It seems that greater the pain, the greater the intimacy with the Lord. At least, that’s my experience. As we experience more struggles, we tend to lean on God more than at other times. His peace floods our hearts and we experience his presence more. As we cry out to him, we naturally spend more time with him. That’s good.

But the pain is not good. Should we desire the pain to gain intimacy with God? I’m not so sure of that. Of course, regular time with God is surely an asset for us, no matter if there is pain or not. You can still experience the Lord’s presence even where there’s less pain and struggles.

But…

There’s something different when you’re being consoled during your painful moments.
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Maybe He wept because of the death of Lazarus. That’s what most think, and on the surface it seems to make sense. Sort of.

I see this differently, as Jesus already knew he was going to resurrect Lazarus from the dead. Thus I cannot imagine him crying because he missed his friend. Because soon he would speak the words that would bring life back to the dead man.

Jesus wept because of the lack of faith that was all around him. Especially because of the lack of faith of his friends Martha and Mary. They should have known better, and believed deeper. Rather they allowed the situation to overtake their emotions and their reason.

Maybe even today, Jesus continues to weep because of our lack of faith.
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Protecting what we believe becomes a priority. Sometimes we are ready to “put up a fight” of various types for what we believe. But we may have friends, family, and other believers who believe differently. That creates a problem.

The root of the problem is that our beliefs become so important to us that they become our identity. Thus the difference in belief becomes much more than a difference. It becomes a point of contention rather than just a disagreement.

Can we agree to disagree? No. Not when it touches the very essence of who we are (or who we think we are). Since our identity gets tied up in our beliefs, we find it impossible to love our fellow believers.

So, what should we protect?
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What’s in a name? For many people, nothing. But for the ancients, it was a treasure of value. 

For all of us, it’s a given name.

Our parents or other relatives might have chosen our name. They might have thought it sounded good, cute, unique, or it rhymed with names of other children. Or, they found meaning that they wished for their children. These names are just given to us. 

For others, it’s a self-made name. 

It’s great to make a name through achievements. Others make a name through popularity and influence. Many spend their entire lives striving to create a name for themselves. 

For some, it’s a name acquired by a life of purpose. 

Those who live their lives with purpose leave an impact that lasts generations. This is different from those who make a name for themselves – as this is not for themselves, but for others. Such a purpose of living a life of service to others is an amazing life to live. Greater still, is a life lived for the glory of God, living out the purposes or God in this world. 

I’ve always treasured the words in Proverbs 22:1-4 regarding a good name. Here it is: 

1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor have this in common,
The Lord is the maker of them all.

3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are punished.

4 By humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches and honor and life.”

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The story of Gideon is intriguing when you observe the multiple obstacles facing this man who was the one choice above all others in Israel. Was this the best God could find? 

At the time of his calling, Gideon objected doubting how God could be with Israel when all the negative things are happening to their nation. Then, he goes on to state how he could not be the right choice for God, implying that God made a mistake in selecting him. 

Then, Gideon goes on to ask for a sign, and God answers him with fire out of the rock that consumed the sacrifice. After this, God asks him to build an altar on top of the rock from where the fire came. But he had to do it at night out of fear of the people of the land. And when the men of the city objected and wanted to kill his entire family, his father stood up and was able to avert this retaliation. 

Then again, He asks for another sign, where he presents a fleece before the Lord. But here, he reverses his request, in effect doubling his fear and doubt if it is really the Lord that called him. In Judges 7:10ff, we see that after all this, he is fearful to take steps that God asks of him. 

Couldn’t God find someone with even a minimum level of confidence? This Gideon seems to be so weak that he might not even be capable of taking care of his own personal matters. 

God chooses the least. He doesn’t need any help. He can take care of his own matters. And he does it well. That brings more glory to God.

Do you know someone similar that’s weak, fearful, and full of doubt, and God somehow decided to call and use that person?

I saw one this morning. In the mirror. 

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Of course, you should stand up for your rights. But to what extent? To avenge is to take action in hopes of gaining justice. But retaliation is to respond in kind, often negatively and quickly.

Moab was a neighboring nation to Israel. They’ve been enemies and Israel faced the brunt of their attacks in various ways. Although Israel tried to defend their borders and to maintain peace, Moab wouldn’t back off. Thus it was settled that this issue cannot be resolved – at least by Israel’s attempts.

But in Isaiah 15, the prophecy concerning Moab begins with the phrase “The burden against Moab.” Prominent cities of Moab are listed with graphic and poetic portrayals of destruction. It is as if God “opened” the gates of the nation for their enemies to enter and to destroy. The 7th verse presents a chilling proclamation:
“Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up, they will carry away to the Brook of the Willows” (Isaiah 15:7).

Israel did their best to stand up for themselves amidst the constant barrage of attacks and taunts from Moab. But their efforts didn’t have much long term benefit. That’s when God stepped in and brought judgment on the Moabites.

So yes, you should stand up for yourself. But when it seems your efforts are fruitless, there’s no need to worry. Stay humble before God, and patient in “suffering.” Although you feel you’ve been wronged. Know that ultimately God is in control. Not you nor your enemies.

