Dialog

The goldfish died … again. My daughter, Charlotte, won a free goldfish at the elementary school carnival. She was so excited. The “free goldfish” wasn’t really free though. We had to purchase a fishbowl, gravel for the bottom of the fishbowl, plants, a net scoop, a weird treasure chest, and a sunken ship to keep the fish entertained. Sadly, the fish expired in a couple of days. Then we made the first of several trips to the pet store for replacement “free fish.”

At first, Charlotte seemed to understand and named each of the newcomers despite a litany of tragedies. (I never told her about the one that got away through the garbage disposal while I was changing its water.) Then the day came when I brought home one last fish. Then, I held up the clear plastic bag full of water and a shiny, new goldfish. “What do you want to name it, Charlotte?”

She looked at the poor fish and asked, “Is he a Christian?”

That seemed like a strange question, so I asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“Because it’s going to die.”

We settled on calling him “Fish.” Despite our best efforts, this was a fish that refused to die. We forgot about him when we went on vacation for a week. We came home, and his bowl was cloudy and green with sludge, but Fish was fine. Nothing could stop him. I overfed him. I underfed him. Times were tough, but the harder things were, the stronger he became. Fish was the last in our chain of aquatic pets. When he finally expired after a long life in the fishbowl, I think we had a state funeral for him.

I’ve thought about Fish many times over the years. I realized Charlotte’s innocent question, “Is he a Christian?” struck at the heart of the matter. When times get tough, Christians are at their very best – even if they are living in a fishbowl!

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2 – 4)

The finish line was in sight, but Kenyan long-distance runner Abel Mutai didn’t see it. Mutai was in the lead – at least ten meters in front of the second-place runner, Spaniard Iván Fernández Anaya – when Mutai suddenly stopped. He believed he had crossed the line of the cross-country race. Then something remarkable happened. Instead of taking advantage of Mutai’s mistake, the second-place Spaniard shouted for Mutai to finish the race. Mutai didn’t understand, so when Anaya reached him, he gestured and pushed Mutai across the finish line, intentionally taking second place.

Anaya’s coach, Martin Fiz, said, “It was a very good gesture of honesty. A gesture of the kind that isn’t made anymore. Or rather, of the kind that has never been made. A gesture that I myself wouldn’t have made. I certainly would have taken advantage of the mistake to win. The gesture has made him a better person but not a better athlete. He has wasted an occasion. Winning always makes you more of an athlete. You have to go out to win.”

However, some things are more important than winning. Anaya said, “He was the rightful winner. He created a gap that I couldn’t have closed. I didn’t deserve to win it. I did what I had to do. He was the rightful winner. He created a gap that I couldn’t have closed if he hadn’t made a mistake. As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I wasn’t going to pass him.”

But why? Why not take advantage of the situation? “But I also think that I have earned more of a name having done what I did than if I had won. And that is very important, because today, with the way things are in all circles, in soccer, in society, in politics, where it seems anything goes, a gesture of honesty goes down well.”[1]

King Saul brought an army to hunt down and kill David. 1 Samuel 26:7 – 11 reads:

“So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. Then Abishai said to David, ‘God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.’ But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?’ And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed.”

A single word describes Iván Fernández Anaya and David’s actions. It’s a word rarely heard and a concept even more seldom practiced: Honor.

  [1] Quotes from english.elpais.com/elpais/2012/12/19/inenglish/1355928581_856388.html

Golf is one of the most frustrating games I have ever attempted. On one hole, it is marvelous. Everything goes smoothly, and you gleefully report your swings. Still, on the next one – everything falls apart, and I can identify with professional golfer Tommy Bolt (March 31, 1916 – August 30, 2008), better known as “Thunder Bolt.” He had a terrible temper, often breaking his clubs or throwing them down the course. Wilson and Russell report:

He gave advice to others on how to display their displeasure properly on a golf course. One of his favorites was, “Always throw the club ahead of you so you can pick it up on your way.” Another well-intentioned warning was for the angry golfer: “Never break your driver and putter in the same round.”[1]

The Los Angeles Times shared this story:

