Raising the Dead, Physically and Spiritually

We’ve recently celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the singular most important event in all of Christianity – and if we believe the Bible, the most important event in the history of all mankind. Jesus being raised from the dead stands alone in eternal magnitude and significance, beyond comparison. However, it’s not the only example in the Scriptures of people coming back from death. 

For instance, in the Old Testament we read compelling stories about two prophets, Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and his protégé, Elisha (2 Kings 4:6-37). In different circumstances, both prayed and pleaded with the Lord to bring back to life sons of two women who had extended kindnesses to them. And their prayers were answered.

Many of us are familiar with the New Testament story of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), a friend of Jesus and brother of Mary and Martha, who lived in the village of Bethany, a small town in Judea not far from Jerusalem. When Jesus learned Lazarus was very ill and his sisters had sent for Him to come and heal him, He informed His disciples, “This sickness will not end in death.” 

 

After waiting two more days, Jesus said, “Let us go back to Judea.” He gathered up His disciples and announced, “‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him’….” 

 

When they heard Jesus was approaching, Lazarus’s sisters Martha and Mary went to Him separately and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha added, revealing her faith, “But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask….” By that time, Lazarus had been in his tomb for four days. Nevertheless, Jesus replied, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

 

He proceeded to the tomb, ordered the stone to be removed, prayed to the Father, and then “called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go’” (John 11:43-44). Understandably, this caught the attention of many people – including the religious opposition.

 

Other examples of Jesus raising the dead included: the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Mark 5:22-43); the servant of a God-fearing Roman centurion, recounted in Luke 7:1-10; and the son of a widow in a town called Nain (Luke 7:11-17). Even though each of these accounts is stirring, the greater narrative in the Scriptures is not God’s power to resurrect people from physical death, but His desire to raise up those who are dead spiritually.

 

The Old Testament provides the intriguing example of the prophet Ezekiel, who received a vision by God of a valley filled with dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). The Lord asked him, “Son of man, can these bones live?” to which Ezekiel responded, “O Sovereign Lord, You alone know.” Then as instructed, the prophet spoke to the bones, which came together, along with tendons, flesh and skin, and finally became alive: “…I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.” 

 

The boneyard that came to life, God said, represented backslidden and rebellious Israel. Ezekiel had been given the challenging commission to call the Israelites to repentance – along with proclaiming God’s promise to Israel that He would “put My Spirit in you and you will live….” 

 

We find a powerful description of the spiritually dead in Ephesians 2:14, where the apostle Paul writes to believers in the city of Ephesus, “As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world…gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts… But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ…it is by grace you have been saved.”

 

Even though these words were penned nearly 2,000 years ago, they have a familiar ring for today.

 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus uttered many profound teachings and performed countless miracles, but most important was the message of repentance, forgiveness, redemption, and the assurance of eternal life. At the conclusion of what is commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son, the Lord described the joy of a father whose estranged son had returned home. Speaking to his other son, the father declares, “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).

 

All around us we see people who look perfectly fine physically but spiritually belong in a morgue. Kind of reminiscent of the little boy in the movie, “The Sixth Sense,” who hauntingly stated, “I see dead people.” Our Lord’s primary concern is not how we appear outwardly, but the condition of our hearts. 

 

As Jesus told religious leaders who had confronted Him after He had healed an invalid on the Sabbath, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believe Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live” (John 5:24-25).

 

Regardless of the quality of our earthly life, Jesus’ desire for us is to experience every day the assurance of having eternal life, as well as the peace and joy that come with that, regardless of our temporal circumstances.

Overcoming the Fear of Aloneness

There’s a small minority of folks who are true “loners,” who prefer life totally apart from other people. But most of us, to one extent or another, need to be with people. Being alone can be a troubling, even fearful place. 

 

That’s understandable, because from the start we were designed for relationships. “The Lord said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him’” (Genesis 2:18).

 

No matter how young or old we are,
we all have need for relationships,
to not be alone.

