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Should This Verse Be In The Bible?
I had one of those “Well, duh,” moments this morning when I was reading my Bible. It came from 1 Samuel 12:21, where the prophet Samuel is issuing a warning to the people in a kind of farewell address. He says, “And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.” I was tempted to skip over that verse and not spend anytime meditating on it because its meaning wasn’t difficult to understand—empty things are, well . . . empty.
However, the verse’s obvious logic gave me pause. Other translations—I was reading from the ESV—rendered “empty” as “useless” or “vain.” So, here’s my own paraphrase of the verse: “Don’t spend your time, emotions, and energy running after or thinking about useless things. Useless things—anything or anyone who promises to deliver you or to bring you profit—are useless.”
Even with my expansion of the warning, the verse’s original reasoning doesn’t change. The message is clear. The simplest reading makes perfect sense. It’s common sense. So why does it need to be in the Bible in the first place? Why is it part of Holy Scripture? Why is it taking up valuable space?
These words are here because, despite our knowing the truth, we DO run after empty things. As fallen creatures, we are running after, looking for, and taking in empty stuff all day long, just hoping it will bring us prosperity, just hoping it will deliver us. We need to be reminded NOT to do this.
Three verses later, Samuel tells the people—and us—what we should be doing instead, “Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.” 1 Samuel 12:24.
God’s Waiting Room
Because of some recent health issues with my dad, I’ve had to spend several hours in doctors’ offices, imaging centers, and hospitals. Most of that time has been spent in a “waiting room.” Such places are appropriately named.
During one long day, I found myself thinking about all the times I’ve been placed in God’s Waiting Room. This is a place familiar to all praying believers. Those who petition the Father for answers, for relief, for deliverance, for guidance, and for comfort often find such requests are not answered immediately. Thus, time spent in God’s Waiting Room is a necessity. If the waiting goes on for months, even years, God’s Waiting Room can become a place of discontentment, anger, frustration, and unbelief.
Don’t let that happen.
Waiting—on God or a doctor—doesn’t have to be unbearable if a few simple rules are followed.
1. Don’t wait alone. Waiting is always easier if the wait is shared.
2. Find something to do while waiting. Occupying body, mind, and spirit makes the wait easier.
3. Encourage others as you wait. Empathy for others going through similar circumstances lightens burdens and blesses your own soul.
4. Recognize God has a sovereign purpose in the length of your wait. Waiting is no different from anything in your life—God is working all things for His Glory and your benefit.
Those willing to wait on God are given a special promise. It’s found in Isaiah 64:4: “No eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him.” While you’re in God’s Waiting Room, He’s out there working for you.
Keep on waiting.
God Planted A Garden
I planted my flower garden this week. As I was working the dirt and digging the holes, I kept reminding myself of how much I was going to love sitting on my patio this summer surrounded by thriving, flowering plants. I had to keep repeating this mantra because gardening is hard work.
In the midst of one of my many “rest periods,” I thought of the verse from Genesis 2:8, “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden.” That sounded good to me, especially the part about God doing the planting. When Adam and Eve showed up in Eden, they had a ready-made garden, because God had already done all the heavy lifting for them.
This concept of God “serving” or “working” for His children is present throughout the Bible; yet, most believers are taught the opposite. That is, as followers of Christ, we are urged to find ways to serve Him. While it’s true we are to “serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2), we are never to think our service toward God is anything He actually needs, that somehow He would be lacking something if we did not render Him our service.
In fact, when Paul was preaching to the Athenians, he tried to dissuade them from having such an attitude. He says in Acts 17:24-25, “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” God doesn’t need anything from us, because he is the Giver of all things; He is the self-sufficient One..
The proper response to our Giver is to receive His gifts with an abundantly grateful heart, acknowledging we have nothing to give in return but our own utter dependence. Peter tells us to serve “as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 4:11).
The service that glorifies God is service rendered through Him alone.
One Person – Many Names
My husband’s name is James. When we’re out together with friends, I call him James. When the two of us are alone in the house, I call him James, as in, “James, could you take out the garbage?”
However, the way I address my husband changes when my daughter comes over. To my daughter, James is Dad, so when I refer to him in her presence, I call him Dad, as in, “Will you see if Dad is ready to take out the garbage?”
The grandkids call my husband Papaw, so, whenever they’re around, I identify him as Papaw, as in, “Tell Papaw the garbage is ready to be taken out.”
If we’re all in the same room together, carrying on various threads of conversation, I’ll sometimes have to run through several names before settling on the appropriate one. It becomes even more confusing when my own father is present, because he has his own set of names, Dad, G-paw and Papaw.
Although not quite the same, something similar occurs on a spiritual level. God can be addressed as Father, Jesus, or Holy Spirit.
Jesus, who is our model for having an intimate conversation with God, used “Father” in every recorded prayer, except for one. Father is the name most believers use today when speaking directly to God. When we call God our Father, we are acknowledging a special relationship with the one who gives us life, who provides our needs, and who loves us as His children.
I am incredibly blessed and privileged to call the God of the Universe my Father.
Even though the Father is the Head of the Trinity and the one we most often call upon when we pray, we are also encouraged to address our petitions to Jesus. Jesus Himself said, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:12. Our petitions can be directed toward Jesus as well as to our Father, and we see both Paul and John praying in this way. (2 Corinthians 12:8; Revelation 22:20).
Because our access to the Father and to Jesus comes through the Spirit, there is a sense in which every time we pray to any member of the Godhead, we are calling on the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18; Romans 8:26).
Like my earthly relationship with my husband, I often address God according to my circumstances. Most of the time, I cry out to Him as my Father. However, situations arise when I can only relate to Him as Jesus—my Savior, my Lord, my Shepherd. When I desire to be filled with His presence, I call out to His Spirit to fill me.
Regardless of how I choose to address my husband, it doesn’t change my relationship with him. The same is true with God. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12. No matter how we address God, as born-again believers, we are always and forever His children.
How Do You Watch A Movie?
When I watch a movie, I’m intrigued by how the story unfolds, how the writer has pulled the threads of the plot together to get to a satisfactory—and sometimes unsatisfactory—ending. Of lesser importance to me are the specifics surrounding the actors’ ability to nuance the characters in the movie. Perhaps of least importance to me is the technique behind the camera shots or the way in which the director chooses to film the action in the movie.
However, my husband is not that interested in the “story” of the movie. Instead, he pays more attention to how realistically an actor portrays his character, and whether he or she is good at the craft of acting. He can also get excited about how a movie is filmed, noting things like the director’s love of close-ups or tall buildings.
I believe these two different methods of watching a movie reflect how we relate to other people. For example, take what happens when my husband and I meet a new couple. I immediately start asking questions about their background, their family, their “story.” On the other hand, he is much more interested in asking questions that reveal the couple’s emotions, feelings, and opinions.
Not surprisingly, our personality differences affect how we worship God, how comfortable we are with a certain style of worship, and how we enter into a worship service or respond to the pastor’s sermon. I believe Jesus seeks to encompass all kinds of worshipers with his words from John 4:24: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
How does your spirit worship God?
Is It Okay To Worry?
In order to spend more time on other writing and editing projects, I’ve had to be absent from my blog for a few months. However, yesterday, after being convicted about my tendency to worry, I decided to take the time and share a few reflections about God’s command to live a worry-free life.
It’s true. God instructs his followers to be free from worry and anxiety. Jesus said in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” Even though it’s worded a little differently each time, this command appears in all of the gospels. “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27.
Paul also teaches the worry-free life in his letters. “Do not be anxious about anything . . .” Philippians 4:6. The command itself is pretty clear, and, unlike some commands in Scripture, how to deal with worry is equally straightforward. Paul continues in Philippians 4:7, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Not surprisingly, Peter echoes Paul’s solution to worry in 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves . . . casting all your anxieties upon him, for he cares for you.” The writer of Hebrews says we can be sure of his help when we are troubled. He writes, “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear . . .” Hebrews 13:6.
