If this online journal, this blog, were a movie, the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father and the Holy Spirit in general and the Bible in specific (just look at all the bold text up and down every page and you’ll see what I mean) would be the star. I suppose I’d be an “actor in a supporting role” as the folks who give out the Oscars each year would say (don’t worry, I shan’t hold my breath for a nomination anytime soon =). But my bike has certainly reached at least the status of major prop, since I bought it as my only means of transportation after selling my car this past summer so as to finish building this website.
So it’s with deep regret and heavy heart (hey, maybe I could win an Oscar someday after all!) no just kidding, as you’re about to find out it’s with a heart of gratitude and immovable faith in God’s flawless, “fate”-discarding sovereignty that I tell you that my bike got stolen over the weekend.
I go in to buy a few groceries, I come back out to find NO BIKE. (That turned out to be a very expensive loaf of bread, eh?)
The store has low prices so given the fact that my entire life savings is (quickly) being spent on this little project, that’s where I went, despite its being in a rough section of town.
Apparently even rougher than I had thought because apparently, in the maybe fifteen minutes I was inside the store, someone (probably a teenager, almost certainly a boy, so I’ll use “he” hereinafter) (a) spotted the bike at the bike rack, (b) used metal-cutters to clip the lock, and (c) fled.
The interesting thing is that when I first arrived at the store, I could hardly believe how desolate the sidewalk in front was, for the first time ever of the ones I had been there, but I very responsibly (as ever) locked the bike to the rack per my perpetual practice, not liking the fact that nary a person was on the sidewalk to keep an eye on things in general (usually the more crowds / sunlight, the better/safer) but never in a million years would I have thought there was a risk of it’s getting stolen in the few minutes I’d be inside the store.
Surprise! More like SHOCK when I came bounding back out of the store, bread bags in hand, only to find that my only means of transportation was now serving its new master, a bike thief.
A low-down, no-good, dirty bike thief. (Yes, I think I really could win an Oscar!)
All intermittent kidding aside, I did experience a few moments of shock. Like when you KNOW that something SHOULD be in a specific, exact LOCATION but wah-lah, it isn’t. Or when something SHOULD work a certain way but it doesn’t. That kind of non-physical shock.
After a few minutes, I obviously had to confront and answer the question of “WHAT TO DO NOW?”
Should I call the police and file a report and press charges if they catch the kid who stole my bike, thus condemning him “having a record” (criminal record) for the rest of his life? (Or at least until he’s no longer a juvenile, I have no idea how all of that works.) It certainly would’ve been due. It certainly would’ve been merited. But isn’t that very same thing true about you and me spiritually, with regard to heaven or hell? I’m not saying that pressing charges isn’t merited in certain cases. I think it absolutely is. Like if someone were to kill a loved one, I’d be the VERY FIRST person to have the book thrown at them (figuratively speaking, of course). To have them locked up and the key thrown away. “Forgive ’em, but fry ’em” might be fitting in some cases but when it comes to a material possession of ours getting stolen, I prefer to heed the amazing words of Matthew 5:39-40, from “the Sermon on the Mount”: “But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and TAKE your shirt, let him have your COAT also.”
Should I alert the store and see if they’d cover the cost, at least in part?
Should I just “chalk it up” to God’s sovereignty and look for ways He might intend to use it, for the reason(s) He allowed that to happen, for my only means of transportation to get heisted?
It’s not as though I couldn’t go back a day or week later and do one or both of those first two, but I knew almost immediately, in that split-second of decision time, that I was going with Option #3: chalking it up to God’s sovereignty.
I suppose it’s possible for such to serve as a “crutch” or “cop-out” in some cases, but His sovereignty has probably been THE MAJOR aspect of Himself which He has been impressing on me since becoming a Christian in general and in recent years and indeed months in specific. And isn’t it JUST LIKE the Lord to send a test on the very subject into my life?
I have a lot of areas still in need of improvement and lots of room for more growth. Lots. Lots and lots. I definitely have my share of weaknesses, as you’ll surely see as this journey and journal unfold in the coming months and years (and probably already =). But I can honestly say that an unbreakable, unshakable faith in God’s infinite and loving sovereignty isn’t one of them, that it’s probably the strongest area of my still-growing life. So viewed in this light, I just HAD to choose that third of three immediate options.
That fully firm faith sprang forth into my life like a bigger beanstalk than “Jack” could ever have dreamt, based on the bulletproof bedrock of two verses which serve as beautiful biblical bookends on the matter of God’s sovereignty. I’m sure I’ll discuss these again in the future since they have such a constant, continual presence and impact in my daily life but for now I’ll just say that ANY AND EVERY situation or occurrence in life – real or even hypothetical – absolutely falls within the sovereignty of God. I’m not saying that NOTHING can escape God’s sovereignty and control; I’m saying that NOTHING can escape even the infinite CENTER of God’s sovereignty and control. It is infinite, and infinitely pervasive. It is absolute, and captures absolutely every single thing in life. Real and hypothetical. Past, present, and future. Everything. From “random” to “rigged”!
- “The lot is cast into the lap, but its EVERY decision is from THE LORD.” (Proverbs 16:33)
- “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of THE LORD; HE turns it WHEREVER He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1)
In other words, God’s sovereignty has “all the bases” completely covered! It encompasses the ENTIRE SPECTRUM of life!
On the one end of said spectrum are the things that happen in life, in our lives, to us, which seem RANDOM. Like, oh, I don’t know, going into a grocery store for a few minutes to buy some bread and having your bike get stolen. Or the stock market. Or flipping a coin, or rolling dice… or casting lots. You see, that was probably the ultimate example or illustration of “randomness” in biblical times, in Old Testament times when that verse was written. It means that even things which seem random are TOTALLY (“every”) controlled and determined by the Lord!
What a massive blessing! What a huge relief! To know that NOTHING “random” EVER happens! That EVERY SINGLE OCCURRENCE in our lives has definite and usually deep purpose and is in the center of God’s loving sovereignty.
On the other end of said spectrum are the things that happen in life, in our lives, to us, which seem RIGGED. Like (again!) the stock market. (Isn’t it funny how so many people are convinced it’s totally random and how many people are equally convinced it’s totally rigged? They’re BOTH wrong!) Or that boss or supervisor at work who seems to “have it in for you” and seems to always be trying to trip you up or set you up for failure or tries to get you fired or just make your life a living you-know-what. Or perhaps a parent who seems to exert enormous control over your life. But in Old Testament times, when that second verse was written, the ultimate example of that which was pre-determined or “rigged” or controlled by another was a king. Read the books of Esther and 1 & 2 Samuel and Kings and Chronicles for countless illustrations. He literally held the power of life and death in his pen (er, stylus?), in his little finger as we might say today. Uber-powerful. To us. Yet that verse makes crystal clear that his heart, his mind, his emotions, his WILL is like a tiny trickle of water. In fact, in the original language (Hebrew), that word “water” can be translated “water of the feet”, i.e., “urine”. Isn’t that funny! Someone like a boss or despot or king seeming to have so much control over us, in our lives, is like a mere trickle of urine compared to the awesome power and true control always wielded – and just as importantly, never yielded – by the Lord.
He shares control/sovereignty with nobody and nothing.
Double blessing! Infinite relief! Just to know that EVERYTHING from one end of life’s spectrum to the other is TOTALLY AND SOLELY controlled and determined by our loving Lord!
And, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, it is THIS infinite truth, this immutable fact, which enables one to truly obey 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and a second very similar verse we’ll discuss in a minute: “In EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We can (and must) literally be THANKFUL in EVERY single situation or occurrence in life because such resides squarely in God’s will and control and sovereignty.
This seems like the perfect time to share with you several items which comprise my perspective in this weekend’s bike-got-stolen matter:
- At least it wasn’t stolen at gunpoint! (Thank You, Lord)
- At least it was stolen on a Saturday, giving me enough time to replace it before Monday (as discussed in previous posts, it’s now my only means of transportation, having sold my car last summer so I could finish building this website) (Thank You, Lord)
- At least it was stolen on a warmer and drier day than the past several, making the necessitated subsequent walk far more tenable (Thank You, Lord)
- With no bike anymore, I had to WALK home after this happened, and ALONG THE WAY a fellow pedestrian was within inches of getting hit by a fast-moving car when I pulled him back at (literally) the last second, thus saving him from certainly serious injury if not death – had my bike not been stolen, I wouldn’t have been there and that fellow might’ve been killed and slipped into eternity, probably in hell based on the odds Jesus Himself clearly set forth in Matthew 7:13-14, i.e., I was ONLY there to save him from death or at least grave injury BECAUSE my bike had just gotten stolen (THANK YOU, LORD)
- I was able to find the EXACT SAME bike I’ve grown to really, really like – and ON SALE to boot! (Thank You for “lessening the blow/sting”, Lord!)
