Author: Dave Dishman (Page 65 of 411)

Sometimes you move forward because there ain’t no going back. Famously Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, burned his ships so that his men would have to conquer the Aztec Empire or die. Not sure everyone initially agreed with the plan, but once the boats lit up they reached consensus.

A large number of men and women came to faith in Jesus during Paul’s stay in Ephesus. These new converts took stock of their lives and made dramatic changes: A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

That sounds impressive, and when you do the math all those drachmas equate to roughly $15 million U.S. dollars today.

What moved these former practitioners of the dark arts to burn their highly valuable books? The fear of God and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s powerful preaching coupled with extraordinary miracles swept the region. Due to the bonfire the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Former priests of other gods and worshippers of devils publicly acknowledged their new found faith in Jesus, and in order not to return to old ways they burned their sources of temptation. A decision to follow Jesus brings a change in lifestyle, in priorities, and in where we place our trust.

There’s only enough room for Jesus on the throne of our lives, and if you need to burn some boats to clear space, then light the match.

Acts 19 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jonny Caspari

Facing a powerful enemy Saul inquired of the Lord, but God failed to answer. So he turned to a spiritual medium, one who channeled the dead, despite multiple warnings from Scripture:

I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people (Leviticus 20:6).

Saul defied the teachings of God in an attempt to hear directly from God.

During his reign, Saul disobeyed God again and again. He ignored the warnings of Samuel the prophet, and he tried to kill David. He allowed the murder of innocent priests. Now he turned to a spiritist.

Saul remained stuck in adolescence his entire life. Self-centered and headstrong, he refused to listen to wise people in his life. Saul threw fits when he didn’t get his way and let his anger run. He wanted what he wanted when he wanted it, and let no one tell him any different.

Samuel’s spirit predicted disaster. The next day Saul, his sons, and large numbers of his army died in battle. A stunted figure led good men to their deaths.

We all move through our adolescent stages. Societies pour tons of resources into helping adolescents grow to maturity, and the same need exists for a life of faith. We cannot ignore the teachings of Scriptures and expect God to respond—that’s adolescent behavior.

Keep growing, it’s the only way forward.

1 Samuel 28 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

The first known convert of Paul in Europe was a businesswoman named Lydia. As Paul and his entourage traveled through modern-day Greece, they began a discussion with a group of women at a gathering place just outside of Philippi.

One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Lydia was already warm to the ways of God, and when Paul introduced her to the person of Jesus she responded wholeheartedly. Then she invited Paul and all his party to stay at her home.

Lydia was a wealthy woman. Purple dyes were derived from the glands of a certain type of sea snail. Harvesting these snails and producing the dye took a huge amount of time and effort. Only royalty and other wealthy people wore purple (remember the guards crucifying Jesus robed him in purple and mocked him as the King of the Jews).

Lydia moved among people of means, but despite those connections (or perhaps because of them) she hungered for the living God. It was not a happy accident that Paul met Lydia and introduced her to Jesus. The Lord finds those who seek after him.

Lydia shared her new-found faith with her friends and customers. Then those who latched on to Jesus did the same. Networking spread the good news across the Mediterranean region, and this successful businesswoman formed an early link in that chain of faith.

Acts 16 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Moonstarious Project

Sometimes a situation gets so annoying I have to deal with it. Like a dripping faucet or an aching tooth. Paul experienced a person so annoying he finally took action. Luke recorded the story:

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

Finally breaking, Paul called on the Lord and sent the demonic spirit flying. But then the owners of the girl got mad, having lost their source of easy money. They whipped up a crowd, beat Paul and his buddy Silas and threw them in prison. That night the Lord sent an earthquake and all the prison doors flew open. Distraught, the jailer grabbed his sword to run himself through, thinking the prisoners had escaped.

So much annoyance following one act of goodness. Missionaries beaten, slave owners enraged, customers missing their clairvoyant, townspeople riled up, and a jailer committing harakiri. I assume the demon left annoyed as well.

In the midst of all this swirl stood one young slave girl. Where did she go from there? She was still a slave, and now without any special powers. Her life situation may have actually gotten worse. However, no longer lost to oppression she saw the world clearly, and could choose for herself to embrace the way of Jesus.

The Lord goes to great lengths to bring one lost person to himself, and he doesn’t care who he annoys along the way.

Acts 16 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos