind that are more welcome and have more special places and…

Wrong, wrong, and wrong. I am not special-er than anyone. All the matters is Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ lives in all of us—no more in me than in you or “that fellow over there behind that tree.” And if I wish that fellow over there behind that tree remains over behind that tree and doesn’t bother me too much in this plush, warm coffee shop made for special-er people like me, well, I missed the point of all this.

Whether I am in the coffee shop or sheltering in the woods trying to stop the hunger and cold shivers doesn’t matter. Jesus Christ is all that matters. And I should bring warmth and comfort to that fellow over there behind the tree. That’s what people in Jesus Christ do.

1 Kings 8:41-43 (New Living Translation)

41 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands because of your name, 42 for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 43 then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.

King Solomon is praying. In his prayer, he sees the future when all the people of the Earth will pray to Jehovah the God of Israel, the Creator of all.

There is much I can infer from this. It is easy to infer too much. Still, this is radical theology for that day in which Solomon prayed. God would “open the tent” and let everyone else in. All the people of the Earth—not just the descendants of Jacob (Israel)—could pray to the God of Israel and God would hear their prayers.

Now I infer some things. This predicts today. I am not a physical descendant of Israel, yet I pray to God and God hears my prayers. I am blessed by God and covered by the sacrificial blood of the Son, Jesus Christ.

Praise God. I am covered by the prediction in King Solomon’s prayers. Please God, help me to live a life that is somewhat worthy of Your blessings.

Romans 10:4 (New Living Translation)

4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

We read here about how Christ accomplished the purpose of the law. And what was that purpose?

All who believe are made right with God.

This is one of those little sentences that are fit for a plaque on the wall or one of those tapestries or needlepoint things people used to do. I guess today it is a good “meme” for the Internet.

This is all quite simple. This is all so amazing it is difficult to understand. A poor carpenter’s son made be right with God. Well, that poor carpenter’s son was also the Son of God. That poor carpenter’s son lived a sinless life and suffered death anyway just for me.

Yes, this is all so amazing it is difficult to understand.

2 Samuel 14:14 (New Living Translation)

14 All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.

In this (hi)story, a woman comes to King David with a story. The story isn’t true, but it is believable and concerns family members who experienced terrible things. If things continue, more suffering will come to family members. Isn’t it possible to stop all this? Isn’t it possible to say, “Enough is enough?”

The woman was sent by someone to King David to help David understand the troubles in his own family. David’s family needed to declare, “Enough is enough.”

The woman concludes by reminding David that God does not just sweep life away; instead, He devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from Him.

Some folks believe that God loves to punish folks. God loves to see folks suffer and “get their just rewards.” We read here that God “devises ways”—that takes some time, effort, and thought—in bringing us back. God wants us back in a righteous relationship. God does not just sweep us away like accumulated dust on the back steps of the house.

Thank you God. Help me to understand and live fully with this love.