- It’s very possible that I had grown to like it so much that I perhaps came close to clinging to something of this world (Philippians 3:7-8,20; 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4; Colossians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 4:18), to a mere material possession – but this incident certainly nipped that in the bud! (Thank You, Lord)
- It was a PERFECT opportunity to FULFILL Scripture (Romans 12:17-21; Matthew 5:38-41; 18:22-35; Colossians 3:12-15; among many others) which in my humble but firm view is the most important thing we can do
- I was able to pass a test in life, both humanly and spiritually (THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Lord! We both know that likely wouldn’t have been the case a few years or maybe even months ago so thank You for the growth You and Your Word, the Bible, have wrought, have brought about in my life on both a “big picture” and daily basis, just like You say in 1 Peter 2:2!)
And it’s that last one in particular which brings me to that second verse.
You see, it’s one thing to be able to give thanks “in” all things, but God’s loving sovereignty is so amazing and complete and all-encompassing and pervasive that we can even give thanks FOR all things.
“… always giving thanks FOR all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father” (Ephesians 5:20)
In other words, not just giving thanks in situations in general but literally FOR every single thing that happens. Because, based on God’s loving sovereignty, it WILL redound to our good, better, and best. EVERY TIME. WITHOUT EXCEPTION. In some and even many and even the vast majority of cases, a person might not realize that, but it’s true. And it’s how I live my life literally every minute of every day.
I’m pretty sure that the children of Israel didn’t view the rise and reign of Pharaoh as something for which to be THANKFUL. But it was. Why? Because of what I’ve written here as confirmed so beautifully in Romans 9:17 – “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I raised you up, to DEMONSTRATE MY POWER in you, and that MY name might be proclaimed THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.'”
So whether it’s a supervisor or boss or king or ANYONE or ANYTHING in your life that seems to be causing you grief, please know that (a) God is INFINITELY SOVEREIGN in that situation and therefore (b) COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT had He wanted, had THAT been for your good, better, and best, but (c) LET IT HAPPEN because He KNEW (indeed, from eternity past) what would be BEST for you, and everyone else for that matter. Only the omnipotent God could manage all of those crosscurrents. Only the loving God would care to do so, would care for us SO MUCH that ONLY what’s truly BEST for us EVER happens! Which is why we absolutely should “ALWAYS give thanks FOR all things” – because “we KNOW that ALL THINGS work together for GOOD to those who know God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Therefore, I can honestly say that even if I could go back in time to Saturday morning when deciding which store to buy that handful of groceries at, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t change a thing, I wouldn’t have done anything differently to have prevented that person from stealing my bike. Why? Because then I would’ve missed out on passing a fairly sizable test, not just a bike. I.e., passing a test from God is infinitely more important and precious to me than any bike. (Even that one which was PERFECT in every way for me.) Because that fellow pedestrian would likely be mangled and, based on that car’s rate of speed, probably DEAD and therefore probably relegated to hell for all eternity. And because I wouldn’t have such a PERFECT illustration to finish and crystallize the post I had already begun writing a week or more ago.
And I’ll conclude by sharing one last insight with you about this.
I can remember like yesterday an incident years ago (when I still had a car =) in which I “caught a red light” which was the FASTEST from green to red I had (or still have) EVER seen. It was as though yellow didn’t even exist, as though it skipped right over that middle one. While I can’t claim a flawless driving record, I do think it’s very important to obey ALL laws, so I slammed on the brakes – and grumbled about how blazing fast that light turned red, how I probably just wore an inch off of my tires… I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about, secondhand if not first.
But the most amazing thing happened next which I’ll never, ever, ever forget. Never have and never will. When the light turned green and I proceeded (slowly, with heart still pumping hard) and took the curve around 50 feet away from that traffic light, you won’t believe what I saw: a very large tree had literally just fallen across the entire road. Where I and my car quite likely would’ve been had that light NOT turned red, so blazing fast. I had initially grumbled about something which probably SAVED MY LIFE. And I can’t recall a SINGLE TIME I’ve questioned or doubted the Lord’s loving and unlimited sovereignty ever since, and that happened many years ago. And just this ONE ASPECT of God has made my life a total joy, a total blast, all day every day.
Let’s look at it from a different angle. Let’s say that my bike hadn’t been stolen while I was inside that grocery store. I of course would’ve ridden it back home as always. So let’s say that on the way home, I got hit by a bus or car and suffered serious injury. What would many of us surely be saying as we lay mangled in a hospital bed? Probably something like, “Lord, why did You let that bus hit me? You are omnipotent, You are sovereign – WHY DIDN’T YOU STEP IN AND PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING?” Right? Sound familiar? But that’s EXACTLY what He did! In this case, as always, He DID step in, in a very real, tangible way, to prevent something, anything, EVERYTHING which WOULDN’T be for my good, for your good, for our good. He didn’t stretch forth His holy hand from heaven as in, say, Old Testament times, but he absolutely intervened directly via, yep, a bike thief. God’s sovereignty is so infinite and pervasive that He often uses even the wicked, even the sins of others, to accomplish what’s best for US and what will bring Him the most glory. That’s the whole point of Romans 9:17 quoted above. God even uses animals – figurative and literal (2 Peter 2:16) – to bring about and make happen what’s best for US, what’s most beneficial for OUR lives. The human mind almost always just looks at things based on what actually happened, not what might have. But I’ve found that there’s tremendous perspective and wisdom gained by doing so, by looking at the proverbial “other side of a coin” so as to be grateful, to give Him thanks not just for what happens to us or in our lives but also what DOESN’T happen! Not just for the presence of the positives but also for the absence of the negatives!
This will probably blow your mind but it’s 100% true – not 90%, not 95% … 100% – that EVERY SINGLE thing which happens to you, which happens in your life, is for your BEST. Without exception. Such that you, your life, would be WORSE OFF if it HADN’T. So instead of giving in to the very natural human tendency to doubt and thus disbelieve God’s sovereignty, let us not ask whether something that occurs is for our best but rather HOW it’s for our best – and, like me in the case of my bike, you’ll almost always find MULTIPLE answers to that question. One would be enough, but in these things, the more, the merrier.
So to the long list above we can add this:
- Had the Lord, in His loving sovereignty, NOT allowed that thief to steal my bike in those few minutes I was inside the grocery store, it’s very possible that I would have gotten hit by a car or bus and been killed or lost a LOT more than just a bike, I could’ve lost an arm or leg, that happens every single day in virtually every single city, but what I have NO DOUBT about is that something very negative would’ve happened to me had my bike NOT been stolen and had I thus ridden it home. And what ISN’T open to ANY speculation at all is that I’m much better off in any case as a result of my bike’s being stolen than I would’ve been otherwise, that such absolutely redounded to my good, better, and best even if I can’t say for sure the exact “bad” which would’ve happened, I KNOW that I would’ve been worse off. But the Lord lovingly “stepped in” and intervened. Like that straight-to-red traffic light years ago. And like Pharaoh millenia before that. So how could I NOT be utterly thankful that my dear bike gotten stolen?!
Am I going to go around hoping that its replacement bike gets stolen, too? Definitely not. But IF it does will I take it in stride and faith in the knowledge that because of God’s loving sovereignty ANYTHING that does or even could happen is for my GOOD – not just in some sort of after-the-fact, back-end kind of way but indeed from eternity past? Absolutely. The Lord lets everything happen for our, for your, for my good and benefit: spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. (E.g., I’m not writing this from a hospital bed. =)
The takeaway from all of this is a very easy, straightforward “rule” for life, a “rule” for living: If it HAPPENS, never RESENT it, always THANK GOD that it DID! I give you my word (and infinitely more importantly, GOD gives you HIS) that if you simply but truly believe in just this one aspect of God, His loving sovereignty, and adopt this “rule” each day, it will not just change but REVOLUTIONIZE your life.
I hope that this pair of “beautiful biblical bookends” of Proverbs 16:33 and 21:1 will be as much of a massive, unmitigated, ongoing blessing in your life as it has been in mine.
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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“The Main Thing is Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing”
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryThat’s a famous quote. I read years ago that it was the motto of the French Foreign Legion but Google doesn’t indicate such but in any case I’m going to use it in a different way for this post.
Our lives have so many moving parts. Getting to your job on time, performing well, picking up your kids from school, going home and getting dinner ready, getting ready for bed, then getting up the next morning and doing it all over again. And again. And again. Ad infinitum.
Oh yeah, and the thousand other things which arise anew each day, each week, each month and must be addressed, often immediately. And on and on and on it goes.