So, when times of aloneness come, regardless of their cause, we can feel desperately isolated. We might have thousands of “friends” on social media, but that’s not what genuine relationships are about. There’s nothing like someone nearby “with skin on.” What can we do at times like that, when no one’s around? 

We might try repeating the mantra, “if it’s to be, it’s up to me,” but in most cases it’s better to be in tandem with someone else, whether it’s in marriage, parenting, playing sports, at work, traveling, or any other meaningful pursuit. As Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reminds us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!... A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

 

We’re tempted to venerate the central characters in the Bible, as if they were super men and women who could take on any challenge without flinching. But not a single one of them was a ‘lone ranger.’ They had their anxious, fearful moments just as we all have. Especially when they felt alone.

 

After 40 years of leading the often rebellious, stiff-necked Israelites around the wilderness, the time had come for Moses to step aside. He would be permitted to view the Promised Land from afar, but because of earlier disobedience was prohibited by God from actually entering it. Joshua had been chosen as his successor. 

 

Can you imagine how Joshua must have felt, having to replace ‘the man, the myth, the legend’ who had always guided the people of Israel? After walking side by side with Moses for so many years, he would be alone. He might not have coined the phrase, but Joshua probably found himself often reciting, “It’s lonely at the top.”

 

Moses recognized this. Before passing the metaphorical baton, he told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them…. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8).

 

To reinforce this admonition, God later spoke to Joshua Himself: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them…. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:2-5).

 

Then, having assured Joshua of His constant presence, the Lord exhorted him several times to “be strong and courageous.” The third time He elaborated, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6,7,9).

 

In our everyday walk of faith, there are times for all of us when we too must be “strong and courageous.” Whether it’s opposition from people who believe differently from us, circumstances testing our convictions and values, conflict with family members and friends, or warding off temptations, we’re called to be strong and courageous in standing up for what we know is right.

 

The good news is we’re not alone. As God promised Moses, then Joshua, and many others throughout the Scriptures, we have the assurance that “the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

 

This was one reason, moments before His ascension to heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). After the confusion of His trial, His scourging and crucifixion, and then the euphoria of seeing Jesus resurrected from the dead, the disciples weren’t thrilled with the prospect of seeing Him leave them again. As God had promised the Old Testament patriarchs, Jesus was assuring His followers of being with them always, through His Spirit.

 

How else could they – and others who later would become stalwart followers of Christ and leaders of the early Church – have dealt with strong opposition, ridicule, beatings and stoning, and even death, unless the Lord had been with them, providing strength, comfort and hope in the midst of tribulation?

 

The apostle Paul acknowledged this in a very personal and honest letter to his protégé, Timothy: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me….” Can you imagine how alone and isolated he must have felt? However, Paul then added, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).

 

What does this have to say for us today? It should give us the assurance and confidence that no matter what circumstances we face, whatever trials and obstacles we might confront, the Lord is with us. We can take heart in the words repeated in Hebrews 13:5 and other places in the Bible, “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Even in our lowest, most feeling-alone moments, the Lord has promised that He is with us.

It’s Important to ‘Be Where Your Feet Are’

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about the future – what could be, or where you’d like to be? Or yearning to be somewhere else, anywhere other than where you are in life presently?

 

We’ve probably all been there at least occasionally in our lives. This can be especially true in the workplace. The excitement of the job has worn off. Or you’ve realized it’s not at all what you had hoped it would be. You might be thinking, ‘If I were somewhere else, I could really show what I could do.’ Maybe you’ve even explored other opportunities, but no doors have opened. That can be frustrating.

 

What should we do, just muddle through each day? Sneer and bear it? Sulk because the higher-ups don’t appreciate what we have to offer? Maybe even get mad at God because He hasn’t extricated us from our dismal situation?

 

I read a quote recently that applies to those kinds of circumstances. Jim Tressel is a legendary former football coach, including 10 years with the Ohio State Buckeyes, leading them to a national championship in 2002. He also served as president of Youngstown State University for 10 years, and now serves as lieutenant governor of Ohio.

