Category: Bible (Page 38 of 356)

Years ago I walked through a packed area of Calcutta (which is easy to do, as millions of people fill the city). Homeless families cooked outside of businesses, men bathed in public fountains, and a stray dog watched us pass by. I immediately noticed the clashing smells. Every few steps brought a new aroma. Some foul, emanating from too many people, and other delightful, drifting from restaurants and bakeries. My nose rollercoastered across town.

The Apostle Paul wrote of his life as an aroma: But thanks be to God…who uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. 

Paul noticed a stark difference among the hearers of his message. Some breathed in the salvation in Christ, while others recoiled at the smell. Through it all Paul and his posse of missionaries spoke with sincerity, patiently explaining the God behind the aroma.

I notice similar responses when I’m bold enough to mention my faith. A whiff of Jesus either draws a smile, or elicits a cold turn. When it happens to you, don’t take it personally. The aroma of Christ is at work. Pray silently and speak sincerely, hoping that listeners might perceive the fragrance of life.

2 Corinthians 2 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Austin Curtis

Here at the end of the summer a healthy crop of tomatoes hangs from my vines. I’m not a great grower of tomatoes, so when they ripen I celebrate. I enjoy eating the fruit of my labor.

The Scriptures promise the fruit of labor to followers of the Lord, like this assurance from Psalms:

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.

A gratifying life emerges for the one who lives in awe of the Lord, who respects and observes his commands. While never problem-free, God’s favor and protection mark their years, and material goods fall into their laps.

I think of prosperity in material terms, and the Scriptures carry similar intent. Following the ways of the Lord over a lifetime often yields tangible financial benefits. I don’t usually consider this idea (I’ve seen too many leaders abuse religion to make themselves rich), but the Lord clears a path to prosperity—both for you and your household.

Popular opinion paints the Bible as little more than a screed for closed-mindedness and self-denial. But that’s not true at all. Follow the Lord as best you can, day after day, in large decisions and small, and don’t be surprised when prosperity follows.

Psalm 128 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Andrea Riezzo

I listened closely as one of my favorite writers shared his life verse. Slightly embarrassed, he smiled as he explained to us that while he studied the Bible carefully and took seriously the injunction to rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15), he actually took his verse out of context!

I thought of him this morning when I read the verse he referenced, I will make you a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.

The passage refers to the Lord’s redemption of Israel. But these same words motivated a humble man to communicate in powerful and effective ways. This leader devoted his life to destroying the arguments of the enemy of our souls and pointing people to the Lord.

Maybe a little out of context, but certainly in the spirit of the text. A couple lines earlier Isaiah wrote, I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

The Lord waits to take our hand, to calm our fears, and to help in our times of need. But don’t forget that beyond all that, the Lord stands ready to create threshing sledges out of his humble followers.

Pretty good life verse, even out of context.

Isaiah 41 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Hannah Shedrow

I originally posted this content on September 10, 2021. I reread the passage this past week and wanted to share these thoughts again.

I once heard a speech by a man who said he spent the best years of his life climbing the ladder of success only to find it was leaning against the wrong wall. Many of us understand that sentiment. I work and work for something and once I grasp it, it fails to satisfy for very long. Then I start again. Such is the way of strivers.

But the Lord offers an alternative wall upon which I might lean my ladder:

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.

I enjoy meeting goals and accomplishing tasks, and I like to work hard. But instead of hollowness at the end of my endeavors, the Lord promises hearty fare for my soul. It costs me nothing, except perhaps my pride.

Such a wonderful invitation. I can enjoy the Lord’s bounty without pedigree, skill, résumé, or even a dime to my name. God summons us to enjoy his goodness. You and I will be happy we leaned our ladder against his wall.

Isaiah 55 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Lance Grandahl