Contemplative Bible Reading

Philippians 3:3-4 (New Living Translation)

3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

Let’s focus on the last phrase of verse 3. I don’t like this. Americans don’t like this.

We put confidence in human effort.

This is the American way, the American dream. I work hard. I go to school. I get a job. I show up everyday and I…I…I…I.

And this passage tells me that the writer disregards all that. Well, he wasn’t an American so…He was a Christian and he exhorts Christians in all places at all times. Rely on Christ Jesus and what Jesus did for us—all of us in all places at all times.

Thank you God for my blessings. Thank you God that I was born at this time in this place. Prevent me from counting my circumstances as anything more than they are, just something that happened.

Numbers 17:10 (New Living Translation)

And the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.”

In Numbers 16, we have the (hi)story of people who complained that Aaron was being favored too much by God. Their complaints led them to violate God’s instructions. The disobedience led to death.

Complaints to disobedience to death.

In chapter 17, we have the (hi)story of the staffs from the 12 tribes—old, old sticks that were all dead. Aaron’s old stick, however, blossomed to life overnight while all the other old sticks simply remained old, dead sticks.

God told them to put Aaron’s miraculous stick in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Leave it there all the time. When people thought of it, they thought of how complaints lead to death.

That old stick with blossoms on it would prevent death. Funny how God chooses simple, common things to teach heavenly, spiritual lessons.

1 John 2:2 (New Living Translation)

He (Jesus) himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

The sacrifice of Jesus atones for my sins. Wow! That is a lot. Amazing grace, as the song says.

And wait, there is more: the sacrifice of Jesus atones for the sins of all the world.

Consider this one. Jesus didn’t die just me, Jesus died for everyone else, too. EVERYONE. Yes, even that fellow who is on TV and is absolutely despicable. And that person who writes those horrible stories in the newspaper. And that person who can’t stop posting those things on Facebook. And that person who cheated my football team with that bad call last weekend. And that person who…

Yes, and all those other persons, too. Hmmm. Well surely—no, Jesus atoned for that person, too. We can’t think of a person for whom Jesus didn’t atone. If they are a person, Jesus atoned for them.

Perhaps Jesus saw something in THAT PERSON. Perhaps I should reconsider THAT PERSON. And I should pray that THAT PERSON reconsiders ME as Jesus atoned for me, too.

Leviticus 6:4-5 (New Living Translation)

4 If you have sinned in any of these ways, you are guilty. You must give back whatever you stole, or the money you took by extortion, or the security deposit, or the lost property you found, 5 or anything obtained by swearing falsely. You must make restitution by paying the full price plus an additional 20 percent to the person you have harmed.

These verses are from the old law. That old law has fine detail about this and that and just about anything you could think of. And people had to know and obey and keep track of everything.

These verses contain a simple principle: if you take from someone, you have to give back what you took and a little more. The “little more” here is specified as 20%.

It isn’t enough to be even or give back what you took. You have to give more. Why more? Why not make it even and call it a day? No harm, right?

No. Sin costs something. Here it costs 20% more. Hurting someone else costs something. Putting someone through suffering of loss costs something.

This is tough. I mean, I said I was sorry, I gave a formal apology, isn’t that enough? No it wasn’t and it isn’t.

Well, how do we do all this? How do we live together and wrong one another and pay back everything plus 20%? Where am I going to get that extra 20%?

The questions go on and on. Solutions? Well, to start, don’t steal, don’t hurt the other person. Don’t sin. Don’t sin? (yet another question)

How about we do something instead of not do something. Instead of not steal and not all those other things, let’s love. Let’s live in justice and righteousness. Let’s be right before God and other folks. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

1 Peter 4:10 (New Living Translation)

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Peter is summarizing his first letter.

He has a word of great encouragement.

Everyone has received a wonderful gift from God.

He has a word of great commission.

Everyone should use the gift to serve one another.

• But I don’t know how—yes I do because God has given me that gift.
• But I don’t know what—yes I do because God has given me that gift.
• But I don’t fill-in-the-blank-with-any-excuse—yes I do because God has given me that gift.

God is excuse proof. God’s gifts are excuse erasers. Let’s just go do it. We are all fully equipped. Thank you God.