 

Speaking to a former player who had solicited his advice, Tressel recommended, “Be where your feet are.” In other words, choose to focus on the present – what’s right in front of you – rather than daydreaming or longing for what may lie ahead in the uncertain future.

 

I’ve heard of people eager to go to the foreign mission field, convinced that God could use them in wonderful ways to take the Gospel message to people groups that need to hear it. And yet, they’ve had absolutely no success in telling people about Jesus where they work and live. In some cases, they haven’t even tried. Why? Because they haven’t learned the wisdom of ‘being where your feet are.’

 

The Bible has much to say about the importance of being faithful to stand up for Christ right where we are. As 2 Corinthians 5:20 states, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

 

This verse speaks in the present tense, not referring to some future assignment. We ARE therefore Christ’s ambassadors. This is true whether we are high-ranking corporate executives, professional people, laborers, department managers, salespeople, grocery store cashiers, schoolteachers, carpenters, physicians, nurses, maintenance workers, or any other vocation we can imagine.

 

As Ecclesiastes 9:10 exhorts, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might….” Why? Another passage elaborates: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). 

 

Ultimately, we are wherever the Lord has placed us to serve Him, to use our gifts, talents, experience – and opportunities – to be, as Jesus said, “the salt of the earth…the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14).

 

However, work can be boring, aggravating, uninspiring. It may be unfulfilling, and we wonder if we’re doing any good at all. The apostle Paul apparently understood that, because he frequently wrote words of encouragement to Christ followers in other cities hoping they would ‘hang in there.’ Writing to believers in Galatia, he urged, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

 

Ancient Corinth with its rampant pagan practices certainly wasn’t a utopia for living out the Christian faith and biblical values. Men and women committed to Christ must have often wondered why they were there, whether their efforts to obey Jesus in serving as His “salt and light” were accomplishing anything. Paul admonished, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

 

That’s a key point: Wherever we are, even if we can’t imagine why God has us there, we can trust that “our labor in the Lord is not in vain.” As someone has said, “if you can’t serve the Lord where you are, you certainly can’t serve Him where you are not.”

 

We can take heart in knowing the place where God has us at the present moment doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a permanent assignment. I’ve learned that a number of times myself. Sometimes the Lord had more for me to do before moving me elsewhere; other times He was preparing me for another role, but I had more to learn first. Often, it’s like a line of dominos – the first one has to fall before the remainder start tumbling in succession.

 

What matters is what we do and how we conduct ourselves, no matter how undesirable current circumstances might be. Perhaps God has us where we are so we can learn faithfulness, perseverance and trust. As Jesus taught in His parable of the shrewd manager, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10). This applies not only to wealth and material resources, but also to where the Lord has placed us.

 

The question is, are we being faithful to work hard, pursue excellence and display godly character where we are now, even if it seems to be of little value? We might discover it’s just a proving ground for demonstrating our readiness for greater things. ‘Be where your feet are,’ even if you’d prefer to be elsewhere. When God’s ready, He’ll take you to another place where you can serve Him just as faithfully. 

What's the Greatest Evidence for the Resurrection?

We’re entering the pivotal weekend for Christianity. Annually, Christmas receives more attention, but if it were not for Good Friday and Easter, there would be no reason for Christmas. And if it were not for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, there’d be no need to commemorate Good Friday and His crucifixion.

However, skeptics often pose the question: How do we know the resurrection was real? How do we know it wasn’t some elaborate hoax or a myth that’s been perpetuated through the centuries? We could cite much verifiable evidence for the resurrection, along with conclusions of both Christian and secular historians. But perhaps the greatest proof of the resurrection is changed lives.

 

Jesus’ closest disciples, who had become fearful after Jesus was arrested, and doubtful after witnessing His crucifixion, suddenly became courageous after seeing the resurrected Christ firsthand on numerous occasions. These formerly timid followers of Jesus never wavered again, suffering torture and death as they continued until their final breaths to boldly proclaim the Gospel of salvation through Christ to anyone and everyone who would listen.