But amid all the fun and sometimes chaos of one’s usual daily routine, I just want to humbly remind all of us – especially myself – to keep the main thing the main thing, and actually in this life it’s not just the main thing, it’s the ONLY thing that really counts.
Eternity. The life to come.
Nothing else compares. Not jobs, not hobbies, and not even family. That’s right, not even family. As the Lord Jesus Himself clearly stated:
The entire Bible makes it crystal clear that He said this in relative (no pun intended =) not absolute terms, meaning that God of course doesn’t want us to hate ANYONE but absolutely to hate everyone – including our very own life… especially our very own life – and everything IN COMPARISON TO our love for and devotion to Him.
Is family important? Exceedingly. How about one’s job? Very. How about even one’s hobbies or pastimes? Yes. But the Bible’s and Jesus’ succinct point here is that COMPARED TO eternity, ALL of these things are meaningless. In other words, the ONLY thing that really matters in this life is what actions we take and decisions we make regarding the life to come.
It’s so EASY to find our focus wandering away from Him and onto these other “moving parts” in our daily lives. Away from the vertical and onto the horizontal. Away from the spiritual and onto the physical. Away from the things which are unseen and onto the things which are seen (2 Corinthians 4:18). Away from the intangible things that cannot be shaken and onto the tangible things that can (Hebrews 12:27-29). Away from God and onto man. Away from matters of eternity and onto the matters of this very temporary life, which the Bible rightly compares to a mere breath of air on a cold morning (James 4:14).
How important it is – EVERY DAY, every HOUR – to keep putting our focus and priority BACK ONTO God and the Bible and eternity, because the human mind, per its “default” setting, will just naturally wander away from such. While Bible memory is the best and most effective tool for this, simply reminding each other regularly is a close second.
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VIDEO: Books #1-3 en route to ALL 66!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryI suppose any day would be fantastic for this post but I can’t think of a better one than New Year’s Day, January 1.
Words can’t even begin to adequately express just how humbling it is to be able to have made these videos nor how exciting it is to post them, to share this with you and all future readers of this online journal, this blog.
I can honestly say that when I first went to memorize James 1:1 – the very first verse of the very first book I’ve memorized in its entirety – the task before me seemed skyscraper-like in size, so super-daunting. And it was probably the least comfortable thing I’ve ever done in my life. At first. But then the Bible, the Word of God, proceeded to “perform its work” in me, in my mind, just like 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says, and it literally began unfolding to my mind’s eye an actual and tangible and very specific method for how to memorize and retain Bible verses – and anything else for that matter. Permanently. (So far! We’ll see if that remains the case a year and decade from now, but let’s just say I have a very strong hunch. =)
Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely NOT as though it creates a so-called photographic memory in a person (I wish!), but it definitely DOES make the process much (much much much) easier and (believe it or not) even FUN, so I can hardly wait to share it with you. I already know with 100% certainty that it will change, no, REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE. Every aspect thereof. It’s impossible to say for sure but my best guess is that around 75% of such has been revealed to me so far, so I hope to be able to share it sometime in this coming year. Stay tuned. (And if you’d like to automatically be notified by email when future posts are published, simply click on the “Follow Bible Memory” button in item “3.” at the very bottom of this page or in the Side Panel near the top and you won’t miss out, you’ll be among the first to learn this life-changing, love-leavening, laughter-inducing, insight-increasing, wisdom-welling, brain-and-body-blessing, goodness-garnering, gentleness-generating, joy-jumping, faith-fortifying, patience-producing, principle-propagating, peace-proliferating, happiness-heightening, mind-meliorating memory method.) [Whew! =]
Before officially launching this website, I thought that two main ingredients should be present: for there to be a sufficient amount of material posted in this journal/blog, and a few videos of yours truly reciting entire books of the Bible so everyone could see with their own eyes just how serious about and committed to this calling I am. To memorize the ENTIRE BIBLE and then recite it back to the Lord as a unique and indeed historic love/thank-You gift for all He does and especially who He is, and then to let Him use that in-front-of-the-entire-world event to launch several ministries as discussed in-depth in the Plan of Action on the home page. The ENTIRE Bible. Sixty-six books. Still a long way to go, but one must start somewhere! And I am so thrilled to have started with these three, and I’m including the “Overview” video here as well in case you’d like to watch that and/or share it with others who might be blessed by it.
So without further ado, here are #1-3 of 66 – thank You, Lord, for making this a reality! And thank you for upholding me in your prayers in particular. Because without His grace and enabling and your prayers and support, #4-66 wouldn’t be on-deck and just a matter of time. Batter up. But first I trust these initial three (which were recorded last spring in anticipation of launching this website today) will be of extreme blessing to you as we kick off a new year in which the Lord in general and the Bible in specific will truly revolutionize our lives. A resolution of revolution. Spiritual revolution and revival brought on by the Bible… talk about an easy prediction! 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Colossians 3:16; Psalm 19:7-11, 119:11. Enjoy the videos. Happy New Year!
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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Remember Me
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryI’ve figured out THE MOST IMPORTANT action to do every day, indeed, every hour, i.e., continually: simply to FOCUS on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:2 puts it like this: “FIXING OUR EYES on JESUS, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Earlier in that very same book, Hebrews 3:1 puts it like this: “CONSIDER JESUS” (almost as though the next phrase could’ve been “Nuff said.”)
And 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 says not once but twice to “do this in remembrance of Me.” But those first two verses and a third I’ll share in a minute make clear that this should not be relegated to once every month or few when we partake of corporate communion at church. It should be constant. Continual.
Just ask Peter.
Matthew 14:22-33 recounts that amazing event. The twelve disciples got into the boat to cross the sea, to Gennesaret on the other side. Jesus bade farewell (Mark 6:46) to the multi-thousand-strong multitude He had just (now-famously) fed with nothing more than two fish and five loaves of bread (another amazing event described in verses 14-21) then went “up to the mountain to pray alone” – clearly one of His very favorite locations and activities. The wind picked up big-time as is common for a body of water around 700 feet below sea level loomed by a mountain nearly two miles high (that’s right, around TWICE the altitude of Denver, Colorado) and Mark 6:48 adds the tidbit that Jesus actually saw them struggling with the oars to keep from tipping over and sinking.
Jesus saw them.
And proceeded accordingly to not just save but comfort and teach them. Verse 48 provides another tidbit, that He was planning on “just passing by”, to “just say hello” as we might put it today, knowing they’d be meeting Him on the other side of the sea shortly, safe and sound.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the bank of that body of water. He saw that they were frightened. His perspective is always perfect and in this case entirely understandable, too. I mean, He had just fed thousands of people with nothing more than TWO FISH and FIVE LOAVES. A true miracle, demonstrating His deity, that He was indeed God. God in flesh appearing. God with us. Immanuel, as the hymns and Christmas carols echo. So of course they wouldn’t freak out when they saw Him demonstrate mastery over another law of nature, walking on water, right? Wrong! Because as Mark 6:52 clearly concludes, they didn’t connect the dots: “for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves” – so Jesus had to connect the dots for them. A second time.
And in so doing, one of the most well-known events recorded in the Bible and for that matter in all of human history occurred. Jesus told them to “stop fearing.” He surely said it with a lot more compassion but it reminds me of when a parent might say to a child “Stop pouting” or “Quit your whining.” It was definitely a rebuke which survives to this day: “O you of little faith” (Matthew 14:31). (Two thousand years later and we still hear that being said regularly. Amazing.)
Anyway, upon hearing that first statement to not be such scaredy-cats as we might put it today, true to form and nature Peter sought to take control of the situation (like when he later cut off someone’s ear, ewww, yuck, come on, Peter, come on, man!) and told the Lord, the God of all creation (Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) to prove it to him. (Again. =) Jesus indulged him, knowing that He – and he – was about to make a point that would last forever. Jesus, by His command, by His word, enabled Peter to WALK ON WATER.
Wow! He’s so powerful and full of deity (Colossians 2:9) that not only could He walk on water but He could even enable a mere mortal to do likewise!
Matthew 14:29 says that Peter “walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” Absolutely stunning, beyond amazing. Then comes the next verse, then came Peter’s next action: “But SEEING the wind [i.e., the effects of the wind, i.e., the whirling waves whipping up, the boat and his fellow disciples therein being tossed about, etc.], he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!'” (Matthew 14:30)
I’d like to make a few quick observations and then finish up with an application and that above-promised third verse.
First, that word “seeing” stands out to me. First referring to Jesus (Mark 6:48) and then to Peter in the just-quoted Matthew 14:30. Sight, insight, vision, understanding, wisdom, (or as a prior post poignantly put it) perspective is everything.
