Today's Word
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Salisbury PlainClimb a Hill, Look at a Rock Day
Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.
The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.
(Click for enlarged)
“Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:29-32, WEB
I have been reading the bible along with a theologian who posts daily texts and a video that expounds on something we have read. The reading plan has not followed the books from Genesis to Revelation. We have skipped around the Bible, completing each book in a few days (or a day for the short ones, and two months for the Psalms). Sometimes we’ve read a few chapters from just the Old Testament, and other days have included a New Testament chapter. I have read through the entire Bible several times, using different reading plans, and I have enjoyed this one because of the additional devotional materials that have been provided.
Reading through the Bible is not easy. There are long sections that are just not very interesting. Most of us love to read the book of John, or to use the Psalms for our daily devotion time. Some books are particularly difficult, like Leviticus or the book of Hebrews. We read most of the Bible as tidbits in our daily devotions, a verse or chapter at a time, which allows us to skip the boring sections. We can’t avoid those chapters when we are reading through the whole Bible. I confess, however, that I often skim some of the chapters, particularly the long sections of genealogy. It seems unimportant to hear that so-and-so begat so-and-so and so forth.
We began the book of 1 Chronicles a few days ago, and the chapters have been this type of writing. This information was important to the Jews. They needed to know their family tree to know where they belonged in the kingdom of Israel. Which tribe is their heritage? Which patriarchs were their fathers? I have been skimming the texts during my reading the last few days, although I realized as I went that there are brief but important mentions among the genealogy. You may have heard of Jabez from the book that was written a few years ago about his prayer. His story is two small verses in 1 Chronicles 4. In chapter 9, we learn about a man named Mattithiah who made flat bread for the temple.
One of the people I read about this week is Sheerah. Her story is found 1 Chronicles 7. She is covered in just one verse, “His daughter was Sheerah, who built Beth Horon the lower and the upper, and Uzzen Sheerah.” She was a descendant of Ephraim, and I stopped when I was reading that chapter, wondering about this woman. Women were not often mentioned in the Bible, rarely named or described with such an important job. Sadly, she’s not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. We don’t even know much about the towns she built. How is it that a woman had the power and authority to build three cities? She is the type of role model that many modern female bible teachers want to emphasize. Yet, we have nothing more to say. What does this mean for us?
We are reminded by these one or two verse stores, not only in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles, but throughout the Bible, that even those unknown people were important enough to God to mention them in the scriptures. Jabez, Mattithiah, and Sheerah are even mentioned by name. There are many others who are mentioned, sometimes unnamed, that teach us lessons about faith or obedience. They aren’t always faithful or obedient, but they are worth considering for a moment. If they weren’t important, they would not have ended up in the scriptures.
“What does that have to do with me?” you might ask. After all, your name will never be written in the Bible. You might be remembered for a generation or two, but in a hundred years it will be difficult to find any evidence of your life. We can look at Jabez and realize that God remembers our prayers and Mattithiah and know that God honors even our most humble work. We can look at Sheerah and know that God sees us even when we do not fit societal expectations.
We skim over those long lists of names but buried within are people who quietly served God just like you and me. He calls us to live our life of faith and obedience to His glory whether we will ever be recognized for it. He knows every hair on our head. He hears every word we say or think. He knows our hearts and loves us so much that He has done everything necessary to accomplish His work in our lives. He remembers us in His book, not just a tidbit but whole chapters of the ways we have quietly served Him and His people, glorifying Him in simple and ordinary ways.
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“At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear. So I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:16-18, WEB
George Matheson was a 19th century Scottish pastor and hymn writer. He started going blind when he was a teenager, but that did not stop him from accomplishing great things. He went to school for theology with the help of his sisters. They learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew so that they could help him study. He was a gifted preacher, able to memorize the scriptures and his sermons. Many who heard him never knew he was blind. Yet, despite his success and the love of his family, George knew heartache. He was engaged to a young lady, but she refused to marry him when he went blind. He was heartbroken and so hurt by the rejection that he never married. Even though he was happy when his sister found a husband, her joy reminded him of his pain. The only consolation he found was God’s presence.
His suffering led to the writing of the hymn, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” He said, “It was composed with extreme rapidity; it seemed to me that its construction occupied only a few minutes, and I felt myself rather in the position of one who was being dictated to than of an original artist. I was suffering from extreme mental distress, and the hymn was the fruit of pain.”
It is an unfortunate consequence of the human condition that people are often self-centered and unable to handle difficult situations. It is easier to walk away from struggles than to deal with them. Too many marriages fall apart because it is hard to deal with the challenges of life like illness. With Veterans day this week, we are reminded that the service member is not the only one who sacrifices, the spouses and families do also. Sadly, many families fall apart because they can’t deal with deployments. Marriages fall apart for many different reasons, but too many do not know how to survive the trials of life. It is heartbreaking for the one left behind, because they are not only dealing with the pain and suffering of their trouble, but they have to do it alone. It is no wonder that George never trusted anyone to love again.
There are some who are blessed to realize that even though the world has abandoned them, they are never left alone. Like George, they know there is one greater than man who is faithful in all things. Knowing that God would not leave him, George was able to write these words, “O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.”
We may never be abandoned as George and Paul experienced, but human relationships are fragile. The ties that bind us are not as strong as we would like and a minor disagreement or a life-changing disease can break those connections. People will break our hearts, and it is difficult to recover from the rejection that leads to brokenness. It is especially difficult when they leave us when we need them the most. George and Paul remind us that we are never alone. Just when we think we cannot survive, when our loneliness is overwhelming, and the suffering is more than we can bear, God makes His presence known and brings us through the storm. Whatever your trials, the Lord is near, giving you strength and courage to face the difficulty of your life. You are never alone.
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Savior Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honor Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Savior's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
When researching, I use several versions of the bible, including the New International Version and English Standard Version. Due to copyright restrictions, I have not included quotes for the scriptures on some of the archives, but highly encourage you to open your own bibles to read the scripture passages for yourselves. Where scripture is quoted, it is usually the American Standard Version or World English Bible which belong to the public domain. Any other versions used in quotes are identified.
The devotion posted on Wednesday is based on the Lectionary texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The Lectionary consists of four texts: an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text and follows the church calendar. Archives for these writings are found at Midweek Oasis.
You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes
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