Contemplative Bible Reading

Romans 1:21, 12:2 (New Living Translation)

As a result, their minds became dark and confused…Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

There are a lot of words between these two statements in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Sometimes, it helps my little mind to understand better by removing all the in-between words for a moment.

In the world, our minds become dark and confused. God frees us from copying the filth of the world and transforms us, changing the way we think.

Pretty simple, huh? Pretty remarkable, almost unbelievable, huh?

That is how God works. God often takes the simple but impossible path. Thank you God. Please, help me in my unbelief.

Genesis 24:62-63 (New Living Translation)

62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming.

How do I spend my evenings? Here is how Isaac spent his.

He walked and meditated in the fields.

Well, uh, er, you have to understand that Isaac lived in a simpler time and well, you know, that was what they did back then, and uh, I, er, well no one would expect me to uh, and, you know, I don’t have any fields, and…

Yes, Isaac lived in a simpler time when everyday was a struggle to keep your family members alive. If they became ill, they died, so you did everything to keep them from catching a deadly cold. Simple?

Still, this is how Isaac spent his evenings. Me? No excuses. Do I spend my evenings with God? Praying? Meditating on the word I have to read? Frittering time watching you know what?

It is my choice.

Hebrews 13:3 (New Living Translation)

Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

The writer is concluding a letter sent to Jews. This request seems odd, but consider the nature of the prison:

Gentiles invented prisons. Jews did not have any form of jail or prison in the old law.

Those Jews in prison were suffering a shameful treatment. The Gentiles had taken over the world and were administering their punishment on any Jew who was in prison. Outsiders dominated them.

Consider that last statement. Ever had someone waltz in from out of town, take over, and impose some external law? No, me neither. I can’t imagine that, but that was what the Jews were suffering.

There is much unjust oppression in the world today, in the US today, in my town today. Let me remember the oppressed as if I were oppressed myself.

Matthew 14:29 (New Living Translation)

“Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

We know the story. Peter walks on water. Then, when we looks away from Jesus, he sinks.

Let’s pause a moment to consider this “walking on water” thing. We tend to go past it quickly since we all heard the story when we were kids, but stop and consider it.

Jesus suspended gravity for Himself—recall that Jesus was also walking on water. And Jesus suspended gravity for Peter, another person who was a distance away and not touching Jesus, i.e., not in the grasp of Jesus.

No one knows how to do that. No one is even close to doing that.

Let us not gloss over the wondrous power of the Savior. Not for a moment. Ever.

Genesis 24:12 (New Living Translation)

“O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham…”

The person praying is a nameless servant of Abraham sent to find a wife for Isaac. (Consider that task for a while.)

It is not arrogant or selfish to ask God for success today. Why not?

And, the servant asks God to show unfailing love to his master. Have I ever prayed that God would show unfailing love to my boss? Ooops. Why not? How about unfailing love to my spouse? My children? My next door neighbor? I guess the list can grow longer.

I find it odd how these two items are next to one another in a prayer. That, however, shows once again the failings of my faith. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Philippians 1:17-18 (New Living Translation)

17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

Motives matter. What is in the heart is often more important to God than what our limited physical bodies are able to accomplish. Here, however, we have a case where the motives don’t matter—at least don’t appear to matter as much.

Just tell people about Christ.

That is all. Imperfectly, with bad grammar, with slurred speech, walking one walk while talk a different talk. There are many ways to say the wrong thing about saying the right thing.

Some persons preach Christ from all the wrong reasons and all the wrong ways. “Doesn’t matter,” writes Paul. Rejoice as Christ is preached.

John 3:21 (New Living Translation)

But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.

There are days when I want everyone to see what I am doing.

Arrogant? Boastful? Prideful?

Please pause a moment. I want people to see the actions, not the actor (pathetic me). I want people to see the actions that God leads me to do. Then they can consider me and ask, “How is it that T H A T fellow can do such a praiseworthy action?”

The answer is God living in and working through me. The answer is all about God.

The greatest compliment to receive?

WOW! God is amazing to be able to do that through you!

John 3:20 (New Living Translation)

All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

Question to ask (especially to ask myself):

• What are you (what am I) doing?

• Will that lead to something?

• Will that lead to something you (I) want?

• Do I want my actions exposed in the light of day? Really? Do I?

I usually do things with a goal in mind—something out there in the future that I want to hold in my hand or experience or someplace to be. What is that thing, experience, or place? What am I doing to reach it?

Enough question marks in the text. From time to time, I need to ask myself searching questions to expose in the light of God my life and actions. God knows them, but maybe I don’t. And maybe I don’t want anyone else to know that even though I try and even though I am covered by God’s grace, I fail much of the time.

I don’t consider myself to be “evil,” but I am human. There are days when I avoid the light or at least rooms lit where other people can see me. God? Well, he is the light and He sees me all the time. The grace is amazing.

Romans 8:15 (New Living Translation)

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

God gives spirit, and spirit lives in us all. What kind of spirit do I want living in me?

I can have a fearful-slave spirit. I don’t like the sound of that one. Even if I use the word “servant” instead of  “slave” … well, I still don’t like that one.

An alternative is the spirit of a member of the family. I can have the spirit that God gives to His children. Hmmm, child of God or fearful slave?

Why do I struggle so much with this decision? The choice seems obvious. Earlier Paul wrote something like “what a miserable wretch I am” to struggle with this choice. Yes, I guess that describes me on my lesser days. It doesn’t have to be that way. I don’t have to be that way.

John 3:19 (New Living Translation)

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

Funny thing about being in a well-lit place: I can see everything I am doing. And…everyone else can see everything I am doing.

Dark? That is different. In a dark room I struggle to see. I wouldn’t want to be using a sharp knife in the dark as I could hurt myself and anyone who happens to be standing near me.

Hmmm, dark and hurt seem to go together.

Still, there are those of us (and all of us some of the time) who like (love) the dark. Hurt? Yeah, maybe (probably), but there is so much fun to be had there. Of course that depends on what we consider “fun” and it is all subjective depending on me and the time and the mood and…gosh, this gets tricky quickly.

Need we use that word “evil” in this discussion. I mean, “evil” is just so…uh, evil. I mentioned that this gets tricky quickly. Perhaps I should spend more time in the well-lit room where I don’t hurt myself and everyone else so much. Yeah, that is the place to be. Please God, help me in my unbelief.