Exodus 2:11 and 2:19 (New Living Translation

11 Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews.

19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.”

These verses are about Moses. He had become an adult and began to explore the world of adulthood. Learning that he was Hebrew, the son of Hebrew slaves, he went to see his Hebrew kinsmen. The Hebrews were his own people (see verse 11).

After fleeing Egypt, Moses went to Midian where he rescued the daughters of Reuel from vandals. These daughters told their father that an Egyptian rescued them.

Moses is Hebrew. Moses is Egyptian. That makes no sense. That isn’t a good way to be, not knowing what you are or who you are to be. That is a good way to be, having the advantage of an Egyptian education and the closeness to God of being a Hebrew.

Sometimes God mixes us up. We aren’t sure what we are or who we are or where we are or anything. If, however, we are with God, we are fine. It is that first-and-only look to God instead of to this land or that culture or those friends or this education. Look to God first. Consider God first. All the rest seems to fall into place on some days. When it doesn’t fall into place the way I want at the time, look to God.

2 Peter 1:2 (New Living Translation)

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

Peter is writing to Christians—those who share the same precious faith as Peter, faith in Jesus.

Peter wants his fellow followers of Christ to have more peace in their lives. The path to peace that Peter describes comes through knowledge of God and Jesus.

Peace—an emotional well being—comes through knowledge—something in the brain. At least peace and knowledge seem that way to me.

Want more peace? Read more Bible. Want more peace? Talk to God more (prayer). Want more peace? Sit quietly and listen. For me, write more about God as that causes me to listen more to God. For others, music and Godly lyrics brings listening to God. For others, there are other things that cause listening to God and knowing God more.

Each of us should seek the thing that helps us listen to God, to grow in knowledge of God and Jesus. That thing will probably change as our lives change. Change with it.

Want more peace? Do what helps grow in the knowledge of God. Please God, help me to do so.

3 John, verse 5 (New Living Translation)

Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you.

John is writing to a dear friend named Gaius. John urges his friend to care for the traveling teachers who pass through. This holds true for those traveling teachers whom the friend does not know.

Where I live now—in this time and place—we don’t have traveling teachers who pass through. I guess we’ve outgrown or changed in some way that differs from the time of John and his friend.

There are plenty of persons on TV and the Internet who are teaching and are strangers to me. Are they part of the “traveling teachers” that John mentions? Should I care for those persons? All of them? Some of them?

I would like some help understanding this. Am I only to care for resident teachers these days?

Genesis 22:18 (New Living Translation)

And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.

Abraham had just acted faithfully towards God. He had followed God’s command to sacrifice his only son Isaac. As a result of Abraham’s faith, his descendants—one of whom was Jesus of Nazareth—would bless all the nations, i.e., peoples of the earth.

I am one of those peoples blessed by Jesus of Nazareth. Everyone I have every met are part of those peoples.

Thank you God for blessing us through the descendants of Abraham. Thank you Abraham for your obedience.

Please God, help me each day to live as an expression of thanksgiving. Please help me in my unbelief.

Malachi 1:8 (New Living Translation)

When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

If you are of a certain age, you may recognize the title of this post. “Sunday best” referred to clothing that was kept aside to wear only on Sunday when attending church services. You “looked good” and “respectful” when going to the church building.

Of course this “Sunday best” was misused by some. In some places, if a boy didn’t have a tie, he was not allowed in the church building, and if a girl didn’t wear a dress, she was barred as well.

Misused? Yes. Of no merit? No.

We read verses such as from Malachi above. God didn’t need animals. God created all animals. God desired a sacrifice. That means giving something to God that means something to me.

I can give God all the cauliflower in the grocery store. That stuff means nothing to me. As far as I am concerned, cauliflower is a waste of everything. God can have it all!

Silly example.

Perhaps we should think about what we wear to the church building. “This is good enough for God” has replaced “Sunday best.” Perhaps we have swung a bit too far in the other direction. Of course we can misuse all this and abuse other people with my interpretation of sacrifice.

And perhaps my words above are all jumbled and sound wrong. I apologize for my failings. Please don’t be angry with me, but pray for me. And please God, help me in my unbelief.