 

Would they have risked their lives to defend a lie they had made up? Definitely not. If the disciples had all conspired to falsely claim Jesus had risen from the dead, don’t you think when their lives were at stake, they would have admitted their false claim?

 

For a contemporary parallel, consider the infamous Watergate scandal that occurred in 1972, culminating in President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974. Also implicated were his closest advisors. When confronted, they were quick to confess their roles in the notorious cover up to minimize their punishment.  

 

Among them was Charles Colson, who as special counsel to Nixon had become known as his "hatchet man." Colson was the first member of the administration to serve time in prison on Watergate-related charges. However, in the midst of the sordid affair, he gave his life to Christ as become a transformed person. To the point where he devoted the rest of his life to prison ministry, apologetics, and writing a number of acclaimed books on the Christian faith. One of the factors that influenced his conversion was the resurrection.

Years later Colson explained, "I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it for me. How? Because 12 men [Jesus' disciples] testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one of them was beaten, tortured, stoned and put into prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world - and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible." 

For another example, consider Saul, the highly regarded Pharisee who had zealously persecuted Christians – until he encountered Jesus personally on the road to Damascus. To say that moment was life-changing is the understatement of understatements. He not only became a fervent follower of Jesus but also turned into a fearless preacher of the Gospel, seeking to tell Jews and Gentiles alike about the Lord. He too, like most of the other apostles, was martyred for being unrelenting in proclaiming the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.

 

The founders of the world’s great religions are all dead – Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and others. Only Christianity can boldly claim that its founder, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead. And through His Spirit, He lives in each of us who trust in Him as Savior and Lord.

 

As we’re assured in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” In addition, 2 Corinthians 5:17 promises that when we receive Christ as Savior and Lord, our lives too are changed: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

 

If the resurrection of Jesus Christ were not a reality, those verses would make absolutely no sense. Some faith traditions revere the crucifix, which depicts Jesus hanging from the cross. However, today that cross is empty – as is the tomb in which He was buried after His death.

 

When Jesus first appeared to His frightened and confused disciples He said, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you have seen I have” (Luke 24:38-39).

 

Over the next 40 days, Jesus appeared to His disciples on several other occasions before ascending to Heaven. “After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). 

 

Words from an old hymn point to the resurrection, expressing the hope we have as followers of Jesus: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”

 

We know the resurrection is real, and the changed lives of countless men, women and young people around the world are all the proof we need. As Romans 6:4 asserts, “…just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” He has risen! Christ has risen, indeed!

No So Fast There, My Friends!

With the arrival of spring, many of us are emerging from our wintry ‘hibernation’ and venturing out for travel, favorite warm-weather pastimes, gardening, following our children’s or grandchildren’s sports, or just enjoying a walk in the sun. After months of relative inactivity, we’re ready to hit the fast-forward button for a frenzy of activity.

That’s great, and for the outdoorsy types, it’s about time, right? Hiking, boating, swimming, golf, tennis, pickleball, ATV riding, paddleboarding, or whatever your favorite pursuit may be – you’ve got the green light! But first, a word or two of caution.

 

In our haste to ‘grab all the gusto’ (to recall an old TV commercial), we can race right past the important in our pursuit for the interesting and entertaining. Charles Hummel wrote about this in his little book, The Tyranny of the Urgent. In it he talked about our many unfinished tasks, unanswered letters, unvisited friends, unwritten articles, and other things not done. Wouldn’t a 30-hour day be nice?

 

In actuality, adding more hours to the day probably wouldn’t make much difference. Without proper priorities to help us manage the clamor that surrounds us, the urgent ‘urgencies’ of the moment always tend to squeeze out the truly important. We’d just find more things to try to get done, more interruptions, no matter how many additional hours we could add to the span of a single day.