I’d say the Bible does indeed put an enormous emphasis on eyes, insight, perspective, focus. And circling back, things went south for Peter when he turned his eyes away from the Lord and onto the physical realm. Away from the vertical and onto the horizontal. BIG mistake, HUGE! Bad judgment. (Or as my dad and I would often exclaim while playing a game of strategy – usually backgammon, sometimes chess or a board game – and the other person made an error which would lead to sure defeat: “Bad move!”)
Second, when we do that, when we lower our gaze and focus from the heavenly to the worldly, THAT is precisely when fear creeps in. “But seeing the wind, he BECAME AFRAID.” Indeed.
Third, it wasn’t until AFTER he began to sink that Peter acknowledged his need for the Lord to save him. Talk about ringing a bell, talk about hitting home – isn’t that exactly how we are? Far too much of the time, we only acknowledge our need for the Lord when we begin to sink or falter or realize that we’re NOT in control. I’ve found that it’s far wiser, far better to express our need for and utter dependence and reliance on Him BEFORE any of that happens. It’s far better to thank Him not just for the “favorable” things that come our way but also for the “unfavorable” things that DON’T! Not just for the presence of the positive but also the absence of the negative. Right? RIGHT! What you’ll find is that the latter often only comes IN ORDER TO get our focus and our conscious, active dependence back ONTO HIM. Meaning that if we practice the former, the latter won’t be called for, won’t be needed, because our focus is ALREADY (staying) on HIM! Or as my mom would surely have put it when I was growing up, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” So true, even spiritually. (I intend to do a future post on her other common sayings, too, I think you’ll find it to be a real blessing.)
Fourth, as referenced in the past, I absolutely LOVE the exclamation mark in the original! I didn’t add that, it’s actually in the Bible. Of which EVERY SINGLE sentence is equally divine (2 Timothy 3:16), equally living and active (Hebrews 4:12), living and abiding (1 Peter 1:23), infinitely important. BUT BUT BUT for me personally, there’s just something special – NOT “better”, just special to my heart – when the human author (often the supremely passionate Apostle Paul) and (get this) the Holy Spirit chose to use an exclamation point, opted for that emphaticness to coin a word. Not emphasis, not that concept, but actually being emphatic… I love that! [In the spirit of 1 John 4:8, anyone who doesn’t think that God and His Word are (perfectly) emotional must not be very familiar with either.]
But I’ve saved perhaps my favorite observation for last.
Fifth and finally, as alluded to above, Peter has certainly brought a lot of “guff” or derision upon himself: by “testing” or seeking to instruct the Lord, by his pervasive impetuousness, by his apparent control issue, by denying the Lord Jesus not once, not twice, but three times – but he’s one of my favorite people in the Bible. Not like Paul or David or Daniel or Abraham or Joseph, but probably the second tier. For three reasons.
There are undoubtedly many applications we could draw from all of this. But the strongest one in my view goes back to those first two verses quoted at the beginning of this post: to KEEP our eyes, our FOCUS wholly, fully, and solely on the Lord Jesus Christ, and everything else – our hobbies, jobs, friends, and even family and even ministry – underneath that umbrella.
The hymnist famously wrote, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.” Those two verses in Hebrews instruct us to KEEP our eyes upon Jesus. In my firm view, NOTHING is so important as THAT. Nothing. And the very best way by far I’ve found to do so, to make that an actual and daily and indeed hourly reality in my life is Bible memory. Makes perfect sense that the best way to keep our eyes, our focus, our minds on Jesus “the Word” (John 1:1-3,14) is to put the Word, the Bible, in our minds via memorization and regular recitation and mediation leading to obedience. And I can hardly wait to share with you the method which the Bible itself has been revealing to my mind’s eye ever since this journey began as described on this website’s About page. Because I already know the massive, indeed incalculable, indescribable benefits it will bring to your life – soul, mind, and even body (Proverbs 4:22; 1 Timothy 4:8, 6:6). But in the meantime, let me just encourage you to actively focus more and more each day on the Lord Jesus Christ. His Person. His completed work and current ministries. Like interceding (praying) for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). Advocating for us (1 John 2:1) like a defense attorney as discussed in a prior post. Who is also the greatest shepherd ever, breaking our legs when we need that but lovingly carrying us on His shoulders while we heal. He who died for us “while we were still helpless, at the right time” (Romans 5:6), He who “reconciles us to God” and “saves us” (Romans 5:10-11) so that instead of fearing and facing the Father’s righteous wrath we will experience “no condemnation” (Romans 8:1) but rather enjoy “peace with God” (Romans 5:1). He is worthy of our constant attention and focus and worship and praise and thanksgiving and obedience. “Times infinity” as we might’ve said as kids.
Lastly, that promised third verse, and I wanted to save this until now because not only is it the perfect “bow” with which to wrap up this post but it’s one of my very “favorite” verses in all the Bible. Specifically, the first three words of this verse. Three of the most succinct but beautiful and blessed words I dare say human language has ever written or heard.
“Remember Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:8). It melts my heart every time I hear that. Simple but far from simplistic. Simple but, given all the distractions of life and especially modern-day life, far from easy, far from a cakewalk, far from automatic. And while it’s crucial to “not forget” Jesus Christ – to not forget what He accomplished, what He did for us on the cross and in the grave and in His victory march through the abyss of permanently-bound demons to crash their short-lived and very ill-informed “victory” party which they quickly learned was anything but (1 Peter 3:19; Ephesians 4:8-10; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Romans 16:20) – let each one of us go beyond ”not forgetting” and be the very picture of active remembering. Memorizing and reciting Scripture will absolutely accomplish this, but as a first step something which has been a huge help and indeed life-changer for me is when I got the idea to set a “reminder” in my Outlook (fittingly named in this regard, eh?) email app to “Remember Jesus Christ” just like this verse says, starting early in the morning and after I take some time – five minutes, ten minutes, sometimes just one minute, whatever I can at that time, at or just before the top of every hour of the waking day – I simply click the button to “snooze” for “1 hour” and so on. Every day. Every hour. And thanks to Bible memory and recitation, usually multiple times throughout each hour but at least once an hour, every hour, and it has changed my life in a way which few other things have, probably second only to Bible memory itself. Because as Peter famously found out, focusing on Jesus prevents the presence of fear and absence of faith. And besides, He is worthy of no less. The Lord Jesus Christ. Amid our seemingly ever-increasingly busy and full lives, through 2 Timothy 2:8 He calls out to us each and every day, “Remember Me.”
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1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
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Quick Thought: “You’re So Good, You’re So Good…”
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryI don’t watch much TV, primarily due to a lack of time (after all, the ENTIRE BIBLE isn’t going to MEMORIZE ITSELF in my head =) but also a lack of desire since that time is so much better used, spent, “redeemed” (Ephesians 5:16) in other ways (e.g., reading and studying and especially memorizing the Bible, praying, worshiping the Lord Jesus, fellowshiping with other believers, sharing the Gospel with unbelievers, etc.) but I do like to scan through the channels and check the news at the top of every few hours (i.e., main headlines) so as to remain a well-rounded, well-informed individual and citizen – a good idea in any case but especially so we can converse and connect even better with those with whom we interact in day-to-day life.
Anyway, I did that a few times earlier today and when scanning the channels, staying on each one for a few seconds to see if something new is being reported, in the few seconds my clicker had landed on CNN they were promoting some special about a 70’s singer they’re apparently planning to premiere on New Year’s Day. I won’t be watching it, way too many other things to do, but in those few seconds they were playing a line from one of her songs which said “You’re no good, you’re no good, you’re no good.” Not my cup of tea but it’s one of those “jingles” that don’t immediately want to evacuate one’s head after initially hearing it. (Ugh.) But the main theme of the New Testament book of James is a “checklist” for authentic, saving faith but a secondary theme is “when ‘life’ hands you a lemon, make lemonade” so instead of evicting that jingle out of my head altogether I simply changed one letter and have been singing it to the Lord ever since, for the past few hours: “You’re so good, You’re so good, You’re so good.”
I love it! The world throws something neutral or in many cases even evil our way, but our Bible-basted brains bring forth benefit by turning it into something good, into praise or worship of God… take THAT, world system!
Already ready for its next pitch. Batter up!
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Merry Christmas!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryAh, Christmas. My hands and feet definitely say “summer” but my mind and soul agree completely with the famous musical sobriquet that this is indeed “the most wonderful time of the year.” But WHY?
Is it because of all the presents or decorations or universal good cheer? Or not having to go to school or work? Or (for some) (definitely not this guy) the snow?
No, in my view what makes Christmas so very merry and special is the fact that, unlike ANY other time, it and Easter see broad swaths of the entire globe focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ – the former on His birth, the latter on His death, burial and resurrection. The former on the start of His humble human comingling with mere mortals, the latter on the end of that earthly journey.