Tommy practically invented club-throwing. The most famous Bolt story concerns the time at Knollwood Country Club when he had filled the water hazards with thrown clubs and came to the par-five finishing hole with 240 yards to the green. “What’s the shot?” he asked the caddie. “A six-iron,” the boy answered. “A six-iron!” roared Bolt. “How can you expect me to get there with a six-iron?!” “Because it’s the only club you have left, Mr. Bolt,” the caddie told him. [2]

Batsell Barett Baxter called anger one of the four destructive emotions. I think it is the most destructive emotion. Yes, there is a “righteous indignation,” and there are times when our faith demands that we become angry, but those occasions are few and far between. Most often, our anger is simply preparing us for the fires of hell. Herodian observed:

“Quick-tempered persons lose no time being angry and do so with those they ought not, over things they ought not, and far more than they ought.”

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil (Ephesians 4:26 – 27).

In other words, don’t stay angry, and remember, anger is a “gateway sin.” Unfortunately, it leads to far worse, so the ancient Christians rightfully called it one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

“Caddy, how many clubs do I have left in my bag?”

  [1] Wilson, J. L., & Russell, R. (2015). The Anger of Tommy Bolt. In E. Ritzema (Ed.), 300 Illustrations for Preachers. Lexham Press.

[2] https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-23-sp-58060-story.html

One holiday, when I came home from the Army, dad and I sat and talked about his experiences in the Army in Korea twenty years before. The tall, lanky kid from Oklahoma with a blonde flattop and blue eyes was exposed to things he would never forget. However, the one experience that stood out to him was standing guard on a dark hill above a rice paddy one lonely night just before Christmas. His young bride and two baby boys in diapers were home in Oklahoma while dad was among the “frozen chosen” standing watch far away. He was standing there with his rifle, and a chill wind blew through his jacket. No one else was around. Loneliness is one of the most painful emotions a human being can experience. As dad remembered, you could see the pain was still real. He shifted in his chair, then looked up, and I thought I saw a tiny tear in the corner of his eye. From the family room, you heard the sound of grandchildren playing. He was home! Dad smiled when he saw my mother, the children, and grandchildren playing around the Christmas tree.

Prisoners, victims of torture, often say the worst punishment is solitary confinement. The pain of loneliness is devastating!

Christian, are you wondering what good thing you can do today? In every congregation – in every community – there are the forgotten. Perhaps they are alone in an empty home. They may be confined to a facility away from their loved ones. Widows, elderly, prisoners, students away from home for the first time, and home-sick soldiers standing watch; these are the lonely.

Pick up a pen and send a good, old-fashioned letter. They can hold onto something that doesn’t depend on the Internet or batteries. Mail a card and make them laugh. Use that cell phone to let them know they are not alone. Stop by and say “Hi!” I promise: you will be the one blessed!

Still not sure how to begin? Then begin on your knees, remembering them in prayer. The Lord will open opportunities for you to prove your love!

When I was a young man, I had a goal of living two lifetimes in one. As I have aged, I have learned that, yes, you can live two lifetimes in one, but only for half as long. My goal was to go out like a Styrofoam cup in a fireplace. My leadership style was “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

Now, as I am approaching my seventh decade, I’ve toned things down. I’ve learned to stop and breathe. Each day – each moment – is special and to be savored. Meditation, one of the spiritual disciplines, has become essential. Genesis 24:61 records, “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening.” He didn’t go out to rest or to sleep or to while away the time. Isaac practiced meditation. 

Eastern religions are famous for meditation, but that is very different from the Judeo-Christian kind. In the east, the goal is to rid your mind of all thoughts and feelings. Christian meditation is focused. The very first Psalm says:

Blessed is the man 
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, 
nor stands in the way of sinners, 
nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Likewise, returning to Isaac, Genesis 24:61 continues: “he lifted up his eyes and saw ….” Yes, Isaac saw camels coming bringing his bride, but I think meditation, focusing on God’s Word, allows us to lift up our eyes and see God’s World.

Today, take time to pray. Take time to read the Bible, and then take a few moments to meditate. See the world – your world and God’s world – through God’s eyes.