 

Recognizing this problem, decades ago a fellow named Wilferd Arlan Peterson wrote a poem called “Slow Me Down, Lord.” Here are excerpts from it:

“Slow me down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time…

 

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations – of slowing down to look at a flower,

To chat with a friend, 

To pat a dog, 

To read a few lines from a good book.

 

Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, 

That I may know that the race is not always to the swift – 

That there is more to life than increasing its speed….”

 

What a thought: “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” No one was more aware of this than the Lord Jesus Christ, whose “to-do” list eclipsed any that we could ever compile. He healed the sick and crippled, gave sight to the blind, cast out demons, raised the dead, calmed storms, fed the hungry, ministered to the poor, and most important, preached God’s message of redemption and reconciliation to small crowds and multitudes. All within the brief span of three years.

 

Despite the incessant demands on His time, Jesus always found the necessary time to rest, whether in a storm-tossed boat (Mark 4:37-38), a quiet place with His disciples (John 6:31), or the wilderness by Himself (Matthew 14:13). Even God incarnate became weary as a man. His earthly ministry was relatively short, but Jesus did not ignore the need for rest.

 

Psalm 23, well-known as ‘the shepherd’s psalm,’ pictures a flock of sheep under the protective care of their shepherd, helping us to recognize God as our own Shepherd. It says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides quiet waters, He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2-3). Sheep, a skittish, nervous lot, do poorly under stress, so their shepherd must ensure they find places for sufficient rest. We’re not as different from wooly sheep as we might believe.

 

This is why rest is emphasized throughout the Scriptures. Isaiah 40:31 assures us, “Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not become faint.” No matter what season we’re in, the demands and pressures surrounding us can quickly wear us down if we’re not careful. Hence our need, as the poem suggests, to pray, “Slow me down, Lord.”

 

Wherever He went, Jesus found throngs of troubled, weighed-down people. In giving His message of hope, both for the present and for eternity, the Lord offered this promise: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

 

So, as you embark on your race for fun and frolic, don’t forget to take a rest. Rest in the Lord.

Giving Faith the Benefit of the Doubt

The Victorian Era in the 19^th century is often referred to as “the age of doubt.” During that time important scientific discoveries were challenging prevalent religious thinking, and some of that has carried over to the present day. It seems we’ve turned into ‘the doubtful society,’ as we cast skeptical eyes on politicians, the media, education, and especially every dimension of spirituality. In the 1960s, demonstrators shouted, “Question authority!” Since then, we’ve come to question virtually everything. 

Doubt, in the opinion of some, is the enemy of faith. They regard questioning or expressing anything about biblical teachings as evidence of disbelief. Some might contend we’re to operate on the basis of ‘blind faith,’ refusing to allow doubts to invade our thinking. 

 

There are dangers to this, however. The Barna Group, a research organization that studies how cultural trends and religious belief intersect, released a report that nearly 60 percent of young adults leave the church after leaving home – with doubt being a central cause. Of those surveyed, 36 percent said they rejected their faith because of unanswered questions they had; 23 percent left their church roots because of doubts about their faith.

In my experience, however, doubt need not function as an adversary of faith. Instead, it can serve as an asset for strengthening it, much as the challenge of lifting weights serves to strengthen muscles. Rather than discouraging expressions of doubt and uncertainty, maybe they should be embraced as avenues for deepening one’s convictions and drawing closer to the Lord. Because if God isn’t big enough and strong enough to handle our questions and doubts, He certainly isn’t worthy of our trust.

 

We find this perspective affirmed throughout the Scriptures. In Genesis, Abram and Sarai were advanced in years, yet she’d not been able to give him a son through whom God would fulfill His promise to “make [him] into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). As years passed, their doubts grew until Sarai decided to have her maidservant Hagar serve as a surrogate. 

 

Hagar conceived and gave Abram a son, Ishmael, but God in effect told him, “That’s not what I planned.” Later the Lord restated His promise, declaring, “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations…. As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her” (Genesis17:5-16).