What an amazing thought. That even in these modern times when so much effort is being expended to keep God and especially Jesus and the Bible OUT of our daily lives (school, work, even our homes via a seemingly infinite number of distractions ever at our fingertips thanks to technological developments, one after another), the globe takes a few days (Good Friday would be the third) to focus on and remember Jesus. Simply stunning. And wonderful. (Now if we can just get our collective act together the other 362 days. =)
Another thing that makes Christmas so special is that it commemorates the time that God became man so man can become like God (2 Corinthians 3:18) and spend all eternity with Him in His heavenly home when we depart this earth. Born of a virgin in a lowly manger, the epitome of humility His first time – in stark contrast to His future second. “No room for Him” (I guess some things never change) at the inn. And so many times throughout His human existence (Matthew 8:20). Especially on the cross, when even Peter denied even knowing Him – not once, not twice, but three times. No room.
And WHY did He agree to such a mission? Why would anyone leave the infinite comfort and righteousness of heaven, who would ever exchange that for the “groaning and suffering of the pains of childbirth” to which the whole of creation is subjected (Romans 8:22), for the “trouble” for which “man is born” (Job 5:7)?
Jesus would.
Jesus did.
At that very first Christmas.
And His motivation is clearly stated in 2 Corinthians 5:21, one of my very favorite verses in all the Bible: “He who knew no sin [Jesus] became sin on OUR behalf, that WE might become the righteousness of God in Him.” I doubt you’ll ever hear a Christmas sermon based on this verse, but in my humble view it’s what Christmas is all about.
Not the gifts we open on a (usually) cold winter’s morning near the end of each year, but “the free gift of God which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Not the decorations which adorn our trees and homes and front yards, but that our very hearts, our very souls can be transformed and thus be cloaked by the “adornment… of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4) That we can adorn and cloak our hearts in “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)
Not the freedom from having to go to school or work, but the freedom from having to sin. (Romans 6:4,14,17-18 … the whole chapter really … the whole book really =)
THAT’S what makes Christmas so special, so merry. 365 days a year.
Merry Christmas!
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Beautiful Biblical Bookends which, if Believed, will Bring Boundless Benefit to Your Being – Body, Mind, and Soul – Every Day for the Rest of Your Life!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryIf this online journal, this blog, were a movie, the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father and the Holy Spirit in general and the Bible in specific (just look at all the bold text up and down every page and you’ll see what I mean) would be the star. I suppose I’d be an “actor in a supporting role” as the folks who give out the Oscars each year would say (don’t worry, I shan’t hold my breath for a nomination anytime soon =). But my bike has certainly reached at least the status of major prop, since I bought it as my only means of transportation after selling my car this past summer so as to finish building this website.
So it’s with deep regret and heavy heart (hey, maybe I could win an Oscar someday after all!) no just kidding, as you’re about to find out it’s with a heart of gratitude and immovable faith in God’s flawless, “fate”-discarding sovereignty that I tell you that my bike got stolen over the weekend.
I go in to buy a few groceries, I come back out to find NO BIKE. (That turned out to be a very expensive loaf of bread, eh?)
The store has low prices so given the fact that my entire life savings is (quickly) being spent on this little project, that’s where I went, despite its being in a rough section of town.
Apparently even rougher than I had thought because apparently, in the maybe fifteen minutes I was inside the store, someone (probably a teenager, almost certainly a boy, so I’ll use “he” hereinafter) (a) spotted the bike at the bike rack, (b) used metal-cutters to clip the lock, and (c) fled.
The interesting thing is that when I first arrived at the store, I could hardly believe how desolate the sidewalk in front was, for the first time ever of the ones I had been there, but I very responsibly (as ever) locked the bike to the rack per my perpetual practice, not liking the fact that nary a person was on the sidewalk to keep an eye on things in general (usually the more crowds / sunlight, the better/safer) but never in a million years would I have thought there was a risk of it’s getting stolen in the few minutes I’d be inside the store.
Surprise! More like SHOCK when I came bounding back out of the store, bread bags in hand, only to find that my only means of transportation was now serving its new master, a bike thief.
A low-down, no-good, dirty bike thief. (Yes, I think I really could win an Oscar!)
All intermittent kidding aside, I did experience a few moments of shock. Like when you KNOW that something SHOULD be in a specific, exact LOCATION but wah-lah, it isn’t. Or when something SHOULD work a certain way but it doesn’t. That kind of non-physical shock.
After a few minutes, I obviously had to confront and answer the question of “WHAT TO DO NOW?”
Should I call the police and file a report and press charges if they catch the kid who stole my bike, thus condemning him “having a record” (criminal record) for the rest of his life? (Or at least until he’s no longer a juvenile, I have no idea how all of that works.) It certainly would’ve been due. It certainly would’ve been merited. But isn’t that very same thing true about you and me spiritually, with regard to heaven or hell? I’m not saying that pressing charges isn’t merited in certain cases. I think it absolutely is. Like if someone were to kill a loved one, I’d be the VERY FIRST person to have the book thrown at them (figuratively speaking, of course). To have them locked up and the key thrown away. “Forgive ’em, but fry ’em” might be fitting in some cases but when it comes to a material possession of ours getting stolen, I prefer to heed the amazing words of Matthew 5:39-40, from “the Sermon on the Mount”: “But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and TAKE your shirt, let him have your COAT also.”
Should I alert the store and see if they’d cover the cost, at least in part?
Should I just “chalk it up” to God’s sovereignty and look for ways He might intend to use it, for the reason(s) He allowed that to happen, for my only means of transportation to get heisted?
It’s not as though I couldn’t go back a day or week later and do one or both of those first two, but I knew almost immediately, in that split-second of decision time, that I was going with Option #3: chalking it up to God’s sovereignty.
I suppose it’s possible for such to serve as a “crutch” or “cop-out” in some cases, but His sovereignty has probably been THE MAJOR aspect of Himself which He has been impressing on me since becoming a Christian in general and in recent years and indeed months in specific. And isn’t it JUST LIKE the Lord to send a test on the very subject into my life?
I have a lot of areas still in need of improvement and lots of room for more growth. Lots. Lots and lots. I definitely have my share of weaknesses, as you’ll surely see as this journey and journal unfold in the coming months and years (and probably already =). But I can honestly say that an unbreakable, unshakable faith in God’s infinite and loving sovereignty isn’t one of them, that it’s probably the strongest area of my still-growing life. So viewed in this light, I just HAD to choose that third of three immediate options.
That fully firm faith sprang forth into my life like a bigger beanstalk than “Jack” could ever have dreamt, based on the bulletproof bedrock of two verses which serve as beautiful biblical bookends on the matter of God’s sovereignty. I’m sure I’ll discuss these again in the future since they have such a constant, continual presence and impact in my daily life but for now I’ll just say that ANY AND EVERY situation or occurrence in life – real or even hypothetical – absolutely falls within the sovereignty of God. I’m not saying that NOTHING can escape God’s sovereignty and control; I’m saying that NOTHING can escape even the infinite CENTER of God’s sovereignty and control. It is infinite, and infinitely pervasive. It is absolute, and captures absolutely every single thing in life. Real and hypothetical. Past, present, and future. Everything. From “random” to “rigged”!
In other words, God’s sovereignty has “all the bases” completely covered! It encompasses the ENTIRE SPECTRUM of life!
On the one end of said spectrum are the things that happen in life, in our lives, to us, which seem RANDOM. Like, oh, I don’t know, going into a grocery store for a few minutes to buy some bread and having your bike get stolen. Or the stock market. Or flipping a coin, or rolling dice… or casting lots. You see, that was probably the ultimate example or illustration of “randomness” in biblical times, in Old Testament times when that verse was written. It means that even things which seem random are TOTALLY (“every”) controlled and determined by the Lord!
What a massive blessing! What a huge relief! To know that NOTHING “random” EVER happens! That EVERY SINGLE OCCURRENCE in our lives has definite and usually deep purpose and is in the center of God’s loving sovereignty.