By bringing our worries and cares to the Lord, we are rewarded with the strength and peace to deal with life’s inevitable anxieties. And, because God is always overflowing in his care for us, He promises to do this for us anew every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning . . .”
Why Do You Believe In God?
Why do you believe in God?
I’ve seldom had to answer that question. In fact, when I heard it the other day, it surprised me. That’s like asking me why I breathe or why I love my grandkids. The answer seems obvious.
Then again, maybe it isn’t.
Why do I believe in God?
It’s certainly not because I’ve had some tangible experience. I’ve never seen God or had an angelic visitation, nor have I received some special sign—a cross in the sky or writing on the wall—to prove He’s real.
The answer to why I believe in God involves trust; it involves faith. I trust what the Bible tells me about God. Ironically, the faith to believe in Him and what the Scriptures tell me about Him is a gift, a gift from God. It is, as Ephesians 2:9 says, “not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Believing in God is not something I can do for myself. The ability to believe in God comes from God.
Any person who sincerely wants to know God will find Him. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13.
I believe in God because He created the desire, provided the means, and made the provision for me to believe in Him.
I Had To Do It
One day last week, I had to run away from home. It wasn’t—as some of you may be thinking—the result of having a retired husband at home all day. No, it was the roofers. Hundreds of them were on top of my house pounding away. Well, maybe there were only six, but it sounded like an army up there. It was Chinese water torture with sound. So, I left for a few hours.
I believe living in our modern culture with its massive information overload, constant communication and 24/7 news cycle can torture us just like the constant, irritating noise of six hammers beating out an irregular rhythm. Each of us needs a break from this daily onslaught.
So, how can we find a peaceful retreat?
The Bible gives the seeker of peace a definitive answer. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (ESV).
Retreat. Get away. Find time during the day to get your mind “stayed” on the Lord. Read His Word, pray, fellowship with Him and the hammering will stop..
Granny’s Garden Looks Good
One gorgeous spring day, my grandson and I were in my kitchen having a conversation about the nice weather. I pointed out to him that I had already put my patio furniture outside, and we would soon be able to plant a beautiful flower garden. He looked out the window at my weed-infested flowerbeds and replied, “But, Granny, your garden already looks good.”
In his eyes, the purple flowers produced by the weeds made a good-looking garden. While his assessment was delightful to me, I knew it was flawed because, having seen exquisite flowerbeds before, I recognized that, in its current state, mine was very ugly.
My grandson’s perception of what constituted a good-looking garden was skewed because his standards were minimal and based on limited knowledge. This same principle can be applied to an individual or a society when the perception of what is good or evil is based solely, or in part, on the thoughts, practices, and writings of fallen man and not on the standard supplied to us by God in His Word.
I believe my grandson will adopt a more stringent requirement for what constitutes a beautiful garden if he’s exposed to lovely flowers. In the same way, the more time we spend reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word, the more our moral standards will be aligned with the standards God requires of us–made possible to all believers by His Spirit living within us.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16.
Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts
Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges is a MUST read if you are hurting, but even if “hurting” is not a label you would pin on yourself right now, it’s still a book you should read.
By exploring God’s Sovereignty, God’s Wisdom, and God’s Love, Bridges not only enables you to understand and know God better, he also provides you with the tools to maintain your house of faith when you go through pain and suffering.
“Why did God let this happen?” is a question Bridges explores in great detail. His answers are insightful and full of Scripture. I’ve always believed God is in control at all times and in all ways, but after reading this book, I’ve added a new word to that concept–God’s loving control.
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Ben in Charge, Follows Three Steps Away in the Titus Ray Thriller Series
Ben in Love, Follows Two Steps Forward in the Titus Ray Thriller Series
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His Glory My Joy, a blog of Author Luana Ehrlich 
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