Once there was an island king who was worried about pirates. He was so afraid the pirates would come and steal his golden throne that he hid it in the attic of his grass hut. Sadly, the heavy throne came tumbling down out of the rafters and killed the foolish king. The moral of this story is – ready? – “People who live in grass houses shouldn’t stow thrones.”

Somewhere along the line, some literalistic, English-speaking killjoy concluded that the pun is the lowest form of humor. He probably prepared statistical analyses for some government agency.

The pun is a form of humor that’s nearly universal. Any language with words that have similar sounds and different meanings will develop, and delight in, puns. [1]

The Apostle Paul uses a double pun in his little letter to Philemon. Philemon owned a slave named Onesimus, which means “useful.” The slave was anything but useful! He stole from his master and ran away, but then Onesimus met Paul in the big city and became a Christian. Now Paul must send Onesimus back to Philemon. It’s the right thing to do, but it is full of danger. Philemon could have put Onesimus the slave to death – especially since Onesimus had stolen from his master. A lenient punishment would have been branding the slave with the Greek letter delta (the first letter of the Greek word for slave, doulos).

To keep that from happening, the apostle sent this twenty-five verse letter saying:

“I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment” (Philemon 10). 

And Paul uses a double pun to make his case. He explains: “Formerly, he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me” (Philemon 11). The Greek pun translates nicely into English. Onesimus (whose name means “useful” – a common slave name) once was useless, but now he is useful. 

But there is a second pun in Greek that we don’t see in English. This pun is based on the word chrestos (χρηστός) – “something of high value, fine.” Pronounced aloud, chrestos sounds exactly like Christos (Χριστός): Christ! This second pun would read, “Formerly, he was not a Christian to you, but now he is indeed a Christian to you and to me.”

Aren’t words great!

  [1] O’Brien, D. E. (1990). Today’s Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties (p. 127). David E. O’Brien.

 
I’ve been thinking about chocolate this week. (Actually, I think about chocolate a lot. Easter is just around the corner, and chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs are showing up everywhere!) My research led me to explore “Military Chocolate.”
 
In April 1937, Army Quartermaster Colonel Paul Logan (famed for developing dehydrated potatoes and onions) approached Hersey Chocolate with a proposal for an emergency military ration. There were four specifications:
 

1. Weigh 4 ounces (113.4 g)
2. Be high in food energy value.
3. Be able to withstand high temperatures.
4. Taste “a little better than a boiled potato” (to keep soldiers from eating their emergency rations in non-emergency situations)

 
Milton Hersey was intrigued. They had never been asked to produce candy that didn’t taste good. Chemists at the Hersey Chocolate company went to work. The result was the Army “D Ration.”
 
“The technologists came up with ‘Field Ration D’ bars; a chocolate bar that met all of Captain Logan’s requirements. The bars were stabilized with oat flour, cacao fat, skim milk powder, sugar, and artificial flavoring. They didn’t actually melt in the mouth: instead, they had the power to break the soldier’s teeth. Not even the insides of the chocolate bar tasted good.” [1]
 
Soldiers called the chocolate bars “Hitler’s Secret Weapon.” Usually, the G.I.s didn’t eat them. Instead, the rations were traded to unsuspecting civilians for something more palatable.
 
The point is not everything called “chocolate” is yummy. I remember as a little boy sneaking into the kitchen and finding mom’s giant chocolate bar! That’s when I discovered “baking chocolate.”
 
By the end of the war, Hersey changed the formula for something a bit tastier called “Tropical Chocolate,” and more than 3 billion bars were manufactured over the course of the Second World War.
 
For us, we need to be careful. Not everything labeled “Gospel” is truly God’s Word.
 
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
 
 Blessings,

  [1] https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/28/hersheys-field-ration-d-bars-did-not-melt-in-heat-and-tasted-just-a-little-better-than-a-boiled-potato/?safari=1&Exc_D_LessThanPoint002_p1=1

Idioms are funny. In English, when we describe someone caring and kind, we say they have a “big heart.” The Greeks say the same person as having “kidneys.” The Jewish people focus on the nose. Just before the tenth plague, after Moses warned Pharaoh about what was to come, “Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh” (Exodus 11:8). Literally, Moses was “hot of nose.” [1] Elsewhere, if someone has a “long nose,” they are patient, but if they are “high of nose,” they are arrogant. English has the same expression. We say an arrogant person has their “nose in the air.”