 

Did Abraham respond with, ‘Okay, great!’? Nope. He “fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’” (Genesis 17:17). Doesn’t this sound like a man who had more than a few doubts?

 

Laughter must have been a big part of the Abraham-Sarah household, because when a divine visitor later tells Abraham, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son,” eavesdropping Sarah “laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?’” (Genesis 18:10,14).

 

Could you blame them? Decades beyond their physical prime, Abraham and Sarah surely thought their window of opportunity for parenting had slammed shut. Even if God had promised to the contrary. The key is how the Lord responded. He didn’t get huffy and say, “Well, if you don’t believe Me, forget it!” One year later the aged couple did have a son, Isaac, and over the centuries since, Abraham indeed has become the spiritual patriarch to many nations.

 

This is hardly an isolated example. The Psalms show King David, described as “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), often expressing his doubts and fears. In Psalm 42:3 he wrote, “My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, ‘Where is your God?’”, and in Psalm 43:2 he complains, “For you are the God of my refuge. Why have you rejected me?” But time after time, God proved His faithfulness to David.

 

Jesus Christ repeatedly warned His disciples of events that were to come, even that they would betray Him, but when He was arrested by Roman and religious authorities, “all the disciples deserted Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). Despite having spent three years with Jesus, the disciples turned into a doubting, fearful lot.

 

Consider the disciple Thomas, perhaps the poster guy for doubt. He’s often called “doubting Thomas.” When Jesus first appeared to the disciples following His resurrection, John 20:24-29 reports that for some reason Thomas wasn’t there. When he heard the other disciples declaring, “We have seen the Lord!”, Thomas reacted with indifference, as if to say, “Yeah, right.” 

 

He needed proof. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it.” Soon Thomas got his proof. Jesus didn't chastise him to being skeptical; instead, He showed His nail-scarred hands to the disciple and asked him to place in his hand into His side. Thomas had no option but to cast his doubts aside and respond, “My Lord and my God!”

 

What Jesus said next is something we all should take to heart: “Because you [Thomas] have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

Hebrews 11:1 says, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Of necessity, genuine belief and trust in Jesus Christ requires our faith to overcome our doubts. But doubt can serve as a great teaching aid. 

Confessing our questions and doubts can inspire us to pray, consult with others, and most importantly, dig into the Scriptures for answers. That doesn’t mean we will know all the answers to our questions – but in the process we can get to know God in a much deeper way.

We Need to Be More Like the Bereans

A classic scenario we’ve often seen is someone lying on a couch in a psychiatrist’s office saying, “Doctor, I hear voices.” These days, we’re all hearing voices: TV and radio talk shows; news commentary sometimes disguised as objective reporting; podcasts; social media; Internet diatribes. 

So many voices, one stating one thing, another saying something totally different. Kind of reminds me of the scene in the book of Acts when a mob in the city of Ephesus tried to disrupt the apostle Paul’s preaching: “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there” (Acts 19:32). 

 

Living in our world of so many disparate voices can be just as confusing. Many of those most vocal are desperate to persuade us about what to think and how to interpret events all around us – in our communities, the nation, even the world. But the views expressed are so diverse, often diametrically opposed to each other. How are we to discern what’s right – or who’s right?

 

There are no simple answers, unfortunately. Even the spiritual realm can seem just as confounding. As was the case in ancient Ephesus, where “some were shouting one thing; some another,” we’re offered a smorgasbord of ideas and ideologies from which we can pick and choose, if we so desire.

 

Just a cursory comparison of the world’s religions reveals differences that can’t be reconciled. But even within Christianity we’re confronted with teachings that can leave us struggling to discern whose messages represent the truth. From what I’ve observed, some “teachers” apparently are drawing their conclusions from the books of Babylonians and 2 Opinions (which, spoiler alert, are not in the Bible). The question again arises, who are we to believe?

 

Another passage in the book of Acts offers guidance in how to distinguish between what’s true and what’s not. The apostle Paul, Silas, and those following them were on a mission trip, stopping in Thessalonica and then proceeding to Berea: “As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead” (Acts 17:2-3).

