Contemplative Bible Reading

Acts 19:23-24 (New Living Translation)

23 About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. 24 It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy.

Here is Demetrius. He works with silver to fashion all sorts of things include statues of the Greek goddess Artemis. Demetrius is a business man who employs many other silversmiths and assorted craftsmen. He is responsible for the wages of many persons. Those persons feed, clothe, and house their families from their wages.

This is life a few thousand years ago. This is life today. Persons have jobs. The jobs may not be that important or good in any other way, but the jobs mean a person can care for their family. That is important and godly.

With Demetrius, however, jobs and life collide with the spread of the good news that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and deserves our worship—our undivided worship. That last part—undivided worship—puts a dent into the wages of all those silversmiths and craftsmen who made little Artemis statues.

Now what do we do? There are simple, basic economic choices (make other things from silver, diversify your skills, etc.), but there are spiritual choices that sometimes aren’t so simple. “I’ll stop making Artemis statues and hope that I find something else. In the mean time, I hope my family doesn’t starve. Well, maybe that won’t work.”

Obvious example, right? I don’t think so. Many of us work for organizations that do things we don’t like. Many of the big bosses in our lives do things we don’t like. Many of our customers do things we don’t like. It becomes complicated quickly. How to we walk away from the world and become independent of all these complicated decisions?

We don’t because we can’t. We live here in this world while we yearn for something else. We can struggle with every little thing. We can also trust in God for every big thing. Let’s go with God.

Genesis 39:3 (New Living Translation)

Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.

This is a simple sentence that sets the stage in the (hi)story of Joseph in Egypt. Joseph is a slave. No rights; no anything. Potiphar owns Joseph. Take that in: he OWNS Joseph.

Potiphar noticed that this slave from Canaan succeeded in everything he did. Slaves don’t succeed, and owners don’t notice. That, however, is what happened here.

AND, Potiphar realized that Jehovah God the Creator was with Joseph. Potiphar, an Egyptian who owned stolen persons, knew about Jehovah the God who created all. Potiphar also noticed that this all-powerful God was with Joseph. This happened hundreds of years before the Ten Commandment and there was any sense that relatives of this slave would be a nation that caused other nations to tremble.

People in the world who don’t have a close relationship with God notice people who do. These “other” people know about God the creator, even these “others” who deny God’s existence. These “other” people can put two-and-two together. They do so more often than they admit.

Me? I need to realize this and act like I know it. Please God, help me everyday as I walk to and fro.

Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 (New Living Translation)

18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless!

The writings of the teacher show, among many things, that it is worth the effort to raise wise children. Whether wise or foolish, the child will inherit the fruits of my labor. So, might as well have them be wise, right?

Or is this all part of a greedy lifestyle? Worldly wealth can be used well for the benefit of many others. Waste is usually waste, but the waste goes to someone for their benefit, i.e., jobs and such.

I don’t know what to do with all that God has given me. Prayer helps me to learn. I shall have to dwell in that a bit more to learn the little day-to-day tasks God wants me to do.

Keep the heart in the right place and seek guidance.

Luke 1:17 (New Living Translation)

He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.

In this verse, an angel is speaking to a priest named Zechariah. This man is to have a son whom we came to know as John the Baptist. John, in his own right, will change his world.

John the Baptist will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.

Let’s consider that one for a moment. Have you ever changed someone else’s mind? Have you ever attempted to change someone else’s mind? Have you ever convinced someone to change their ways?

I know my attempts at such greatly outnumber my successes. John, however, was going to do this. The succeeding pages of the Gospels tells us that John succeeded in doing this.

I consider this a miracle—causing the rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly. One more example, I believe, that God works miracles around his everyday. We fail, on most occasions, to notice God and his miracles. Please God, help us to see.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 (New Living Translation)

But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Several translations use the phrase “under the sun” where the above states “anywhere.” The idea can be stated “without God.”

Hence, there is nothing really worthwhile when we are not with God.

Pretty simple; pretty plain. God created us. God wants to be with us. God wants us to want to be with God. When we walk away from God, and God allows us to do that, nothing is worthwhile.

Sigh. And many of us thought we were doing something special.

John 8:10-11 (New Living Translation)

¹⁰ Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

¹¹ “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

These verses conclude the (hi)story of what is usually called, “The Woman Caught in Adultery.” Jesus ends the conversation with, “Go and sin no more.”

This woman had a conversation with the Son of God. She had met Jesus. Now what? What do we do after meeting Jesus?

Sin no more, that’s what.

Well, I’m human and I, uh, fail, and I uh, well, I uh… There are many ways we can go with this. There are many explanations, justifications, and just plain bad excuses I can state. The answer is the same.

Please God, help me each moment of each day.

Deuteronomy 29:24-25 (New Living Translation)

24 And all the surrounding nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why was he so angry?’ 25 And the answer will be, ‘This happened because the people of the land abandoned the covenant that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt…’

The “surrounding nations” in these verses are those other folks. You know, “them” and “they.” The ones who are not “us.”

Those other folks—despite not being one of us—knew about God the Creator. They knew about the works of God the Creator. They knew about the special relationship God the Creator had with one group of people.

And because they knew God too, they could observe what happened to this special group of people (us) and wonder about it.

I thank God that I live in the age of grace created by the blood of Jesus. Still, I have this silly notion of “us” and “them” with me today. I know God. And I know that those other folks know God, too. And I know that those other folks see how and live and the consequences that come into my life.

I pray the same thing for those other folks that I pray for myself. “Please God, help me (and them) with my (our) unbelief.”

Please God, bring us all closer to You.

Deuteronomy 28:30 (New Living Translation)

You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her…

This is one of the curses promised to the people if they did not obey God’s commandments.

Some 36 years ago I became engaged to be married to the woman who has been my wife for these 36 wonderful years. I think back to the period between our engagement and wedding day. …but another man will sleep with her…

Thank you God for not enacting that curse on me. I have seen others suffer this curse. Somehow they lived through it, but their lives were altered in a way that they never recovered.

Thank you God that I live under grace, not commands with curses. I suffer consequences of foolishness in this life, but forgiveness from God. Please help me in my unbelief.

Deuteronomy 1:22-23 (New Living Translation)

22 “But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’

23 “This seemed like a good idea to me…

Moses is telling a new generation of the people a history from a prior generation. On the doorstep of the promise land flowing with milk and honey, they prior generation comes to Moses:

“First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us.”

And for Moses, this seemed like a good idea. If I were there and then, I would probably have thought the same. Hmmm, good idea.

Of course, it was an awful idea. Scouts explored the land and reported disaster if they entered the place promised by God. The cities were too big. The walls were too thick. The people were to numerous. The giants were, well, they were giants.

The people fell apart emotionally. The refused to follow God’s leader. Then they changed their minds and rushed in without God’s blessing. Disaster.

But it seemed like a good idea. How many good ideas are MY IDEAS, not God’s? How many times to I follow my thoughts instead of God’s? The answer is simple but hurtful. The answer to both questions is, “Too many.” God, help me in my unbelief.

Numbers 29:1 (Holman Christian Bible)

You are to hold a sacred assembly in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, and you are not to do any daily work. This will be a day of joyful shouting for you.

God is telling the people about the special holidays during the year. This one is about the Festival of Trumpets. This will be a day of joyful shouting.

Where did we lose this one? We are not under the old law and the Jewish festivals. Still, do we Christians have a day of joyful shouting? Perhaps every Friday and Saturday night during football season for those of use with roots and lives in the south.

When was the last time you shouted joyfully? Perhaps we should practice from time to time lest we forget how.