We use figures of speech all the time to make our words memorable. “That argument doesn’t hold water.” “My cup overflows.” “Stand up for the Word of God.” “I was tickled to death.” Songwriters are especially good at this. I like the line, “Her teeth are like the stars above – they come out every night.”

Sometimes I think James, the brother of Jesus, must have been a songwriter. He was undoubtedly a wordsmith introducing many new terms into the Greek language. For example, a person like Lot’s wife who wants to be saved but also desires to live in Sodom is dipsuche: a person with two souls (James 1:8). Likewise, James describes the rich man who comes to worship dressed in fine clothes and adorned with jewels. The man has so many rings on his hands, James says the man has “golden fingers” (chrusodaktulios, χρυσοδακτύλιος James 2:2).

D.K. Campbell writes, “The Bible contains hundreds of figures of speech. E.W. Bullinger grouped the Bible’s figures of speech into more than 200 categories, giving 8,000 illustrations from the Scriptures, with the table of contents taking 28 pages to list the 200 categories!”[2]

Take note of figures of speech as you read your Bible. Sometimes they will shock you. They will make you laugh at other times, but they will always be memorable.

Here in Kansas, our farmers are praying for much-needed rain. I wonder if it will be a “gully washer” or a “toad strangler.” What do you say?

  [1] Mounce, W. D. (2006). In Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (p. 898). Zondervan.

[2] Campbell, D. K. (1991). Foreword. In C. Bubeck Sr. (Ed.), Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth (p. 143). David C. Cook.

Growing up, I learned never to come to dinner on the first call. Dinner wasn’t really ready yet. Mom just wanted someone to set the table. (Wasn’t I a terrible son?) Of course, I also knew if mom used my middle name, don’t wait for the second call. (“John Gary! Get in here right now!”)

Many people are surprised. There is no official wedding ceremony in the Bible. We have many examples of weddings but no instructions about who says what and when. On the other hand, one passage is repeated in four different places:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:7; Ephesians 5:31).

It must be important! I believe the three elements of this verse provide us with the three elements of marriage. The first is “leaving.” Not only do we leave our immediate families, but we should also rearrange our priorities to put our spouse above our work, friends, and leisure. The marriage ceremony is a public proclamation that this is our intent.

The second element is “holding fast.” This is the glue and the hard work of marriage. It is where we learn to work together and support one another.

Finally, “becoming one flesh” is the celebration in the bedroom. The purpose of sex isn’t just procreation. Instead, it should be the bliss of laughter and giggles and a physical statement of love as God intended. (When was the last time you heard a class on “Song of Songs”?)

There are other important places where the Lord repeats himself. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus observed, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). He used the very same words to his disciples in Luke 12:34.

John the Baptist preached, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:4). Jesus repeated John’s sermon (Matthew 4:17).

When the Lord says something once, we should pay attention – even if He doesn’t use our middle name!

 So many things sap our energy. Church business meetings drain me. Junk mail drains me (both the snail mail and email varieties). Crowds drain some people while they invigorate others. The lists of energy-suckers go on and on, but let’s not talk about that. Instead, let’s think about the things that charge your batteries.
 
Taking care of your body – eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep – can empower us. Challenging your mind through creativity and study is another essential part of well-being. Likewise, taking care of your soul is an incredibly vital part of good health, and the word of God can empower us!
 
The Apostle Paul writes a letter to his friend Philemon in the New Testament. Paul says, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ” (Philemon 6). The Greek word translated “effective” (ESV) is “energes” (ἐνεργὴς). Did you see the English word “energize”? The apostle tells Philemon that sharing your faith energizes your understanding “of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” And there is more.
 
The Hebrew writer uses the same word in that oft-quoted passage: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). The English word “active” translates energes, the same word Paul used in Philemon; thus, the word of God can energize us too!
 
The point is, if your faith is running low on steam, follow these two suggestions. First, try sharing it with others. The Spirit will energize you, and if you are feeling spiritually empty, take up the Bible and read!
 
So, what empowers you?
Blessings,

Click here to see the complete Daily Bible Reading Plan for 2022