 

What Paul was preaching was the Gospel – literally, “good news” – which was eagerly received by some, but strongly opposed by others because what he was teaching was contrary to their well-established religious beliefs and practices. While some who heard Paul were convinced that what he taught was the truth, others formed a mob and started rioting to oppose him.

 

Then there were those who, similar to many of us today, simply wanted to carefully consider what he had to say and respond according to what they discovered. Among those were Jews in Berea. We’re told, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

 

Rather than reacting negatively because the apostle’s teachings ran contrary to what they had always been taught or simply accepting his words ‘as gospel’ without any reservations, the Bereans chose the middle ground: They dug into the Scriptures – which at that time consisted only of the Old Testament – and compared what Paul was teaching with scriptural revelation.

 

We’d be wise to follow the example of the Bereans when we hear teachings from various apparently authoritative voices on matters such as theology, doctrine, morality, and their views about God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

 

We’re warned that “the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3). Even though these words were written many centuries ago, they ring true to this day. Sadly, many people ‘want the God they want,’ rather than truly seeking the God who is.

 

Hopefully you’re not among them. If your desire is to know the Lord and grow deeper in your walk and relationship with Him, “searching the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” is a healthy habit. We need to know which of the many voices out there are worth listening to.

 

Even if we belong to a body of believers where the Bible is revered and faithfully taught, it doesn’t hurt to check the Scriptures ourselves to confirm whether what Pastor So-and-So said is, in fact, so.

If indeed, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” as 2 Timothy 3:16 declares, as diligent truth-seekers we can trust the Lord to confirm or correct what we hear.

Best Way to Know a Book Is to Know the Author

The art and craft of writing books have fascinated me for a long time. Having written, co-authored and edited more than 20 books myself, I know it’s a complicated, challenging endeavor. Author Philip Yancey has described the writing process as something like this: “All you have to do is sit at the computer, fingers on the keyboard, until beads of blood appear on your forehead.” (Who said writing is ‘no sweat’?)

I identify very well with another of Yancey’s observations about writing: “I hate to write – but I love to have written.” Sometimes I can be extremely creative in procrastinating from sitting at the keyboard, but the end result from the hard work of writing can be very rewarding. 

 

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting and interacting with a number of other authors. I’ve concluded that we writers are a strange bunch, many leaning toward being introverts since we spend so much time inside our own heads. 

 

Most of us will never meet our favorite authors – especially ones like Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, the Bronte sisters, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and many other literary greats who have passed from the scene. But in reading their books, we can capture a glimpse of who they are (or were). Because most of the time, authors write about things that interest or intrigue them. 

 

For instance, horrormeister Stephen King (whom I’ve met) obviously has a fascination with things that go bump in the night. As did Edgar Allan Poe. Agatha Christie must have thought it great fun to conjure up a good mystery. John Grisham revels in courtroom drama. And Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov had a particular penchant for the collision of science and futuristic fiction.

 

However, while books offer a glimpse into what authors think about, their writings don’t always reveal much about what they’re really like in real life. Are they as clever and engaging in person as characters in their books? Do they have sinister, brooding personalities? Would we enjoy being their friend? 

 

On the other hand, don’t you think you’d understand a book better if you truly knew its author?

 

At this point we should note a very important difference between every other book and…the Bible. Consisting of 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament), compiled from about 40 different people who wrote under the inspiration of God, the Bible truly is the Word of God. Its pages teach us not only what interests Him but also reveals who He is – in extraordinary detail.

 

As 2 Timothy 3:16 informs us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” One new believer concluded after reading this verse, “God wrote a book!”

 

Not only that, but despite its many ‘sub-books’ and numerous human writers, the Bible is unique in that it carries one central theme that spanned thousands of years: redemption through Jesus Christ.

 

Books, whether produced on physical paper or displayed on an electronic screen, consist of words, sentences and paragraphs. The Scriptures tell us something about Jesus that no one else has or could ever claim: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:1,14).