On the other end of said spectrum are the things that happen in life, in our lives, to us, which seem RIGGED. Like (again!) the stock market. (Isn’t it funny how so many people are convinced it’s totally random and how many people are equally convinced it’s totally rigged? They’re BOTH wrong!) Or that boss or supervisor at work who seems to “have it in for you” and seems to always be trying to trip you up or set you up for failure or tries to get you fired or just make your life a living you-know-what. Or perhaps a parent who seems to exert enormous control over your life. But in Old Testament times, when that second verse was written, the ultimate example of that which was pre-determined or “rigged” or controlled by another was a king. Read the books of Esther and 1 & 2 Samuel and Kings and Chronicles for countless illustrations. He literally held the power of life and death in his pen (er, stylus?), in his little finger as we might say today. Uber-powerful. To us. Yet that verse makes crystal clear that his heart, his mind, his emotions, his WILL is like a tiny trickle of water. In fact, in the original language (Hebrew), that word “water” can be translated “water of the feet”, i.e., “urine”. Isn’t that funny! Someone like a boss or despot or king seeming to have so much control over us, in our lives, is like a mere trickle of urine compared to the awesome power and true control always wielded – and just as importantly, never yielded – by the Lord.
He shares control/sovereignty with nobody and nothing.
Double blessing! Infinite relief! Just to know that EVERYTHING from one end of life’s spectrum to the other is TOTALLY AND SOLELY controlled and determined by our loving Lord!
And, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, it is THIS infinite truth, this immutable fact, which enables one to truly obey 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and a second very similar verse we’ll discuss in a minute: “In EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We can (and must) literally be THANKFUL in EVERY single situation or occurrence in life because such resides squarely in God’s will and control and sovereignty.
This seems like the perfect time to share with you several items which comprise my perspective in this weekend’s bike-got-stolen matter:
And it’s that last one in particular which brings me to that second verse.
You see, it’s one thing to be able to give thanks “in” all things, but God’s loving sovereignty is so amazing and complete and all-encompassing and pervasive that we can even give thanks FOR all things.
“… always giving thanks FOR all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father” (Ephesians 5:20)
In other words, not just giving thanks in situations in general but literally FOR every single thing that happens. Because, based on God’s loving sovereignty, it WILL redound to our good, better, and best. EVERY TIME. WITHOUT EXCEPTION. In some and even many and even the vast majority of cases, a person might not realize that, but it’s true. And it’s how I live my life literally every minute of every day.
I’m pretty sure that the children of Israel didn’t view the rise and reign of Pharaoh as something for which to be THANKFUL. But it was. Why? Because of what I’ve written here as confirmed so beautifully in Romans 9:17 – “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I raised you up, to DEMONSTRATE MY POWER in you, and that MY name might be proclaimed THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.'”
So whether it’s a supervisor or boss or king or ANYONE or ANYTHING in your life that seems to be causing you grief, please know that (a) God is INFINITELY SOVEREIGN in that situation and therefore (b) COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT had He wanted, had THAT been for your good, better, and best, but (c) LET IT HAPPEN because He KNEW (indeed, from eternity past) what would be BEST for you, and everyone else for that matter. Only the omnipotent God could manage all of those crosscurrents. Only the loving God would care to do so, would care for us SO MUCH that ONLY what’s truly BEST for us EVER happens! Which is why we absolutely should “ALWAYS give thanks FOR all things” – because “we KNOW that ALL THINGS work together for GOOD to those who know God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Therefore, I can honestly say that even if I could go back in time to Saturday morning when deciding which store to buy that handful of groceries at, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t change a thing, I wouldn’t have done anything differently to have prevented that person from stealing my bike. Why? Because then I would’ve missed out on passing a fairly sizable test, not just a bike. I.e., passing a test from God is infinitely more important and precious to me than any bike. (Even that one which was PERFECT in every way for me.) Because that fellow pedestrian would likely be mangled and, based on that car’s rate of speed, probably DEAD and therefore probably relegated to hell for all eternity. And because I wouldn’t have such a PERFECT illustration to finish and crystallize the post I had already begun writing a week or more ago.
And I’ll conclude by sharing one last insight with you about this.
I can remember like yesterday an incident years ago (when I still had a car =) in which I “caught a red light” which was the FASTEST from green to red I had (or still have) EVER seen. It was as though yellow didn’t even exist, as though it skipped right over that middle one. While I can’t claim a flawless driving record, I do think it’s very important to obey ALL laws, so I slammed on the brakes – and grumbled about how blazing fast that light turned red, how I probably just wore an inch off of my tires… I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about, secondhand if not first.
But the most amazing thing happened next which I’ll never, ever, ever forget. Never have and never will. When the light turned green and I proceeded (slowly, with heart still pumping hard) and took the curve around 50 feet away from that traffic light, you won’t believe what I saw: a very large tree had literally just fallen across the entire road. Where I and my car quite likely would’ve been had that light NOT turned red, so blazing fast. I had initially grumbled about something which probably SAVED MY LIFE. And I can’t recall a SINGLE TIME I’ve questioned or doubted the Lord’s loving and unlimited sovereignty ever since, and that happened many years ago. And just this ONE ASPECT of God has made my life a total joy, a total blast, all day every day.
Let’s look at it from a different angle. Let’s say that my bike hadn’t been stolen while I was inside that grocery store. I of course would’ve ridden it back home as always. So let’s say that on the way home, I got hit by a bus or car and suffered serious injury. What would many of us surely be saying as we lay mangled in a hospital bed? Probably something like, “Lord, why did You let that bus hit me? You are omnipotent, You are sovereign – WHY DIDN’T YOU STEP IN AND PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING?” Right? Sound familiar? But that’s EXACTLY what He did! In this case, as always, He DID step in, in a very real, tangible way, to prevent something, anything, EVERYTHING which WOULDN’T be for my good, for your good, for our good. He didn’t stretch forth His holy hand from heaven as in, say, Old Testament times, but he absolutely intervened directly via, yep, a bike thief. God’s sovereignty is so infinite and pervasive that He often uses even the wicked, even the sins of others, to accomplish what’s best for US and what will bring Him the most glory. That’s the whole point of Romans 9:17 quoted above. God even uses animals – figurative and literal (2 Peter 2:16) – to bring about and make happen what’s best for US, what’s most beneficial for OUR lives. The human mind almost always just looks at things based on what actually happened, not what might have. But I’ve found that there’s tremendous perspective and wisdom gained by doing so, by looking at the proverbial “other side of a coin” so as to be grateful, to give Him thanks not just for what happens to us or in our lives but also what DOESN’T happen! Not just for the presence of the positives but also for the absence of the negatives!
This will probably blow your mind but it’s 100% true – not 90%, not 95% … 100% – that EVERY SINGLE thing which happens to you, which happens in your life, is for your BEST. Without exception. Such that you, your life, would be WORSE OFF if it HADN’T. So instead of giving in to the very natural human tendency to doubt and thus disbelieve God’s sovereignty, let us not ask whether something that occurs is for our best but rather HOW it’s for our best – and, like me in the case of my bike, you’ll almost always find MULTIPLE answers to that question. One would be enough, but in these things, the more, the merrier.
So to the long list above we can add this:
Am I going to go around hoping that its replacement bike gets stolen, too? Definitely not. But IF it does will I take it in stride and faith in the knowledge that because of God’s loving sovereignty ANYTHING that does or even could happen is for my GOOD – not just in some sort of after-the-fact, back-end kind of way but indeed from eternity past? Absolutely. The Lord lets everything happen for our, for your, for my good and benefit: spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. (E.g., I’m not writing this from a hospital bed. =)
The takeaway from all of this is a very easy, straightforward “rule” for life, a “rule” for living: If it HAPPENS, never RESENT it, always THANK GOD that it DID! I give you my word (and infinitely more importantly, GOD gives you HIS) that if you simply but truly believe in just this one aspect of God, His loving sovereignty, and adopt this “rule” each day, it will not just change but REVOLUTIONIZE your life.
I hope that this pair of “beautiful biblical bookends” of Proverbs 16:33 and 21:1 will be as much of a massive, unmitigated, ongoing blessing in your life as it has been in mine.
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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You’re NOT Alone!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryThis post is in the same vein as a recent one. (And I elaborate even further in a subsequent one… maybe we’ll make it a recurring series.)
Remember when we were kids (and ever since) when someone would express an opinion with which we agree and we’d say “Me too!” (at least before it took on an entirely different meaning starting in 2017) or “You and me both!” or “You’re not alone”? Believe it or not, this sentiment has very deep roots in the Bible.
The Bible is clear that suffering/persecution goes hand-in-hand and indeed is part and parcel and inherently characteristic of the Christian life (2 Timothy 3:12; Hebrews 12:7-11). But that’s not cause for doom and gloom but rather tremendous and unfettered joy since it also renders the crystal clear conclusion that suffering/persecution/tribulation also produces necessary benefits (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Thessalonians 1:5) and anyway can’t even compare, “are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
All of that is very true — totally true, in both essence and extent — but God knows that in our human experience, suffering still isn’t easy (though the more one focuses on these truths and promises and perhaps particularly that last one, the easier it will be!) but thankfully He has given us some additional aids in the Bible to directly address this. (As I always say… there’s a verse for that! =)
One of the strongest I’ve found which is such an amazing help is the fact that I, that we, that you are NOT alone!
