Contemplative Bible Reading

3 John, verse 2 (New Living Translation)

Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.

John is writing to his friend Gaius. John wishes a strong body—a body that is as strong as the spirit of God in Gaius.

I know people who have the spirit of God strong in them. They follow Christ daily and deeply in their lives. Their body, however, is weak and failing.

We live in a physical world. Our physical bodies move us about from place to place to meet this person or that person and show them Christ in our lives. When the body is failing, we don’t move about. We don’t meet as many persons. We don’t show Christ as much.

There are many ways that those who have strong spirits but weak bodies can still show Christ to others. Our virus year of 2020 showed how we can Zoom to meet others. We can use the old-fashioned method of writing letters and cards on paper with a pencil and love.

Still, a healthy body brings a smile face to face and a warm embrace of love.

Please God, give healthy bodies to the followers. Help us all to do the things we know we should do to keep our bodies well. Thank you for the gift of health. Let us cherish it as we should cherish all the gifts You give.

Revelation 2:5 (New Living Translation)

…Turn back to me and do the works you did at first…

This is part of the revelation given to the church at Ephesus. It appears that this church had grown complacent in its heart and actions. They are encouraged to turn back to how they lived at first.

Fatigue wins in this world. When tired, I don’t think as well. My mind isn’t as quick. My body isn’t as nimble or strong. I just want to take a nap before going to bed at night.

God provides us an escape from this world and the ball-and-chain of fatigue. No, feeling tired doesn’t go away; it is still here. What does go away is the feeling that, “Well, that’s just the way it is and there is nothing that can be done about it and we all just might as well do what we might as well do and take another nap and sit on the couch and …”

God provides us an escape from this world. Physics wins. God invented it that way. There is, however, a difference.

What is different is that God provides us a Spirit that changes us. Sure fatigue is here, and so is God’s Spirit, and so is the promise and hope that I can still do the works I did at first. Complacent, lie on the couch…those things don’t have to win. No matter my age, no matter my health, no matter my circumstance, I can still smile, I can still say an encouraging and uplifting word, I can still pray, I can still bless another, I can still…well, I hope we all get the picture and turn back to the works at first.

Thank you God. Please help me to live according to Your promises.

John 4:39 (New Living Translation)

39 Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”

Once there was a woman from the village of Sychar. This woman went to a well to draw water in the middle of the day.

She didn’t associate much with the other women in her town. Actually, the other women of the town didn’t associate with her. She had been married to five different men. Bad luck? We don’t know. Regardless of her marital status, she was okay financially because she found a man who would live with and support her.

Anyways, she happened to meet a Jewish man at the well. This Jew didn’t know how to act; he spent the while speaking with her. This Jew spoke of water that you drink once and were quenched for life. She wanted that, but the Jew was speaking in riddles. Those riddles, however, came back around to tell her things about herself that no one, especially a Jew, could know.

Despite all this mess and embarrassment, the Sycharian woman became a disciple. She discipled her entire town—even those women who looked down on her. She was one of the most successful disciple-making disciples recorded in the Bible, as she brought the entire town to meet this Jewish man, and they believed.

Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation)

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Paul is writing to a group of Christians long ago in a place called Ephesus. To many folks, being a Christian means “don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t have any fun.” I am sorry to write that the incorrect idea comes from poor teaching and preaching by Christians. It certainly doesn’t come from the Bible.

What does it mean to live as a Christian? Read this verse. Long ago, God created mankind to do good things. Mankind sort of messed up the situation (well, we actually really messed it up). God, however, gave us a big second chance or third chance or however many chances. God created us again in Christ Jesus.

Okay, now what? Having been created again in Christ Jesus, we can go out and do all those good things God planned for us. Now, who is opposed to doing good things? Well, anyone want to raise their hand on this one? Sigh. Still waiting.

Sure, we can argue that doing this is good or doing that is good-er or something. And then we can argue about what standard or reference or guide we will use to define “good.” Let’s look to the Bible.

Jesus said kind words to some people. I can say a kind word or two to the folks behind the counter at Starbucks this morning and at the gas station tomorrow and at the grocery store next week and …

Jesus provided food to folks who didn’t have any. Well, I can certainly do that. Jesus… well, there are lots of examples of what Jesus did—good things planned by God long ago. I guess I could get started now, and maybe I could even tell non-Christians about this little-know part of being a Christian.

Luke 22:2 (New Living Translation)

2 The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

Those in positions of religious authority were figuring. What would they do?

First, these are good people in difficult positions. They put their lives at stake for their belief in Jehovah God. History records their self-less-ness on many occasions. They were responsible for how the people lived in relation to God.

Second, they were just plain wrong about Jesus. They did not connect what they knew of the old prophecies with what they saw right in front of them.

Third, you can be good people and just plain wrong at the same time. This is not either one thing or the other. This is both at the same time.