 

If we wonder what God is like, we need look no further than to Jesus. As Hebrews 1:3 tells us, “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” In one of his books, Yancey expressed it this way: “Jesus became the visible, finite expression of the invisible, infinite, inexpressible God.”

 

When we think of famous authors, Jesus Christ might not be the first name to roll off our tongues. But the Bible states Jesus indeed was an author – in the most profound sense. Speaking to a crowd of people at a place in Jerusalem called Solomon’s Colonnade, the apostle Peter declared, “You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 3:15). 

 

Later in the New Testament we find another reference to Jesus’ authorship. Hebrews 12:2 urges us, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

Both passages show Jesus as a different type of “author,” not the writer of a singular work of non-fiction or fiction, but the giver of life itself. Even though we have beating hearts, blood pulsing through our veins, and air in our lungs, the Scriptures teach that apart from Christ we are spiritually dead. Yet because of what He has done on our behalf, we can experience and enjoy new life:

“…because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

 

Another verse I’ve cited before speaks of this new life, available to everyone who will receive it: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

 

Receiving Christ’s gift of salvation, forgiveness and redemption not only assures us of life after death, but also eternal life right now. We know this because of what God says in the Bible: “I write these things to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Note this doesn’t say, ‘you will have eternal life,’ but rather, “you have eternal life” – present tense.

 

The Lord doesn’t just want to turn a page on our lives. He wants to start writing a new book in us. I like how James Banks, a devotional writer for Our Daily Bread, put it: “The author of life stands ready to write new beginnings for us!” Doesn’t that sound good?

There’s Foolishness – and Then There’s Real Folly

Here we are on April Fool’s Day, the annual day when we can engage in telling folks their shoes are untied – when they’re wearing loafers or leather sandals. Or telling some guy his zipper’s down, when it’s not. “April Fool’s!” 

 

No one knows for certain how and when this custom of carrying out practical jokes and pranks began, but it likely dates back at least several centuries. Seems no generation has lacked for having its share of fools and foolishness. There’s nothing wrong with good-natured trickery, but we need to understand that folly is a devastating year-round pastime for some people.

 

Reading the Bible, we find no mention of April Fool’s Day. But the Scriptures have much to say about fools and folly. The Proverbs, for example, are replete with warnings against the perils of foolishness. Exhortations start with the book’s first chapter: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

 

There’s an admonition not to foolishly neglect work that must be done: “How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man” (Proverbs 6:10-11).

 

We find folly and its enticements personified in a very sober manner: “The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way. ‘Let all who are simple come in here!’ she says to those who lack judgment…. But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave” (Proverbs 9:13-18).

 

Numerous other examples are woven throughout Proverbs, but here are just a hardful:

“Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly” (Proverbs 13:16).

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down” (Proverbs 14:1).

“A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them” (Proverbs 14:3).

“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception” (Proverbs 14:8). 

“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions” (Proverbs 18:2).

 

I think you get the idea. The Word of God overflows with cautions against foolish thinking and behavior. If we desire to experience a rewarding, fulfilling life, we’re advised to pursue wisdom and avoid folly.

 

But perhaps its strongest admonition of all is found in the Psalms, focusing on the importance of faith in God. King David, who wrote many of the Psalms, declared: 

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:1-3). 

 

Apparently, the king of Israel didn’t want this to be overlooked. In case the reader might have scanned over those verses and missed the urgency of the message, it’s repeated almost word for word later in Psalm 53:1-3.

 

So, on this April Fool’s Day, some of us will be duped by harmless, no malice of intent pranks. Ha, ha! But the foolishness of rejecting God – pridefully refusing to consider, much less accept, His loving offer of forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ – is no laughing matter.

 

We read about this in the first chapter of Romans: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them…. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:18-25).

These words might seem harsh, but they assert that God is dead serious about this. There’s no harm in a silly April Fool’s prank, but to foolishly rebel against the Lord is a matter of eternal consequence.