I certainly wouldn’t recommend building a theology on the human adage that “misery loves company” due to the negative side of how it’s used or perceived but the other side of that coin is actually very biblical and thus infinitely valid and joy-inducing and profitable (2 Timothy 3:14-17, especially verse 16) and USEFUL (1 Timothy 1:8, an equally-acceptable translation of the word “good” which appears in most versions) and therefore not to be ignored, indeed we should be squeezing as much gain and benefit out of this truth as possible: the fact of the matter is that there is considerable comfort in the knowledge that I, that we, that you are NOT alone!
That’s why the Bible says that temptation/trial/testing/suffering “is COMMON to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13) [one great illustration about how very common what we experience in life is: almost EVERY TIME I type something into Google, their auto-full feature brings up EXACTLY what I’m searching for, right at the top, i.e., because so many other people have searched for that very same thing, done the exact same search… so now whenever you google something just think of this amazing, empowering verse!] and this: “KNOWING that the SAME EXPERIENCES OF SUFFERING are being accomplished [undergone, experienced, fulfilled] by your brethren who are in the world.” (1 Peter 5:9) And then a glorious echo of Romans 8:18 and Hebrews 12:11 in the very next verse: “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)
While I wouldn’t wish such suffering on anyone (other than false teachers and the ilk who would lead people astray and try to take them to hell with them as vividly and dramatically discussed in 2 Peter 2 and Jude and most shockingly Galatians 1:9 where Paul literally says “let [false teachers] be accursed“), I have to say that just knowing that I’m NOT ALONE is a major and powerful motivation to “keep on keeping on”, to persevere and make lemonade out of every trial or suffering God allows into my life (one of the main applications of the book of James). Because when we DON’T persevere, when we instead give into trial/temptation and sin, that not only has an effect on us (primarily) but on the whole body of Christ (secondarily), which is why the Bible gives clear guidelines and indeed commands for church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5; 1 Timothy 5:19-20), so may I never, ever contribute to weighing down the body of Christ, the Church, but rather may my actions and attitudes always be for its building UP. May I do my part and live this earthly life in a manner conducive to purifying, not dirtying, the future bride of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Like I said, major and powerful motivation. I trust it will be for you, too. Just to know that you are NOT alone!
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It Takes Two!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryYou might think the next two words of the title would be “to tango” – and given how bitterly divided society and politics have become, that would make a lot of sense. And indeed I intend to address that in a future post but, as promised in the previous post, this one is about love.
The “two” refers to the fact that true love involves two actions. Dual action required.
The vast majority of people think of love in terms of “lovey-dovey”, fondness, warmth. And that’s certainly an important aspect and one side of the coin of true, biblical love, but did you know that the Bible actually puts the other side of the coin first when discussing this?
Hmm, very interesting.
First, it states that true love, pure love, is by definition without hypocrisy (which is what makes it true and pure) so that should be our goal, our pursuit.
Second, it reveals that true love STARTS WITH HATRED. Specifically, hatred of that which is evil and wicked and wrong, anything which goes against, which isn’t in line with the Bible, with the nature of God as clearly revealed therein. That includes hatred of sin and self (the flesh, i.e., one’s self but NOT oneself, more on this in a future post). Hatred of the devil and his minions. Hatred of falsehood, hating untruth of any kind which appears in any way, shape, or form.
Let’s look at just two great examples from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Himself and from the Spirit-propelled pen of the preeminent Apostles Paul and Peter:
[I love everything about the Bible (which is why I’m dedicating the rest of my life, literally, to memorizing, to ingesting every word of it, every word of the Word) including the fact that it never “pulls any punches” – ever. The passages echoed above are an excellent and effervescent example of that. It always just “tells it like it is” and simply sets forth the truth and “lets the chips fall where they may” to put it in current-day vernacular. I love that!]
Ergo, as exemplified so superbly by Peter and Paul and our Lord Jesus Himself, if we are to know and possess and demonstrate true love we must first HATE – that which is evil and wicked and wrong and unbiblical.
As a brief side note, this is a perfect parallel with salvation itself in that just as it’s impossible to genuinely put one’s faith in Christ to save one from his sins UNLESS one first admits his sin, sins, sinning, sinfulness, i.e., we must first admit our NEED for salvation, right? Right. This brings back beautiful memories from my childhood, when I first learned the gospel and how to share it with others in a super simple, straightforward way, the “ABC’s of salvation”: Admit, Believe, Confess, remember that?
Just as A comes before B, just as admitting comes before believing, so also when it comes to true love, hating evil comes before truly being able to embrace good.
The latter seems to come much more easily, but if we want to develop a sense of true, biblical love in our lives, we cannot skip over or bypass the former.
Society attaches such a stigma to hatred and anger, doesn’t it. But, as is so often the case, what society, what the world puts down, the Bible often lifts up. What the world frowns upon, the Bible smiles at – ear to ear.
It’s absolutely crucial to understand that the Bible is very much against too much anger or displaced hatred, but I find that the world often tries to boil an issue down to just “A” or “B”, to make it a binary choice, when in fact the right answer is usually “C”! The right answer is invariably somewhere between the two proffered extremes. And so it is in this case: it’s not about whether one should be angry but rather how much and when; it’s not about whether one should hate, but rather the object thereof. Perhaps the best example of this is found in Ephesians 4:26-27 – “BE ANGRY, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
Anger must never be allowed to grow too much or last too long – think of it as best done in “small doses” – but is otherwise a crucial component of Christian living. Indeed, did not Christ Himself demonstrate this too for us?
Yes, controlled and properly-directed anger and hatred must come first if one’s love is to be biblical, but likewise it must be followed by that second side of the coin in Romans 12:9, we must take the next step and “cling to what is good.”
I don’t think this needs much explanation or elaboration at all, but I’ll just note that the Greek word translated “cling” here is literally the word for “glue” – isn’t that interesting? We’re called to GLUE OURSELVES to that which is good as set forth in the Bible.
So from now on, whenever you think of love – true love, biblical love, lasting and sustainable love – don’t forget that it takes two! So let’s no longer ignore, let’s start exercising the muscles of righteous and controlled anger and hatred of all that is wrong and wicked and evil and ungodly and unbiblical and unjust – in “small but regular doses” – so that we can attain to and possess and gloriously give to God a love which is indeed “without hypocrisy” – He is due nothing less.
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
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FOLLOW-UP: How to NOT GROW WEARY OR LOSE HEART
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryThe previous post included these two verses:
As you probably know, ahead of launching this website to track this historic effort, I wanted to demonstrate proof of authenticity so it would be clear that this is already well beyond wishful thinking or the proverbial “pie in the sky” so after finishing three books of the Bible (3 done, 63 to go!) I recited each of those on video so anyone who wants to can easily and fully track my progress each step of the way. As indicated on the home page, one of those was the book of Hebrews.
It would be impossible to decide which is my “favorite” book of the Bible. Those of you who have children can relate, which is YOUR favorite? Exactly. You love them all the same. And I find that to be the case with the Bible. It truly is one book with 66 different parts, and I love them all the same BUT I’m sure you’d agree that while you love all your children or nephews and nieces the same, you probably get along or connect with each of them on different levels, and that’s how it is with me and the different books of the Bible: I love them all the same but “connect” with them to varying degrees in that some of them “speak to me” or “pierce my soul” seemingly more than others. And in that sense I’d have to put Romans and Hebrews at the very top of the list. The Holy Spirit keeps bring various verses from those two books to mind more than any other, literally several times a day for each. While I’m still working on finishing memorizing Romans, because Hebrews is one of the first three, I recite several chapters from it every few days and today’s portion happened to be Chapters 9-13 and one of those verses spoke PERFECTLY and FITS perfectly with the two noted in the previous post and reprinted above.
It fits so perfectly because it tells us HOW to “not lose heart” and HOW to “not grow weary”:
So I’d like to use this post to briefly delve into this wonderful — and wonderfully helpful — verse.
Its focus is clearly on both sides of the same coin: ENDURING and NOT GROWING WEARY OR LOSING HEART.
The Bible makes clear that this is absolutely crucial, imperative: “But he who ENDURES to the end shall be SAVED.” (Matthew 24:13)
Crystal clear. Consummately crucial.
But thankfully the verse above doesn’t just communicate how important it is to endure but also tells us exactly HOW: by “FIXING OUR EYES on JESUS”, to “CONSIDER Him”.
That word “fixing” is very interesting in the Greek. In two ways: its tense and its meaning.
Its tense is present active participle, which conveys the idea of an action which should be ongoing. It could be translated as “KEEP fixing your eyes” or “continually fixing your eyes”. This clearly speaks to its importance in terms of sanctification since salvation is a one-time event, never to be — nor needed to be — repeated. But where (i.e., on whom) we put our FOCUS each day (each hour, each minute) should be an ongoing, continual thing, and it should be placed squarely on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that phrase “consider Him” in verse 3 immediately reminds me of “REMEMBER Jesus Christ” in 2 Timothy 2:8. That tense is also active — present active imperative — which conveys that very same idea of the action’s being ongoing and continual in nature.
So many people, so many Christians, try so hard to be “responsible” and “handle things on their own” — and humanly that’s a fine and good trait. But not spiritually. It’s just the opposite and worse: it’s deadly. Downright destructive to the core. Because we humans, wrapped and drenched in fallen flesh, simply don’t have the innate capacity to do so. By default we walk up the down escalator.
But praise the Lord, He has provided the way to flip that script, to change one’s at-birth default setting so as to start and keep walking up the UP escalator — and that’s to place our ongoing focus on HIM. On His Person. On His life. On His death. On His resurrection. On His past earthly ministry and ongoing present heavenly ministries. Like interceding with the Heavenly Father on our behalf (Romans 8:34). Like advocating with the Judge on our behalf (1 John 2:1) as discussed more in-depth in a recent post.
Lastly — and speaking of which — I’d like to end this post by mentioning the full meaning of that word “fixing” in Greek, in the original language of this verse.
I know, I know, boresville snoresville, right? WRONG! This is exciting! This is good stuff! This can feed your soul and heart and mind for years and years to come. Because implicit, inherent in that word isn’t just the English notion of looking to Jesus and continually fixing our eyes, our gaze, on Him, but also the act of turning our eyes, our focus, AWAY FROM something else.
From ourselves. From self. From our desires and our will and our lives and our issues and our goals. And ONTO His. Onto HIM.
I’ve found this very same principle in the Bible regarding love. Dual action required for true focus and true love, so stay tuned for that in the next post. But for now, may each of us exhibit the wisdom and reap the pure and utter joy of moving our focus off of ourselves and onto Him. This will not come easily nor comfortably because it’s diametrically different, it’s the opposite end of the spectrum from human nature. But let’s resolve ourselves to power through that initial discomfort and reap the massive fruit and rewards — not just in the life to come but also in THIS present earthly life (1 Timothy 4:8). Because by focusing on Him will result in following Him, in following His perfect example in every aspect of life: humility, grace, mercy, kindness, love, selflessness, confidence, purity, purpose.
In a recent post I mentioned a fellow from my church who gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever received when I was a teenager trying to decide what my first car should be. As mentioned he was in the automotive business and not just great at selling them but also repairing them. And I’d often join him to hand him the tool he needed at any given time as he remained under the vehicle he was working on and I remember something he said one time which, like that other piece of advice, I’ve never forgotten, it has remained with me ever since and all the time. He had just lodged himself under the car and was trying to position himself so he could use a ratchet wrench without too much discomfort but also had to get his head in a proper position so he could see the various nuts and bolts he needed to remove and he finally figured that out and — clearly gleeful, clearly relieved — said this: “It’s all about getting your head in the right position.”
And that’s EXACTLY how it is in life! May we decide this day, here and now, to take our focus OFF OF ourselves and ONTO the Lord Jesus Christ. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. And I can tell you with 100% certainty that HE will meet all of YOUR needs and replace “losing heart” and “growing weary” with an indescribable, inexpressible quality and level of joy and endurance. Like George Foreman says at the end of those Meineke TV ads and George Zimmer in those former Men’s Wearhouse ads… I GUARANTEE IT!
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“Big Mo”: Maintain Your Gain!
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryThere’s a phrase very familiar with those of us who watch sports: “big mo”. Momentum. It plays an important and usually uncanny role in the outcome of a game.
But you know what, momentum also plays a crucial role in the Christian life, in our daily walk with the Lord — which, as discussed in the previous post, should be a continual combination of rest and action, or in bicycling terms, of rest and “pedaling”.
In the human realm, those are opposites, but in the Christian life they are meant to work together: we should always be “resting” in the Lord…
… while we’re working for Him, while we’re serving Him and carrying out His will in our lives.
As you probably know based on prior posts, a few months ago I sold my car so I could use that money to finish building this website. But I still had to be able to get around town to run errands and such so the second half of that plan was to buy a bicycle.
I hadn’t ridden one since I was a child, since I was around 12 or 13 years old. I loved it then. The exhilaration of going down a steep hill. That rush of pure adrenaline. And the freedom. My oh my, the freedom. To finally be able to go more than a mile from my house. To the local mall to buy candy and gum and generally unhealthy fare but hey, I was a kid and therefore had the freedom to indulge in such luxuries without having to pay the price which generally doesn’t rear its head until full-on adulthood. I was swimming in freedom. Drenched in freeness. What an amazing and wonderful time of life.
But that was then and this is now so I wasn’t sure if that same relationship with bicycling had endured but was thrilled to find that I enjoy it every bit as much now as I did then.
And there have been many benefits realized in the weeks since. I’ll elaborate on these in future posts of this journal/blog as this historic journey of becoming the first person in known human history to memorize and recite the ENTIRE BIBLE unfolds, but two so far have been (a) the fact that it allowed me to finish building this website so people can follow my progress every step of the way, learn from my past mistakes and future victories, hold me accountable and help keep me on-track to complete this monumental task, and (b) discovering that many of the thoughts and concepts which I’ll be sharing with you here first struck me while riding my bike. (Far better that than a car or truck, eh? =)
But in this post, in this journal entry, I’d like to talk about a different benefit.
While I’ve always viewed physical fitness as being quite important in that a believer’s body is indeed a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 — one of the great “3:16’s” of Scripture [along with John, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, 1 Peter, and 1 John … yep, I’m definitely gonna have to do a future post about this!] — and again a few Chapters later in 6:19) and have always done a decent job maintaining it, a benefit of biking versus driving these past several weeks is that I’ve actually gotten down to my high school weight. And every time I get back from an extended (usually Saturday) bike ride I find that 5-8 pounds have been whacked from the previous night’s reading on my bathroom scale.
But after such an intense workout and the resultant hunger, I find myself sorely tempted to fill my stomach’s newfound void with a bunch of food. And indeed, I used to indulge in such and you know what would happen? Yep, the next morning that bathroom scale would go right back to the same reading as before. I’d revert to the pre-exercise weight. Benefit lost. (At least that one.) Gained ground given right back.
And it hit me that this is exactly how it is with the Christian life, too! How often do we read the Bible or go to church only to stumble in the following days or weeks?
I address this in the physical realm by opting for high-protein fare like seafood, chicken breast tenders or nuggets, and fat-free/cholesterol-free egg whites after said workouts; as for the spiritual realm, I’ve addressed this by embarking on this journey of memorizing entire books of the Bible. That’s right, just like Psalm 119:11 says, Bible memory on a regular, systematic (verse-by-verse, book-by-beautiful-book) basis has kept me from losing the spiritual ground which has been gained.
In a word, MOMENTUM! “Big Mo”.
I’ll discuss the encouragement (“carrot”) side of this coin in a moment but will start with the warning (“stick”) side with a single three-verse passage: “For yet in a very little while, he who is coming will come, and will not delay,. But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. BUT we are NOT of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:37-39)
May it be so in our daily lives. May we be so wise to choose the latter.
As for the other side of this coin, it’s important to realize that when we obey God, when we obey His Word, the Bible, we stack another gain on our pile in heaven, in our heavenly account as it were. Think of it like an earthly bank account in that each good work, each good deed we do here on earth produces rewards or adds a “credit” to our “account” in heaven. But similarly when we sin it’s like a “debit” to that account.
In sports lingo, doing a good deed in this life is like pushing the football another five yards down the field in the life to come. (AND this life — 1 Timothy 4:8!) I’m sure you get the point but of course that field is not 100 yards in length but unlimited, infinite, but otherwise this is a very good metaphor. And what is one of the main factors which determines victory or defeat? That’s right, which team has the momentum as the clock ticks to zero. Who maintains the momentum. But when we sin, when we give in to temptation, it’s like fumbling the football. And as we know, that’s not conducive at all to WINNING THE GAME.
Credit or debit. Touchdown or fumble. THE CHOICE IS OURS. I know which I like better! And make my decisions and choices each day accordingly. “In such a way so as to win” as the beloved Apostle Paul would say. And I just cannot overstate how utterly crucial and imperative it is to MAINTAIN THE MOMENTUM.
Don’t be messing with your blessing. Maintain your gain.
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
5. Share this post on your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:
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