The Real Independence Day

During my teenage years, my favorite band without a doubt was the Christian ska-core-turned-rock outfit Five Iron Frenzy. After they broke up, I put them aside for a few years, venturing instead down the rabbit trails of blues rock, blues and psychedelic rock which ultimately and naturally led me to Jimi Hendrix who is now my favorite musician.

The Most Important Bible Character You've Never Heard Of

Quite a few obscure characters line the pages of the Bible. There's Gomer, Ahithophel, and Orpah. And who could forget Dorcas or Methuselah?

But of all the obscure people in the scriptures, one rises to the top as an important figure. He's mentioned in Genesis, referenced by King David, and even the author of Hebrews writes about him.

But there's a good chance you've never heard of him. Or, you read those passages and moved on, not knowing what he was about or why he mattered. You probably thought he was just another Dorcas or Nimrod. I did the same thing.

A Christian of nineteen years and raised in the church, I too did not know who this man was until a few years ago when I read through the entire Bible. He is mentioned only in five chapters spread across three books, but we shouldn't be so quick to overlook this man. Who am I talking about?

Irony at a Wedding

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” “Love never fails.”

It is almost impossible to attend a wedding without hearing portions of Ephesians 5 or 1 Corinthians 13 read during the ceremony. And for good reason; these are both beautiful passages that describe the boundlessness of love and wonderment of marriage. Yet, I wonder how many sitting in the congregation, watching two lovers commit their lives to each other, are aware of the irony of those passages in that setting.

Fall of Solomon

As I was writing the post entitled “The Pursuit of Wisdom” I cut out a great deal of material that I thought was tangential to the topic and therefore only slightly relevant. However, because the subject of that tangent had merit, I decided to save the text and see if it materialized into something of use. When studying the wisdom of Solomon and his subsequent “fall,” I was amazed at how someone so wise could follow a path that led to his downfall. Where did he go wrong? Was he corrupted by wealth? By power? What happened?

Does God Test His People? Part 2

Read Part 1: Does God Test His People?

Part 1 examined God’s testing of the Israelites in the wilderness. He used their hunger and His provision of manna as tests of obedience and faith. Some passed. Some failed. But the test came from The LORD, and God’s people had to choose whether to obey.

Fast-forward about 1500 years to the time of Christ. Just like the Israelites, Jesus was also tested in the wilderness. It is no coincidence that the story of Jesus’ temptation parallels the story of the Manna and Quail in many ways. And Jesus was obviously aware of these similarities, because He quotes a passage straight from that story when resisting the devil. 

Does God Test His People? Part 1

Deuteronomy 6:16 tells us that we are not to test God. But what about the other way around? Have you ever wondered if something you are going through is a test from the LORD? Does God test his people?

The answer, unequivocally, is yes.

I Pray For Things I Don't Want

Sometimes I pray for things I don't want. A few weeks ago I prayed the following:

"God please humble me."

Immediately after I uttered the phrase (in my head), I had to pause, step back and think, "Really? Do I really want this?"

I know that humility is good because the Bible says so on numerous occasions (2 Samuel 22:28, 2 Chronicles 12:7, 12:12, Psalm 25:9, 147:6, Proverbs 3:34, Isaiah 66:2, Matthew 23:12, Ephesians 4:2, Philippians 2:8, and many others). Jesus said in his sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5), and the book of Numbers refers to Moses as the humblest man on earth (12:3—ironically, Moses is believed to have authored the first five books of the Bible which includes Numbers, the fourth book. Chew on that for awhile. Were he so humble would he have written this passage? Scholars, however, debate his authorship with some saying he authored some, but not all of the book). But when, in that instant, I paused and thought of the implications of being humbled, I almost wanted to take it back and say to Jesus, "Never mind."

Being obedient and subjective to God's will is not easy. Anyone who claims it is is probably a liar. There are times when I have asked God to send me someone to talk to about Jesus, knowing all the while that I would be scared and uncomfortable doing so. Yet we are supposed to be evangelistic.

The Bible is full of commands, proverbs, and lessons that are not easy to swallow. Yet it is still God's word, and therefore, perfect. Why do you think Jesus was rejected? It was because he told the Jews to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, instead of leading a military assault to reclaim Jerusalem for the Hebrew nation. Yet Jesus was obedient to God's will, despite knowing the suffering he would have to endure.

So do I want to be humbled? Yes and no. Intellectually, I know through scripture that it is good, that humility is something that God appreciates. Emotionally, I want no part of being humble. I like to be esteemed in the eyes of others; I am prideful. It is a lot easier to say it than to experience it. Yet again, there are things we have to do that are not easy, but it is worth it in the end. Jesus was able to carry out God's will because he knew the implications of being obedient. In the same way we too should be obedient even when it is not easy.

So God, please humble me.