And one more—they were simply afraid. They decided it was best to kill Jesus. They were afraid of how the people would react to their well meaning, prayer filled, contemplated decision. The people might do all sorts of crazy things that would be good in the short term and horrible in the long term.

At this point I am supposed to tie all this together and make a statement that resolves all this conflict and fear. Sorry, I can’t do that today. Good, Godly people pray, meditate, listen to God, love one another, and make terrible mistakes. We are afraid of our family, friends, and fellow Christians. We are afraid of rejection. We try. We fail. We are covered by the Grace of God. We know that, but still, we fail and fear. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Daniel 6:16 (New Living Translation)

16 So at last the king (Darius the Mede) gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”

Here we have King Darius the Mede. He was tricked into declaring that no one seek after any greater authority than himself. Those who tricked the King knew that Daniel would be sentenced to death by the jaws of hungry lions. The King, once he learned of his own arrogant folly, was grief stricken.

The King violates his own decree. He calls on God for mercy on Daniel. He recognizes there are higher powers than himself.

It always comes back to God. Human rulers—and those of us who think we are authoritative or occupy some higher ground than others—one day realize that we are just us and God is above all. We fall to our knees and ask God to help us out of the deep hole we dug for ourselves.

Please God, push a ladder down into this hole so I can climb back up to nothing.

2 Peter 2:7-8 (New Living Translation)

⁷ But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. ⁸ Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.

Wickedness is, well, simply wicked. It denotes something bad that is really really bad. One dictionary reads, “intended to or capable of harming someone or something.”

We read of Lot living in the ill-fated city of Sodom. Lot was sick of the shameful immorality around him. Lot was tormented by the wickedness he saw and heard every day. Lot’s soul was not stained by participating in the wickedness, he just lived in a place where wickedness was a way of life for the vast majority of the persons there.

One has to ask why Lot chose to be in such a place. Surely it was bad for Lot’s well being and who knows how the place was influencing his growing children.

Anyways, being near wickedness can hurt. It hurts the body, mind, and soul. How can we show the good news of Jesus without being near the wicked? We cannot. What do we do?

Let us lean on God for guidance and whatever else we need to survive the torment of being near wickedness. God will provide. And for that, I give thanks.

Daniel 2:24 (New Living Translation)

²⁴ Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”

The all-powerful king had a dream that troubled him. The wise men of Babylon were given the impossible task of not only interpreting the dream but also describing it without any hints. As with all impossible tasks, they failed and they were sentenced to death. Being a wise man of Babylon had its drawbacks.

Daniel realized that the task was impossible to humans, but trivial to Jehovah God. Note Daniel’s first statement, “Don’t kill the wise men.” He didn’t first say, “I can do it!” or “God will tell me!” or any number of other things.

His first statement was, “Don’t kill the wise men.”

Enough is enough. We have killed enough men, women, and children. There has been enough suffering. Please. Let’s stop that now. We have belittled enough persons. We have called too many persons too many names in the cause of this or that worthy cause. Enough is enough.

There are many (hi)stories in the Bible where this was the first and last thing stated. Enough. Let’s stop here. Let’s end the human suffering. Jesus healed many first before he taught. End the human suffering. Enough.

1 John 2:7-8 (New Living Translation)

7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. 8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

John is reminding us of something—love one another. We’ve heard this many times before. Still, reminders are good.

Yet the old is also new. Huh? Yes, there is great truth in these simple three words. Jesus lived these three words, and we know what happened because of that.

John further encourages his readers in that they too are living these three words. It isn’t just a myth or a philosophical thing. It isn’t just something of faith, something we cannot see. We can see this. We can see the darkness being replaced by light—the true light.

I have bad days. Traffic is too heavy. A friend died. Another friend is ill and in the hospital. A hurricane damaged things that people need to live. Still, there is light, true light. I see people living through all the bad things that happen in their lives. They push away tears and show this true light, just like Jesus showed it.

There are days that are darker than others. Love one another. The light is defeating the darkness. Thank you God.

Isaiah 2:4 (English Standard Version)

He shall judge between the nations,
    and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war anymore.

The prophet Isaiah is relaying words from Jehovah, the God who created all. That is the one true God worshiped by Isaiah’s people.

In a time in the future, things will be different. The nations will come to Jerusalem to hear the Word of Jehovah and learn how to live and worship. Jehovah will render judgements among the nations, i.e., Jehovah will settle their disputes with wisdom and peace.

The nations will not fight to settle disputes. They will listen and obey. Their implements of war will be turned to agriculture and other endeavors that benefit all their people. War will become a thing of the past. They won’t learn how to fight. Imagine, they will forget how to fight wars and won’t study the art of war any longer.

The Word of Jehovah brings this. What’s your problem? Oh, that. Here is what you do. Huh? That simple? Yes, that simple.

“All I have to do…” is listen. And listen to the voice of Jehovah. Not to those other voices that are ringing in my head.

I guess this simple thing is too difficult for me. Please God, help me to listen.