Instead of retaliating or trying to avenge yourself to maintain your honor, let God do his work. He is faithful. And he does everything well.
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The story of the talents is often misunderstood. In our modern times we refer to talents as abilities in music, arts, sports, etc. But the ancient use of the word talent was a unit of measure, specifically for weight. Thus, when that master gave “talents” to his servants, he was giving gold, silver, or other costly metals. Those metals were the currency of that time.

So the master entrusted his servants with his wealth and expected them to use it in various businesses to gain more wealth. From the story we see that the servants who received five and two talents doubled the master’s wealth. We can assume that this was the master’s expectation, that his wealth should be doubled by their efforts.

The man with only one talent obviously had less than others, but his mind was trapped with a misunderstanding regarding his master. He felt his master was a thief because of the great wealth that he amassed. This servant could not imagine earning that much money with less effort. He obviously misunderstood wealth because he could not look beyond his own circumstances. It is possible that his master had attempted to educate and train him in business to become successful like his coworkers. But he just could not overcome his obstacles. 

But this man had the option of building with the little given to him, thus earning a greater responsibility or “talents” of wealth.
But he couldn’t get past his obstacles. The obstacle of having less than others possibly caused him to think that the master did not trust him. As his master may have tried to teach and train him, he would have understood that this servant just could not grasp the concept of business and wealth building. This may be the reason for the master giving less to him compared to his colleagues. This might have been an act of mercy just to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The second obstacle was that he misunderstood wealth. He saw his master’s task as improper and dishonest. If he did not have these obstacles limiting his mindset, he would have been able to take the one talent and make it two. Thus prompting the master to entrust him with more.

I remember speaking with a young man about wealth building concepts. His first response was “one man’s gain is another man’s loss.” This mindset trapped him, and blocked him from future possibilities of wealth building. The servant with one talent had his own mental limitations.

The master may have given him more opportunities, but who knows? The man’s rash response and comments regarding the master possibly caused him to call the man “worthless servant” and cast him out of his presence.

The less talented and those who have less also have an opportunity. They surely need to get over the mental obstacles.
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It’s simple and complicated at the same time. In my earliest years, it was the Good News Bible for regular reading, and the KJV was my “church” bible. Later, in 1983 I tried the NIV for one week, and was hooked. Although I’ve used multiple translations, the NIV remained my primary bible.

Then, when the 2011 update to the NIV presented some significant updates, my view changed – after decades. I felt the new NIV went too far beyond being a translation. It almost became a commentary. What I mean is that it was trying to help the readers too much. 

There were cumbersome readings such as “brothers and sisters” where the original simply said “brothers”. Of course, it was intended for men and women, but I believe that the modern reader can understand and appreciate that this is an ancient text and the writing of the ancients would keep the pattern of their time. This is just one example. There are many others as well.

Then about 2015, I moved on to the ESV. This proved to be a good evangelical “update” to the RSV, and I felt comfortable with that. The ESV didn’t try to help, rather it kept much of the original forms.

I’ve been handling biblical languages for over 35 years, and I know that the original pattern and order cannot remain. But going to the far extent where the text reads like a modern novel was not my idea of the Bible (I understand there is a place for this, but it’s not for me).

Then there was the shift to the NKJV which removed much of the archaic renderings of the KJV. My main reason for this shift came as a result of the perspective of removing verses from the New Testament when none of the oldest available manuscripts contain them. I understand the technical reasoning for this, but I feel this is unwarranted. We don’t have ALL the ancient texts. Even if it was an addition, it aligns with the theme of the passage and presents no theological difficulties.

Once you begin removing verses for one reason, we surely can find more reasons for future removals. I’d rather not. Along with this idea is the concept of the hundreds of church traditions that have brought the text to us. Although I don’t hold the church traditions above scripture, I value its witness. Who knows, it may be a witness to ancient texts that had those verses “in question” for the textual critics.

I continue to use the ESV for academic purposes and for the classes that I teach. But my personal Bible reading has shifted to the NKJV.

These are my personal reasons to switch to the NKJV. What do you think?

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Years of conditioning through experiences get us into a rut. The rut gets comfortable. It becomes familiar. Our focus gets narrower. We don’t look elsewhere. It’s no use. We’re stuck in a rut. 

For some, it becomes part of their personality. For some, it defines identity. It’s hard to know how many, but for some, it becomes bondage. 

How does one get out? That’s difficult. It took years to get into this, and may take years to get out. But once the person is conscious about their situation that is the first step out. Then they must have the desire to get out. Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with many who’d rather remain. 

Maybe it’s comfortable being uncomfortable. Maybe the pain of change is greater than the pain of remaining in the rut. 

But once the desire is there, with prayer, encouragement, and counseling, there is hope. I’ve seen people who remain, and those who get out. What a relief when they get out. It’s a relief for those who help them, and a new life for those who get out. 

Don’t give up on people who are stuck in a rut. 

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“What we believe has divided us, but who we believe in will unite us.”*

Beliefs are internalized as convictions. Convictions run deep, and get attached to the person’s identity. Could identity be the cause of divisions?

But the relationship with Christ is common for those with various convictions stemming from differing beliefs.

So, it’s unity in relationship and diversity in belief?

* (I heard this quote from Satish Kumar, pastor of Calvary Temple, Hyderabad. Quote originally attributed to Billy Graham).

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